Secret_Ninja

Our school has many graduate student only clubs that are not focused on academia

Is anyone on here getting ready to reapply for the NSF-DDRIG for Biological Anthropology? I am finishing up my application now so that I don't have to stress in a few weeks.

PHEW! Indonesian research permit approved! Now on to the Visa process and to start the process of getting my assistants' permits done. Every step taken brings one new one to complete. How is everyone else doing with their research/country permits/visas?

This is a tough decision. Why don't you tell us more about your other options for school, full costs, etc so that we can give better advice.

Look at you being all bad ass!! Yale AND a Fulbright Fellow!

Just a heads up for those waiting for Medical Clearance. I called this morning and was told I was cleared weeks ago. The system did not update for some reason.

I went from Texas to the tundra I am not a fan. Here are some tips: 1. I second the "happy" lamp! 2. Get an emergency kit for your car. Make sure (on top of the usual car stuff) it has a mini-shovel, candles, hand warmers, granola bars, ice scraper, de-icer spray, and that crazy astronaut blanket. 3. Invest in GOOD boots. I suggest Columbia, omni-heat. I bought a $200 pair 4 years ago and I do not regret that decision one bit. 4. Buy a "sno brum" for your car. It is amazing, everyone who sees it is jealous, and you can clean snow off 4 cars in less than 10 minutes. 5. LOTION. Cold weather sucks all the moisture out of your skin. 6. Jackets that you can zip/button around your neck and have an attached hood. I am sure there are more - but learn to love hot drinks, enjoy the snow as an extra "beer fridge", and drive very very slowly (bollocks to anyone who complains).

This is a great site to keep in your bookmarks http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html Rarely are we "not allowed" to go to places. I mean it certainly happens where some countries will not let people travel to certain parts of their country (Myanmar for example), but usually the US gov just advises caution.

Thank you japanila - this is why Innovative is now just on my "ignore" list.

I LOVE my advisor. I interviewed her while she was interviewing me, and the interview began with my first email. Over the last few years, this has been my experience: - She replies to emails within hours - She works on my manuscripts/proposals/research needs 7 days a week & gets me draft comments back within 2-3 days. - If she will be out of town, she lets me know months in advance - She allows me to reach for the stars, as long as she thinks it is feasible - She is super focused on my career advancement and encourages me to think holistically when I take on any new responsibilities. - She will put her foot down if I am fucking up (which is never for me, but she has done it to peers) - She never has more than 7 graduate students at a time that she is mentoring - She understands that not all graduate students are created equal and mentors all her students differently according to their personalities/needs - She is demanding and engaged and encouraging - She is well known and respected in her field. This list could go on. I am 4 years in and I still LOVE her. I uncovered most of these traits by asking pointed questions during our email correspondence and during our interview. I also contacted her current graduate students for information. I hit the advisor jackpot.

What a shame your reading skills are also lacking. Please refer to my comments about what Fulbright will and will not fund. I said that you were eligible to apply. I stressed that you would NOT be competitive. I also said that IF YOU LIVE/WORK IN South Africa WHEN YOU APPLY, you are NOT eligible. From the Fulbright eligibility page: "... following the policy of the relevant binational Fulbright Commission or the U.S. Embassy in the host country, an application to the following countries will not be considered if the applicant is currently residing in or will be residing in that country during the year preceding the grant:" And with that - I am done having a conversation with you. My intent is to ensure that your comments do not confuse future applicants, not to debate with you. I have enough awards and accolades to reassure me of both my reading and writing skills. Please learn to read rules and regulations (as well as helpful tips) closely as you move through your graduate career.

See my reply on the other thread. I will repeat it again so that people using this forum for advice are not confused (I promise I am not repeating this to annoy you). Fulbright will NOT fund you retroactively and they will NOT fund someone already residing/working in the country they are apply to. You may apply for a Fulbright to be a research assistant - but I doubt it will make you competitive enough to be awarded. As long as you are ELIGIBLE though, it does not hurt to try.

Well your last two posts are certainly more clear, coherent, and well-thought out than your others. Well done. Writing clearly allows people to understand what you are attempting to convey. As for your funding - good luck applying for all things relevant to your situation. Fulbright will NOT fund you retroactively, nor will they fund someone currently residing/working in the country of interest they are applying to. You may, however, apply for a Fulbright after your time as an assistant.

As I said in the other thread - they will not fund people living in the country at the time. You need to look up eligibility rules for Fulbright. In addition, as I also said, this is not YOUR research. Therefore you are not competitive because these researchers can hire any assistant to do their work. I will provide the links so that other people do not get confused by your post and assume that they can use Fulbright for this purpose or retroactively. You should also look at eligibility for NSF GRFP and the Ford Fellowship. You cannot use these to be a research assistant or to "reimburse you", however you can use them for entry into the Fall 2015 graduate school year. Oh and if you have a Masters you are not eligible for NSF GRFP. I suggest a bit of organization on your part is in order. I applied for 14 grants, 2 fellowships, and 6 scholarships. I had an Excel sheet with the organization name, URL, total award, date due, and details important to eligibility. This allowed me to focus on the ones that would actually help me and helped me avoid applications that were not applicable to my research/situation. I am sure I must sound like a Debbie Downer - but you need a dose of a reality and a little bit of structure to your excited thoughts. It is good to have energy, it is not good to waste that energy.

I am looking at 18 days. I have nothing odd on my form, so I called to uncover the delay. I was told some countries take longer than others. The guy on the phone said I should hear by next week. *fingers crossed*

I think you need to have more conversations with Fulbright people,especially the Fulbright advisors at your university to understand what Fulbright is. You have to demonstrate why YOUR project is necessary, why YOU are the only one who can do it, why it needs to be NOW, and what contributions it will make to the host country and to the US. Most people who get the student research grants have well formulated projects that are a part of their graduate work or an extension of their undergraduate work, or will be preliminary work for their future graduate degree. For example, I can think of 5 current Fulbrighters and ten past who used the Fulbright to collect their dissertation data. Their projects were complex, well thought out, well articulated, and they were the best person to conduct it. As a "research assistant" you are helping someone else achieve their goals. They can hire anyone and train them to achieve these ends. You would have to really make a great case as to why you are the only assistant they could possible use. Perhaps do some side project of your own. However, I will not allow my research assistants to have a side project while working for me. Field work with animals is a dawn/dusk endeavor, with days off usually requiring lab work. They won't have a spare moment to work on anything else. Beyond that - Fulbright will not award someone who is already living in the country.Perhaps a perusal of the eligibility page might help. I'm sorry, but Fulbright really is not meant to fund what you need it to. It never hurts to try, but it is a grueling and lengthy process that takes months of waiting. Most people spend 6 months on the application framing alone. And I will tell you right now that South Africa is extremely competitive. Again - I do not mean to be negative,just realistic. I teach at a university level and I only encourage those students to apply for a Fulbright who I think have a really good chance. To encourage someone otherwise is a detriment to them. You could spend your time searching for other ways to get funding. Gofundme.com perhaps?

There is a new thread for 2015-2016 and I am sure they would appreciate this information as well. When you apply in October 2014, you will not be able to use your funds until later in the year 2015. When depends on the country. I know someone who went to Kenya in mid April and found out the day she landed that she was awarded the Fulbright. They processed her information quickly, but she was unable to start using funds until later in the summer (July I think). For Indonesia, the soonest start date is Sept of this year. But also, permit processing makes a difference. For example, some countries delay their permit processing for political reasons. You might plan to go in October, but can't until Jan. It is luck of the draw. Basically - don't bank on it. And from what I have heard from past Fulbrighters, not having your own project makes you less competitive. I'm not saying it makes you "out", but think about your application sitting against 50 others, if even 10 of them have a strong case as to what THEIR research will contribute to themselves, their country, and to the US, you will get ranked below them. When a country only accepts 3 or 4 candidates, these numbers should encourage you to make your application as strong and as unique as possible. Yes, you will learn great skills from this endeavor, but it is not your intellectual merit that makes or breaks the research. (i.e. - if you don't go, they can just find someone else to do the work). I really do not mean to sound harsh, just realistic.

While your experience was different from mine, I did two trips to Indonesia last year. Both were about 3 months and they were directly connected to my dissertation research (preliminary work). I was able to have a sentence about how it would enable me to "hit the ground running" once I landed. I am a principle so I don't think it affected my chances. I believe each experience is going to be unique and if you demonstrate how your work can only be done in Spain, then you will have done your best.

Ok that's worrisome... it has been almost 2 weeks for me. Did you get an email? Who was it from?

Thanks for confirming this - I have repeatedly urged people to be careful what they say on here. I think that some feel the internet is "safe" and "anonymous" - this is far from reality. If you would not say it in front of a Fulbright committee or your parents - don't say it on here.

In some cases this is not outdated and has nothing to do with "rich white academics". I personally believe that you should expand your horizons when getting an education, and staying at your undergraduate university prevents this. That being said, every situation is different. Funded is better than unfunded, and an economics PhD can get you many more places than just a job in academics. So it probably does not matter as much. Also, to whomever said a low-ranking school is a big problem, well it depends on what you do with it. My grad school is not the best, but I just won a Fulbright and several other large grants to fund my dissertation. This reflects much more on my job prospects than the name or ranking of my university.

Ohhh actually I think I had GeoBlue once through my university. I never had to use it though, so I don't have any opinion. Definitely get yourself gap insurance. I called the number that was on the information page for current Fulbrighters. It is the link in the email they sent when they told us the medform was ready. Insurance stuff IS a headache. I am happy to help as much as I can.

I just spent hours on the phone last week dealing with all of this stuff, so I have a suggestion for this too. Fulbright told me officially that I should only put the information I have. My insurance will be different when I leave (my university will switch me over to a travel one). On top of this, they are changing companies and have not posted details yet, so I don't have the info. For my section I wrote the information I did have. Of course - nothing has cleared yet so it may be beneficial to call Fulbright and ask to confirm. As for travel insurance - Allianz is a great company - i have used them before while overseas. For various reasons, I will be using them, Fulbright, and the "real" insurance provided by my university. But be forewarned - Allianz is a "reimbursement" service similar to Fulbright. I cannot offer a solution for "real" travel insurance.

I can answer this! You need to do two things. First, contact the US consulate for your country of interest and ask them what vaccines they require proof of in order to obtain a research visa (or whatever visa you need). Make sure you ask about ALL tests. For example, many countries require the G6PD test. They should be able to give you a list. I just got off the phone with the Indonesian Consulate and they were very helpful. Second, contact a travel physician. Our university has one on call so maybe most others do? There are also "travel physician offices" that you can get in touch with. They will use the CDC website to determine what vaccines you should have. Since I have had all my vaccines for Indonesia already, I went ahead and submitted proof of all of these. Now - these are "suggested" as opposed to required. But each country is different and you need to contact yours specifically. In addition, they may require some crazy genetic testing. The big question to ask is: Once you find out from your consulate what is required, do you have to wait to turn in the form until all these tests are completed? My thought would be yes. Side Note - Indonesia does NOT require the G6PD. But take this advice at your own peril - you should call yourself and make sure.

I know of someone who (2 or 3 years ago) actually found out that she had been awarded the Fulbright the day she landed in Kenya. They had no problems with this at all. She did her medical clearance in Africa as well as all the other paperwork. She also had a Leaky and the NSF DDIG, which paid for her flight there.