Secret_Ninja

You have just made my weekend. Thank you!

Let me know how yours goes. I am hoping that they will at least let me turn mine in without the G6PD test. I will call Fulbright again on Monday (and hopefully speak with someone nicer) to see. I know the basics behind why the test is necessary, but I am still crossing my fingers that I do not have to wait weeks for the results before I can upload everything to Fulbright.

Thanks! This is what I was leaning towards as well. It's a little bit stressful because I probably have to wait for results before I send my med form in - but of course Indonesia is meeting May and needs my stuff ASAP (including clearance). Sheesh...

Question for those of you filling out the med form - did you just go to your primary physician and have him/her fill everything out? This is what I just did. The only thing I had done by someone else was the gyno exam, but he had access to the records. Also - does anyone know if Indonesia is an area that requires the G6PD? I know that my area is moderate malaria risk according to the CDC. However, when I called Fulbright to get more details about this I was told (quite rudely) to call the Indonesian Consulate. They are closed today for Good Friday. Has anyone found out by any chance? Good luck to those of you still waiting!

Sweetheart - and I call you that because over the last 6 months I have come to realize that you truly are a sweetheart - you have been accepted into YALE. Apply for a Fulbright research grant while in grad school. You are going to go far and do great things. It's ok to be upset, but remember that this decision is not the full measure of who you are. I was rooting for you.

Very good plan! As far as the legal consequences go - it depends on the contract you sign. However, I seriously cannot imagine that there are any as long as you don't accept any money. The likely worst outcome is that your FPA will be irritated at you, and honestly, that will pass. Are you sure the fellowship cannot defer for a year? If you don't know, it is pointless now to ask them, but it would not hurt to contact them if you are awarded a Fulbright and ask. Often fellowships are happy to accommodate when you have something as high ranking as "Fulbright Scholar" on your CV.

I have to put my 2cents in. I completely disagree with your FPA. I am a bit older and have had a bit of experience with situations like this. These fellowships are jobs. You accept or decline them based on the information that you have available to you. Right now you may as well assume that you will not be getting the Fulbright. (I am not saying as a statement of your chances or abilities, I am saying because until you KNOW you might as well assume it is a no.) This allows you to make informed decisions. ALSO - winning the Fulbright does not mean you will absolutely go to your country of interest. Your visa still has to be approved. I have a peer in my cohort who was awarded a Fulbright, but her visa was declined because they didn't feel comfortable with her research idea. There are tons of ways for a visa to be declined and it may not happen until the summer. Accept this other fellowship - it is ABSOLUTELY ethical because nothing will be certain for Fulbright for months to come.

I might hold off on contacting anyone from Malaysia just yet. They have quite a bit on their plate currently...

You seem to be missing my point entirely. My post was intended to help people who may not know better. I teach undergraduates and cannot tell you how many of them do not realize that the internet can be seen by anyone. I never said I myself was offended. If you truly have not seen a single unprofessional comment on this thread, that is worrisome. Also your use of "heathen" implies some religious connotation that I am in no way referencing. As a godless heathen - I object. (See what I did there - just a bit of fun)

Again - I have NO idea who wrote the posts. I didn't write down their names or keep score. But I do get updates in my inbox to this thread and have read some shocking comments. I do not want these people to tone it down for ME, I want them to down it down for THEMSELVES. I have the mouth of a sailor and some descriptive turns of phrase - but I know when to use them. Stress, be frustrated, make funny memes, make jokes, laugh at your own expense, cry and be sad. There are many ways to get through this torturous time and not risk your reputation.

Absolutely not. That is a perfectly acceptable thing to say. A few posts before over the last day or so have been less than appropriate. Basically - if you would not say it to your advisor or mother or another authority figure, don't say it on here.

I feel like I need to pop on and remind everyone of this a little too often: While everyone is stressed out and anxious, you should be mindful of how you express yourself. The younger generation was born with an ethernet cable as an umbilical cord, and I think they forget that the internet is not anonymous. Some anxious comments are perfectly acceptable, expressing frustration is also acceptable, but expressing anger outwardly in a childish manner is not becoming of a Fulbright Scholar. Save that for your private circle of friends. You never know who could be reading what you type. Sorry to be a "Mom", but you never know when something you type in a moment of panic or frustration could kill your chances for a grant, fellowship, or graduate school acceptance.

Did you talk to the actual PC? Because I called first too and was told the same thing. But that person (not the PC) was VERY wrong.

For those that see responses on the sheet from your countries, but have not heard, go to the IIE website and look up the email address of your regions program coordinator. Send them an email. Somehow, I never got mine. AND they sent it to a personal email that I did not have anywhere on my application. The PC was VERY nice and helpful; he forwarded me my acceptance within minutes. And in the words of Fulbright when I called "Do not worry about bothering us, it is our job to help you".

Guys - the excitement and jitters is absolutely acceptable. I was right there with you weeks ago. But I hope none of you really think that Fulbright is being cruel or unusual in the way that they are sending out their notifications. I have said this before and maybe the newcomers need to hear it - Fulbright is dealing with other countries. They are not gleefully giggling while holding your notifications, they are managing thousands of applications, from MANY countries, each with their own laws and regulations. They likely cannot release information until they get the OK from the country in question. Having dealt with international red tape before, I can tell you that efficiency is not always on the menu. Be excited. Be anxious. But keep a cool head and a healthy perspective. If Fulbright chooses you, you will be representing not only the United States but Fulbright itself. My mother always said "Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the one you want". I believe it applies to attitude as well. Besides - the internet is not anonymous.

I have been giggling about these for a full day

Our hero!

Wow.. that's a clusterfuck. I guess I should have been downloading it every few days or so to try and save a copy. (I did not make it). I am going to wait until someone says "Ok this is it - add your stuff" because now it just has all of the stuff from 1/28, and mine is gone. Also - can't this just be organized by country once you add your info? I mean, it's Excel - can't you just tell it to rearrange alphabetically by a certain column?

Brussels Sprout

Of course - you have tons of time to read all your reviews. =) Out of curiosity, what is the date on your feedback? If it is March then I guess the sequester really did screw things up. I got my feedback as soon as it posted because I had been checking fastlane every day since 3/7.

You're not the only person that this has happened to. In a few days, read the jerky one again and see if there are any nuggets of wisdom hidden in the crap.

You need to email Carolyn Ehardt... I applied for the Nov 2013 cycle and have already heard back. Granted, the sequester occurred, which might be slowing things down. But.. are other people from August 2013 still waiting as well? I know it is faster to get out the rejections than it is the funded decisions.

Sorry Nrrrdgrrrl - Hopefully they were more helpful than harsh. I was shocked how nice mine were to be honest. I have had friends ripped to shreds. extremal - that might be a good thing!

Just a heads up for Anthro DDIG - I did not get an email (and still have not). I just logged into fastlane and found my rejection. I forget the exact numbers, but I think they had something like 44 proposals, 10 were competitive. 7 of these had everything they wanted, 3 of them were missing some components.

Congrats to all who heard good news and condolences to all who heard sad news. The best advice I can give is to remember that life is a funny creature. We all think we want to go a certain direction and when we get diverted, it feels like the end of the world. But I have a bit of age and with a bit of age comes wisdom. So many times in my life I was disappointed by one of these moments; I believed that there was NO way I could find a silver lining. Sometimes it took me years to realize it, but these path changes were wonderful things. For example, I did not get a particular grant 2 years ago that diverted my preliminary research by 6 months. I was devastated. However, by going to the field site later I was able to spend 3 months with a BBC film crew. This experience changed my life and would not have happened had I gotten the grant I originally wrote for. Just remember the parable of the farmer whose horse ran off: The situation we always live in is like that of the wise Chinese farmer whose horse ran off. When his neighbor came to console him the farmer said “Who knows what’s good or bad?” When his horse returned the next day with a herd of horses following her, the foolish neighbor came to congratulate him on his good fortune. “Who knows what’s good or bad?” said the farmer. Then, when the farmer’s son broke his leg trying to ride one of the new horses, the foolish neighbor came to console him again. “Who knows what’s good or bad?” said the wise farmer. When the army passed through, conscripting men for war, they passed over the farmer’s son because of his broken leg. When the foolish man came to congratulate the farmer that his son would be spared, again the wise farmer said “Who knows what’s good or bad?”