ibette

My personal statement discussed my experiences as an immigrant crossing the border. And with all the recent changes in administration, I feel ya.

I feel really anxious and it doesn't help that I have to teach a seminar today from 6-9PM. JFC.

OMG I am a semi-finalist for a Research Grant to Colombia and haven't gotten anything D: My heart stopped because there was one from my FPA and I literally felt my heart tendons stretch out in stress. It was just an e-mail saying if we hear anything to let her know. FFS I just want to know what the heck is going to happen to me in the next year D: D: D: D:

Also waiting for Colombia

Anxiously waiting for Latin America too I have been scared of being a super positive person when it comes to these type of things because I am so used to rejections from all the scholarships, graduate programs, fellowships, summer internships, etc. I find it very hard to be super optimistic at this point, especially in such a soul crushing and competitive grant. Sending good juju vibes to the universe now and hoping we at least get to know our fate this week.

I am scared of checking my e-mail so I check the forum first to make sure it's safe. Patiently waiting for more Western Hemisphere countries and getting a bit more angsty as other countries go through ???

?????

::Anxiously waiting on Colombia:: ??

Well I am in Germany right now and I am definitely freaking out that I might be here when I found out about Western Hemisphere (which tends to run from March 18-31st). Ughh! At least I don't have access to wifi constantly so I won't be checking my e-mail much. Edit: Congratulations on all those who are Finalists! And well wishes for those who will continue to wait or this time around they weren't chosen.

@LibbyCreek I applied to Colombia and unfortunately they don't offer dependent support however, we have been living separately while I am wrapping up my doctoral work so it won't be an extreme change (we are living 9 hours apart). HOWEVER, we do hope that if I happen to get it, there is a possibility he can do his work remotely for months at a time. We also have a good savings account in case he needs to take some time off and come down visit + saving all his vacation days. First I need to get the finalist status though, and then we can run around like headless chickens trying to figure it out Ack, good luck to all of you! Last year people had heard from Austria, Japan, Iceland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Turkey around this time. I am also suppose to hear from another fellowship the latest on the 15th hoping it's not a double rejection this month (sigh).

I think you will be okay, especially with the Research Fulbright one. I am also thinking we should start hearing some decisions by next week in some countries. (ughhh)

I just noticed we were meaning the same thing (providers/lenders) that's why I was confused, lol. When I got semi-status notification, my husband and I started to talk about the potential idea of him coming with me but when I was looking up the monthly stipend vs. how much his student monthly payments are, there was no way that can happen. And I am sure loan deferment would only work for the grantee and not the spouse. I still find it disappointing some lenders wouldn't cooperate with a national agency to defer. I am wondering if people could then apply to Income Based Repayment (IBR) if their deferment is denied (but I am guessing that also depends on the federal vs. private lender deal). My friend doing peace corps was in IBR and her monthly payments were $0 because she was earning a very small monthly amount.

I think it might depend on the lender then. The Fulbright website doesn't mention excluding ETAs (they just say Fulbright in general). I also found @kbui's blog where he was an ETA in Thailand and talks about his deferment with Sallie Mae. Edit: I also found the Korea 2013 ETA handbook that talks about deferment for ETAs.

Colombia doesn't either. But I do believe that there is some sort of in-country orientation in Bogota before everyone disperses.

So part of me re-applying for Fulbright two years later was because I wanted to pay off my student loans. So I am very thankful, I don't have to linger that on my head. I think Fulbright does work with lenders because Fulbright's grant program (ETA and Study Research) comes under some clause that equates it to a full time study program so loan providers have to defer them after Fulbright submits paperwork on behalf of the student.

Not sure if this would affect some Fulbright projects in Europe, especially those that involved multiple sites: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/world/europe/eu-visas-parliament-united-states.html?_r=0

@Horb exactly! This is my second time applying and first time as a semi-finalist. I am worried my chances as a finalist dwindled due to the current social political climate out there and I am getting awfully anxious about it ?. Tomorrow I am hearing the results of another internal fellowship I applied and their proposal was due last week! I am also putting on hold all these other opportunities which is pretty nerve wrecking for me. According to my calculations just three more weeks for my host country based on their notifications in previous years. I am just worried this year there will be a delay due to the new administration and changes to the dept. of state.

I already started having the awkward Fulbright e-mail nightmares as we near March. I kept dreaming last night that I was re-reading the decision e-mail and feeling horrible as I read [NS] on the subject line and debating if I should re-apply again to FB's next year cycle.

I was lurking in last year cycle's forum and some people started to hear as soon as March 3rd (wow). So some of us might start hearing about our status as soon as next week. Yikes.

My passport arrived yesterday so I got really excited looking through it and potentially having a visa in one of the pages (at least I think a visa would be issued due to the long stay in the host country). I applied for another internal fellowship in my university which is a one year fellowship. The deadline is Feb 22nd and they will let us know by March 1st if we are selected. Wish Fulbright was that quick . Does anyone have any upcoming trips to distract yourself? I know some of you may be in Spring Break.

Today I saw both my FPAs and they seemed very hopeful. I am just hoping the next four weeks go by quickly.

I am hanging in there! Yesterday I checked my passport status application and I was relieved to know I will be getting it next week (phew)! Finalizing plans for my trip to Germany and listening to music on my Spotify seems to help me. I am also working on my backup dissertation project, which means if I don't get the Fulbright I will at least be ready to propose a current study I have been working on this past year. I am also busy with teaching and TAing and squeezing in workout time. Next week we have graduate student candidates coming in and I will be hosting one. So I am doing okay in terms of keeping busy. However, when I have little bouts of free time that's when I start to kinda freak out and come to the message board

Same here! My target country does third week of March. AHHHH I will be in Germany for the second week of March so hopefully I will be distracted.

I would send the following just in case (maybe you can word it better than I can :P): "Good Afternoon ___________, I hope you are doing well. I wanted to check-in with you on the previous assignment I submitted on (date) for a grade replacement on _______ class. I currently have an Incomplete grade for the course and I need to send my official transcripts for a program application by February 17th. Do you believe the grade replacement paperwork will be completed by then? Thank you so much!"

Hi everyone, hope everyone is holding up well. I am guessing in two weeks-in-a-half we will start hearing decisions for some of the countries? The deadline to submit transcripts is February 21st, so I am guessing if they have already received most of them they might start dispersing decision e-mails early March. Finally, has anyone started to inquire about the immigration processes for their country of choice? My former FPA asked me to look into those requirements as soon as possible even if the final decisions haven't been made on my application. She is currently a Fulbright scholar in South Africa right now and she mentioned how many loops she had to jump through in order for her to get a visa to South Africa using her US Passport. I also know my host institution made me fill out an application to get the letter of support, as if I was applying for their university as a graduate student, which requires me to get a letter from the program chair to finalize the application (didn't submit that requirement since we weren't sure if I was going to get a Fulbright anyways). Just wanted to throw these ideas out in case anyone is awarded soon and might encounter some difficulty prepping materials for their travels.