spainbound15

kbui, did they explain what happened? like, were you actually supposed to be an alternate but they mistakenly sent you a rejection letter??

OMG!!!! And after three years. That is so freaking fantastic!!

Hey again! Yes, I'm doing research, but not "scholar" since I've only been working for not quite three years. However, I'm now trying to decide whether to stick with Spain, given the fact that I spent 9 months teaching there in 2007-2008 and fear this could hurt my competitiveness in that country... I didn't know they awarded you the grant and then said there'd be no funding! That's terrible!!! Where were you trying to go again?

Unfortunately, it appears that the cuts have already taken place. A lot of the grant numbers are down for the 2015-2016 cycle. Maybe some reversing can be done, though!! I signed it.

Yeah, I was excited to see a bunch of countries don't **require** a language, but the Fulbright Students page does say it's an advantage if you do know the language, even if not required, because then they know you'll be able to interact with the community. So, it's good to hear that people got awards even when they didn't speak the language.

Actually, that's a great point. I'm sure if you let them know you're committed to learning the language and interacting with the community, that helps a lot! Norway sounds fascinating. Have an excellent time.

Awesome to hear!! I suppose I should have clarified that this would be for a research grant.

Hi again, friends. Given the recent information I acquired re effects of significant in-country experience on chances of receiving a Fulbright, I have started considering whether to apply elsewhere (in Europe, which is where I really would like to be). The only problem is that Spanish is the only language I speak fluently (besides English). I suppose I could try to learn French, Portuguese, or Italian over the course of the next year, but I was doing some research into countries that don't have a language requirement. However, according to the Fulbright Student website, even "[f]or programs where language skills are Recommended or Not Required, if you possess some language skills you should submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be advantageous to have your language ability documented, even though it is not required." My question, then, is how many of you were awarded Fulbright grants to countries despite having zero ability in that country's language. For example, did anyone receive an award to the Netherlands without speaking a lick of Dutch? Thanks to everyone for all of the sage advice you've given me. This is such a fantastic community.

I previously raised the issue of whether prior experience in a country hurts your chances of receiving a Fulbright student research grant in that country. Yesterday, there was a Fulbright Webinar, and I asked the same question. In sum, if you're applying for a competitive country (high number of applications; low number of recipients), you're not very "competitive" if you have significant post graduate experience in the country (study abroad in college is fine). I'm kind of at a loss, now, because the project I want to propose in Spain can only be done in Spain, and isn't that one of the key purposes of your proposal (telling the committee why you have to be in the particular country to carry out the research?). I'm inclined to call and speak to someone personally because, while I don't want to just give up, I also don't want to spend months and months proposing a project that will never get funded because I taught English in Spain 6 years ago (not through Fulbright). Any suggestions/thoughts are much appreciated.

Well, all of that sounds mighty depressing. Thanks for the info, though!

Thanks to everyone who chimed in! I suppose the good news is that I haven't lived in Spain since 2007-2008 and, since then, I've attended law school and worked in the legal profession for a few years, so hopefully that's enough "distance" from my experience there.

I would be applying for a research grant, not ETA. Like you, Mozartgirl, I would think that my previous history in the country will actually position me well to hit the ground running, but I understand, too, that they want to give people the chance to travel who may not have done so previously. In total, I've lived in Spain for about 15 months (4 months study abroad; 9 months teaching; and 2 months add'l travel time). I just would hate to go through the entire application process if I know that my previous history in the country is a disqualifier....

I was scrolling through Fulbright Programs' Twitter page and saw the following tweet: "U.S. Student grants are intended for those who HAVE NOT spent significant time in the desired host country." For those who have been awarded the grant, is there anyone out there who already has spent a lot of time in your host country? I'm applying for Spain for the next cycle but have spent time there in the past studying abroad and teaching English, so I'm wondering if that will hurt my chances...

Any other Spain full research grant recipients in here besides Neurovivor? I'd LOVE to chat with you!!

10 days until it's our turn!! Ahhhhh.