Horb

I didn't mean to rain on your parade! It is a common misconception.

If you search through forums, you'll actually see that "selection made" means nothing. If it changes to funding, or something similar, then yes, you most likely got it. Everyone eventually gets "selection made" before the decision is put through.

CONGRATS!

I'm sure there are, but it depends on country. Some places have age restrictions for ETAs. I guess my point is, if there isn't an age restriction, then it is fair game. You'll have to explain how this fits in with your life now. Why a 40 year old would want to do an ETA is probably different than why a 20 something would, but as long as you do that, you shouldn't be facing any discrimination.

Depends how much the award is and what it'll be used for. If it is used for the same things you're funding with a Fulbright, Fulbright will (most likely) alter your funding package. For example, if Fulbright was providing 1000 Euro per month for 10 months and another ward would offer you 1000 Euro, they might deduct the 1,000 from the 10,000 total they would pay you. But it depends on the amount and what it is used for. Also, note that they can rescind the Fulbright if they found out you got funding from another source and did not report it.

I'm 25 and won a Fulbright. Age does not matter all. There are people in their 40s who win.

I found the Fulbright website to be pretty useful for this: "The affiliation letter should indicate the author’s willingness to work with you on the intended project and it should speak to the feasibility and validity of what is being proposed. The letter should also indicate any additional resources or contacts that the adviser can provide to support the work."

Things they should include: What your work is Why it is exciting How it fits with their research What resources they can provide (office space, lab equipment, library access, etc.) Your plan for meeting That'll help get you a strong letter.

Are you applying for the open grant? Because all partnership awards are for study. The acceptance rate is very low (more so than other countries). I was a semi finalist so if you questions pm me.

Yeah, GPA only matters if the poor grades are in necessary subjects (like you're doing an anthro project and all your anthro grades are, like, Cs and Ds). That is when it may make the committee pause.

Honestly, just email Fulbright what you posted here (about the links) and see what they say. This year, make sure you store multiple backups in multiple places.

Did you apply at-large or through your school? Your school might have a record of it.

I wouldn't celebrate until I get a DAAD official notification. I'm not a DAAD employee, so I can't answer your questions with any certainty.

Yes.

Read through previous posts and you'll find the answer. It usually means nothing.

Yeah, I think I pay, like, $4000 or something, and my state has rent deductions too!

It depends on how they are doing their withholdings, how much they are able to deduct, etc. I'd be shocked it someone making 32K is only paying 1000. Even when I was working retail at $8.25 an hour I was having 15-18% withheld, if not 20%. Also, big note: I'm not a tax professional by any means, but a quick google search suggests the following: For someone making under 75K, they would be taxed $1,855 plus 15% of the amount over $18,550. That is just for federal. State and local taxes would be taken out as well. Now, your friends might get a lot back if they have deductions, but maybe they mean after deductions they only pay $1000, but they should be "paying" more throughout the year? I'm not sure. I would just recommend budgeting 15% to pay for quarterly taxes.

Well, State taxes differ, and you might also have to pay local taxes, so you look those up. If it is a fellowship, you're responsible for paying quarterly taxes because it won't be taken out of the paycheck most likely. If it is a stipend, they'll be taken out automatically. Either way, the tax rate is the same because it is taxed as income. I make about 32K and my tax rate is roughly 18%. I don't get much of that back, either, though I generally claim 1 withholding.

I would definitely apply if it doesn't restrict their definition of "diversity" to race/ethnic group. I would also recommend bringing it up in scholarship apps that aren't for diversity specifically, because most places still want a diverse body of fellows.

My friend went a month or two earlier. I think Fulbright will pay for the ticket if it is up to a month earlier. However, at least with most of Europe, you need to get a visa within 90 days and you won't be able to get it right away, because you'll need stuff from Fulbright, and it will take a while to get. So plan accordingly.

Break down your monthly expenses. For example, I get paid about $2000 a month for 9 months of the year. Rent: $575 (My rent is cheap because I live with 3 other people. I'm more interested in saving money than living alone, which I couldn't afford to do anyways) Utilities: $75 Renter's Insurance (buy this; it is like $15 a month): $15 Food: $125 Student Loans: $166 (to keep them deferred) Transportation: $50 (I use the transit rather than a car, but I live in an East Coast city where the transit is really good) Fun: $100 After all expenses, I'm left with roughly $894. During my first year, I strove to build an emergency fund. I would recommend doing this first and foremost. Calculate how much 6 months of savings is. For grad students that are guaranteed a stipend, I'd recommend a minimum of 4 months to tide you over for the summer. What is the fund for? Medical expenses. Car expenses. Stuff breaking or getting stolen. Focus on saving this amount first. Once that is settled, consider your debts. Do you have credit card debt? Do you have student loans? Tackle the thing with the highest interest first. Work your way down. If you have no debt, consider saving for retirement (roth IRA, 401K if your school or part time job matches it) or invest in mutual funds once you've saved up enough. For budgeting, I would recommend Mint. It tracks everything for you and you can set up goals.

I've never had that issue and I've used it for the last three years. I think they fixed it. For something that is free, I'm happy to use Turbotax and double check it, but I also have other deductions to claim.

I have fellowships. I use turbotax. It knows how to deal with it. It asks if you got any fellowships. Then it asks for information: tuition costs, fee costs, costs of required materials. However, these items are ONLY tax deductible if you had to buy them from your school and they were required for your course of study (i.e. a computer scientist who needs a specific computer for a class). It really isn't that hard. People just don't understand it and/or are mad they have to pay taxes on it. If you are only on fellowship, you should pay quarterly taxes, which is actually really easy. But if you have a part time job, chances are you won't need to pay quarterly taxes. It depends on how much you make. I just don't want to pay a penalty, so I would do quarterly taxes.

It seems like OP's brother would take out a US loan for a UK school. In which case, I think they should be fine without a cosigner. The brother just needs to be approved for the loan.

That said, if they see you are a PhD and don't have a clear proposal related to your diss, I bet you'd have a harder time because there's higher expectations.