Horb

Yeah I'm going to a private school in my home state so luckily I don't have to deal with that!

My fellowship is completely tax-free, so I'd only be taxed on the wages I made during the school year and summer, which isn't much. I've tried a few different tax-estimators and have gotten varying results, but mostly, it seems like I would get more if I filed as an independent, because of my income and the credits I can claim for student loan payments. Thank you for the comments! I'll definitely look at calculating for each type of filing.

I finished under in May 2014 and started grad school the following September (moved into my apartment in August). I lived on campus senior year, but paid for it via loans that I'm paying back (my parents are co-signers, but do not pay the loans, I do). I'm also under 24. I have no idea if I qualify as independent or dependent for taxes purposes. I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this situation. Obviously, I'd rather qualify as independent, but unfortunately I don't get to just choose that.

Awesome! I emailed and they said they received it. Nothing on whether it was approved.

Today marks week 8 since submitting my application. I still haven't received confirmation that they received it (though my tracker for my mailed application says it got there on the day of the deadline). Should I email or call someone or wait longer?

Thank you and you as well! I hope you hear soon!

I applied for the Speak Write Institute in Marburg (a small, inexpensive city compared to others) and for the GI in Bonn as my second choice. I thought about Swäbisch Hall, but I wanted to try a new area as I studied in Tübingen during undergrad. I'm glad to hear that it covered so much! I'm dying to keep up my studies on German in Germany. Thanks for the info. I'm now going to be hoping I get an email or something soon!

Viggos: did you do it for grad or undergrad? I'm doing it for grad and I'm a little worried about costs, as they mention it might not cover all the expenses of the program. It is good to know I could later apply for a year long if I needed to/want to later in my ma/phd program.

Last year we all found out with two or three days of each other, if not on the same day. And we all applied to different partnership universities. Last year, however, interviews were held at the end of February, I believe. They were late compared to normal.

Ah. I did the intensive language grant, though my friend applied for a study grant and another a research and her back in March/April. I'm hoping I hear back sooner as mine starts in June!

I would email someone. Last year all applicants had interviews. I don't know of anyone who was recommended and didn't get an interview.

Hey all! Does anyone know roughly when we should be hearing back?

Hi! I interviewed last year. My advice is to practice talking to someone who isn't in the room with you. You'll have five or so people who are talking to you and you won't be able to match faces with voices, which can be confusing when responding to people. However, you also do not want to sound too rehearsed. I, unfortunately, was first of the people who were interviewed from GradCafe, so I didn't have the opportunity to practice based on questions others were asked, but it seems they use all the same questions for each interview. Good luck!

Yeah, the Marshall and I think Rhodes has an age limit, but the Fulbright doesn't, nor does the Gates-Cambridge (at least, they wouldn't affect me). I might even still be eligible for the award when/if I apply. I'm doing an MA/PhD now and after my MA, I'd like to do research (maybe an MPhil) in England to get more specific knowledge of my period and access to sources that I can't get here. Idk if it is plausible, by my advisor doesn't seem against it (yet).

Yeah I looked through, but as I am international, the majority only cover a certain amount of tuition (about 5,000 GBP) which wouldn't be enough to live off of. I thought, for some reason, that the Clarendon was tied to the Fulbright, but I guess I was wrong. They seem to have 20,000 applications each year for 140ish spots. I wonder how they determine which applications to even look at!

I think it is a combination of factors. For instance, the reading load, in my experience, does vary. I'm coming straight from a BA, but I know people with MA degrees from the University of Chicago, NYU, and other schools who find that my program has WAY more reading (and denser reading) than their previous programs. There is also the expectations of participating in all department activities (showing up to meetings about the department and its growth, participating in reading groups, mandatory colloquium attendance, etc.). And, in addition to all of this, you might be expected to publish or have conference papers. The rigor really depends on the department expectations of what constitutes a good graduate student, which sometimes seems like what makes an ambitious graduate student.

I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of funding opportunities for study in the UK. I know of the Fulbright, Rhodes, Gates-Cambridge, and Marshall (as well as the Mitchell if we are counting Ireland), but I'm wondering if there are less competitive grants available or even just other grants in addition to these well known ones. It would be for an MA or MPhil.

I don't think the 1.5-2 thing is accurate. I got recommended for a school with one grant and got rejected outright, not selected as an alternate, which I assume would be the only other option if they only interviewed 2 people for 1 grant. I think it is flexible with smaller grants.

It seems like you should have selected 3b only, but from what you are saying, it required you click both 3a and 3b? At least you still have some options for the UK, so all is not lost

The Nat Geo Fellowship is for storytelling. You don't necessarily affiliate with one Uni, but as many resources within the host country as you want. The proposal and other requirements are also different. Unfortunately, I do not think at this stage it would be possible to have it looked at as a regular partnership award grant, since they released the announcements already. I would recommend reapplying next year if that is possible for you.

Does anyone know how many Germany ETA applications there are for the spots? I didn't see it on the website.

Oh ok. I was just curious. I knew people could apple for a 1 year MA, but I know some people on the PhD level (not done) who apply for more focus/research opportunities.

For the partnership, are those exclusive to BA level students? I know of some grad students who apply to them as well as I didn't see anything on the website about it being for post-BA but pre-grad school students.

I think last year it was not done until after our cycle ended. Also, keep in mind grant numbers change. Last year, there were two grants available for my program, but when it was updated, it changed to only one. So the stats for last year may not be accurate for this year.

I made it to the finalist round and was not accepted or an alternate. Initially, I was unhappy with the other opportunities I ended up getting, but now I could not imagine my life any differently. I will be reapplying, but for a completely different grant. Good luck everyone!