Oliebollen

We're gonna do the long distance thing, too. We've done it before (I was in China for 9 weeks in 2013, and we lived an hour and a half apart for two years until moving to the same city this past fall), but it's going to be a challenge because it's such a long time. We're planning to save money to see each other two or three times, alternating visits. I'm hoping to hammer out the dates before I go for my own sanity, but it's hard since he's an accountant who works like crazy during tax season and I probably won't be out for winter break till January (I have to audit classes at a Chinese university and the academic calendar is determined by the date of the Spring Festival). We might do something like: he visits in October, I visit in January, and we meet halfway in April.

Just got the (P) for China! I'm completely floored. Just created a group, let's all connect on Facebook!

I think I have Fulbright waiting burnout... I have used up all my reserves of impatience and no longer flinch when my phone dings!

I'm probably gonna get a heart attack if I get the save the date before the final notication, haha. Anyone else still waiting on it?

Congrats!! This is a little early for Vietnam compared to the past couple years, so maybe we can expect more East Asia soon!

After going back and forth on which CLEA-approved program to apply to I decided to go with CET Harbin. The deadline is 3/1 (summer) and 5/1 (fall) compared to IUP's rolling admissions for summer and 1/15 for fall. If you apply after 1/15 there's a $50 late fee on top of the application fee. It's a very good program but the timing seems strange for Fulbright. Anyone else applying for a CLEA? How was the application process?

I emailed my FPA to ask if she had any insight on whether China interviews recommended candidates, and she sent me a list of all the countries who have done interviews in the past (though she said there's no guarantee a country that's not on the list won't start): Andorra TA Australia Bangladesh & ETA Colombia & ETA Mexico, business, and ETA Nepal & TA Norway & ETA Russia & ETA UK

I was looking for numbers on award amounts today... they don't seem to exist! There seem to be a lot of factors involved (project needs, funding allocations year-to-year, whether you have dependents, etc.) I think this figure would a really good candidate for grantees to add to the spreadsheet, myself!

Nah, I think in this case they're just looking to verify what you put down in your application, you don't have to go the extra mile. Good luck! Lots to do even at this stage! I've gotten two emails re: my application for research/study in China: one with detailed instructions about how to submit affiliation paperwork (they don't want us to wait because it's such a long process), and one reminding us to apply to the approved programs for the Chinese CLEA. They want affiliation paperwork ASAP, and by Feb. 6th at the latest. The deadline for the CLEA-approved program run by Berkeley was Jan. 15th (oops). They accept applications later than that if the program isn't full, though. I'd rather get into that one (it's in Beijing, where I applied to do the project), but I'm applying to CET's program as a backup. I studied abroad in Beijing on a CET program and had a very good experience overall.

You can reassure them that you're not required to stay in the host country the whole time... you can use some of your award to visit home (or even go on a vacation somewhere) if you budget for it (you're allowed to leave the country for up to 14 days according to the terms & conditions). And/or they can visit you. Either is totally okay. If I get the grant my SO and I are planning to see each other at least a couple of times while I'm gone.

Wow. Seriously? That's terrible. It's such an tremendous opportunity I can't really imagine why a parent would be against it... Can I ask why they don't want you guys to go?

Made it through! Second time applying. I felt about 600% more confident this time around compared to last year. My recommenders pointed out that I'd applied before, too. You should definitely think about re-applying if you're still interested!

Thanks for sharing your experience JohnT! My Chinese sounds right about at the level of your Spanish, and I definitely couldn't perform at that level in an interview. Did you apply for a CLEA? I'm doing my best not to think about Fulbright, and I think I'm doing a pretty good job, but people who are rooting for me keep asking if I've heard back yet! Last year I had a hard time focusing on other things until I heard back in January, but now that I'm re-applying I'm pretty zen about it and going forward with backup plans. Life goes on, you know?

Aaaaand it's in. Phew.

My interview was very successful--much better than last year tbh! The first half was daunting, but I felt I was able to address all of their questions, and the second half (after they discussed and called me back in) was really positive. They gave me some excellent feedback I can totally work with. My FPA has not been supportive throughout this process, but the faculty on the committee were very encouraging. I walked out feeling a lot more confident about my application. They threw me a curveball because they had to change up the committee last-minute, though--I was told there wouldn't be a foreign language portion so I should prepare a short description of the project in Chinese so they could assess my confidence, but there was a Chinese speaker there after all! Honestly it wasn't that bad, and it's probably for the best because I would've freaked myself out if I'd known. Seems like now is sort of late for interviews, mine was about two weeks ago! I got feedback from my FPA on the rest of the application about a week ago. I worked on the application form based on her recommendations and updated my work history, which was a huge pain because I had to cut and paste every single line... the Embark platform is just so user-friendly. Wow Emily, your FPA sounds like a gem! Ugh.

This is handy, thanks! Were you thinking about Middlebury, by any chance? My guess is that it doesn't matter to them as long as you've got the ability, but why not apply for a CLEA in addition to taking another class? If you're applying to China, I studied abroad on a program run by CET, which does two of the three Chinese CLEA programs, and their classes were excellent. More language classes are never a bad idea

How's everyone feeling? Things were moving along smoothly till about a month ago, when I hit a pretty major bump in the road. The letter-writer I had in mind recently changed jobs and I'm having quite a time pinning her down. My research topic (Chinese contemporary art) is pretty niche; I started learning about it on my own in college after studying abroad in China, and did my undergrad thesis on it this past year. She was the director at the artist residency where I stayed to do my thesis research. I don't have many really strong ties in this area of expertise so she's my best bet. My FPA thinks I need at least one person in the field (the other two are China experts, but not Chinese art specifically) to validate the proposal. I doubt I'll have all three letters in time for my university's internal deadline (Sept. 16), unfortunately. Would it be better to apply at-large or risk the campus interview committee taking off points for missing materials? Would that make it difficult to re-apply with my FPA next year if I choose to? If I don't make it this time, I may re-apply after grad school, when I'd have a much more time to develop solid relationships with experts in the field.

Have your FPAs said anything about how/when to cite your sources in your essay (format, number of sources, etc.)?

Nice! Hadn't heard of Luce, thanks, traveler.

Good luck!!

Whoops, you're right. See you there!

Soooo... who else is planning to reapply? I'm contacting my FPA tomorrow to ask if he's willing to work with me on my essays. As in like, this week. I'm also going to ask my host institute if they'd be willing to sponsor me again. And uh... (application opens Feb. 1st!). Honestly, the application process was pretty hectic and rushed this time around because I needed to complete my summer research before I could figure out exactly what I wanted to do. So having more time will mean more polished essays, better preparation for the campus interview, and more time to work on my language skills. Fellow refusés, what are your backup plans? I'm graduating with a BA in May, taking a year off to work on my portfolio, and applying to grad school/Fulbright, as well as short-term Chinese language programs like Middlebury.

Never too early to start planning! I'm about to graduate with my BA in art and international affairs and I'm applying for a full grant to research contemporary art in China. GO!

The National Screening Committee of the Institute of International Education has completed its work and has recommended candidates for the 2014-15 academic year. I regret to inform you that your application is not among those recommended for further consideration. Unfortunately, it is not possible to accommodate all students who would like to participate in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. I want to assure you that the application review is very thorough and that screening committees carefully weigh individual qualifications for research, study or teaching abroad. It is not our policy to discuss the reasons for this outcome. As is often the case in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the number of well-qualified applicants this year exceeded the number of awards available and the limited opportunities for placement abroad. Over 10,000 applicants competed for about 1,900 grants. Please do not contact IIE to inquire about your individual application. If you decide to reapply in the future, our Program Staff will be happy to advise you on the application process and provide general information about the program or country to which you are applying. I know that this decision will be disappointing to you. However, please note that the decision in no way prejudices your chances for participation in the Fulbright Program in another academic year. Each year's selection process is separate and distinct. If you wish to apply again for a Fulbright award, your application will be considered, as before, solely on the basis of eligibility requirements and the merits of your proposal. We appreciate your interest in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and hope that you will find another opportunity to study or conduct research abroad. Sincerely yours, Daniel Kramer Director, U.S. Student Programs Please do not reply to this email. The mailbox is not monitored.

Got the email at 5:36pm: Not recommended. Subject line is "Your Fulbright Application." There are some really neat projects in here. Best of luck to you all! ETA: One thing working against me was applying for Beijing, which is discouraged since everybody applies for Beijing & Shanghai. Not sure if I'll re-apply with this project, since it can only be done in Beijing...