Yanders

Yeah, I used Wednesday as my benchmark and hadn't heard anything so I'm pretty sure I didn't qualify. I guess the official email will come out on the 10th

I'm so nervous! Has anyone heard anything?

I think in the last email they sent after we submitted our applications they mentioned Jan. 10... is that the rejection date?

@jasminebrighten I'm really not sure if CLS Korea will have a homestay this year! I assume yes, but I actually didn't know that there were years they didn't have one lol And in 2011 I heard back on Jan 10th, but I'm sure the date has shifted earlier or later since then

Lol Clearly I have nothing to do since my response times are super quick. Finals week procrastination haha. You actually get way more money than you need (at least in my experience). And they give it to you in dollars which increases the actual value of the stipend. You're in a homestay so all your boarding and meals are paid for, they pay for your flights to and from you destination (in Korea we had someone pick us all up from the airport and transfer us to school where our host parents picked us up), all the cultural excursions are free, and all your school books are free. You only have to pay for your meals at school (or if your host mom likes you, you can bring lunch lol), transportation to and from school (like buses and metro if you live further than walking distance), and leisure stuff. It's a really sweet gig.

You get a stipend

There are a lot of fellows that hadn't taken econ when they were accepted, so you're fine lol

@diversepa I think they select based on overall cohort size (20-30 in 2011.. I can't remember haha) rather than 2 people for beginner level, 4 for intermediate etc. I was telling mrs12 that for placements with two locations (like Turkey) the number of spots is doubled rather than split.

Hey guys! I did CLS in Korea in 2011, and unless the program has changed, they go for overall number rather than students per level. @mrs12 the Turkish CLS had two locations last year, so I would assume you're better off numbers-wise than those applying for countries with one location. Although with the recent Ankara bombing and overall sketchiness of Turkey now, we'll have to see if they scale it back to just one place (especially since Ankara was one of the placements). Also if you're trying to apply for a Turkish Fulbright, having done CLS helps A LOT. In my cohort there were at least like 20 people who had done CLS. I'm not sure about the Hindi program though!

@deepviszion They did not! It was just one of those things where you look back on what you wrote a month later and are like "dude I barely answered the question" haha. Perhaps they would have provided feedback if I had asked for it though-- I'm not quite sure. It's awesome that you got a fellow to look at your essays! I'm sure that will really payoff. Is this a fellow from your school?

@deepviszion, I did! I went about the essays all wrong and was completely rejected haha. Have you?

@mrs12 So true! One man's nightmare really is another man's dream. When my friend tells me about how much she wants to be in management, I'm like "wow, none of that sounds like fun at all. I'll totally pass." while she gives me the same look when I talk about development and market access. But PD is universally envied lol

I'm applying too! We'll see how this goes. I'm basically tell them my life story lol. I'm interested in post-conflict state-building and economic development, so I mostly focus on research I've done, internships, and Fulbright stuff.

kbui, sorry I couldn't give you any more specific advice! There's no right or wrong way to apply, so I don't want to make you think a successful application looks a certain way. It really doesn't-- it depends fully on your experiences and how you frame them. There are people in my cohort who are coming from completely non-policy related fields, and I didn't even know what the 13 dimensions were until AFTER I got the fellowship. The actual FSOA is really similar. mrs12, I do have friends who want to go into consular! Management too, actually haha. Play that up! Not many people want to go into those cones, so that will certainly help your case, I think. LOL people really only think it's prestigious because they imagine that you'll be dealing with a lot of charts and numbers, which is totally not the case. I'll take the fake prestige though haha. I think PDs get to have all the fun! They get to go to all the cool and fun events and stuff and meet all the famous people. Haha no probs! It's a totally attainable fellowship, I promise lol.

I'm a Pickering specifically, and I LOVE the program actually. Less because the fellowship lets you schmooze with the fancies (which it totally does) but more because the people in the fellowship are the most brilliant and accomplished yet down to earth people you'll ever meet. They're all great and I love each of them haha. The fellowship itself is pretty cool, and the internship experience is invaluable. It's also nice not to have to worry about funding. I'm getting tons of experience for sure haha. The internship I did at the state department totally solidified my interest in the field and everything. Yup! I'm totally team Econ. It's not nearly as popular as Pol or PD, but it's super important. 1. I've always wanted to try diplomacy! Embassy life has always seemed interesting, and it's really cool to be on the frontlines of foreign policy 2. I actually don't know! I think it's because my essay was a cohesive timeline of events that made it seem as if the foreign service was a natural next step, rather than trying to list all of the 13 dimensions by name etc. 3. I would personally avoid listing all the 13 dimensions and how you embody each one etc. because that seems pretty stock to me. You're better of subtly weaving them into your story. Also avoid the "I looooove to travel so I would be a great foreign service officer! I love the glamour of embassy life!" because everyone will roll their eyes at you. This being said, I'm not a grader, and I'm also not sure how the new program managers will be evaluating applications, so if your essay has any of the "don'ts" I mentioned and you think it rocks, go ahead and do your thing. The interview is an entire other process, so just let me know when you get there and we can talk about it. 4. Make sure you can clearly explain WHY you want to go into the foreign service, and make sure your story is cohesive