pdh12

Oh! That's really well-organized

June 7th...hm, that's curious about orientation scheduling...I'm sure it was already discussed, but do we go directly from orientation to our study site?

Are we all going to meet each other in DC?

Thank you so much for all the virtual morale-boosting...it was really helpful! I'm SO GRATEFUL to the opportunity we have on our hands! And @Mabelkitty2012 , keep up the hope! I think this is still really early to hear back, and it's probably because there were other India-specific scholarships that've been awarded recently, so India Finalists were able to rescind their offers earlier than others. Good luck!!!

I'M IN AS A FINALIST!!!!!!! I was just bumped up from Alternate!!!!!!!!! HINDI

@Haunted , I'm an Alternate for Hindi, too! Jee, I wonder how much hope we should respectively have..

I'm and GENUINELY SO HAPPY for those of you who made it!!!! CONGRATULATIONS YOU'VE SERIOUSLY EARNED IT

D= !!!!!!! I'M AN ALTERNATE

Yea, and this thread also attests to the resourcefulness/analytical skills of this group--we've done everything from pool our knowledge and study trends across multiple years ....the power!!!!!!

@loveandlearn , that sounds like the most concrete news we've heard! I'm going to bank on this grape-vine news, and count on hearing by this Friday! I think it's a safe bet. After all this craziness I hope everyone hear lets us know if they got in....it kind of feels like we've been through something together

Maybe we'll Never get the final news........

Lol, yes! Don't they realize this is the government?! There's nothing stopping CLS from finding out who that is and giving them what-for. More broadly, it's pretty great that CLS is running/funded at all, with the waves of shut-down washington has experienced throughout recent years. I have to say, though, I'm a big fan of critical/constructive argument, but people shouldn't be ostracized or acted-against for their opinions. This needs to stay a free country!

I really agree with you, @kristinochka, and I don't see it as an entitlement thing... I've been accepted into another program, and instead of having an above-board answer for them, I feel like I have to go through the motions of accepting my place there....but if the heavens part and I get into CLS, how could I pass it up? Time is the bane of existence fo real!

I nearly screamed when I saw the CLS Visa email.....until I realized it was for all of us semi-finalists!! This is getting crazy. We could end up with a visa, but rejected from the program

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY D=

Oh, that's great @mrs12, congrats! Most of my anxiousness is coming from the fact that we don't know When the final message will come! It could even be a week from now ><'''

I am SO cringing on the inside!!!!!! Is anyone else having feverish dreams about this? This really MUST be the day!

I received a generous response to my ETA inquiry, and indeed, it looks like we'll be waiting till the Very End of February. @mrs12 could you tell us a bit more about applying for the Pickering fellowship? Is it only for those enrolled in a relevant graduate degree? Thanks!

oh man, given all the great things i've been hearing about the program since the first-round, it will be Especially soul-crushing if I/we don't get chosen!! I hope to hear of everyone's results on this forum...... Edit: *sigh*, I sent an ETA inquiry email, asking if there were a specific day we could hope for news....I'll share the answer if it promises to assuage some anticipation......

Oh, wow! I guess it's a small world...and Ankara sounds like an amazing place! Specifically, I worked for the African Regional Services for the 10-week summer internship (supporting music/arts exchanges, voters rights, women's rights, and literacy throughout francophone Africa! It was more dynamic, and more rewarding than I anticipated. PD definitely suited me more than the other departments, but I did interview/observe diplomats and offices throughout the embassy. There were some interesting stats passed around. They said a lot of FSOs have ADD/ADHD, and that a lot of secret agents were Mormons! This is all word-of-mouth, so I wouldn't know how to verify... Admittedly, though, my background is probably unconventional for a FSO (I'm studying literary translation...and poetry). But once I graduate from my MFA, I'm going to apply for a variety of programs: a government-sponsored year-long study in Pakistan (for Urdu), PHD Comp Lit, or an MFA in poetry. Once I feel like I've pursued Alllll the education possible, I'll then take the tests! Language knowledge gives you extra points, too!

@mrs12 Hey! In terms of government jobs, I'd like to speak up for the State Department's Internship program, of which I'm an alumnus. I worked for a branch of Public Diplomacy in the Paris embassy, and came away with a solid sense of life/work as a diplomat. I would be happy to answer questions about it, but it's definitely worth looking into for those with an interest in foreign relations--or simply those with an interest in applying their non-political skills to job with the government abroad!

@maybemuscat Thanks for the consideration! Well...do you know about the odds for those of us that are semi-finalists? I know that it's esssentially just a week or two until we get our answers, but I can't help asking. What would you consider were factors for your acceptance?

I know! I agree, it would be fabulous in a non-plaigerist way to read accepted essays. Regarding my will to re-attempt an application despite being rejected as a semi-finalist: I'm hoping that my demonstrated determination, and self-drive, comes across this year! I think my pitfalls last time were that I had little exposure to my language, and that I [probably] seemed unable to clearly define what I wanted to do with the education. This year, though, I'm applying as a graduate student (last time I was an undergrad), and managed to get into the intermediate-level Hindi/Urdu course with only an independent study background. If I get in this year, it will surely be because of these changes. I will definitely report! And I hope others here do, as well. It could be helpful to future applicants, you never know.... But, indeed, I can hardly wait another day for the news. In this purgatory I have no idea what will happen/where in the world I'll be this summer!

Ahhhhhh.......how many of us are left on here? I feel like I'm reliving a bad dream. It'll be so upsetting if I get rejected at the final stage. I really want to know what the odds are at this point. Good luck to everyone!

It's amazing that so many of us made it through this first cut (I'm sorry to those that have to try again). In '14 I was a semi-finalist, but didn't make it to the end; it was a bit tragic. Someone quoted some odds earlier in this thread....does anyone know what the chances were of becoming a semi-finalist, then the chances of being a finalist? It's horrible that some of us won't get chosen, still (including potentially me). Edit: I found this for last year: "Out of 5519 applicants, 550 were selected"... I wonder how many more than the 550 of us there are right now o.o