Dostoprimechatel'nosti

Congratulations! I traveled to Cyprus for spring break last year during my Fulbright year and I loved it! I want to move there now. Best of luck during the remainder of the application process!

Hello! Is anyone else heading to UT Austin this fall? I will be relocating to TX from Maryland in August and would love to hear from some other grad students and what you are looking forward to experiencing in Austin!

Hello! When I first applied for the Fulbright Student Research grant while (not so recently) married, I was named an Alternate. The following year, I reapplied for the grant and was chosen as a finalist. The Fulbright stipend with dependent support was more than enough to cover our expenses in-country (our dependent stipend was only $100 extra per month, intended to cover the additional cost of food for 1 person). Unfortunately for us, we own a home in the U.S. so the real struggle was working over the two-year application process to save the funds necessary to cover 9+ months of our mortgage and bills at home (this problem is most likely unique to us because we have 3 dogs and rather than rent out our house for the year, we had family stay in our home to take care of our fur babies). Apart from being students, my husband and I both make our living as bartenders. So my husband's career didn't suffer and his boss is wonderful and is holding my husband's position while we are away. Even if that hadn't been possible, we could bartend anywhere - so this was not a serious issue for us. That being said, the dependent residency visa that the embassy helped us qualify for does not allow for paid work in-country. This may vary depending on the country, but I think that it is the norm. If your spouse is able to work remotely or pick-up online work from U.S. companies, that may be one way to work around not having a work visa. The adjustment was more difficult for my husband than we expected. He worked incredibly hard for the two years leading up to our Fulbright grant year, so he arrived in-country expecting to enjoy a vacation-like year, but he soon discovered that he felt unfulfilled. Things really improved for him when he involved himself in the community and began volunteering regularly. As far as married life in a new country, we have been fortunate to travel together for months at a time so it was not a completely unusual experience for us. Of course, living in a new country is far different from traveling and I think that it has been very rewarding to experience this together, although it was not without its challenges! I hope that some of this info is helpful, I know that it is very specific to our situation. But if you have any additional questions or need any clarification please let me know! Good luck!

Hello new Fulbright applicants! I am a current Fulbright researcher in Moldova and, as there were ZERO Fulbright applicants to Moldova for the 2017-2018 grant year, I would like to ask those of you with an interest in Eastern Europe and some experience with the Russian or Romanian language (or an interest in learning those languages) to consider applying to Moldova, where active Fulbrights are needed and very much appreciated. I would be happy to share my personal experiences here or connect ETA applicants with the current ETAs in Moldova, feel free to PM me and we can connect via email. https://us.fulbrightonline.org/countries/selectedcountry/moldova

I would have to say that, yes, you are absolutely the kind of person that this field is looking for. Preservationists come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. In fact, I am starting my Master's program in Historic Preservation in the fall and I am considering applying for law school afterward in order to practice preservation law. That being said, I do not think that you have to complete a Master's in the field in order to demonstrate your commitment. But if you are interested in doing so, go for it!

Best of luck from another current Fulbright! I have been in your shoes twice before, so I will be thinking about all of you today! I wanted to respond to this comment because I was learning Romanian to prepare for my Fulbright grant to Moldova, which is not commonly taught and the summer programs that were available in the U.S. were super expensive. I ended up traveling to Romania for a summer language study program and it was incredibly inexpensive and a very valuable experience. I realize that this is not a viable option for everyone, so I think using online tools and private tutors are great resources until you are in country. You could also try to find language partners to give you lessons online on sites like mylanguageexchange.com. That being said, taking the time to focus on language study during the first month or two of your Fulbright is completely possible even though it may seem too time consuming when you are planning how you will best utilize your grant months. By the way, I think that your goal to learn Romani is absolutely wonderful and I am sure that it will result in some amazing experiences!

Last spring, I received a grad school acceptance with a great funding package. I accepted the offer, but then received a Fulbright grant for this year. My grad program was happy to defer my acceptance for the year. Now that I have been working in my field internationally on my Fulbright grant, I have found 2 other grad programs in the same field that are a better fit for my academic and international career interests. Would it be wrong to apply to those 2 other grad programs and, if accepted, decide between the 3 programs in the spring? Is it frowned upon to not enroll in a grad program that granted a deferral? Thanks for the input and advice!

I was initially interested in SCAD, mostly because I was living abroad at the time and SCAD offers an online program. But I decided against applying because of (1) the cost and (2) there seemed to be quite a number of people in the field who knew nothing about the program, which I found very odd. I did contact 2 alumni, however, and they had wonderful things to say about the program and they both have jobs in the field. So that is something to take into consideration. I ultimately decided on UMD because I now live in the area and nearly every preservation office in the state employs at least 1 UMD grad, it also seems to be a fantastic program and they offered me a great funding package. I wish that I could give you more info on the other programs that you are asking about, but hopefully you will find the answers that you are looking for on this forum. Best of luck to you in pursuing this path!

Precisely! While I haven't lived in my Fulbright grant country, I have spent extensive time in the region. And, as you stated, it is not unusual to do so (and in most cases it is necessary for researchers). This is why I don't agree that travel experience is a disadvantage. While the Fulbright states that they prefer applicants who have not spent a great amount of time in the country to which they are applying, I think travel experience makes applicants far more competitive. Although a grantee who hasn't traveled much will find the opportunity to live abroad immensely rewarding, a grantee with experience in their grant country or region may be able to take full advantage of their time abroad with less of an adjustment period. But of course, every applicant is unique and considered on a case-by-case basis, so sweeping generalizations don't count for much!

I lived abroad throughout my childhood and I have travelled extensively as an adult - I did not think that my travel seemed out of place on the Fulbright application. And there are sections where you list where and when you lived abroad and your most recent travels. I would also like to know why the person that you spoke to felt that your experience would be a disadvantage if you were accepted? As far as I understand it, extensive time spent abroad is only viewed negatively if you have spent a great deal of time in the country to which you are applying. Which doesn't seem to be the case for you. Even applicants who have studied abroad for a semester or academic year in the country they are applying to have been chosen for the Fulbright.

I believe the OP was enrolled in a grad program in Europe and was denied the student visa needed to remain in Europe and complete the program.

Usually Ph.D students pursue the Fulbright to complete dissertation research, so the Fulbright application is encouraged by most programs. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be celebrated by a Ph.D program.

I did not. I actually found out last month that I received a grant to conduct historical research abroad next year, so I will be deferring my acceptance and joining the program in fall 2017 instead. I'm just crossing my fingers that I will still receive funding when I return!

I'm really excited to meet all of you Eurasia/Eastern Europe finalists at orientation in July! So far, I have submitted all of my paperwork and received my medical clearance. Now I am just waiting for the grant authorization document and stipend information to arrive (it seems the waiting never ends with Fulbright!). I received an email from my region's IIE contact stating that the grant authorization would be sent in May. By that I am hoping that it is sent on May 2nd or sometime next week (can you believe it's May already??) because I am itching to know all the details of my grant. Even though we have the entire summer until the grant period starts, I know that it will fly by and I want to make as many preparations as possible now! Anyway, congrats to all the finalists!! Is there anyone left that's still waiting to hear back???

And if you want to stay in touch with your students, I am sure that you could skype them and their new teacher in the classroom/write them letters. I think it would be an even more impactful way to show that you care by staying in touch from abroad and sharing your experiences from Mongolia with them.