ZebraFinch

Yeah, I'm in at Georgetown, so I'm fine, but SAIS was tied with Georgetown in being my top choice. Also in at Elliott but I got so turned off by how they seemed annoyed that I asked for funding that I won't be attending.

Nothing here either. Really disappointed.

On the subject of clearance, without giving too much away, I'd say your bigger concerns should be financial irresponsibility (having a lot of debt is okay, but not repaying on time often is a no no) and drug usage. Remember pot is legal in a lot of places now, but in the eyes of the fed, it's a no go.

I lived in Russia for a long time and have Russian spouse. I've also traveled a lot. And I got the clearance. Took forever, but I got it. Apply! Many if not most of the competitive candidates have extensive experience abroad, including family from "non friendly" countries.

So I check my status online and of course it still says "Submitted". GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. I have no hope they'll accept me

I haven't gotten my email either! But I applied to DC.

I asked about funding and got a pretty blunt/rude reply back.

I asked and they said official decisions will be rolling out Monday.

European and Eurasian studies.

I just got an email from a prof congratulating me on being admitted.... but I haven't gotten any other emails? I don't know what to think.

I have a feeling they'll release decisions today at 4:50 pm.

I'd say go for the money. It's not like you'd be choosing a lesser school anyway. Have you checked the curriculum for each program? Maybe one has more classes that interest you.

I picked the European and Eurasian studies concentration. SAIS is my second top choice; I got accepted to my top choice with some funding so the only way I'll go to SAIS at this point is if they give me more money than Georgetown. I currently live in the DC area and cannot imagine studying gov affairs in any other city. There's just too many opportunities here.

Sure

Oh I'm thinking of making a poster and just hanging it on my door "IMMA BE A DIPLOMAT". Please feel free to ask questions on the interview/clearance/etc or send me a private message. I think authenticity reads through your essays so you have a good chance

Has anyone heard from GW and SAIS?

Well one update is that the contract is quite detailed.... honestly if you have any doubts about being in the Foreign Service, don't go for these fellowships because it is sort of a "debt" you have to the Department of State. If you guys are/have been abroad, try to make note of any US citizen friend/family/etc who has visited you or whatever while abroad. They'll want to talk to those people and one thing that was problematic in my process was that my American contacts while I was in Russia had never actually stepped foot in my apartment so they couldn't verify where I lived. As I said earlier, interview day (I'm thinking for Payne it might be easier since it's less people they interview?) is very long and exhausting. Mine lasted from 6 am till 6 pm, and most of that is "empty" time sitting around waiting for your turn to take the written exam or have the interview. Some people were saying their interviewers seemed uninterested if not flat out bored, but those people ended up winning the fellowship so I'm guessing it's more of a tactic to throw you off a bit. My interviewers were pretty great. Prepare a smart question to ask at the end of your interviewers... people focus on their speech or answers, but I knew by their reactions that my question shocked them in a good way. Some people are very cocky come interview day. I had a guy, also from my state, flat out not look at me even when I spoke to him. It's hard to let this sort of thing slide but just remember everyone is nervous and everyone reacts differently to such an important day, especially considering you've woken up at the crack of dawn. Don't judge others or yourself... I stuttered and messed up during my little presentation and my interviewers were really great about it. DRESS SMART. Interview day is not the time for short skirts or real flashy jewelry. Wear something you're: a. confident in and b. comfortable in. I saw a lot of people who were very uncomfortable at the end of the day. Seems logical but it's worth mentioning. Think of little experiences or stories that highlight what makes you especially well suited for the FS. Doesn't have to be experiences abroad or doing anything particularly impressive; maybe you managed a group activity at school very well or you helped a professor in a research project. Maybe you had an embarassing situation that you overcame with your great sense of humor. Etc. But have those examples at hand to show leadership, resilience, cultural adaptability, basically the 13 dimensions. You'll interview with people who have amazing backgrounds, you know, the type who opened up a homeless shelter in a developing country, speaks four critical languages, has a a fully funded offer at An Amazing Program, and survived a natural catastrophe while battling ebola. Don't compare yourself to this person. The people who interview you are the people who selected your application to become a finalist; they WANT you to win. They WANT you to be an FSO. You're essentially proving that you're as great as they think you are.

Thank you! Yep, I was selected as alternate in May 2015, started my clearance process then... the clearance process ended on February 20 of this year or so (note I have a spouse from an unfriendly country and some other "issues"). I really thought I didn't get it since my clearance took so long and had prepared to go through the interview for the award this year. Yep, I'll start at (likely unless something major changes) Georgetown this fall as a Pickering fellow I'm not amazing, I just, like you said, persevered! You gotta keep trying and trying if the Foreign Service is what you really want.

I've no idea on much of the details. I went through the clearance process myself (which, brace yourself if you get any of these fellowships, it's loooooooooong and grueling) and was told that if a fellow didn't pass the clearance (including suitability clearance, which based on what I know, is where a lot of people have issues) I'd get the spot but that was IF and only if I passed it as well. So, I could've passed it and not gotten a spot anyway; someone must've failed, which is not the way I wanted to become a fellow because I loved everyone I met on interview day but I guess it means they weren't a good fit. Sort of bad news is I'll get less funding for my first year, but frankly I just wanted to be in the Foreign Service so I don't really care. I got some funding from Georgetown anyway and am going to see if they can match some of the Pickering funds to make up for it. But between this and being accepted into Georgetown, I've had a very different application year this time around (even if I kept my horrendous GRE scores), so I really encourage anyone who isn't successful this year to try again. Sometimes things just need to happen at the right time.

In an officially weird turn of events, I have gone from 2015 Pickering alternate to 2015 Pickering fellow, and so I'll be withdrawing my application from the 2016-2017 pool. Good luck everyone! I'll stick around to answer any questions on the interview process and so on.

Give yourself the time to be super excited!! And then prepare! Good luck! This is great news, the Payne is so competitive.

You're a Payne finalist? Congrats!!

"Got a rejection but then got hit by a milkshake that was thrown from a moving car. Help put things in perspective."

I didn't apply for Payne sorry

Haven't heard a thing from them. My application, last I checked, said incomplete, but they never messaged me about it, so I'm not sure.