[Fulbright 2016 - 2017]

11 hours ago, cmeiling said:

My adviser suggested I try calling again. I finally got the secretary to help me out and she said the Laos grant authorization document hasn't been sent out yet, but she can't tell me when she will send it.

 

At least I know I haven't missed it.

I see you are in Memphis?! Me too! Where do you attend univ? 

[Fulbright 2016 - 2017]

11 hours ago, cmeiling said:

Well...at least we are both still waiting a long time for ours...

I have tried calling and e-mailing with no response yet. Starting to get antsy.

I have had quite a bit of correspondence with my commission, and they have not sent the Grant Authorization document yet. Don't fret! I also received a checklist, and it listed the Grant Authorization document as something that would be sent around May. (I found out I was a finalist in early March.) Hope this makes you feel better!

[Memphis, TN]

On March 14, 2016 at 4:33 PM, lersc said:

Any good apartment buildings/locations that people would recommend?

It depends on where exactly you are wanting to live. Where will you be attending school, or do you have an idea of town where you would like to live? Although not realty sites, Choose901.com and ILoveMemphisblog.com are helpful resources for things happening in the city and just to make you excited about your move.

[Fulbright 2016 - 2017]

4 hours ago, austintexan said:

Hey All, 

I am a finalist for the ETA in Poland (yay the waiting is over). I'm sorry to hear that others didn't get it  

Now I have nothing but questions. Mainly, when will I find out more information. Which city will I be in? How much is my stipend? Is there a pre-departure orientation (on the country info page it says there is one, but not on the pre-departure orientation list)?

Does anyone know when we will receive more specific info on our placements? 

Good luck to everyone still waiting!

If they have a commission, go to the website. I found my stipend information on the Bulgarian Commission website. Start checking out the documents you have to submit via the finalist resource page. I think once you are "official" by submitting your documents, they will tell you more! 

[Fulbright 2016 - 2017]

@Mechka I will also be an ETA in Bulgaria!

[Fulbright 2016 - 2017]

On March 10, 2016 at 10:02 PM, LifeLearner said:

@sairam94 @rsolo Yeah congrats on med school, that's huge!!  It's good to know there are other Spain semi-finalists anxiously waiting haha. I studied abroad in Granada last year and volunteered while I was there (in between the tapas lol). But I don't think you need experience in a country because a girl from my university became a Spain ETA and hadn't been to Spain. I also applied for the auxiliaries program, City Year (for a west coast position) and a mission trip through my church where I can be in Latin America so I will be doing something to maybe beef up my application for next year if I don't get it and reapply. But let's hope we all get it next week!!

I also applied to City Year (in NY) as a back-up! I'm glad to know someone else is considering both Fulbright ETA and City Year. 

[International Education Development/Policy Applicants 2016]

Thank you all so much for your input! I didn't think it was reasonable to go right into an IEP program, but it can feel like you are being left behind if you don't go straight to grad school. I'm hoping to be a finalist for an ETA position through the Fulbright program in order to get started with more in-depth experience that would be relevant to IEP. Thanks again for your wisdom @heather1011 @marature @betweenthepages

[International Education Development/Policy Applicants 2016]

Although I did not apply for an IEP Master's program this year, I am considering it for the next application season. Did most of you take time between undergrad and applying for these programs to gain related experience, or will you be going straight from undergrad to your program? I tried to get an idea from your posts, but it was difficult to determine. 

[Memphis, TN]

On February 4, 2016 at 11:39 AM, Hugs4Hugs said:

Thanks to everyone that has previously posted in the group! I will be coming from Michigan for a campus visit in a month or two. Just seeing if any new info is out there on cost effective/safe places to live, maybe some key terms to search as I consider places to check out while down there for the campus visit. Thanks! 

Hi! I am currently a senior at the UofM. I am not originally from Memphis, but I have LOVED my time here. If you are looking for housing off campus, there are many quaint houses for rent in the Midtown area just a few minutes west of the campus. Many people live just south of campus within walking distance to campus. Crime seems to be relatively lower in the midtown area than south of campus. Look at streets off of Central Avenue to start you search such as Reese and Ellsworth. (And by crime in these areas, I mean robbery--not major gang crime.) 

[Fulbright 2016 - 2017]

On February 23, 2016 at 7:07 PM, Mechka said:

Super long term lurker (since 2013), but finally have the courage to post. Haven't added myself to the spreadsheet though. 

First applied for a Bulgarian ETA for the 2013-2014 year, applying as a senior in college, and was a finalist but was ultimately not accepted. Graduated and worked for a few years before deciding to apply again, also for Bulgaria as an ETA. Moved through to the next round and recently had an interview. Because there is so much interest into the questions asked, I will try and list a few. Interview was quite laid back, lasting 15 minutes from start to finish. Was told that we will find out in the end of March. 

Questions:. Why Bulgaria? (In my case this was more why did I choose to study in Bulgaria while in college and learn Bulgarian formally). What do I anticipate will be the greatest difficulty in being there for a year? What do I want to do in terms of volunteer work outside of teaching? Would I feel more comfortable with a co-teacher or teaching independently? There were a few more questions, mostly ones that were highly specific, like questions about specific classes I took in college, so there is no way to really prepare for those (nor are they super helpful to post for you all, since you likely didn't take the same classes!)

With all that being said, best of luck everyone. For those applying as graduating seniors, remember if you don't get it, it's not the end of the world. Although I felt crushed when I found out that I wasn't selected in 2013, I realize now that it was really quite a good thing to happen. I learned a lot about myself over the past three years and I think I returned as a stronger candidate. 

I also was interviewed for the ETA in Bulgaria. My interview was a couple a weeks ago on the 19th. My questions were slightly different than yours, but still basic, predictable questions. 

Does anyone know where I can find the link to the past spreadsheets? They said in the interview, I would be notified around the end of March. I wanted to compare to past years, but I am new to gradcafe!