Grad Decision 2016

I heard back from Wisconsin-Madison several weeks ago that I was being offered an academic year fellowship to study Kazakh. I'm about 98% sure I'm heading to a different university though, just waiting for one more answer. So, that will free up a FLAS for someone at Madison.

@Heather1011 - Are you still deciding? From the purple line I thought I had gathered you're attending Harvard?

Hello @KodiH and @kasbah - congrats to both of you on the Coverdell Fellowships! I too am an RPCV (COSed June 2015 but am still living in Kyrgyzstan). I found out about Fordham initially because of Coverdell and applied for such, but ended up with a Public Service Assistantship offer which is also a huge blessing. KodiH - did you commit to Fordham then? I'm also heavily leaning Fordham but am waiting to see if the Ford School at the University of Michigan will reconsider funding. U of M has a Center for Russian and Eurasian studies which makes it quite attractive for my particular interests. That being said, I really like Fordham because of the quantitative component. There we'll be able to gain the skills to work as economists and do cost-benefit analyses and statistical inference on issues relevant to pretty much any organization, government or business anywhere doing development work. I believe this is a huge advantage of the IPED program (and the second MA in Economics with only 1-2 extra semesters of work) over some other programs that focus more on policy. In fact, the relative strengths of other MPP or MPA or "development" programs at the other big name schools we've applied to are that they boast a stronger focus on analytical skills. We've already got that here at Fordham. What do you guys think? What drew you to Fordham? Has anyone else committed yet?

Sounds like the largest sum offered to any of us on this forum was $7,000/sem. correct? Are there fellowships that go beyond that, and does Elliott make reconsiderations if you ask? As for the debt thing - my intention from before I even started applying was to only attend grad school if I were lucky enough to be offered full tuition + COL stipend. I firmly believe in not taking on any debt, ever, except for housing. Why burden yourself with 90K+ after graduating?? Especially for the majority of us who after completing these programs will be working for the government or for non-profits. That much debt will severely limit your lifestyle options for years, if not the rest of your life. Of all the types of programs we're applying to on this forum, no one school on our lists is worth tens of thousands of dollars deeper in debt over any other program. Aside from money: the big picture is that it doesn't matter what school you go to. Pick one. Pick one that makes financial sense first, and that you're comfortable with second. Every school on our lists offers much, much more than you will ever be able to take advantage of. Grad school is ultimately what you put into it, and not what little is handed to you through chance networking or name recognition. It doesn't matter where you go. This is not a cynical statement but a freeing one--make a choice, make the most of it, and enjoy this one-way trip we've all been graced with!

I got a response back from Julie Burnett in Graduate Academic Services at Michigan. Here's what she had to say on FLAS for anyone else who might be interested: "The Academic Year FLAS awards and alternate list are somewhat unpredictable. Some years we go through almost the entire alternate list, other years there aren't many changes. The alternate list isn't ranked and we select replacements based on several factors (primarily the distribution of languages, levels, and the nominees academic unit), allowing diversity among the recipients."

Howdy guys - is there anyone out there who has filled out the form letter requesting more funding and who knows how that process works precisely? Do you think there'd be a chance admissions will respond before April 15? Maybe they're going to wait until after visit day when more people who have received full funding will decline? I've been offered the 1/3 tuition fellowship, but having received other funding offers elsewhere, it makes little sense to take on so much debt. But, I really like Michigan and so am holding out. Anyone know of any stories from past years of people getting bumped up in funding before April 15? I'm also on the alternate list for a FLAS Fellowship at Michigan - anyone have any insight into what chances I might have of that coming through?? Thanks all! Have a great time April 8-9 for those who are going!

@liya I have seen Salam, New York! I watched it with my landlord's kids and spent the movie explaining to them why getting on a plane for the US with no plan is a bad idea, haha. Well, it worked out for him in the end. I really like the movie's hit song by Kanykei - she's one of my favs. It sounds like you've made it through the visa process already which is I'm sure a big relief--congrats! As I understand it, Ukraine is 90 day visa free for Americans. I want to make it to the Black Sea as well. Was hoping maybe to see Crimea, but, Putin got to the best beaches first... Kazan - I've read that there are (or were) a lot of Tatar Mosques there, correct? I'll add it to my list of places to visit when I'm able to get a visa someday!

@liya I'd like to focus on Central Asia - I speak intermediate Kyrgyz, and am currently taking intensive Russian tutoring courses so hope to get up to intermediate Russian by the summer. I believe the IPED program allows for students to audit language courses, but I'll have to verify. The plan would be to continue taking Russian through 2 years at Fordham, and apply for a Boren Fellowship for Russia/Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan to do a year after IPD. I think I would try to do the dual IPED/Econ at Fordham, so I'm not sure how much extra space there will be for courses in history/other politics. That's another question I need to ask my potential advisor. I was offered a FLAS Fellowship at UW-Madison to study Kazakh next year, but I think if I can make Russian work somewhere I'd rather focus more intensely on that since it's obviously applicable across most of CA/EE. The other thing about NYC though is the very large Kyrgyz expat population. It would be fun to make friends there! What other schools have you been accepted to? What criteria does Fulbright use in making a selection for you? And, where in Russia are you from? I really wanted to get a visa to visit this May/June, but it would be expensive, onerous, and from other recent attempts, looks like westerners are being denied who are applying here in Kyrgyzstan. I have an application pending to visit Uzbekistan, and then I think I'll head over to Ukraine instead.

Another question about FLAS - as I understand, it's only good for 1 year per language, is that correct? Does anyone know what the success rate is for those who do grad school year 1 on a FLAS, getting other funding or fellowships for year 2 and on?

Hello all, Congrats guys! I also received a funding offer with a Public Service Fellowship. I am interested in focusing my studies on the former Soviet Union and Central Asia. I am an RPCV and still living in Kyrgyzstan currently, but will be back in the US by the summer. If UM-Ann Arbor offers more funding (I was offered 1/3 tuition reduction, and am on the waitlist for the FLAS Fellowship as well) I think I'll head there simply because of their Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. I really like the quantitative focus of the IPED program at Fordham however, and the fact that it's an easier route to do a dual with an economics degree. Plus, Fordham seems to always get a lot of RPCVs ( @KodiH @kasbah!) so it will feel like coming home! Does anyone know more about the opportunities at Fordham to focus studies on particular regions of the world? @liya - Your location says "Russia." Are you a Russian citizen? Congrats on the Fulbright! Maybe we'll see each other in NYC!

I was notified by UW-Madison that I've been awarded a FLAS Fellowship for Kazakh! Yay! The announcements are being made! Check your e-mails if you haven't also already been hitting the refresh button repeatedly!

Howdy guys, I also have applied for 2 FLAS scholarships, one at UW-Madison for Kazakh and one at UM-Ann Arbor for Russian. The list of languages depends on the school. For example, Kazakh isn't offered at Ann Arbor. (At least at this time--I've heard occasionally students will participate in courses at Indiana-Bloomington via video conferencing.) @Horb I'm not sure you're going to find German or French on the list anywhere since FLAS tends to focus on critical languages, especially those in Eurasia/Central Asia/ME. As far as the waiting game, I've been notified by both Madison and Ann Arbor that their committees are making their decisions this week! So I would think those who have applied to those schools will be hearing soon! Best of luck!

I applied to that program and I received the letter saying I was accepted, but also no information on funding. Looks like a long weekend of waiting.

Situation resolved--I received an e-mail stating there had been a mix-up, and the fellowships were switched! If this happened/happens to anyone else, it looks like you should let them know right away.

Hello everyone, I just received an e-mail from Fordham stating I was accepted into the IPED program 2016-2017! Woohoo! This is one of my top choices, and I visited the department this past August and really like the program. I am an RPCV and so had applied for the Coverdell Fellowship. However, I was just notified that I am being offered an Arrupe Fellowship. I'm ecstatic that I am being offered funding, but at the same time I'm a bit confused by the offer. Part of the conditions of applying for the Arrupe is that you explicitly express your desire to work for a non-profit and for Catholic Relief Services upon graduation (as well as a couple other technical things as part of the application process). Not only did I not do any of the things required for the application for the Arrupe, I explicitly expressed interest in mutually exclusive fellowships. Additionally, the conditions of the fellowship require me to take courses outside of my expressed field of interest. My question is, what does this mean exactly? Were the other fellowships that I applied for filled by more qualified applicants and this was simply offered to me as the next best fit? Could there possibly be any chance that it was a mix up and someone else out there applied for the Arrupe and got something else? Does anyone have any advice for how I should ask Fordham about this? Anyone want to trade fellowships?