zachidacki

I got the CLS for Beginning Arabic last year in Cairo. I think this program is really hit or miss. I actually explicitly stated in my application that my language skills were for scholarly pursuits, not security. There were people in the program doing film studies, archaeology, anthropology, linguistics, and of course security studies, political economy, etc. Last year Arabic was extremely competitive, but I really have no idea how they selected people for this program. I hope you put together a flawless application and had stellar recs because, really, that is the only way to know you put your best foot forward. It is a great program, and the weekly stipend is way more than enough. Good luck!

I was born and raised in Portland, and did my undergrad in Seattle. I am a PNW lover through and through. I have one piece of advice for now: if you are moving to Portland from out of town or out of state, definitely live in Portland, either in one of downtown's neighborhoods, or on the Eastside. The rent may be cheaper in Beaverton or Gresham, but it's not worth the commute for a social life on the weekends, or during the day for that matter. Feel free to PM if you have any questions about the city!

Hi there, I'm a current Fulbright ETA in Belgium, so I empathize with the wait you are all going through. In response to the quoted post, I would definitely e-mail them. The fact you are a Finalist is a huge accomplishment, and many graduate programs will take this into consideration during the admissions process. I did the same thing last year and was admitted to all my schools. Unfortunately, I could defer admissions but not funding. I ended up applying this year while abroad to different schools and got really great funding. So, you could defer, apply again to other schools as a full-fledged Fulbright Scholar, and your application will be that much stronger. And just for some reference: I received a notification by snail mail that I had been awarded the grant the first week of April, and it came directly from the Fulbright Commission in Belgium. They sent it to my permanent address (not the address I was currently living at), so you will have to keep your eye on two mailboxes. Good luck!

I would check out Boston University and Fordham University. Jesuit schools have a huge focus on international service/social justice, and both these schools offer concentrations in Global Social Work, with the possibility of doing your practicum overseas. The other plus is that both of these schools give much more money to deserving (merit and need-based) students than, for example, Columbia (max scholarship is $8,000). You can also look at schools that have significant programming overseas. WashU overs a summer program in China and a winter program in India, and I'm pretty sure University of Washington has some international programs. These are only a few of the options, of course. Good luck!