indexes

@indexes CONGRATS!!!! Fingers crossed I will be able to join you in the future! I feel like because they had more grants this past year than they did the year before, they wouldn't have extra fund anymore? Or I guess they are constantly growing?

I am a finalist for the ETA. I just checked my email as I was leaving work...I am stunned. Maybe they made a mistake.

I am a finalist for the ETA. I just checked my email as I was leaving work...I am stunned. Maybe they made a mistake.

Thanks both of you! I convinced myself I would be a NP or an A.
@AnnMarie, Poland was only supposed to have 15 grants last year but there are 17 there now so extra funds may pop up!! I wish I had previous years data but there is a very good chance! I am crossing everything!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

Me:
>Opens computer 
>Sees there are 30+ new posts in the forum
>Without even stopping to read what people said, open my email
>See a P..see Congratulations...
>Bring down the foundations of my house from jumping around and screaming at the top of my lungs scaring the crap out of my husband who's in the shower
I'M GOING TO POLAND MOTHER FULBRIGHTERS!!!!!!
 
>Sidenote: wanted to call mom, dad, and best friends to scream at them through the phone....NO ONE PICKS UP!!! 
WWWHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Ok, now I'm going to go back and read everyone's posts. Congrats to everyone who got good news today!

I am a finalist for the ETA. I just checked my email as I was leaving work...I am stunned. Maybe they made a mistake.

I was on the phone with her (she's been sick so I was checking in) when the email came and we were able to flip out together. 
She told me she would let me update the spreadsheet
Thanks for asking!

Also, the masses want to know: did you tell your mom? 

I got Hungary! Can't believe it! 

Whoa!! It feels too real with people being notified.
Congrats to all who are finalists and may the Fulbright Comission of your country find more funds to make alternates into finalists! ?

Whoa!! It feels too real with people being notified.
Congrats to all who are finalists and may the Fulbright Comission of your country find more funds to make alternates into finalists! ?

Whoa!! It feels too real with people being notified.
Congrats to all who are finalists and may the Fulbright Comission of your country find more funds to make alternates into finalists! ?

Those weren't unsubstantiated. They were posted by people familiar with the process.

I just got an email - awarded a Fulbright award to Spain (research)!
 
 

15 minutes late?? Oh god, I would have been overwhelmed with anxiety! Haha yeah, from what I've heard from some current Fulbrighters it sounds like literally everyone's interview answers become something of a blur after the fact-- I can barely remember what I said in mine. But at least we've both got that stressful bit over with!! On to the anxious waiting!

This email had no chill!

I believe that page is now password protected

It's the worst! I was sitting there panicking that I'd somehow added the wrong Skype username, or miscalculated the time difference...nope, they just started the call 6 minutes late.
What country did you apply to? Hope your interview went well too!

First in the brainstorming, the dreaded: "did you check your spam folder?" They sent out interview requests Jan 23, with confirmation needing to be in within two days, I believe.
There is no way any sort of selection was made between our notification date and the request to interview, so it could come down to an oversight on their end, too. 
It it could also be like the UK, where only some of the applicants are interviewed. 

Surprisingly, the wait after my interview might be my easiest wait yet. It just feels all out of my hands now and I'm halfway toward finding out if I got it (3 more weeks). 
I've been keeping crazy busy though. I started working out again in the beginning of January and I go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week depending. I've been working a lot as a substitute teacher. And any time I have that is going to work or working out I spend with some friends. I've also started a few new shows on Hulu and netflix. I even started a new book series (Outlander) and I've been reading it until 3 am.  So far, it has gone by fast and without stress. Thank goodness. Hopefully that holds up in the final week of waiting. Lol
I think the main thing is to overwhelm yourself with new hobbies and friends. Days go by in a blur!

Im in Georgia and theyre letting me request an early cos (granted by like two days) if i hear back positive. Its worth asking your CD if theyd let you do the same. 
Good luck!

During my orientation for Peace Corps, it was all about making sure we were mentally ready to live oversees in a very different lifestyle (in addition to a mix of cultural/safety & security trainings). I would imagine a lot of the information covered is along the same lines, so perhaps you are right in assuming this type of orientation wouldn't benefit me as much as others. However, I believe Fulbright will pay up to $1000 to get me to DC, so if that means I can squeeze out a very cheap trip back to the states I might push for it. I'd imagine Fulbright would want to avoid paying for people like me but I'll just have to wait it out I suppose for better answers. 

I was actually torn between applying for Fulbright or Peace Corps right out of undergrad. I recognized Fulbright is of course more prestigious so I chose Peace Corps first as a way to make myself a better candidate (also its something I'm passionate about anyways). So ya I will choose whichever option ensures I can pursue my dream of becoming a Fulbrighter, I just hope I don't have to forfeit some of benefits in the process. 
 
What is nice is that Obama released an executive order last year giving NCE to Fulbrighters (I believe this is true correct me if I am mistaken), which is one of the largest benefits of Peace Corps so that is something to get excited about for this cohort of Fulbright!

And to me Peace Corps and Fulbright are sister organizations since they share many of the same objectives. I'm hoping my director and others can recognize this and things continue to unfold! What is tricky is that I have my close of service (COS) conference on May 15th, which is when I found out which date I would leave Benin. Coincidentally that is the last week to find out about Fulbright, but since Cambodia is a small country in terms of Fulbright applicants I'm hoping I can get a decision much sooner than that. Searched that google doc relentlessly only to find little information on Cambodia with regards to that so I'll just keep obsessively checking my e-mail in the mean time! 

"Attendance at Pre-Departure Orientations is mandatory. Exemptions will only be considered for extenuating circumstances by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State. Information on filing an exemption will be made available to grantees invited to the Pre-Departure Orientations in early April." (source) 
It's mandatory but 1) I think someone who has been in the Peace Corps would the proper orientation since looking at their list, the orientations are for countries in precarious geopolitical situations (historically and currently) and/or significant socio-cultural / political considerations that they really want fellows there to be aware of and 2) Your situation sounds like an extenuating circumstance, especially being in a rural African village (my family is from one on the other side of the continent and it's excruciating to travel to the main city or get a good phone connection) and you're already in a commitment that would be terminated if you had to leave to the U.S. for three days. There are a lot of Peace Corp --> Fulbright people that I have read about so I think it's something they have surely encountered. File an exemption in April or, if the dates and timings are sensitive, email when [not if! :^) Positive thinking!] you receive a grant. I would look into the process of applying for that three days leave from Peace Corps though, just to have it on the back-burner. It would suck to leave Benin two months early for those three days but it would suck to lose a nine-month Fulbright grant for two months also!
I would hold off on when to end the Peace Corp thing until the exemption (in case you would need to leave in June) and departure dates come out. How much time do you have to give Peace Corps before you leave? (i.e. could you tell them in April/May that you are leaving, say, September 1st?)

Yes, I just had one last night and it was the most banal, Inception-esque of nightmare. I got rejected, just to wake up in my dream to realize I was actually selected so I got on a plane in a 60s-style airport on my way to start the program...just to wake up AGAIN and realize it was all a dream. This 'waking up in a dream and finding an acceptance' happened two more time before I woke up for real!  Maybe it's my mind's poetic metaphor for the elusive acceptance.