[Boren 2017-2018]

1 minute ago, ladyben-kenobi said:

Hey, Swiss, I'm so sad to hear that. I was totally rooting for you, but I was also rooting that your job applications have turned out really well, still really excited for those job app updates  I hope your prospective career takes you everywhere too!

Thanks, ladyben-kenobi. Glad to hear that your mother's surgery went well. Best wishes to you and your family. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

20 minutes ago, kbui said:

And @SwissMister, did you hear back yet?

Sadly, no, I was not selected for the Fellowship. But, I'm not too upset about it. Like I mentioned before, there have been some recent updates on job applications and personal life that would have prevented me from accepting the award. I guess it's just better that it went to someone who is able to pursue the opportunity to its fullest. I am so excited for everyone who received the award! I hope that it is everything that you hoped for and more, and that it really is a launchpad for great things in your future careers and personal lives. 

I won't be applying again, given that I'm about to start my thesis. But, here's to hoping that my prospective career will take me to Indonesia and other amazing places around the globe. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

3 minutes ago, ladyben-kenobi said:

EMAILS ARE OUT. I GOT IT!

Congrats, ladyben-kenobi!

[Boren 2017-2018]

2 hours ago, kbui said:

I've been replaying the two emails that I may get and trying to see how I will react to either one, and I think I'm at a point where I just want to know either way so I can start making plans.

Same here. Just want to know what the next few months will look like. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

1 hour ago, ladyben-kenobi said:

Hey guys, 

I have to admit that I have a lot of anxiety this week and the next, obviously Boren being one of the main causes, but my mother is also in the hospital for cancer treatment. Anyone have any recommendations to deal with the stress and anxiety? I'd really appreciate it.

Very sorry to hear that ladyben-kenobi. I went through a similar experience while applying to grad school. I don't have great advice, but can tell you that by spending as much time on the phone or in-person with my mother during her ordeal, while concurrently forcing myself to compartmentalize and forge ahead with my own endeavors, made me a stronger, more resilient person. The experience pushed me to my emotional limits, but my mother recovered and my applications were completed. These are those "fight or flight" moments in life where everything inside of you is telling you to succumb to emotional grief and drop everything and just be with your mother. Yes, there are times for that, too. But, I'll go out on a ledge and presume that your mother, like mine, wouldn't want you to stress about this situation that you have no control over. Two quotes that run through my mind when these trying situations arise:

"This too shall pass." and "The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man... It is more powerful than external circumstances."

Thoughts and prayers with your family. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

38 minutes ago, PhilzatBerkely said:

Gee, can't wait to find out about Boren... anyways, wanted to ask if people here started working with their prospective foreign schools to get the letter of affiliation (paying fees etc)? I was kinda hoping to find out whether I get Boren or not, and then make my moves... What do y'all think?

I would start looking into what the visa/immigration timelines look like for your country of interest. My program, which starts early August,  requires me to have everything submitted by April 7. That's not to say that my country of interest requires they be submitted that early, but many study abroad programs and foreign schools have their own timelines. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

1 hour ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

I compared 499 with the numbers Boren released inside of the last 7 or so years, didn't go back as far as 2009. Interesting that they've managed to have their website look exactly the same for that long. 

So, their website has actually changed over the last 8 years. However, each time they update the theme, it automatically takes the old content and gives it a makeover using the new theme's fonts, colors, layout, etc. I imagine that the News and Events sections are built on a blog framework, so they should be able to enable time-stamps pretty easily. Not sure why they don't this. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

16 hours ago, mastersbound said:

https://www.borenawards.org/boren-awards-award-announcements-will-be-made-may-0

 

decisions moved back to first week of May

I was a little dubious about the announcement when I didn't see it at the front of Boren's News Feed. Used a Google trick to check the date, and found that it was posted in 2009. Went to the end of Boren's News feed and found it. Looks like this announcement is about 8 years old. See attached image. 

 

[Boren 2017-2018]

11 hours ago, kbui said:

I wish you the best of luck! Sounds like a great opportunity.

Thanks @kbui. Wishing us all luck, Boren or otherwise. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

6 hours ago, kbui said:

If you receive the job would you not take the Boren? And security clearances, in my experience, takes maximum about 8-12 months, with most of them being approved 4-8 months after submission and 1-4 months after the interview. Perhaps you'll get something soon.

Yes, if I receive the job then I wouldn't accept the Boren. The job would have me in training for 7 months, then a couple years in D.C., then in the field. Part of the reason I was interested in Boren was because it would prepare and position me so well with the career path that I'm pursuing. Just so happens that one of the organization and positions that I had my eye on was interested. If I don't make it to the clearance phase, then I will likely accept the Boren. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

27 minutes ago, boren1718 said:

Slightly off topic...but if anyone is wondering, I talked to Boren and decisions are coming out the week of April 17th!

Definitely not off topic. Thanks for the update! 

[Boren 2017-2018]

1 hour ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

I am thinking about it regularly, some of that is due to my having online language classes every week at the same school I studied at last fall and where I applied to return to on the Boren. Just constantly reminded of it that way I suppose. I've given real thought the last month or so to whether I should accept it even if I'm offered this one. CLS gives me the chance I wanted to go back, and it fits in perfectly with what is going on in my life and the field I'm trying to go to work in. Boren, which would give me the chance to get my language level to a point close to what is a life goal for me, genuine fluency in Mandarin, would also be a 9 month program after two months of CLS. A whole year back just doing the language..... I could learn a lot more, but I am not well.... "young" anymore. I have been leaning heavily heavily toward turning down Boren (I declined my interview for a Blakemore Asian language fellowship not too long ago for this same reason). I'm still.... 10% or so considering accepting it if offered... but having the chance to go back already, even just for two months then going back to work, is looking preferable to starting my second career a full year later than I already am. 

Just changing perspective with being 6 weeks from finishing my masters as opposed to 8 months, when I started my Boren application I suppose. 

Same here. I have a lot on my plate with my graduate program, personal life, and federal job applications this year, particularly if my job candidacy continues as it has been. I'll be going through a security clearance process that will restrict me from leaving the country while it is ongoing.

Weird question, but if we are awarded the Boren Fellowship and turn it down, can we still say that we received it? 

[Boren 2017-2018]

9 hours ago, kbui said:

What did ACICIS say when you said that you're waiting for Boren results and that your participation is entirely contingent on you getting it? They must be somewhat understanding if they know you're waiting for a prestigious fellowship for funding.

I think because ACICIS' sole source of revenue lies in study abroad programs to Indonesia, they are still trying to push me along the application process in hopes that I use their services, whether I get the Boren award or find some other source of funding. They might be low on applicants, actually. I set my calendar to remind me about ACICIS' application due date, and somehow totally missed the date. They emailed me the next day saying that they didn't receive my application but would be willing to accept a late application if I was still interested. I turned it in that next day. ACICIS mentioned that it would take a few weeks to notify applicants if they were accepted into the program, but I received my acceptance email two days after submitting my application – the email mentioned that I would need to have a valid passport, visa application, and application fees submitted by April 7. 

As of today, ACICIS mentioned that I could wait to pay application fees until hearing back from Boren, but I still need to have the passport and visa documents submitted. A lot of work considering that the entire program is contingent on receiving the Fellowship award. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

23 hours ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

Ah ok. Well I had some thoughts if it was Boren...... maybe they are relevant to this other institution. I haven't worked with this ACICIS before and this is the first time I've ever heard of them, really. However, other programs I've dealt with that service many different regions or that are connected to places where a visa can be a real undertaking ask for things way up front just in case the process takes forever. Indonesia is one of the three countries in all of Asia I've never been to though so couldn't tell you from personal experience what getting a visa is like for an American. It's the only thing that occurs to me however, someone else may have direct experience. Have you looked into other avenues of connecting with students who went through ACICIS for reasons other than a Boren? 

Thanks, @UnawareInGeneral. I've been trying to get in touch with one of the other Boren recipients who went through ACICIS – no response yet. I'm going to go along with the passport and visa documents, but try to buy a few weeks time on the application fees, which are pretty significant ($~450 USD). I can only imagine that they would understand my plight, lol. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

1 hour ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

Boren is asking you to do that or one of the schools is asking you to do that?

So, it's not Boren or the host university that is asking me to do it – it's ACICIS, which is an Australian organization who facilitates study abroad programs to Indonesia. They are a very reputable organization that has been used by past Boren scholars and fellows. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

I am using a language immersion organization based in Australia (ACICIS) to facilitate my study program at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta Indonesia in August of this year. Past Boren awardees have used ACICIS to facilitate their study programs as well. What I find strange is that they are asking me to complete visa documents, scan my passport, and pay application fees before I hear back about whether I received the Boren Fellowship. These fees are non-refundable, so I'm wondering how I should go about this.

Are any other Fellowship or Scholarship people experiencing similar issues? 

[Boren 2017-2018]

@mastersbound Did you ever get the budget update email? 

[Boren 2017-2018]

Got the email, but when I log in to update my budget, I go save my response and it shows that the City and Country fields of my current address are blank. Also, I noticed that one of my transcripts wasn't uploaded, even though I definitely uploaded it. Hope it saves my response to my budget update. 

UPDATE: Never mind about the missing fields. I emailed Boren and they said it was a glitch that should be fixed now. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

5 minutes ago, mastersbound said:

It's out? I didn't get anything. Is that bad news? Didn't the budget email go out to everyone last year?

Did you check your SPAM? Junk?

[Boren 2017-2018]

On 2/28/2017 at 1:53 PM, kbui said:

I wonder when the budget update email is going to come. Or has it been sent already?

Ditto and I don't think so. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

Boren crosses my mind at least once per day. Strangely, as time progresses, I am feeling more at peace about either outcome. I would still like to know, though. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

2 hours ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

When I first saw who it was from I thought it might be the budget update email. Seems that is still to come. 

So, from my understanding, the budget update email is no longer a reliable indicator for whether or not you will receive the Boren award. Is this correct? 

[Boren 2017-2018]

Ok, thanks. This is my first go-round, so I'm a little antsy. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

Everyone else get the Boren survey they sent out today? Just checking. 

[Boren 2017-2018]

7 hours ago, mattwigm said:

Did anyone apply for the Boren Scholarship for the AFLI program for Swahili in Tanzania?

Coincidently, James Barnett, a Brumley Next Gen Scholar at the Strauss Center at UT Austin (where I am a non-resident student fellow) received the Boren Scholarship for the AFLI program for Swahili in Tanzania last year. I recall hearing that he really enjoyed his program and time in Tanzania.