rach2010

Did you get the email from USIEF yesterday? I've found the sudden bombardment of information a little overwhelming. You wait for months and months and boom. More paper work than you can possible imagine! Are you, or any of the other Indian Fulbrighters, planning on going to the orientation in New Delhi? Also, anyone headed to Mumbai?

I've applied twice for the grant, and was a finalist both times. I actually had a different project and therefore a different affiliation. The first time applied I had just finished my bachelor's degree and it was just a research project I became interested while doing a research paper. And the second time it was my dissertation proposal. But the reason I changed my affiliation was because the first was with a Women's University that did women and gender studies (which was the topic of my first paper). The second time, gender was not the predominant theme of my research so it made sense to change it. Also, I had developed a relationship over the past 2-3 years with the woman who wrote my affiliation letter the second time around. I hope that helps! Good luck this time around, and hopefully you won't have to go through the process of reapplying. But it's always good to know this isn't your only shot!

Hi All, I just found out I got a full grant to India. So I'll be in Mumbai this upcoming year. And also, for those of you who did not get the grant: in 2006 I applied for the Fulbright, was a finalist and was then rejected. And this year I received it. So reapplying is definitely worth your while! Cheers!

You should really keep in mind that not all Fulbright applicants are fresh out of undergrad. Many are much older and in very different places in our lives. Try to have at least a little respect for those with spouses/families. And I don't know if you've seen the dependent allowance, but it's certainly not enough to fund YOUR Fulbright. I think the purpose of the board is to offer encouragement and support, and I, for one, would like to keep it that way.

I suspect the tourist visa might be the only way to go, but I really don't know. What I do know, however, is that in December of 2009 they changed the entry policy for tourist visas. If you are on a tourist visa to India if you leave the country you cannot re-enter until after two months have passed, which if she's planning on staying with you the whole time, she won't be able to re-enter for a couple of months. (People used to just hop over to Thailand for a week and then come back because on an Indian tourist visa you can't stay more than 6 months at a time.) Though this has been quite controversial here, but I suspect nothing will be done about it in time to do any of us any good. I hope this is a little useful to you! On another note about partners, does your dependent need to be an American citizen as well, or is that irrelevant for dependent allowances? Cheers!

I'm becoming less and less hopeful that we'll receive our letters around the same time they did last year (April 20). And it's a shame they don't just send out emails. Why all this snail mail business?

Any word on India full grants?

The process for getting a research visa changed in 2008. Before, you had to get Government of India approval before you could get a visa. Now it's done directly through the Consulate. When I applied for the Fulbright to India in 2006, we had to submit all of our paperwork for the visa in February. But since the visa rules have changed, I know that many people have gotten their research visas in a couple of days. So unless your topic is controversial, I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Hi Pooja, I applied for a full-grant. And you? Glad to hear that they've made it through the Indian round. I'll keep my fingers crossed for early April. I'm really hoping to know by the end of April. It's so difficult to make plans without knowing. Please let me know if you hear anything new, and I'll keep you updated as well. Best of luck, Rachel

Hi Pooja, I'm also a finalist for India. I haven't gotten any sort of notification yet. I live in India and I have several friends who are Fulbrighters here. They've all told me that they received their notification sometime between April 15 -20, which means we have another month of waiting! I also tried contacting the Fulbright office and they gave me the vague "sometime between now and June" answer. Good luck! Rachel