Umenohana

Actually, now that I think of it, it's still quite early for Middlebury, so that thread would likely get buried.

That's a good idea! A separate thread would be best, because CLS threads tend to get very busy closer tot the deadline, as well as when the results come out. I'll get on that!

I didn't worry too much about contact hours. It was pretty straightforward for regular university classes, but for my self-study times, I just made a very approximate calculation. It does seem very likely that they will be doing virtual programs! They tried very hard to make them happen this year, and next year they will be even better prepared. I'm thinking of applying to Middlebury as well! I haven't applied there before, so if anyone has any tips, I would love to hear. And yes, I will be applying to Japanese!

Who is thinking of applying for CLS this year and what languages are you all interested in? Wondering if they will send anyone abroad this summer at all.

Mine were always professors, but it could easily be a supervisor of some kind. The important thing is that they know you well and can speak to your character and strengths, especially as it relates to CLS goals and selection criteria.

Okay guys, I made a Facebook group, it's called 2020-2021 Boren Scholars and Fellows. Feel free to join! Couple things: I have never made a Facebook group before and have very limited activity on that site. So if anyone at all wants to either help or even take over the admin role, PLEASE let me know. Also, we are a group of people who are interested in national security and are about to study abroad, so we all need to be careful (like, we have no way to verify every member is actually a Boren, so don't post about your awesome CIA job or whatever in the group). And let me know if you have any suggestions, such as editing security questions, posting rules, etc. Invite any other Borens to the group!

There's an official Boren Facebook page for current and past scholars and fellows. I think you will all have a chance to join after you accept the award. But if we want to have a separate group for our cohort, I'd be down for sure! It would be good to connect and see how things are going for everyone, share advice, find people going to the same places, etc.

Selected as a Fellow for Japanese! Pretty excited about that! For those who are alternates, here's something you might want to know: apparently, last year Boren ran out of alternates, so this year they likely chose a few extra. This means that 1) there is a larger pool of alternates and 2) lots of people decline their award, so your chances are still pretty good! Best of luck to everyone, don't lose hope and your passion no matter what your status is!

I'm afraid to look, I almost don't even want to know

Most likely just postponed, since they're flexible with dates anyway. But would really suck for the programs that only start in the fall!

Imagine if they email us saying the can't do fall programs...

I have heard of many very qualified students getting rejected, so it's really not clear what they are looking for sometimes. You sound like you achieved quite a lot (especially with that thesis, wow!). A big thing, especially for Fulbright and CLS, is that there are a lot more great applicants than there are spots in the programs, which is really unfortunate. I read people's scholarship essays a lot, so I'd definitely be happy to take a look at yours! It will have to wait until closer to the end of the week though.

Congrats on the alternate status, that is pretty impressive! Hope it works out. What did you apply for? I am thinking of doing an application this cycle, but still on the fence about it. If it makes you feel better, looking back a my Scholarship essays, they were really not that great at all. Though I imagine they expect much more of grad students, but I am sure they are likely better than you think! True about Fulbright, while it looks impressive in some ways, it won't help you everywhere.

I agree, looking at numbers and everything, Boren is much easier to get. I'd surmise that the service requirement is probably the biggest turn-off for people. Even though I was sure it's the right thing for me when applying for the Scholarship, it feels like more of a confinement now. Yet here I am applying again! I think you should also keep in mind that these are similar programs, but very different at the same time. CLS is all about languages, diplomacy and representing diversity of the U.S. Boren is about languages, national security, and government service. Fulbright is about academics, diplomacy and relationships, but not as much about languages. At least that's my take on it. There are people who can get all 3. There's those who get one but not the other. There's amazing, dedicated people who may get none. I got CLS and Boren on the first try, but did not even make it to semifinals of Fulbright. This year, I was a CLS alternate, even though I felt like my application was far stronger than it was when I got it last year. Also got rejected from Blakemore-Freeman Fellowship, which is another language fellowship. So it's really hard to say what goes into the decision-making behind these things, on top of the criteria they tell you. Not sure what to expect from Boren right now, but I'm feeling alright, since it is not as competitive.

For myself, I honestly don't know if I will do Boren even if I get it. I was accepted to a great program, but it is so expensive that the Fellowship would not even cover full tuition. Was really hoping to get other financial support, but there is really almost nothing out there for grad students (about every study abroad scholarship wants undergrads). There is a small amount of hope still, but not much. I could choose a different, cheaper program, but it would not be as rigorous or useful. So while it would be awesome to go and study abroad, I am afraid of wasting my time while rolling in the deep hole of student loans that I'm in. Although maybe I should take advantage of these opportunities while I'm still a student? After all, that is part of the reason I went on to grad school.

You know, I apparently go to an APSIA school now and I still don't see what it means for me as a student. Even our scholarship advisers never mentioned anything about it, so I doubt we are receiving anything that may put us at an advantage. My guess is that these schools tend to be pretty good in themselves and invest in helping their students compete for these types of scholarships. At my current school they push Boren, Fulbright, CLS all the time! (though they don't bother with getting FLAS...) At my last school, literally nobody tells students about those, nor offers any significant help. I was the only person to get Boren and CLS there, finding and applying to those opportunities myself. So while there is a benefit of going to "better" schools, your own merits are still the most important thing, so I wouldn't worry about that. I think they do also try to get a somewhat diverse group of scholars and fellows, including geographical and institutional diversity. I was studying Criminal Justice when I got the scholarship and doing an MA in International Affairs right now. Both times applying to Japan.

Does APSIA matter in any way? I had no idea what it is until I looked it up just now. I got Boren Scholarship a few years back from a no-name public school, so I don't think it affects your chances in any way. I didn't really explicitly define the level I plan to reach either time I applied. Just made sure to say in what ways my program is rigorous enough to make significant improvements. Boren does conduct pre and post assessments, but like you said, they are only for their own statistics (and OPI certification of your language for you).

If we're getting a "probably this week," does not sound like it will be today. But considering this year's circumstances, they likely don't care so much about their pattern of sticking to Mondays. Really hoping to know soon!

Yes, from the Boren website: Boren Awards funding in the 2020 application cycle may be applied to programs starting as early as June 1, 2020 or as late as March 1, 2021. But I would hope that they are flexible this year, considering everything that is going on. For example, a lot of Japanese programs start in April, so having that option would be nice if other things are getting cancelled.

That is indeed strange. Is there any chance the director misunderstood you somehow when you asked him? Is the director the only person you can ask about this? Could you reach out to your friend again and clarify what his process was like, how he communicated with the director (email, phone), at what point of the admissions period was it, was it even the same director, etc? Is the "program" referring the fellowship itself, or are you talking about some department within a university (or whatever institution)? Perhaps there is someone else in the department that could shed some light on this situation.

Unfortunately rejected from Blakemore after spending $80 on my application to IUC-Yokohama. I may have felt too hopeful, having already done Boren and CLS, so it was quite disappointing, but life goes on. Gotta try again next year!

I found this quote regarding alternates from 2017. Two people said this is how it works. So the alternate selection process works in this manner. Since you are an alternate for Arabic, (and the level you applied for matters too), they basically chose you as an alternate and lined you up behind someone or someones who applied for both Arabic and at the same level as you. They also look to replace people of similar backgrounds. Diversity is the buzz word that sums it up best I suppose. Someone like you in certain ways. If one of those people drops out, the ones you are lined up behind, they'll reach out to the alternates. Also, apparently alternates may be notified in waves. At least the first round of those who get bumped up may be notified all together. That year in was over a week after the accept/decline deadline. I don't know if I should go crazy looking more into what to expect as an alternate or just forget about the whole thing and hopefully get some nice news within the next few months.

Alternate for Japanese here! I know the chances are not too high for any language, but there are at least a few alternates who usually get moved up. Sometimes within a few weeks, but often as late as mid-April. What I'm more curious about is how many alternates there are compared to recipients/non-recipients. Some alternates will move up, but how large is that pool? Obviously its' different depending on language, but we can only guess.

I applied for the fellowship in Japan as well, but will likely try to change the program to something different from what was on my application. Did you apply to study, do research, or intern? If study, which program are you going for?

Oh that is good news! My impatience got the best of me and I emailed them a few hours ago as well. In addition to the timeline question, I asked if it is possible anything may be cancelled after finalist notifications are sent out. It's strange how they told you "by early March." Does that mean by the beginning of March? Or sometime in the first week of March? I know it's not a huge difference, but many of us are applying for other summer opportunities, so having a peace of mind ASAP would be nice.