wvualum08

I too got the rejection email last night and have the exact same reasoning as you... honestly it was a bit of a downer for about a minute after first reading it, but I felt better knowing now I don't have to sit around in limbo trying to figure out if I should make other plans in the case of a final round rejection. Everything tends to work out for the best so I'm sure some other great opportunities will come our way . Good luck to you with your future plans as well as to everyone who was recommended for the next round!

Congrats!!! That's so exciting! Good luck in the next round! And I second rachaelski, go out and party!

It seems my advisor is out of the loop then...I emailed him earlier this week asking when we would hear (this was before I found the date of the 24th myself) and he said the 31st. My stomach is suddenly in knots with the possibility of knowing tomorrow. And you all are right -- a positive notification is great but it also means we start the waiting game allll over again. Ugh, I feel sick. Good luck everyone!

I definitely understand. Honestly though, I am kind of at the point where I just want to get it over with so I can go forward with possible back-up plans. This whole thing is such a long, drawn-out process... it's a wonder we're all still (slightly) sane.

So I've been seeing that the consensus is that we will all be notified by the 31st. However, I just went to login to the Embark system to review my submitted app and saw this notice on the front page: "The first round notifications will be made via email by January 24, 2011 to candidates who submitted an application by the October 18, 2010 deadline." Here is the link for anyone who wants to see for themselves... https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/usa/23/ It's closer than we thought!!

I actually switched to Romania as my final decision, rather than Portugal. Just an FYI!

Believe it or not...I've seen that power point before haha. I have literally scoured the internet looking for information and tips. I've also looked up past winners for specific who are often listed on their schools websites. A lot of the time there are write-ups about them that include what their side project was so it gives me some more ideas about what type of projects they're looking for. I have been prowling around the internet like its my job. Yea, how do you private message? I could try to figure it out but I'm too lazy. I feel like we are dominating the board. Hopefully things will pick up as the time gets closer to the deadline!

Thanks for trying to answer my questions, you have become my go-to for information haha. For ETA, we thankfully don't need affiliations. And yes, I am finding that explaining why I want to go is becoming a huge burden. I could write 20 pages on why I would want to go to a place like Spain, because I've studied there, but the point for me is going somewhere where I have strengths, but haven't been. It doesn't help that after submitting my statements to my campus advisor, they come back totally gutted. It's starting to make me think I'm never going to write something acceptable. When I originally looked at the requirements for the statements, I thought they were going to be very straightforward but they are turning out to be the bane of my Fulbright existence. I know the edits are constructive criticism made in an effort to produce the best possible application but it is a little bit disheartening. I want to get this grant more than anything but it's so hard to express that in one page! Especially when I'm known as someone who turns a 5 minute happening into an hour-long story... Thanks again for the input and I'll keep you updated on my daily struggles haha. Good luck to you as well, it sounds like you're on the right track and I'm jealous!

So, after much thought, I've changed my country to Portugal (ETA). I've written my personal statement which I feel is pretty strong but I'm in the midst of writing the statement of purpose. I have an idea for my side project but I feel like it's not creative enough. It combines both campus and community engagement as well as what I'm studying for my Masters. But, I feel like even though my main job as an ETA will be teaching, I won't have a competitive application unless I have a super creative project. For instance, if I chose something such as volunteering at an orphanage, would that be too generic? I have experience working with children with autism and I think that would be awesome as well but I don't know how accessible schools or programs for special needs children would be there. Does anyone know of any projects from past successful applicants to give me an idea of what they're looking for? Or, should I focus my application on my love of education rather than putting a lot into a creative project?

This was great information. Thank you for taking the time to write a response! I really appreciate it. I am starting to think that I will be more competitive in Brazil, so I need to re-do my statements. Thanks again! On a side note, I would really recommend attending an IIE webinar specific to the ETA for everyone looking to apply. I did one today and it was a full of awesome tips and they did a Q&A segment at the end. They also encourage emailing any questions to the regional program managers. Just check out the front page of us.fulbrightonline.org for future dates.

Hey guys, I was excited to see someone has started this thread because I'm looking for some advice! I've started the Fulbright process as an applicant for ETA Norway. My Dad's side of the family is from Norway and my Great Great Grandma came to the U.S. as an indentured servant...so, needless to say I have multiple reasons for wanting to go. However, I'm having some issues picking a project... Also, I got the edits back from my advisor on my SOP and PS and he basically tore them apart. He stated that I didn't make it clear about why I wanted to undertake an assistantship there. I'm now starting to feel kind of inadequate and that I won't be competitive. I double majored in Criminology and Spanish during undergrad and will finish a Masters in Applied Sociology in December. I'm planning for a career in public health as I am currently a Graduate Research Assistant at a state health department doing TB Epidemiology (Norway has an extremely low-incidence of TB, so that's out for a project). So, with that being said, I'm starting to wonder if family ties to Norway and my overall desire to travel and teach for a year is enough to make me competitive. I've started to consider Brazil as I have a Bachelors in Spanish (named as a degree preference), have taken a semester of Portuguese and would like to continue language study. I guess I'm torn between the two. Last year it said there were 58 applicants to Norway and only 2 spots. Brazil had less applicants for three more spots. The whole process is kind of stressful...and sort of mysterious as I have no idea what kind of projects they would most prefer, what they want to hear, etc. I mean, I guess that's the whole point...but I need some good advice! Anyone have any suggestions or going through the same thing??