rachaelski

I have a Master's of Arts in International Affairs (MAIA) and a Master's of Art in Teaching (MAT). I got the MAT when I was in Teach for America, because the difference between teacher certification and a Master's degree is 3 classes or something. It seemed silly NOT to get the degree. My PhD is in education, but within a specialized department that focuses on sociocultural elements of education. My MAIA was in an area studies program, Southeast Asian Studies. Between that, enveloping my dissertation into SEA studies by using Vietnam as a research site, and hopefully doing a post-grad semester at the East West Center, I am hoping to not only be qualified to teach in colleges of education, but also in Asian Studies/Area Studies/etc. Trying to make the dream of being a professor more likely!

Welcome Lola! I am a big nerd. I am working on my PhD, I have a year left of coursework....oh, and I have 2 other master's degrees. I REALLY like school.

Check Syracuse. I have my master's in International Affairs--focusing on economic geography (I studied handicrafts as a mechanism for rural development)....anyhow, my thesis advisor went to Syracuse for geography. Also, University of Kentucky may be an option.

Here I am, being ridiculously geeked....have one letter of affiliation settled, some leads on a few others. Super exciting. Then an evil thought creeped into my head. I won't have a decision until MARCH (if I make it past the first round, and if I am from a lucky country!) to as late as JUNE....I could be waiting 11 months to get closure. Whaaa whaaa!

I like this thread! 1. Submit and present at 3 or more research conferences this year. 2. Submit and attempt to get an article published. 3. Keep to my schedule, and do not wait until a week before a paper is due to start it! 4. Have fun!

I am not a social work student, I am currently working on my PhD in education. However, I do have my Master's of Arts in International Affairs. My master plan is to be a professor dually qualified to teach Asian Studies and Education. My dissertation combines my education and IA background/interests and shows that the 2 do agree with each other. I think your MSW/MIA plan is awesome. I bet you could seek out some funding, because the combo is such a unique, yet vitally needed one!

I really love where we live (New Mexico), but there are not very many schools here, with my institution being the flagship school. I am looking to teach, so I would gladly take a position at a community college or smaller 4-year school. My field is education (from a sociocultural perspective, but I also have my master's in southeast asian studies, with my dissertation research location being SEA, and I am hoping to do some post-grad work on SEA to make me dually qualified to teach education and Asian Studies courses. Gotta be marketable! If necessary I think we'll move, but it would have to be somewhere with a film industry for my husband...

Also keep in mind that if you plan to move back home after you complete your PhD, you wouldn't want to attend a local institution--it will be a lot harder to get a job (assuming you plan to teach at a university or college).

5 letters! Wow, I am jealous. I am thrilled about my one letter! Though I am assuming that the professional use of email in the UK is on-par with the US...unlike Vietnam! The poster was asking about letters of recommendation, though. With those, I do not think it matters if it is signed or not, since the recommender uploads the letter from themselves. Assuming that the email you provide is a .edu there shouldn't be question of its authenticity. (I reread my last sentence, because I counldn't decide if it was "a" or "an." I decided "a" since I read it "dot E-D-U"

I was told that the highest level of math you will see on the GRE quantitative section is High School Algebra II or basic College Algebra, since not all schools require students to take a math course. When I took the GRE, my quantitative scores were in the mid-600's, and I had not taken a math course since high school!

BEST.MORNING.EVER. I woke up to find an email from professor at a university (whose email I got from the former fulbrighter I stalked) and she said she would be happy to write a letter of support for me!!!!! Well, she said she if very busy, so I should send her a draft. Crimson FTW! I will be writing my own letter today, and I will make sure not to include any engineering stuff or nitrogen cycles (what's that, lol). It feels good, the letters of support were my only trouble spot, and now I have at least 1 letter of support! Hurray!!!!!

Thanks Crimson. I must say, I appreciate having a place to ask questions and advice of people in the same circumstance without there being competitiveness and all that nasty stuff. Thanks everyone....

Crimson, would you be open to sharing your draft letter? Either post it here or email it to me?

From what I understand, email isn't used in Vietnam as much as is it here in the US. I have emailed universities (when I can find the email listed on the website) and half the time the emails bounce back. I finally got all stalker-ish and I found a Fulbrighter who went to VN and researched in education on Facebook and messaged her. She actually gave me 3 people to contact, so here's to hoping I get somewhere!

Does anyone have tips on how you acquired letters of support?

I cannot help you, but I suggest that you look up current students from your country that received fulbrights. They can often be an asset. Also, contact India's Fulbright office to get more information! Good luck!

strgrl522, I chose my country based on previous experience and passion for the country and its culture. I have done two other research projects with Vietnam as my site, and my goal is to be an "expert" on Vietnam/Southeast Asia. I am hoping that my expertise in the region, combined with my future PhD in education makes me more marketable as a professor. However, I was considering another country based on interest and a low number of applications per year for that country. However, I decided my background and language experience with Vietnam would make me a stronger candidate there. I have my thesis advisor and dissertation advisor writing letters for me. My third letter is going to be from my boss's boss (though technically she is my boss, I don't report to her) for my summer fellowship. She is a pretty big name in my field (education), so I am hoping a letter from her gets me extra points!

From my research, it seems that the Fulbright Hays is funded based on a proposed budget. People were funded between 25 and 45 thousand dollars for 6-12 months of study. Also, it is throught the Dept. of Education as opposed to the Department of State. Don't think I am such a fan of the term "halfbright" especially considering I am from the focus areas that you said it favors.

Crimson, The FB Hays is specifically for dissertation research, while the traditional fulbright is open to any students with a research project. I haven't seen the application yet, since the cycle is not open. However, I noticed that people's funding varies--i think you have to make a budget. Are you a research grant and doc student?

Hi all, is anyone applying to the East West Center's Asia Pacific Leadership Program? Know anything about it or the Center itself? Thanks!

Typically you need to prove you have lived there a year by providing a copy of a signed lease. I am not in CA, but I am doing the same thing for New Mexico. I filled out a form from UNM, copied my lease, my NM driver's license, and provided a copy of my voter registration.

MBV, like you my previous institution had a great record with Fulbrights received. I contacted both FPAs (my current and previous school), and the FPA from my previous school said to stick with my current school. I am assuming it is because she is swamped with other applications though. My gut is to go with your alma mater, and see if doing a interview through skype is an option. Keep in mind, I am new to this and may be steering you in the wrong direction! Regarding my meeting with my FPA, I am not sure what to think. He had nothing to say about my personal statement, he said it was good and gave a good picture of who I am and why I am unique, and then he wished me luck cutting it down! He gave a couple suggestions for my research proposal, which were helpful, but I left unsure of how strong my proposal is in its current state. I couldn't get a read from him. Is his not saying much a good sign, or should I be concerned that my essays were not covered in red ink? I have a couple good friends reading over my essays, so hopefully feedback from them will improve my essays further. I am finding that editing and making clear my goals is much easier once I got my first complete draft done. Anyone who has not started, I suggest that you do so immediately. My research proposal is vastly different (okay, not vastly, but much more specific) from when I started. Crimson, thanks for the advice about saving each draft, I started doing that right away. Now I need to focus on getting letters of support from institutions in Vietnam! Anyone had luck with getting letters of support? Also, anyone else who is using this research as their dissertation research, there is also the Fulbright-Hays grant through the department of education. It's application cycle does not open up until October, and is due December 1.

I am meeting with the FPA tomorrow! Ahhhhhh! I have a smokin' first draft of my personal statement, unfortunately it is a half-page too long. Any tips on how to you kept it to the 1 page maximum? My research proposal is rough, but a solid start. i send both essays to a couple of my peers (one who won a fulbright and helped his girlfriend get one the following year to the same country!!!) as well as the FPA...I will let you know how that goes.... Here is a helpful link for preparing: http://www.niu.edu/international/fulbright/Hints2FulbrightStudents.htm Also, Duke's website has sample essays (of I am assuming recipients) and lots of good advice!

Thanks for the powerpoint! I hope this forum stays active as we are applying. I am meeting with my FPA next week, and I want to share my personal statement and grant proposal with him at that point. I also plan to email it to my friends that have been successful in applying for a fulbright. I will pass on any information I get from them.

Hello, I am in the beginning stages for applying for a research grant to Vietnam. I have 2 years of VN language studies and I did my Master's thesis research on VN. I am hoping to get this grant for my dissertation research. I am feeling pretty confident with my proposed idea, but I am worried about getting the letters of support!