StephanieM

I would say it's a good sing.

I'm abroad actually. Won the Boren, will be in Russia until august.

I meant the system they used (at least when I applied) always had glitches (so you'd get a "You have not been selected" thing a month before results came out, it'd crash often, etc) and the people who were supposed to answer emails and calls never did. The Boren was murder in terms of the essays, but their support was much better and I never had any problems with glitches in their system. But the Gilman people gave me a huge run around (like I said if you must know, PM for details) and then left me in the dark.

I applied for it, and they basically lied to me... PM for details. Also everyone I know from my uni who got that award didn't get enough money for even barely covering a plane ticket and checks would often arrive very late or some other problems. Also the requirement that you do a follow up project is a bit absurd considering awards usually don't seem to pass $1500, which, if you're going far, is like I said little more than a plane ticket. Of course if you just make a blog then it's easy but anything else seems too much for too little.. I wouldn't apply for it again. It was too much hassle and too stressful. I think you already applied for the Boren and those people seem to have everything together and are generally much more professional and caring about their students.

Don't get sad if you don't get the Gilman... I didn't get it, and cried my eyes out thinking, well, if the Boren is the more prestigious one of the two, then I won't get the Boren! But I did get it!

I think you need to talk to your professors first. Most professors don't want to see you fail, especially if they see that you really are trying (and lab work proves that). Explain to them that you're playing catch up and so on. Also, try to make some friends. Feeling depressed and lonely will have a negative effect on your work regardless of how hard you try otherwise.

I'd like to know also. The MA's I'm looking at all range from 80,000 - 150,000, and I'm not interested in doing a PhD. I don't want to graduate already owning the equivalent of a small mortgage in loans.

Actually it's going to give you an advantage. They WANT people who not only say, but can prove that they can deal with being abroad, with learning a new language, etc. Few Boren winners have little or no experience abroad.

For me it was, that I want to work in the federal government. If you don't want to, I would never do it, since it's a requirement once you win it.

I'm a current Boren recipient. I STRONGLY ADVISE the OP AGAINST studying a language he hasn't studied before. I never formally took Russian, I was entirely self taught (and thus my horrible grammar proved it), but everyone else who won it took a full year of Russian or more. It's really not the norm to award people who haven't studied the language. I "made up" for this by stating, and it's true, that I've been into Russian since I was 8 and the only reason I never took Russian was because it was never offered at my uni. But most winners have studied the language, so applying when you know nothing will really hurt you. (Not to mention how insanely difficult it is to live somewhere where you know only the very very basics of a language). That being said, the most important parts are your essays and the LOR. Your essays need to focus on specifics, ie; which career/department you want to work in, why this country is important (and be specific, don't use things that anyone who reads CNN every now and then know), and you need to have a great plan as to how you will use this language in your future. The job I want requires a critical language and I want my graduate degree to be in Russian so in my case it was easier. If you look at the award recipient list, they prefer people who tie in international relations/economics/politics into the mix, since we are talking national security. I'm an econ major, and given the nature of the "security" essay, I have no idea how an art major would do this, but there are plenty of X language + X language literature who seem to get the award. Your LORS are vital and should come from your academic advisors who know you best, obviously. Pick people that you've done research with or taken many classes with. You may send 3 LORS, but in my opinion, two great LORS are much better than three mediocre ones or worse a two great ones and an extremely unprofessional one. I threw away one of my LORS when I realized just by how he spoke to me that the letter he wrote (I didn't see it, but he told me about it) was nothing more than a document he had saved up that he changed the names/majors/etc for each student. Write about grad school (if you're an undergrad of course). They want to know you won't just go to X country to party, but that you'll actually study, learn the language, and apply said knowledge in your grad school and career choices.

Anyone else feel overwhelmed by the service requirement? I feel like I'm not good enough in the KSA department...

Hey, who needs education *eyeroll*

I can't help but wonder what languages those who are disappointed where studying. There are certain languages which are just honestly in more demand than others; Arabic, Chinese, Russian... IMO, I think it'd be easier to find a job if you studied Farsi, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, and so forth, or if you're highly specialized and have vast experiences in the language/area you studied. I might be wrong, but I hope not, as I'm personally going for the "expert on Russian economics and foreign policy" route. Either way, I think we all knew before applying that even with a Boren, finding such prestigious government work is difficult and highly competitive. I just hope the Boren gives us at least a bit of an edge.

Damn that post just kills any hope I had of this helping me get a job...

It'll be another year or so till I apply, but, can the Fulbright cover an entire degree (say an MA) abroad? I'm not clear whether it's for a year or research or just the entire degree.

Food and transportation.

Yeah, you'll miss them. You'll also have one of the most amazing experiences of your life that you probably will never be able to even come close to again. Your fam will be there when you're home, as well as your friends. Don't give this up because you'll miss them. They're proud of you and would want you to take the opportunity. I'm also panicky, because I haven't had formal Russian lessons, when it seems everyone else who got it for Russia has So I'm afraid of having difficulties but well living in Russia is the only way I'll gain fluency. You don't have to be an FSO to fulfill the service requirement. I think a lot of people chose it as it's a pretty general idea that people from many fields can aspire to. You can do something else, you know, you're not limited to what you wrote in your application. But if working for the government or something isn't your thing... I'd give up the scholarship, and find another way to study abroad. Studying abroad is nice, but the Boren seems tailor made for people who specifically want to end up working federal national security. You'll be unhappy in the future doing something you don't like, and plus, I'm sure some people have had their dreams shattered by not getting this award. That's just my opinion, but, if I were you, I'd research all ways possible to fulfill the service requirement and then make a decision. I'm sad as I heard today I didn't get the Gilman award; not even as an alternate. Seems weird to me that I won an award that 14% of applicants win but not the one 40% of applicants win, but oh well. Thankfully the Boren covers my program/room/visa costs, so now I just have to figure out how to get some money for other expenses. If anyone has any tips/ideas, please do let me know, as I'm kinda (okay, very) panicky about this.

I received 20,000 (the max for scholarships), but my budget was 26,000something and my school offers very little financial aid. Did anyone send the faxes on Friday? I got the packet on Friday and faxed them the same day but it was rather late....

Yeah, I'm a scholar, so it's different. I'm sure you'll get the invite in the packet.

The info is on the link they sent in the email, but I guess we'll get a more formal invite in the packet. I'm also a bit weary about the "unofficial", but I emailed them and basically it's just a packet vs email difference, nothing major. I have to go in serious preparatory measures like, now, because I have until the 13th to send my program deposits and the final paperwork and I'll be abroad during the summer so I have to do it now.... I tried joining the FB group, not in yet.

I wish I was :-( I'll be in Moscow during the summer.

Well here we have a very small pool of people who applied. So we'll know for sure only when the list of people who got it is released.

The summer programs are a lot more competitive on pretty much all scholarships. Why don't you try again for a semester/year?? I was told by my program manager that the Boren people really prefer long-term study, especially for people with more advanced language levels because they can get more done. What's your program? I might know of some financial aid for Russia-specific programs but I think they're dependent on the program. First one that comes to mind is the Critical Language Scholarship program.

I think something else that could be added to the spreadsheet, or at least we could say it here, is if we have previous travel experience. I've noticed some applicants here have lots of it, so I'm wondering how relevant it was in the final decision. I'd only been to Australia and China for short holidays.

I'm a scholarship applicant (econ and international relations, but I'm willing to send you mine if you want. PM me your email. Basically, I made sure they knew that studying abroad was essential to my grad school and professional goals, so that's what my essay mainly focused on, and specified how the topics studied abroad will help me in present and future research. I also applied for a year and searched for my own program; the ones offered at uni were basically studying Russian art/lit, and while that'd be cool, it would have made no sense given my grad school/career goals. I didn't quote on my essays but did do an absurd amount of research for it.