I applied last year and was ultimately chosen as an alternate. I heard that I made the first round on Jan 20.
I'm very nervous about future cuts in the Fulbright-Hays program and how that will spill over to the regular Fulbright program. Does anyone know of any campaigns to save funding for Fulbright-Hays? I found this, but it's rather limited.
http://www.aieaworld.org/AnnouncementRetrieve.aspx?ID=72821
We need to rally to save this program in a big way. I worry that a large reason that I did not get picked as a principal last year is that people who normally would have gone with the Fulbright-Hays (PhD candidates and the like) opted for the regular program when their funding got cut by overzealous and misguided congressmen.