hi_there

i totally agree and when i was working on the application, i went through an experience that put me in that frame of mind. after getting denied from a possible host institution, my first choice affiliation contacted me four or five months after i had sent an email and stated that she was happy to work with me which was quite the surprise. even if we don't get past the round tomorrow, be proud of the work you've done this far. i know i am. and it's true, getting it all out on paper, putting in the effort helped me to cement what i want to be doing and what i need to be doing in order to get there. don't let one 'no' discourage you from realizing the projects you need to make. there will be a 'yes' soon enough. also, i'm incredibly fascinated by the projects people are proposing. if you start/have a blog about it, link it someday please!

Did anyone else resort to using an "11 point something" font for your statements?

@waveaflag Thank you! That makes me feel a little better. I might have misread the blog or the author might have not stated it clearly, but it makes sense what you said - that the screening committee in the arts would pay particular attention to the portfolio if the portfolio is not send along to the host country for consideration. Either way, I would hate to think that the work I put into crafting the proposal and securing the affiliations was not even considered in the first round. Thank you again for the clarification, I'm an at-large applicant so any info I can get is appreciated! Here's the quote from the blog of a former grantee (a personal, unaffiliated blog) which sent me into a (slight) panic: "Generally, the selection process has two parts. First, your proposal must be approved by the American Fulbright selection committee and then by the selection committee in the country you apply to. What surprised me was the American side rates your proposal based solely on your work sample while the country you apply to may or may not see the sample and bases their decision on your written proposal. (This was the case for me.) I mention this to show that both are equally important so take great care while working on all aspects of your application."

When the survey came around, I wrote that I wish they had more information available to the arts applicants. I had been/have been reading contradictory things online, one blog even mentioning that in the initial review, the screening committee for each art area ONLY viewed the portfolio and nothing else, not even the proposal or affiliations. I wish the official Fulbright website offered more information about the committee review and criteria. Or at least address if the all components of the arts application are taken into consideration in each round. Did anyone have any better luck obtaining information about this?