kgba

I'm not so sure. My country-specific page (Lithuania) also mentioned the requirement to attend a pre-departure orientation in Summer 2012, but after viewing the list on the page of information for recommended candidates (quoted above) several months ago and e-mailing Rachel Holskin in confusion, I got the following response: Dear [NAME], At this point, we anticipate the pre-departure orientation to be exclusively for ETA grantees, so this would not apply to you. All the best, Rachel Take from that what you will (maybe that it can't hurt to ask?), but I don't think the country page is automatically more correct.

Ah! No worries, thanks for the reassurance, all! I'm afraid I'm a bit prone to reading too much into any hint of news these days (but I don't think anyone here would blame me ). Bad news, Biz, I was really hoping for early April. But I suppose we won't know anything for sure until it happens!

So...forum consensus is that the "save-the-date" e-mail is not particularly indicative of acceptance? Because I did NOT get one and now I'M freaking out! Although according to the website my country does not necessarily require a pre-departure orientation...ugh, Fulbright is destroying my nerves! ...Biz?

So has anyone been able to assess whether notifications are generally coming early or late relative to last year's dates? The new e-mail system had me hopeful for a quicker turnaround time, but I'm not sure whether that's proving to be the case or not.

Nothing for Lithuania either! And I assume the other Baltic states are in the same boat...hoping to get something within the next two weeks!

Here is the link to the 2012-2013 spreadsheet, with former years in tabs at the bottom: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuGpbWEh-3b0dHZzTU1BN0lNLU1yeG5XWktnY2k3bmc#gid=0 I've also added it to my signature, so hopefully it will be slightly more visible!

Wow, it's so weird to think that something as academic as the Fulbright would attract trolls! But I think it's safe to say that this topic will reach 100 pages of worrying before April 1st without any outside help, haha. Just hang in there, everybody! This community is meant to be a source of support and information, don't let it get you down

Congrats ETA recipients! Way to keep the ball rolling!

I find it kind of humorously annoying. A couple of my professors helped me with my application or served on my interview board, and they ask me ALL OF THE TIME whether or not I've heard anything. The conversation usually goes something like this: -So did you hear from Fulbright yet? -No, not yet! I don't expect to find out until April. -Well be sure to let me know when you do! -I will, I promise! One week later, we have the same conversation. Do they not believe me when I tell them I'll let them know?

I hope so! I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that the new form of communication will cut down on wait times. Still, the postmark dates on notification letters for our region have been almost surprisingly regular over the years...'tis a blessing and a curse, I suppose

Aaah no way! I DID apply to Lithuania! I'm so excited, I've been hoping to find someone else! I pm'd you Psst Biz, now there are three of us for the Baltic States!

Ah, I must have missed that along the way. Thanks for the info, and good luck to you!

If you don't mind my asking TheodPliske, how do you know exactly how many applicants were named finalists for your grant program? I'm competing for one of three grants (down one from last year ) and while knowing how many applications were forwarded to the host country review board wouldn't do me any good, being one of four sounds a lot better than one of six.

Stay strong, Biz, I'm right there with you! As far as recent news is concerned I can only echo the words of others: getting this far alone speaks volumes. Don't let anything take the hard work you've put in to make it to this point away from you. Good luck to all in your current and future endeavors!

Firstly, huge congratulations to vordhosbntwin! So happy for you, and glad to see that the promised e-mails are on their way! Secondly, to address the following: This summer my long-distance boyfriend and I will celebrate our fifth anniversary. And by long-distance, I mean transatlantic. So chin up! If it's the right person, you'll simply make it work.

Every time I check this forum after a couple of days and see that I have 20+ new notifications (all from this topic), I'm positive that some country has released their decisions and several members are celebrating. Alas that only two of us have heard anything yet and the rest of us are just killing time! Hang in there, everybody

Thanks for the updates, guys! Taking that chat with my parents off the table just made my wait that much more bearable

I totally understand how you feel, Ikjl. I can't wait to get my decision, but I'm dreading that phone call with my folks!

Oh my goodness, our first acceptance! Congratulations, T Pain! So happy for you!

That was a great idea, thank you! I was hoping someone would have received notification by now so I could celebrate vicariously through them, as I don't expect to hear anything until mid-April at the earliest. Biz, do you think the Baltic State notifications will go out together? Can't wait!

This is precisely why I'm so glad that there's no country overlap among the recommended candidates at my university. I'd hate to think that our support for one another was insincere! But that doesn't seem to be the case here

I don't have a twitter account, but according to a fellow applicant it might be worth getting one just to watch for Fulbright updates! Has anyone seen this? The commission in Ireland has released decision dates on its twitter feed: https://twitter.com/#!/Fulbright_Eire Looks like some of us should start hearing back soon! Good luck all, and keep us updated!

Has everyone mailed their transcripts to Fulbright? Don't forget! I was foolishly hoping that once I got mine in the mail I would be able to put my application out of mind for a while, but now I've come to realize that as long as there is a forum to check every day for updates it's highly unlikely

Hello! I'm a current recommended Fulbright applicant and I'd just like to add that my intended host country does not have a Fulbright Commission and features practically no information about the program on their embassy webpage, so I relied entirely on the IIE pages. The main Fulbright page certainly provides applicants with numerous practical resources, but I would have loved to see what current grantees are up to, what sorts of cultural events and exchanges are taking place between the two countries, and information on what to expect upon arrival.

I was wondering that myself. I'm a full grant finalist for Lithuania, and I haven't heard anything about an interview. Should I go on assuming that it doesn't apply to me, or is it worth contacting my (extremely busy) FPA for clarification?