CairoKid

Join the group!! http://www.facebook.com/groups/464734683542924/members/

UPDATE: Alright, I deleted that group that wasn't working and created a new one. Here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/464734683542924/members/

I made a Facebook group! Facebook is being weird though and is alternating between letting me edit the group and telling me I don't have access to the group because I'm not a member, even though I am a member because I'm the admin of the group. Frustrating. Anyway, here's the link to the group: http://www.facebook....6648277/photos/ It's for all Turkey grantees, ETA and Full. =)

Thanks everyone!

I'm sure most of you are gone from this board at this point, but I'm super excited that I got the Fulbright award!! And then I'm probably going to still do the Master's at SOAS the next year, so I won't be reapplying right away. Good luck to all of you!!

^^ I know what you mean about being conflicted. I'm 95% sure I'm taking it. I just got so excited about my Master's program that it's hard to defer it for a year now. But Turkey will be an incredibly rewarding experience and I'm excited to go back. We should make a Facebook group like the other countries did. =)

11:14 AM EST: Selected for a Fulbright to Turkey!!!!

It would be a really nice graduation present if we could find out this week. It's my college's senior week right now, so we have the entire week to do whatever we want until graduation. Which is terrible because I'm just sitting in front of my laptop refreshing my email, or checking my email on my phone constantly. I WANT TO CELEBRATE (or if I don't get it, then I want to drown my sorrows and move on).

Yeah, I was debating between Jordan and Turkey. Settled on Turkey, but now wish I had applied to Jordan just so that I would have heard back by now.

COME ON, TURKEY!!! So impatient.

Anyone want to bet on us being the absolute last people to hear? Wait. That's a terrible idea. Can we just hear, puhleeeease? I almost wish I applied to a country that notoriously notifies candidates much earlier on; but then, of course, I wouldn't be going where I want to go, or even to a place relevant to my studies.

I have this (false) idea in my head that final approval shouldn't take very long. Just imagining the Board saying, "Yep! All looks well!" and then they stamp the seal of approval, and some poor secretary-type employee sends out the mass emails of acceptances, rejections, and alternate notifications. Wouldn't that be nice? =P

I just reread the post by the current ETA there. I'm well aware of the "non-Western" concept of time. I misread what the current ETA grantee had said. I thought I remembered him saying that our apps were passed on for final approval, like by the Fulbright Board in the US. But that's not what he said. *Sigh* =(

I thought a current ETA grant just said a few pages back that our applications have been sent onto the final round early last week or so. How could it possibly take another month? This is unfair. We've been waiting for more than 6 months!

lolololol. How sad.

Thanks so much for looking into it, but I'm definitely not surprised by the 1-2 months thing. I, too, hope it's only 1-2 more weeks, but that seems doubtful. The reason they heard so late last year (June 10th) is because they had funding issues, which I guess is strange considering they gave 10 additional grants beyond the 50 advertised on the Fulbright site. Supposedly there were some other issues with universities renewing their contracts or something like that, too. Hopefully all that isn't a problem this year, but I still think it'll likely be another month before we hear. =/

I was actually supposed to go to Morocco, too. I left Egypt for a couple of days and stayed in Turkey, and then received a travel waiver that allowed me to return to Egypt for the rest of the semester. But I know a lot of people who did go to and stayed in Morocco and Turkey when they were forced to evacuate. Very possible. Especially if you hung out with any of the foreigners left at AUC that semester.

I would recommend doing something cheaper anyway. You can get the same amount of hours for much cheaper at a different language institute. AUC is a very beautiful campus though (however, inconveniently located about an hour outside of downtown literally in the middle of the desert). If you have any questions about exploring your options in Cairo, feel free to PM me. I lived there for six months last Jan-July during the beginnings of the revolution, and I'm moving back there this summer for an internship. And thanks! I hope I get it, too. Turkey is such a beautiful country. =) What program did you get accepted to at SOAS? I got into their MSc Middle East Politics program.

I don't know what your financial situation is, as in how much you're willing to spend on learning Arabic, but the Arabic Language Institute (ALI) at American University in Cairo is a very well known, well respected institution for intensive Arabic study. It's like $12000 a semester or $5600 for the summer. But you get like an official certificate and really good academic credit for it. If you're looking for something cheaper, there are plenty of intensive language institutes around Cairo and Alexandria. The cost of living in Egypt is also tremendously cheap, in my opinion. I paid 1000 egyptian pounds (about $165) a month for an apartment I shared with 3 other people. And language institutes like International Language Institute (ILI) are much cheaper, at like 900 egyptian pounds per course. EDIT: I'd like to add that by studying in Egypt, you could advance your knowledge of Modern Standard at any of the language institutes, and could learn Egyptian colloquial, which is a lot more fun than MSA in my opinion, and is also widely understood throughout the Middle East.

Nooooooooo! I don't want to wait longer. haha. But I fully anticipated waiting until May to hear, so I guess this doesn't really change anything for me.

Ahhh. I must go!

Even though Poland is in no way relevant to my studies (Middle Eastern politics), I'm super jealous of everyone getting grants there. My dad's family is from Poland (and all but my dad and grandmother still live there). And I'm too poor to have ever gone and I JUST WANT TO GO! Somebody take me with youuuuu! haha. I'm trying super hard to save up to maybe go this summer (I'm counting on getting a little bit of money for graduation... please???). Sorry for this spastic, completely irrelevant post.

I'd be interested in hearing whatever advice is given in regards to this. The program at SOAS is a one-year Master's, and I fear the same that it won't really boost my app much because I won't know my professors there much and I won't have any grades yet either.

One of my best friends just heard she got an ETA grant to Thailand!!! =)

Thanks! Same to you. I agree with you on the cost matter; however, the other Master's programs I've applied to and am waiting to hear from are even more expensive (also with no funding) and the cities (NYC and DC) are comparably expensive to London. Plus this program would only be a year, rather than the 2 year programs in the States. But LSE is a really great school and I'm sure it will boost your credentials considerably when reapplying for PhDs this coming season. Hopefully SOAS is similarly respectable for that same reason.