heyles

I read Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert Kaplan for a grad class. Very well written (history/journalism, so much like a story) and brings it up through the present day in the new edition. Not a rigorous history text, but a great jumping off point for research and footnotes, as well as for general knowledge.

Edmund Morgan's American Slavery, American Freedom was the first history monograph that I enjoyed in a class -- it showed me that history could be engaging, funny, and impeccably researched. Same with David Kennedy's Freedom From Fear. Not as much primary research, but there are lines in there that made me laugh out loud. I learned a lot about writing and constructing a story from these books. Pickett's Charge in History and Memory by Carol Reardon has some fascinating work about sources, memory, and reconstructing narrative. I second Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities and would add Edward Said's Orientalism. One of the best biographies I've ever read is Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver by Scott Stossel. It's a doorstopper at 600+ pages, but is a comprehensive examination of a person that includes an exhaustive perspective of the times he lived in. An amazing mid-twentieth US history text, and very well-written.

line dancing

coming home

Hold up. I don't think that's what anyone was saying AT ALL. That the Fulbright is a privilege and not a right is not the same logic. My logic was more of a consumer, I-want-therefore-I-must-get model (ie. students saying that because they paid for this class, they should get an A). Just because someone wants or thinks they deserve something doesn't mean they should get it, and it was her sense of entitlement that surprised me. Of course she is entitled to privacy of certain medical information, but there wasn't anything on that form that violates HIPAA. If she has a problem with that, she needs to take it up with the federal legislature, not Fulbright. And there are some things that are, like it or not, just not currently accessible to certain people because of their own limitations or those in our society's or technology. A color-blind person is not allowed to pilot a plane. There are travel restrictions on those with HIV. Any number of other countries won't allow carriers of other communicable diseases. Many of the countries do not allow dependents -- I read on one of the country pages that they prefered unmarried people without dependents and who were under 30. That could be construed as invasive or discriminatory. I say this because I'm assuming that it was not only her privacy of the medical information she was up in arms about, but that the information on that form could be used in a discriminatory (or exclusionary) manner. There may be a question on there that would take someone out of the running, based on their country. Who knows. Too many variables. But we do it every day, and usually for a good reason. This doesn't make one sympathetic to the Patriot Act. But her "right" to a Fulbright -- which is different from the fundamental human rights the Patriot Acts infringes upon, but is a prestigious, voluntary research grant, for crying out loud -- shouldn't come at the expense of another's safety or health. Or at least, that's not just her call. Personally, I don't think anything on that form was all that invasive to begin with. It was asking for pretty elementary medical information -- a basic intake form for any doctor's office or signing up for new health insurance. Not to exclude someone for a pre-existing condition, but so the insurance company can project their risk and costs -- and the Fulbright does provide health insurance, and this is the only medical form they asked for. It's not Big Brother. It's Big Pharma, if she has a problem with the questions asked. Asking for actual lab reports, psychological evaluations, and/or indicating that I had to go to a certain doctor would all be major red flags for this type of thing, I would concede, but they didn't. So there's room to work with her doctor on how they present some of that information and how much they disclose. Some of the "requirements" were also mentioned in the qualifications section before we even applied, like HIV status, which has nothing to do with the US government and everything to do with facilitating visas. Edit: fixed a typo.

gold digger

I remember reading somewhere that everything for China is separate from East Asia/Pacific. I did find info from last year, and China's was separate. Did you apply for a full or ETA? Edit: And it does look like China's orientation info is posted on the country page, not the regional page. I didn't see info for any of the other countries in the region, though.

time period

Dang. I didn't get an email either (Taiwan). Did anyone else is East Asia/Pacific get one? Edit: I was trying to find this on the Fulbright website. Looks like -- after you click on each region -- there are tentative dates and a location on every region EXCEPT East Asia/Pacific (and Western Hemisphere, who maybe don't get orientations anyway). So maybe they're still working it out. But that makes me feel a little better for some reason, or at least that I'm not missing anything yet!

First, you don't have to get snarky. Most people on here are trying to be helpful. Second, I don't think they are asking for specifics on anything that isn't checked "yes," and you can ask your doctor not to disclose specific details in their explanation that you aren't comfortable with. I'm sure if the Fulbright had more questions, they would ask for a follow up. Since they are paying for the health insurance while you are away, and since they are ultimately the host responsible for you during your stay, I'm absolutely certain that this information is for use in case of an emergency. Maybe I just watch too much House, haha, but having some kind of medical history while you are living abroad, and the Fulbright is your primary contact, isn't unreasonable. It would be irresponsible not to give the party overseeing your well-being some kind of information. And like bdoll mentioned, a lot of it probably has to do with liability, as well. And finally, as someone else mentioned, in industrialized countries where US-comparable health care (or probably better!) is readily available, this form will likely be used in case of an emergency when foreign doctors would have trouble quickly accessing your medical history and mistakes in treatment could be more harmful than helpful. But also realize that there are a significant number of countries that have less-than-stellar services -- or some will be living in rural areas -- and the Fulbright is probably, more than anything, trying to facilitate any services, medications, or other medical needs before you arrive.

best man

Everyone should calm down about the medical clearance form. Nowhere on that form does it say that your physician checking "yes" for any of those questions will disqualify you. It states in the intro letter that those questions are asked because many medical conditions can be exascerbated by living overseas, or many things that may be dormant now can become inflamed later by a new environment. I think they want to be prepared -- since they are paying for health insurance -- but, more than anything, to have the information so that if we are hospitalized, they have a semi-comprehensive medical history to start some kind of treatment immediately (rather than having to wait to contact our doctor in the US, translate, etc, before they can do anything responsibly in an emergency situation). Second, if you read the whole form, you'll see that you only have to complete Part I. Your physician (or clinic) will complete Parts II and III. You are not expected to remember every medication (ie. prescriptions, not DayQuil), doctor, hospitalization, and immunization. Your doctor's office will have all of this on file, or will know where to get it. (I have no idea when I was last immunized.) Notice at the end it said that you should have the doctor fill it out and mail it to you, so you can forward it to Fulbright -- if there's any information that they don't have, then you can go in and see the doc, although I'm sure most of us would probably have to go in for TB tests, anyway. As for the rest of it, it's not asking for the lab reports or a vial of blood, especially not a pap smear! It just wants to know if everything is in working order. I actually appreciate the thoroughness of this form, because it will make me take care of any medical issues. I'm sure there are tons of Fulbrighters who've had diabetes, allergies, or (God forbid) an STD. Making arrangements to treat those conditions while abroad isn't invasive -- it's responsible for both you and the US government. Finally, it doesn't ask for an inch-thick file from a psychiatric evaluation. You're not an astronaut applying to go into space. (Anyone ever seen The Right Stuff? ) But someone who has a serious psychological disorder probably shouldn't be put in certain situations on the taxpayer's nickel, especially when there are qualified people eager to take their place. (The Fulbright is a privilege, not a right.) So this is the area for your doctor to flag that you're medically, mentally unwell and the Fulbright should take it into consideration, if for whatever reason, it had slipped through the cracks during the rest of the application process. PS. I don't think the general anxiety issues that most people have on this board qualify as a psychological disorder, haha.

wood shop

sales floor

bio sphere

public arena

Wow. Congrats to those who found out today. I fully anticipate another month of waiting (Taiwan - ETA), but reading the last few pages of this board was intense. I don't know that my heart or monthly budget for adult beverages will survive into late April.

wet grass

split screen

touch base

Great point, kotov! H-Net is awesome. And yup, Caganer, I went into a terminal MA program. It worked for me. It's a small program that had enough flexibility for me to do what I wanted within its (somewhat limited) offerings, and I picked up a minor to round out my course schedule. The biggest thing was that I got a lot of support, so I was able to build on a lackluster undergrad GPA (now a distant memory), did a sweet paid internship at the Smithsonian, presented some original research at a couple of national and international conferences, and am currently a finalist for a Fulbright. And I go to a no-name, medium-sized state school. In the South. But because it's a small pond, I got scholarship money and a TA-ship that covered my expenses, was reimbursed for a lot of my travel, and was invited onto some cool campus projects. None of those things would have ever been possible coming straight out of my bachelor's degree. The feedback I've gotten from potential advisors in PhD programs has been very supportive re: applying next year (which is, of course, just feedback -- not admission! ) but there's no way I would even be having those conversations without the experience/polish I picked up in my MA. The advice I gave earlier has helped me a lot, and it's something that I see a lot of my peers NOT do -- to detrimental effect. In my current job, I work with a lot of professors from other departments with doc programs, and when they gripe about their graduate students, a lot of it has to do with a lack of professionalism, their poor fit in the department/university culture (despite interviews before admission, even!), or their complete lack-of-a-life outside of the degree, which makes them academically intolerant (of each other and/or new ideas) and socially unbearable. After you finish your PhD, you will end up being a peer to those professors, so acting like a well-rounded grown up from the beginning goes a really, really long way. If an MA will help that along, do it! Forget the "right" way to do things. It's a total myth that the BA-to-top-tier-PhD track is the only way, or for everyone. Do what's best for your professional development, and find advisors and mentors who are genuinely interested in your success. Take in all of their advice, but be careful not to hitch your wagon to a single star (either one person or a single goal) and make the right decisions for you.

first class

red headed

I do history of technology in the 20th century (currently in a traditional US history program). I've met some grad students from UPenn's program at various conferences, and sounds like a great department. They were pretty cool, too. Might be worth checking out.

I disagree. The process has been totally transparent -- we knew that there would be long periods of waiting when we applied. So far, notifications, timelines, and communication has been exactly what was described on the website and in the webinars, and they've been transparent about any changes. If people had a problem with that, they should have applied for programs and grants with a different schedule and/or process. In my opinion, when individual applicants call program managers to check on their own app and status, it takes away from the HUNDREDS of others -- like the people on this board -- who are also in the running, because it slows the entire process down. Every time they have to answer the phone to talk to some neurotic applicant, return a panicked email, or have to deal with snowflakes (people who think they are the one-in-a-million exception, ie. there's nobody else like them), it's selfish, patronizing, and rude. I'm sure they have many more responsibilities other than just processing these applications once a year. I don't mean to bite your head off at all. I just have a job like that and deal with that attitude all the time. It's infuriating to deal with that kind of entitlement. There is nothing to indicate that they already aren't working hard and holding up their end of the deal.