rtlc06

Interesting. How did you figure this out? I wonder why this is the case... and are we the only ones in this situation? And I wonder... does this mean that we're the ones who have to bear the majority of the brunt of funding cutbacks? For example, if Germany is required to fund 30 grants, but the budget is reduced from 2011-2012, do they fulfill the Germany commitment at the expense of Caribbean scholarships? Or do they just reduce grant amounts across the board... Well, if it's that case that our funding is contingent upon other regions, we should be hearing aaaaany minute (day?) now... Are we officially the last region to hear? Or are there others out there still waiting.

I hear you!! I'm exactly the same way! Some days I just don't care anymore; other days I feel maddened with anxiety/irritation/frustration. I feel like we're getting all kinds of different information, which tells me that nobody knows what the he** (can I get flagged for that word? lol, didn't wanna risk it) is going on. I was kinda stressed about today (since Pam told me when I called last week that "we're just waiting on the FSB for approval - notifications should go out before the beginning of May"), but the new information has had the opposite effect on me. Like I said, nobody seems to have any idea what's going on with our region or where the disconnect is - including Pam. If they're still waiting on the Caribbean commission for some countries to notify with their decisions, I guess we can all just kick back for another couple of weeks... Edit: I say this now. By tomorrow I could be ready to have a breakdown, so who knows anymore!! I think my poor husband may be the only person in my life who wants this wait over more than I do!!

Ha - I'm throwing in the towel already... Congratulations Caribbean/CA finalists - I think we're officially about to be the latest notified applicants for our region in the history of the spreadsheet... In respect to your first question, I'm planning to put that under the funding portion of my CV and put something like: Fulbright 2012-2013 (recipient) (if I'm selected) Fulbright finalist 2012-2013 (not selected) Fulbright finalist 2012-2013 (alternate) Idk... haven't thought that far ahead... but probably something similar to above. Hopefully just option 1... not 2 or (God forbid) 3 (laughs/cries bitterly)... If I'm an alternate I'm gonna just take that as a straight "no" for my own mental health

I'm a PhD student, still in school (but if I get a Fulbright, I'll be able to graduate afterwards, thankfully), applied for a full grant in public health. How about you? Are you full or an ETA? What field are you? I've been a serious wreck lately - I just want to know and for this to be overrrrrr

Seriously. Last Friday I remember thinking "Notifications haven't come through yet!! What if they don't come until next Friday!? No, that's crazy... that'll never happen... They'll be here by Wednesday at the latest..." Ugh...

I did. Full. You? And yes... I totally did that last week!

Ok Caribbean people - after all my talk this morning about "the fruitlessness of contacting Pam" I broke down and called her (yes, called... I didn't want to identify myself). Anyway, she was super nice and seemed extremely empathetic towards our frustrations about notifications. Unfortunately (as I also predicted this morning) the conversation yielded no new information; Pam has NO idea when notifications will go out. Verbatim what she said was: "We've received notification from the foreign commission, but are waiting on notification from the FSB... which could come in at any moment." She said that notifications from the FSB usually are relatively quick, but for some reason (that she doesn't know) have been much slower this year. Thus, she anticipates we should know before the beginning of May, but the notifications could also come as soon as like... now (this info is basically meaningless, since she predicted mid-April a few weeks ago). According to "the information for recommended candidates" link that we were provided with on our recommended candidacy emails, "It is anticipated that all principal candidates will receive notification no later than May 15th." There is an end in sight...

Yay!!! congrats!!!

Ok, so the only explanation at this point is that they forgot about our region. That HAS to be it. Also, it seems like the majority of notifications come in the morning at the beginning of the East coast workday... Doesn't seem like too many come throughout the course of the day? Thoughts?

I know!! I'm surprised too.... although I feel surprisingly indifferent when I check my email nowadays (i.e. I don't expect to see a notification email). With that said, my indifference is punctuated with anger at this lengthy bureaucratic process, frustration, anxiety, etc... So at this point, it's just whatever! Also, no - I haven't talked to Pamela... we're going to hear when we hear and to me, it's just kind of fruitless to contact her since her previous estimate of when notifications would go out was so off. I don't think anybody really knows... Ugh... @ ecpurcell: If you're awarded the grant and don't take it, you can still put it on your CV. A friend of mine was in a similar situation a couple of years ago and that's what the faculty in our department advised her to do. State and federal jobs are the bomb (and super hard to get). Congrats on your achievement!! I applied for a job at the VA twice this year and didn't even get an interview... However, if I had been offered a position there and then offered a Fulbright, choosing between the two would have been tough... P.S. Congrats SSA people!!

Looks like I might have been (unintentionally) right... sigh...

Yay! Where did you apply?

It appears that Fulbright has decided to torture us another day...

Hmm... My undergrad institution actually didn't send my transcript and I got an email in February notifying me about it... Maybe Venezuela is just super slow

Ok Caribbean people - It's 9:00 here in Colorado - let the email refreshing begin! and please let this be the last day...

Agreed. Ha, but I still can't help thinking "It seems like a lot of notifications go out on Thursday..." I need to stop. now. really.

Losing hope that the Caribbean will hear back today... I hate that they know but we don't!! Seriously - I need to move on with my life!! I'm just going to try not to think about this and to just actually be productive....we'll see...

My friend was an alternate for a full to Cambodia and got promoted to principal in 2010 - then SHE didn't end up taking it (she changed her project). Good luck!!

Congrats to the New Zealand ppl who received good news today!! Caribbean applicants - tomorrow or Thursday is our day - I can feel it!!

Seriously, this is how my last hour has gone!! check email (no notification). refresh email just in case the notification came within the last 3 seconds (still no email). resign self to the fact that I should probably start working. resume working on IRB amendment. realize that 4 minutes have just past. think "maybe my notification came!" check email. still no notification. hit refresh. hit refresh again. still nothing. promise myself that I won't check my email for at least an hour. begin working on my prospectus. decide that 10 minutes of prospectus work is more than respectable. check this forum for 10 minutes to see who received notifications. feel anxious. begin rationalizing that 20 minutes is roughly 30% of an hour which is almost half an hour, and if I round up - that's a whole hour! check email (nothing). hit refresh (still nothing). *refresh* *refresh* *refresh* *refresh.* Start feeling angry with IIE, Fulbright, the FSB, and the Western Hemisphere as a whole. decide that this is irrational. check email. nothing. *refresh* *refresh* *refresh* *refresh.* decide that my anger is, indeed, actually rational. *refresh* *refresh* *refresh.* feel dejected.

Yay!! Let's hope that this week is full of acceptances for all of us!! Anyone else applying to the DR?

Haha yes. Yes it was. I just had that thought and logged on to this forum to double check the date stamp.... Thanks!! I will commence hitting the refresh button on my email over and over.... and over....

Thanks for doing that. Ugh.... one. more. week.

That sucks, but do you think they would give you an extension, given your situation...? P.S. Is it just me, or is anybody else starting to feel less anxious, and more annoyed / p*ssed off as the wait goes on?

Ok Caribbean/Central America people - looks like this week was a wash. Here's hoping for next week...