FullTimeAnxious

I'm so sorry for the SSA people who haven't gotten their email already -- that would be driving me crazy, but hold out hope. One way or the other, you know the end of this wait is in sight. My email came @ 10:44 (Eastern) from Jermaine Jones, Subject: Your Fulbright Candidacy (P)

Principle for a full grant to Kenya! The wait is finally over.... Good luck to the rest of you!!

That's exactly it though...we never know = )

Got a message from my FPA today announcing presentations on how to find and apply for international grants. Such a tease = )

I feel the same way about SSA. I've thought it was coming too many times now to get my hopes up about this week. I've been prepping myself for finding out next week.

This week is going to be torture...

One of the handbooks linked earlier indicated that people with medical conditions requiring prescriptions should bring more than what the expect to need during the course of their time abroad. So it is certainly not the case that they sweepingly disapprove anyone requiring prescription medication from getting medical clearance. I also strongly believe that ADHD would not be grounds for withdrawing a Fulbright offer. Email your program manager! I feel confident that they'll put your mind at ease about this issue.

I really don't think we've seen evidence that the grants for Africa are under threat of disappearing for budget reasons. It really sounds more like it's just a slow bureaucratic process.

I got the sense that applicants to many countries had a similar post-country-decision wait period. They told us from the get-go that the FSB needed to give final approval. We also have to remember that although the country decisions have already been made, Fulbrights to Sub-Saharan Africa are regional and each country doesn't have a set number of grants. It could be that it takes some time to decide which countries get how many of their top picks.

My second paragraph was a little bit longer though -- I think because I specifically asked about the status of my individual application: "Many thanks for your patience so far(!), and please do not take the extended silence as any indication of the final decision reached on your particular application. Until you receive final word on it, you should consider your candidacy active."

I got the same reply back just now in response to the email I sent last Friday. He's very patient with our stress-filled requests for information = )

Dreamed that I received a rejection letter by snail mail. I really hope it's early next week.

So sick of this wait...

Yeah, I haven't heard anything new either, but I agree with the above -- Jermaine did not seem optimistic that this week would be the week.

Hey thanks for posting! That's actually a really nice message. Looks like being out of the office next week doesn't mean notifications won't (possibly) come next week.

FYI, an email to Jermaine bounced back the following auto-reply: "I will be out of the office until Friday, April 20th. I may be checking emails periodically during this absence, but will certainly get back to you shortly after I return." I say, let the speculation begin! What do you think, could this mean notifications will be sent next week and he's buying some time to respond to the barrage of emails that is sure to follow? Realistically he seems like a pretty straight shooter, and he's probably just a busy guy with obligations completely unrelated to Fulbright. I really need to find a way to relax about this...

Oh, I see! In that case, I suppose then there's not much of a point to contacting your school, unless you're really excited to attend that university and are anxious to know if you'll still get to go there even if you spend a year on the Fulbright. Still, if you wanted to know, I think you can ask them without risking funding. For one, you don't have to reveal what you did to us (i.e., that you'll take the Fulbright regardless of their answer). If anything, I see it only improving your chances to get funding (I guess making it to Fulbright finalist is CV-worthy). Good luck!

You should consult with your school about this. The sooner you have clarity about the possibility of deferring, the sooner you'll be in a position to make an alternate's day (assuming that i) you are selected for the award and ii) your school will not permit you to defer). Also, the sooner you'll know whether you need to worry about the outcome of the Fulbright selection process! I don't think the fact that your school has its own Fulbright process will impact their decision -- Fulbright grants are relatively unique in that they are official awarded to the grantees, rather than the institutions to which they are affiliated.

Uuughhh. Waiting for clearance? It's so frustrating that the knowledge is out there, but we can't access it. I'd be happy with unofficial notification! Even if it meant thinking I got the grant and then it got taken away. I just want to start planning my life past the summer! Thanks for calling -- wish you had better news to pass along to us.

I feel like many have come out around 11:30 AM Eastern, though this really doesn't seem to be a rule.

So cruel...

FWIW, for the spreadsheet, I'm a graduate student studying linguistics.

Congratulations!

Seriously! I'm pretty sure that the stress that this, along with other obligations and allergies, has caused is responsible for spasms in my neck and shoulders.

I didn't receive anything today. I want information! = )