2019-2020 Boren Applicants

[Anon21]

Hey there everyone, long post incoming.

I'm an Arabic general scholarship applicant and I've been monitoring this site for a couple weeks without an account but just created one to weigh in on the second budget email situation. To preface this, I come from a school where the last Boren recipient (for a fellowship, at that) was awarded 8 years ago, so I've pretty much been on my own and may have no idea of what I'm talking about. 

I have only received one budget email for my application, so I called the Boren office yesterday to do a little digging on the whole email debacle. I grilled the male staff member who seems to answer the phone every time I call, and asked him about the first email and why the wording of the initial budget email was vague and ambiguous, as it seemed to indicate that not all applicants were sent this email. He acknowledged that the letter could have been written better (and he said it would next year to avoid confusion) and assured me that all applicants were sent this email, regardless of standing or any matter like that. I asked him about the second email and he was more vague in the sense that perhaps there was something that the board wanted to clarify, and said that it was not necessarily a sign that the applicant had moved past some round. I'm not convinced that Boren would just change the email protocol, but I could be wrong.

I think it's been established that we have seen a trend that the Flagship students receiving a budget email. For those of you that are in the Flagship Initiative, do the applicants who have received Boren in the past use the same program/institution year after year? I'm willing to wager that a Flagship application stands a much better chance to be selected versus a general application--therefore the Flagship program may have multiple recipients each year so the current applicant might know how the previous awardee set up their program. If that is the case, then it would stand to reason that the Flagship Initiative has a relationship with one or more specific institutions in the particular region. This would make me think that the program cost/budget would be relatively fixed and there would be less of a need for a second email to clarify the budget details that the Boren review board may or may not have seen before. But then again, I'm not a Flagship applicant so I'm not 100% sure.

I guess all of this is to say: I think it makes sense the Flagship applicants have received a second email, which I think is the unofficial go-ahead as we have seen in the past seasons. Flagship, after all, is a component of NSEP and I think that they would be more competitive for Boren right off the bat. I think that this forum represents a very small percentage of the total number of applicants, so it would not be out of the realm of possibility that all of us general applicants that did not receive the second email (if there is one) on the forum just simply may not have made the cut--I don't think that we should see a lack of second budget emails for this specific thread as a sign that Boren stopped this behavior this year.

Love this, hate this, I really don't care. Comment some productive thoughts, or roast me if that's your style. Also, no I'm not a pessimist, just a realist. Good luck y'all

Edited April 12, 2019 by Anon21

[parisetsenegal]

2 hours ago, Anon21 said:

Hey there everyone, long post incoming.

I'm an Arabic general scholarship applicant and I've been monitoring this site for a couple weeks without an account but just created one to weigh in on the second budget email situation. To preface this, I come from a school where the last Boren recipient (for a fellowship, at that) was awarded 8 years ago, so I've pretty much been on my own and may have no idea of what I'm talking about. 

I have only received one budget email for my application, so I called the Boren office yesterday to do a little digging on the whole email debacle. I grilled the male staff member who seems to answer the phone every time I call, and asked him about the first email and why the wording of the initial budget email was vague and ambiguous, as it seemed to indicate that not all applicants were sent this email. He acknowledged that the letter could have been written better (and he said it would next year to avoid confusion) and assured me that all applicants were sent this email, regardless of standing or any matter like that. I asked him about the second email and he was more vague in the sense that perhaps there was something that the board wanted to clarify, and said that it was not necessarily a sign that the applicant had moved past some round. I'm not convinced that Boren would just change the email protocol, but I could be wrong.

I think it's been established that we have seen a trend that the Flagship students receiving a budget email. For those of you that are in the Flagship Initiative, do the applicants who have received Boren in the past use the same program/institution year after year? I'm willing to wager that a Flagship application stands a much better chance to be selected versus a general application--therefore the Flagship program may have multiple recipients each year so the current applicant might know how the previous awardee set up their program. If that is the case, then it would stand to reason that the Flagship Initiative has a relationship with one or more specific institutions in the particular region. This would make me think that the program cost/budget would be relatively fixed and there would be less of a need for a second email to clarify the budget details that the Boren review board may or may not have seen before. But then again, I'm not a Flagship applicant so I'm not 100% sure.

I guess all of this is to say: I think it makes sense the Flagship applicants have received a second email, which I think is the unofficial go-ahead as we have seen in the past seasons. Flagship, after all, is a component of NSEP and I think that they would be more competitive for Boren right off the bat. I think that this forum represents a very small percentage of the total number of applicants, so it would not be out of the realm of possibility that all of us general applicants that did not receive the second email (if there is one) on the forum just simply may not have made the cut--I don't think that we should see a lack of second budget emails for this specific thread as a sign that Boren stopped this behavior this year.

Love this, hate this, I really don't care. Comment some productive thoughts, or roast me if that's your style. Also, no I'm not a pessimist, just a realist. Good luck y'all

What's interesting is, depending on the year you look at, some years it seems the second budget email doesn't even matter? That's from looking at the spreadsheet shared a while back in this thread and past threads, where there have been instances of people not receiving a second email and getting the award. Then again some years it seems to be an unmistakable correlation ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: flagship applicants, the second budget email I got was from an address called "BorenAFLI". My budget was definitely not questionable, as I'm only intending to participate in the official programs paid directly by Boren. Still got a second email so my guess is that every FLI applicant gets the second one--which seems consistent with this thread. You're also right that FLI applicants have better chances, it seems Boren has money set aside for these programs, aka a set amount of spots it needs to fill every year. According to this report from 2017 the FLI acceptance rates tend to be around 50% https://nsep.gov/sites/default/files/NSEP Annual Report 2017 FINAL with Front and Back Covers.pdf

[parisetsenegal]

On another note, I'm still holding some hope decisions might come out today...

[ahlanahlan]

Yes 2018-2019 thread there were many people who received the award but did not have second budget email. 

 

Anyone want to call today and inquire about decision emails-- say that you have a tight deadline for a job or grad school offer so it's important to let the waiting party know when you can make a decision by

 

 I would but I'm in Europe..

[grob33]

I was just told decisions are being released on Monday. The man did not sound happy, so a lot of people must be calling. 

[senegal104]

Did anyone apply for Wolof and not French for Senegal?

[moussdutoxx]

10 minutes ago, senegal104 said:

Did anyone apply for Wolof and not French for Senegal?

I did, applied for a general scholarship to study Wolof.

[ahlanahlan]

29 minutes ago, grob33 said:

I was just told decisions are being released on Monday. The man did not sound happy, so a lot of people must be calling. 

Lol would hate to be that guy -- I wonder why other reps said it would be earlier this week. Well we can all try to enjoy the rest of the day and weekend now.

[ahlanahlan]

Is anyone else technically finishing school but just planning to stay matriculated for the fellowship/scholarship? 

[co0311]

18 minutes ago, ahlanahlan said:

Is anyone else technically finishing school but just planning to stay matriculated for the fellowship/scholarship? 

I am. Why do you ask?

[senegal104]

30 minutes ago, moussdutoxx said:

I did, applied for a general scholarship to study Wolof.

What program did you apply to?

[moussdutoxx]

3 minutes ago, senegal104 said:

What program did you apply to?

I didn't apply for any set program, I chose Wolof classes at the Baobab center, and then I secured two internships as well as designed a research project. I took a pretty independent route since I actually lived in Dakar for a year and a half. Didn't want to limit myself to a university's program. And you? What did you apply to?

[senegal104]

6 minutes ago, moussdutoxx said:

I didn't apply for any set program, I chose Wolof classes at the Baobab center, and then I secured two internships as well as designed a research project. I took a pretty independent route since I actually lived in Dakar for a year and a half. Didn't want to limit myself to a university's program. And you? What did you apply to?

I applied for both the SIT and the CIEE programs. I wasn't able to find any other Wolof specific programs minus the classes offered at the Baobab center. 

[Hannahbanana212]

Hey guys TLDR: I'm interested in switching the school I applied for with my fellowship halfway through my program. Do you know what the protocol for this is? 

More specifics, I applied for the Korean Fellowship for two class sessions in Seoul (25 Weeks, Sept-May), but I am interested in coming back to do a domestic program at Univ of Hawaii for the second session. Any idea if this is possible? 

[SportPhD]

1 hour ago, Hannahbanana212 said:

Hey guys TLDR: I'm interested in switching the school I applied for with my fellowship halfway through my program. Do you know what the protocol for this is? 

More specifics, I applied for the Korean Fellowship for two class sessions in Seoul (25 Weeks, Sept-May), but I am interested in coming back to do a domestic program at Univ of Hawaii for the second session. Any idea if this is possible? 

Based on the Boren handbook, you can make changes to your program after you have been awarded the fellowship, but everything has to go through an approval process and of course needs to be in the same language that your original applied to study. Not sure you can switch to a domestic program though 

https://www.borenawards.org/sites/default/files/pub/Boren Awardee Handbook 2018.pdf

[ahlanahlan]

2 hours ago, co0311 said:

I am. Why do you ask?

I realized on my app that I put the dates for my grad school as ending May 2019...which obviously my school will keep me matriculated to do the fellowship as they've done before for other students but my anxiety on this process is making me nervous that I didn't put 2020 as my finishing datee

[LBJArcher]

Does anyone know if Boren gives any consideration to selecting students from underrepresented communities? 

[t__brooke]

I applied for the general Boren Fellowship to study Tajik and to be a research intern at the Mountain Societies Research Institute in Khorog, Tajikistan. Prior to leaving, my study plan includes going to the WISLI-CESSI program in Madison, WI. I got a first budget email from Boren Asia, but there was never a button on my application account... so, I emailed them my response, which they seemed fine about. I did not get a second budget  email, but my budget was highly detailed and cross-referenced with the Pamir Eco-Cultural Tourism Association. I will graduate on June 1, 2019 if I do not get this fellowship... if I do, then I am dropping a course and filing a leave of absence so I can stay matriculated. My research internship abroad will count towards my final 3 credits, and push my graduation back to June 1, 2020. I am eagerly awaiting Monday!

[t__brooke]

Does anyone know how many people get accepted for the Boren Fellowship each year and how many turn it down each year (ie. how many alternates get pulled-up)?

I do not know about underrepresented groups influencing their decisions, or making sure selections are not biased one way or the other, but I know this year they were hoping for more STEM applicants. So, maybe they will be giving more consideration to those from STEM majors than the typical political science/ international relations applicants... not sure. Thoughts?

[yallabye]

1 hour ago, LBJArcher said:

Does anyone know if Boren gives any consideration to selecting students from underrepresented communities? 

Hey, I found this from the Boren site: 

"Selection panels will also seek wide geographic and diverse institutional representation among candidates, as well as ethnic and gender diversity and distribution among academic disciplines related to national security interests."

However, to the extent of their consideration of marginalized groups, not too sure...

 

[Hannahbanana212]

 

2 hours ago, SportPhD said:

Based on the Boren handbook, you can make changes to your program after you have been awarded the fellowship, but everything has to go through an approval process and of course needs to be in the same language that your original applied to study. Not sure you can switch to a domestic program though 

https://www.borenawards.org/sites/default/files/pub/Boren Awardee Handbook 2018.pdf

Thank you!! I'll see if i get the award first and then look into it some more. 

 

[LBJArcher]

19 minutes ago, yallabye said:

Hey, I found this from the Boren site: 

"Selection panels will also seek wide geographic and diverse institutional representation among candidates, as well as ethnic and gender diversity and distribution among academic disciplines related to national security interests."

However, to the extent of their consideration of marginalized groups, not too sure...

 

Thanks so much for finding this! The CLS Program really emphasized in their application the importance of reflecting American diversity abroad. I wasn’t sure if Boren paid the same amount of care since their website only mentions STEM students.

[sab333]

Does anyone know the time of day they have sent out emails notifying applicants of their status? I know someone earlier in this thread said last year it was around 1:30 p.m. Does anyone know if that is consistent with other years or if it's been in the morning as well?

[yallabye]

2 hours ago, sab333 said:

Does anyone know the time of day they have sent out emails notifying applicants of their status? I know someone earlier in this thread said last year it was around 1:30 p.m. Does anyone know if that is consistent with other years or if it's been in the morning as well?

In general, I think that flagship people and fellowships receive their emails first and then the scholarship notices come later in the day. Last year, for the flagships and fellowships, it was in the early afternoon and scholarships were later. However, the year before, flagships and fellowships got their emails in the morning....idk, this year seems pretty bizarre to begin with, so I guess we can't really say. 

[ahlanahlan]

I wonder if apps are down this year again...I think I heard or read that they have been down compared to previous years