Boren 2020-2021

[Westtofareast]

I don't think that I can wait any longer ! I just want to know lol. 

[PaperTowns]

I assume decisions will not be coming out today either?

[Umenohana]

3 hours ago, LoSo said:

I was only asking because I came across a YouTube video of a Boren webinar from last year (I believe) that was specifically for APSIA member schools. However, I think it is only relevant to those majoring in international relations anyway. I am receiving my MS in global studies & international relations from a non-APSIA school. After perusing last year's stats it looked like most people on the list who had IA related degrees came from APSIA-member schools. But for non-IA majors, I don't think I checked. It's just something for me to mull over while we wait, lol.

Can I ask what your major was when you got the scholarship and what you're studying now?

You know, I apparently go to an APSIA school now and I still don't see what it means for me as a student. Even our scholarship advisers never mentioned anything about it, so I doubt we are receiving anything that may put us at an advantage. My guess is that these schools tend to be pretty good in themselves and invest in helping their students compete for these types of scholarships. At my current school they push Boren, Fulbright, CLS all the time! (though they don't bother with getting FLAS...) At my last school, literally nobody tells students about those, nor offers any significant help. I was the only person to get Boren and CLS there, finding and applying to those opportunities myself. So while there is a benefit of going to "better" schools, your own merits are still the most important thing, so I wouldn't worry about that. I think they do also try to get a somewhat diverse group of scholars and fellows, including geographical and institutional diversity.

I was studying Criminal Justice when I got the scholarship and doing an MA in International Affairs right now. Both times applying to Japan.

[Umenohana]

16 hours ago, UMDTerp said:

Good luck to everyone with their decisions (hopefully this week).

What are your plans / back-up plans if you should not get a scholarship? Have they changed because of Covid-19?

Am genuinely interested to hear what you think. 

For myself, I honestly don't know if I will do Boren even if I get it. I was accepted to a great program, but it is so expensive that the Fellowship would not even cover full tuition. Was really hoping to get other financial support, but there is really almost nothing out there for grad students (about every study abroad scholarship wants undergrads). There is a small amount of hope still, but not much. I could choose a different, cheaper program, but it would not be as rigorous or useful. So while it would be awesome to go and study abroad, I am afraid of wasting my time while rolling in the deep hole of student loans that I'm in. Although maybe I should take advantage of these opportunities while I'm still a student? After all, that is part of the reason I went on to grad school.

[arabiclover]

13 minutes ago, Umenohana said:

You know, I apparently go to an APSIA school now and I still don't see what it means for me as a student. Even our scholarship advisers never mentioned anything about it, so I doubt we are receiving anything that may put us at an advantage. My guess is that these schools tend to be pretty good in themselves and invest in helping their students compete for these types of scholarships. At my current school they push Boren, Fulbright, CLS all the time! (though they don't bother with getting FLAS...) At my last school, literally nobody tells students about those, nor offers any significant help. I was the only person to get Boren and CLS there, finding and applying to those opportunities myself. So while there is a benefit of going to "better" schools, your own merits are still the most important thing, so I wouldn't worry about that. I think they do also try to get a somewhat diverse group of scholars and fellows, including geographical and institutional diversity.

I was studying Criminal Justice when I got the scholarship and doing an MA in International Affairs right now. Both times applying to Japan.

Do you know if there is a correlation between getting CLS and Boren? I have been rejected from CLS twice now, and am scared that because of that I may not be Boren material. 

[SportPhD]

4 minutes ago, arabiclover said:

Do you know if there is a correlation between getting CLS and Boren? I have been rejected from CLS twice now, and am scared that because of that I may not be Boren material. 

I mean it demonstrates your commitment to the language so that’s a huge benefit and the iie programs (CLS, Boren and Fulbright) definitely have a connection, but CLS and Fulbright are more competitive programs overall, when you look purely at the numbers.

[Umenohana]

13 minutes ago, SportPhD said:

I mean it demonstrates your commitment to the language so that’s a huge benefit and the iie programs (CLS, Boren and Fulbright) definitely have a connection, but CLS and Fulbright are more competitive programs overall, when you look purely at the numbers.

I agree, looking at numbers and everything, Boren is much easier to get. I'd surmise that the service requirement is probably the biggest turn-off for people. Even though I was sure it's the right thing for me when applying for the Scholarship, it feels like more of a confinement now. Yet here I am applying again!

I think you should also keep in mind that these are similar programs, but very different at the same time. CLS is all about languages, diplomacy and representing diversity of the U.S. Boren is about languages, national security, and government service. Fulbright is about academics, diplomacy and relationships, but not as much about languages. At least that's my take on it.

There are people who can get all 3. There's those who get one but not the other. There's amazing, dedicated people who may get none. I got CLS and Boren on the first try, but did not even make it to semifinals of Fulbright. This year, I was a CLS alternate, even though I felt like my application was far stronger than it was when I got it last year. Also got rejected from Blakemore-Freeman Fellowship, which is another language fellowship. So it's really hard to say what goes into the decision-making behind these things, on top of the criteria they tell you. Not sure what to expect from Boren right now, but I'm feeling alright, since it is not as competitive.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Umenohana

[LoSo]

23 minutes ago, Umenohana said:

I agree, looking at numbers and everything, Boren is much easier to get. I'd surmise that the service requirement is probably the biggest turn-off for people. Even though I was sure it's the right thing for me when applying for the Scholarship, it feels like more of a confinement now. Yet here I am applying again!

I think you should also keep in mind that these are similar programs, but very different at the same time. CLS is all about languages, diplomacy and representing diversity of the U.S. Boren is about languages, national security, and government service. Fulbright is about academics, diplomacy and relationships, but not as much about languages. At least that's my take on it.

There are people who can get all 3. There's those who get one but not the other. There's amazing, dedicated people who may get none. I got CLS and Boren on the first try, but did not even make it to semifinals of Fulbright. This year, I was a CLS alternate, even though I felt like my application was far stronger than it was when I got it last year. Also got rejected from Blakemore-Freeman Fellowship, which is another language fellowship. So it's really hard to say what goes into the decision-making behind these things, on top of the criteria they tell you. Not sure what to expect from Boren right now, but I'm feeling alright, since it is not as competitive.

I was a semi-finalist for Fulbright this year and just found out yesterday that I was designated as an alternate. However, I'm more nervous about Boren because I had less time to work on my application, my school's advisor was a bit clueless, and I am worried about the tone of my national security essay. So, despite the odds being more in my favor for this, I feel less confident about it. I am sure it would be different without the self doubt. Anyway, I hope we find out soon! I really prefer to do Boren because I feel that it would benefit me more, career-wise.

Edited April 14, 2020 by LoSo

[Umenohana]

6 minutes ago, LoSo said:

I was a semi-finalist for Fulbright this year and just found out yesterday that I was designated as an alternate. However, I'm more nervous about Boren because I had less time to work on my application, my school's advisor was a bit clueless, and I am worried about the tone of my national security essay. So, despite the odds being more in my favor for this, I feel less confident about it. I am sure it would be different without the self doubt. Anyway, I hope we find out soon! I really prefer to do Boren because I feel that it would benefit me more, career-wise.

Congrats on the alternate status, that is pretty impressive! Hope it works out. What did you apply for? I am thinking of doing an application this cycle, but still on the fence about it.

If it makes you feel better, looking back a my Scholarship essays, they were really not that great at all. Though I imagine they expect much more of grad students, but I am sure they are likely better than you think!

True about Fulbright, while it looks impressive in some ways, it won't help you everywhere.

[arabiclover]

52 minutes ago, SportPhD said:

I mean it demonstrates your commitment to the language so that’s a huge benefit and the iie programs (CLS, Boren and Fulbright) definitely have a connection, but CLS and Fulbright are more competitive programs overall, when you look purely at the numbers.

Thank you! That was a really nice answer and Im super obsessed with my language so I plan on applying to CLS however many times it takes! I hope it works out for you! Sending you good vibes! 

[arabiclover]

40 minutes ago, Umenohana said:

I agree, looking at numbers and everything, Boren is much easier to get. I'd surmise that the service requirement is probably the biggest turn-off for people. Even though I was sure it's the right thing for me when applying for the Scholarship, it feels like more of a confinement now. Yet here I am applying again!

I think you should also keep in mind that these are similar programs, but very different at the same time. CLS is all about languages, diplomacy and representing diversity of the U.S. Boren is about languages, national security, and government service. Fulbright is about academics, diplomacy and relationships, but not as much about languages. At least that's my take on it.

There are people who can get all 3. There's those who get one but not the other. There's amazing, dedicated people who may get none. I got CLS and Boren on the first try, but did not even make it to semifinals of Fulbright. This year, I was a CLS alternate, even though I felt like my application was far stronger than it was when I got it last year. Also got rejected from Blakemore-Freeman Fellowship, which is another language fellowship. So it's really hard to say what goes into the decision-making behind these things, on top of the criteria they tell you. Not sure what to expect from Boren right now, but I'm feeling alright, since it is not as competitive.

This was a very thoughtful answer and thank you for those considerations. For me, I am  just not sure what much else i could do. Between applying both times, I created an independent major in the language, volunteered in my local community with refugees, studied abroad twice and wrote a thesis using only sources with the target language. I also completed summer programs every year (Middlebury, ones in DC), and studied abroad twice. Would you mind reading my essays and see if there is anything I can improve on for next year? I will be a graduate student (If i get rejected from Boren and another language program I am a finalist for) so I am hoping maybe that will improve my application? Any advice? I know asking you to read them is a lot so please feel comfortable to say no. You've already provided a ton of useful information, so thanks for your consideration

[arabiclover]

20 minutes ago, LoSo said:

I was a semi-finalist for Fulbright this year and just found out yesterday that I was designated as an alternate. However, I'm more nervous about Boren because I had less time to work on my application, my school's advisor was a bit clueless, and I am worried about the tone of my national security essay. So, despite the odds being more in my favor for this, I feel less confident about it. I am sure it would be different without the self doubt. Anyway, I hope we find out soon! I really prefer to do Boren because I feel that it would benefit me more, career-wise.

Congrats on your alternate!! and I feel you on the self-doubt, but I am sure am sending you good vibes for your Boren app  

[Umenohana]

6 minutes ago, arabiclover said:

This was a very thoughtful answer and thank you for those considerations. For me, I am  just not sure what much else i could do. Between applying both times, I created an independent major in the language, volunteered in my local community with refugees, studied abroad twice and wrote a thesis using only sources with the target language. I also completed summer programs every year (Middlebury, ones in DC), and studied abroad twice. Would you mind reading my essays and see if there is anything I can improve on for next year? I will be a graduate student (If i get rejected from Boren and another language program I am a finalist for) so I am hoping maybe that will improve my application? Any advice? I know asking you to read them is a lot so please feel comfortable to say no. You've already provided a ton of useful information, so thanks for your consideration

I have heard of many very qualified students getting rejected, so it's really not clear what they are looking for sometimes. You sound like you achieved quite a lot (especially with that thesis, wow!). A big thing, especially for Fulbright and CLS, is that there are a lot more great applicants than there are spots in the programs, which is really unfortunate. I read people's scholarship essays a lot, so I'd definitely be happy to take a look at yours! It will have to wait until closer to the end of the week though.

[marymouse484]

1 hour ago, LoSo said:

I was a semi-finalist for Fulbright this year and just found out yesterday that I was designated as an alternate. However, I'm more nervous about Boren because I had less time to work on my application, my school's advisor was a bit clueless, and I am worried about the tone of my national security essay. So, despite the odds being more in my favor for this, I feel less confident about it. I am sure it would be different without the self doubt. Anyway, I hope we find out soon! I really prefer to do Boren because I feel that it would benefit me more, career-wise.

That's amazing! Congratulations. I was an alternate for the Fulbright and ended up getting it, so it's definitely possible. Best of luck to you! 

[Westtofareast]

What country and languages did everyone apply to ? Did you apply for the fellowship or the scholarship ? 

[Angel Ornelas]

.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Angel Ornelas

[Angel Ornelas]

53 minutes ago, Westtofareast said:

What country and languages did everyone apply to ? Did you apply for the fellowship or the scholarship ? 

Applied for scholarship, Brazil + Portuguese ?

[LoSo]

4 hours ago, marymouse484 said:

That's amazing! Congratulations. I was an alternate for the Fulbright and ended up getting it, so it's definitely possible. Best of luck to you! 

Thanks for the encouragement!!

[LoSo]

5 hours ago, arabiclover said:

Congrats on your alternate!! and I feel you on the self-doubt, but I am sure am sending you good vibes for your Boren app  

Thank you. I so appreciate that. Same to you! Good vibes all around. ?

[LoSo]

4 hours ago, Westtofareast said:

What country and languages did everyone apply to ? Did you apply for the fellowship or the scholarship ? 

I applied for the fellowship to study Portuguese in Mozambique. 

[bazigaar]

4 hours ago, Westtofareast said:

What country and languages did everyone apply to ? Did you apply for the fellowship or the scholarship ? 

I am applying for the fellowship to study Urdu in India. I did CLS Urdu last year, which I hope will help my chances.

[UMDTerp]

On 4/14/2020 at 9:24 AM, mangofan said:

I was planning on delaying graduation an additional semester to do the fall portion of IFLI, but my back-up plan includes graduating-- from UMD! -- this semester. For my back-up plans, I'm currently debating going to grad school or entering the job market. I'm not entirely invested in either idea right now, but I'm hoping Boren notifies us soon so I can figure out a plan moving forward!

Cool! That sounds very similar to my plan! I'm applying for IFLI for the Fall and Spring and if not, graduating from UMD this semester and looking for work before grad school.

[小溪溪]

17 hours ago, Westtofareast said:

What country and languages did everyone apply to ? Did you apply for the fellowship or the scholarship ? 

I'm applying for the scholarship, and I want to study Cantonese in Hong Kong. I speak Mandarin at an advanced level already, but I'm starting to get nervous that the application readers may find Cantonese less essential than Mandarin ?

[pangloss]

Do we think they might release today?

[LoSo]

17 minutes ago, pangloss said:

Do we think they might release today?

I was just coming to ask if anyone was planning to call today. Hehe