Fulbright 2011-2012

[Caro_Ellen]

Well...who knows? Many people last year heard in mid-March. And don't forget that the "finalist" emails this year went out much earlier than expected.

Yeah, and others heard at the end of May... realizing this is already four weeks after finalist notifications is definitely encouraging, though!

[salt]

A few people here have mentioned something about our applications being ranked before they are sent abroad. I don't believe people are making things up but I am curious to know what source this information comes from because it doesn't seem to be something widely known among applicants. or maybe it is and i am out of the loop.

[salt]

I think i found the answer to my own question on this page. It says "Applications are reviewed by committees in the U.S. Results are collated and panels of recommended candidates for each country receiving U.S. Student grantees are compiled." So I guess the wording is there but easy to miss if you're not paying attention.

Edited February 17, 2011 by salt

[luke77]

I remember reading about this in some old threads on here and it seems what people were saying is that applicants are "ranked" by the american committee, and then some countries simply take the top-ranked applicants and give them the scholarship, while others evaluate the applicants independently (possibly taking into account the american rankings). I have no idea if the people who wrote about this knew what they were talking about, though...also it seems like if some countries simply take the top ranked applicants it shouldn't take 2-4 months to get the results out...

I think i found the answer to my own question on this page. It says "Applications are reviewed by committees in the U.S. Results are collated and panels of recommended candidates for each country receiving U.S. Student grantees are compiled." So I guess the wording is there but easy to miss if you're not paying attention.

[crimsonengineer87]

Also, if you apply through your campus advisor, they do rank you. They may also reject your application and you can't even apply to Fulbright, in some cases. However, with my campus interview, it was more of clarifying documents to make sure that there were no errors on my transcripts. But I think each school does it differently, but our grading scale was essentially geared towards how culturally prepared is the candidate and is the candidate ready to pursue this activity in another country. Then they score you and the campus adviser submits those scores to the commission who looks at them too and ranks based on those scores as well as the other documents... if that answers anything ...

[quiqui]

Hey, I guess I can safely reapply now.

I applied to Egypt a few years ago (2007-08) and didn't make it as a finalist. My application was looking at the Gaza/Egypt border, and I think I may have said something about how it would really help the Palestinians out if Hosni Mubarak were overthrown. j/k

I didn't get asked for government clearance and I didn't get an application -- I was just flat out rejected. So I would interpret them asking you for additional information as a good sign unless this is a new procedure of theirs.

Good luck!

[lulu13]

Hey, I guess I can safely reapply now.

Do you think the unrest in the Middle East means that some programs might be suspended this year? Maybe it's too early to tell... It's just that every time I go to a news site, it's all about the protests in the country I applied for (and elsewhere in the region). And it seems that the violence is escalating. I know everything could be fine by the time the grant would start, but if they are making the decisions in the next few months, I think it could affect some people. Does anyone know if this has happened before (where something happened in a host country and the program was suspended in the meantime)? I wonder how long it takes them to make the decision. I hope for our sakes that they wait and see before calling anything off!!

[josedob]

Is there any way to confirm that IIE received all of the official academic transcripts?

Had my institutions send them directly.....now I'm second guessing myself.

[quiqui]

I've been wondering that too, especially since this type of Fulbright is decided by both State Departments and decisions are political from the heart. I mean, when they tell you they'd like for you to "find yourself" while filming a documentary of underwater soap-making in Aleppo, it's an implicit request that we, not for one moment, consider systematically analyzing the poverty and cruel injustices at our front door.

I don't know how the Middle East revolutions and revolts will affect the upcoming decisions as I think you're right in that it's too soon to tell. I'd be curious to hear from folks what happens. I do know the unrests are spreading as we speak and none of it looks good for the USG's interests so I imagine there will be effects in the long term.

By the way, I was in Egypt during summer 2008 and it came through on a listserv I was on that a Fulbrighter had his/her award revoked because the government didn't like the topic after all. I kept the e-mail for posterity:

June 05, 2008

Hey everyone,

I was recently notified that my Fulbright research project (examining how the Egyptian press depicts the US) was rejected by the Egyptian government after I was notified of winning the grant. Has anyone else had this experience or heard of it happening? I hear that it's not that uncommon for the government to disapprove of a project.

Best,

XXXXX

Do you think the unrest in the Middle East means that some programs might be suspended this year? Maybe it's too early to tell... It's just that every time I go to a news site, it's all about the protests in the country I applied for (and elsewhere in the region). And it seems that the violence is escalating. I know everything could be fine by the time the grant would start, but if they are making the decisions in the next few months, I think it could affect some people. Does anyone know if this has happened before (where something happened in a host country and the program was suspended in the meantime)? I wonder how long it takes them to make the decision. I hope for our sakes that they wait and see before calling anything off!!

[SlyStone]

Is there any way to confirm that IIE received all of the official academic transcripts?

Had my institutions send them directly.....now I'm second guessing myself.

I called them earlier to ask about this.

They won't be confirming the receipt of transcripts, but if they are missing anything, they will get in touch with you.

[crimsonengineer87]

I called them earlier to ask about this.

They won't be confirming the receipt of transcripts, but if they are missing anything, they will get in touch with you.

Yeah, I think this was discussed previously in this thread. There are 1000s of us and only a few of them. It's kind of like grad school applications and bombarding that one graduate student coordinator for your department for blah blah. It would be nice, but yes, they will contact us if something is wrong ... hopefully ...

Also, I am working on the spreadsheet from last year's Fulbrighters and modifying it so people can start listing what countries they've applied to, their research areas, blah blah. So this can help other potential Fulbrighters find each other and when we receive our award notifications, we begin to get an idea which countries are sending them out.

[olympia]

Has anyone had to do an interview in the host language? If so, could you share about the experience?

[Johnnyquest2009]

Hello Everyone,

I am a current research fellow. I saw that many people had questions in regards to the application review process. This is what I have heard from the Embassy here.

1. After your application is reviewed by your school, it is sent to the national office. At this point, a committee comprised of experts for your country and a committee of experts in your field of study will review your application. (However, sometimes, if your applying to a small country, your application will be reviewed by a committee of experts for a different/larger country in the same region)

2. At this point, you are ranked. The top applicants sent to the US Embassy in the country you applied to. This is usually 1.5 to 2x the number of spots available.

3. Staff at this embassy review and make their final decision. Some countries might choose the top picks or make their own decisions. Since, many of the smaller countries do not have a Fulbright Office/Officer, dealing with the applications etc falls to the Public Relations Officer. This is why it may take longer in some countries. For the Public Relations Officer has many other duties and I am sure Fulbright is low on their priority list.

4. Once the final decisions are made, they are sent back to New York, but then sent onward to the State Department for their final stamp of approval. I think they might do some type of security check at this point, and also make sure that your research subject is ok for them. This too is also a reason their sometimes might be a hold up.

From my experience, everyone from one country will find out at the same time. It also seemed that various regions more or less found out at the same time as well.

The decision will be sent in the mail (for most). Large manila envelop means your accepted, small white envelop means your not.

I hope that helps

[salt]

Hey everyone,

I was active on the board earlier but unfortunately had to suspend my application due to a job offer. Congratulations to everyone who has made it to the next round!

I was wondering if anyone on here is an At-Large applicant? If so, how was your application process? I'm thinking of applying next year (I've always wanted to participate in the Fulbright and had applying in the back of my mind throughout college), but since I graduated in May '10 I'm not sure if I would be too past my graduation date to work with my university's FPA. Quite honestly, I wonder if applying At-Large might even be better because those applicants do not undergo a campus interview. I know the merits of those interviews have been discussed previously, I'm just not sure if the stress I'm sure I'll feel prior to the hour of cross-examination is worth it ... Plus, perhaps an FPA at a more local school would have pity on me and glance over my materials to give suggestions. The FPA at my alma mater, while skilled, was quite stubborn and I often felt like our interaction wasn't much of a collaboration.

Any thoughts at all are appreciated. : ) Thanks to everyone on the board for sharing their ideas and guidance thus far!!

Hi Strgrl522, I applied At-Large. The application process went fine for me. I figured out what I needed to do and got it done. I completed my application to my satisfaction then got in touch with the FPA at my alma mater and asked her to read my essays and make some notes. She said she was happy to. She made some suggestions and I made some edits and that was it. That's all the help I got with my application and all the help I wanted. I prefer to work on things independently without too much interference from others. What kind of support do you want? Do you need to sit down with someone to help you flesh out ideas or are you clear and confident about how you want to construct your application?

Now that you're out of school your only choice might be to apply At-Large but you never know. I think different schools have different policies.

Hope this helps.

[mbv]

To those thinking they must apply at-large: Many (although of course I cannot speak for all of them) Fulbright coordinators will help alumni as well as current students and you can apply through your alma mater as an alumnus. My BA school was willing to let me apply through them even though I had graduated 3 years previously AND was currently enrolled at another school for a graduate degree. I liked having the support of a Fulbright coordinator but I assume that once you've been through the process once, applying at-large wouldn't be such a big deal.

[noobie dave]

Hey guys, I didn't make it to the next round, but my friend did, for Italy. Neither of us received any sort of email presumably because our school still communicates mainly through strings of yarn attached to soup cans.

So confirm for me-- ALL second-round applicants received some sort of PDF with details, and ALL are supposed to send transcripts somewhere? Where are they supposed to send them to? Is there any way someone could post or forward the pdf file to me?

I (and my friend) appreciate the help, our program adviser is useless here, and like I said, the email system sucks.

[salt]

Hey guys, I didn't make it to the next round, but my friend did, for Italy. Neither of us received any sort of email presumably because our school still communicates mainly through strings of yarn attached to soup cans.

So confirm for me-- ALL second-round applicants received some sort of PDF with details, and ALL are supposed to send transcripts somewhere? Where are they supposed to send them to? Is there any way someone could post or forward the pdf file to me?

I (and my friend) appreciate the help, our program adviser is useless here, and like I said, the email system sucks.

Hi, This link has all the info:

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/info_recommended_candidates.html

[computerdating]

Hey guys, I didn't make it to the next round, but my friend did, for Italy. Neither of us received any sort of email presumably because our school still communicates mainly through strings of yarn attached to soup cans.

So confirm for me-- ALL second-round applicants received some sort of PDF with details, and ALL are supposed to send transcripts somewhere? Where are they supposed to send them to? Is there any way someone could post or forward the pdf file to me?

I (and my friend) appreciate the help, our program adviser is useless here, and like I said, the email system sucks.

Hey, I think you should really try to get some more information out of your advisor or from IIE. Every country seems to have follow-up things that are specific to the country. My country's IIE has been emailing with requests for additional information. I've had to write two additional things and send them out already. So maybe another Italy applicant can help you figure out what the next steps are.

[The Folded Leaf]

So question. Does anyone know how many DAAD grants are usually given? Has anyone heard anything from DAAD? I'm a Fulbrigt finalist for Germany and applied to both...trying obsessively to figure out my chances of getting one of them...

[Skyfire]

Has anyone had to do an interview in the host language? If so, could you share about the experience?

I did an interview for my host institution - it wasn't for IIE, but it was for the whole Fulbright process. I needed to be admitted to the University in order to be eligable to receive the Fulbright grant. The interview was over the phone, in Spanish. Since my spanish is pretty good, I think I did okay. I tried to plan ahead for what questions they would ask and predetermine my answers and then correct them for grammer/pronounciation errors. But in the end, she did throw a couple of unanticipated questions at me and I did stumble a little bit, but she seemed pretty understanding. She even gave me some suggestions of things to read and study to learn the necessary jargon to speak. See I speak Latin American Spanish, and she was speaking Spain Spanish, and those of you spanish speakers out there know that there is a huge difference. So there were a few words she used that I didn't clue in on. Suffice to say I was admitted to the university, so I must have done okay. Does this help?

[olympia]

Yes, thank you! Were the questions mostly about your project and your Spanish language background?

I did an interview for my host institution - it wasn't for IIE, but it was for the whole Fulbright process. I needed to be admitted to the University in order to be eligable to receive the Fulbright grant. The interview was over the phone, in Spanish. Since my spanish is pretty good, I think I did okay. I tried to plan ahead for what questions they would ask and predetermine my answers and then correct them for grammer/pronounciation errors. But in the end, she did throw a couple of unanticipated questions at me and I did stumble a little bit, but she seemed pretty understanding. She even gave me some suggestions of things to read and study to learn the necessary jargon to speak. See I speak Latin American Spanish, and she was speaking Spain Spanish, and those of you spanish speakers out there know that there is a huge difference. So there were a few words she used that I didn't clue in on. Suffice to say I was admitted to the university, so I must have done okay. Does this help?

[Skyfire]

well no actually, since it was an interview for the school, they were asking me about my application to the school, and what I could bring to the school if I was admitted. I also own my own import business, so I was asked about that a lot as well. I think I was also asked about how I was planning on financing the program, and that's when the Fulbright scholarship was brought up. I think other than that, it wasn't mentioned at all. She also seemed particularly interested in why I was persuing the program, and what would happen to my company if I attended. The interview wasn't that long, maybe a half hour. I did explain to her how I had learned Spanish, and my background etc, but like I said she didn't seem to interested/worried about my proficiency. Of course I was freaking out after I hung up because I was worried that I had stumbled too much over what I was saying. but you know the old saying... you're your own worst critic... lol.

[jonsnow]

Has anyone had to do an interview in the host language? If so, could you share about the experience?

I had an interview this morning with the Moscow Fulbright office. It only lasted about 15 minutes and the lady who conducted the interview was mainly concerned about my project. She asked the basic questions about my family, if I had been to Russia before, etc. It was nearly as bad as I had expected. I think the general idea was to gauge my proficiency. I know that I made a number of grammatical errors, but I think (hope) the important thing about these interviews is to be able to successfully understand the questions that you are asked and to answer in a coherent manner.

[crimsonengineer87]

So question. Does anyone know how many DAAD grants are usually given? Has anyone heard anything from DAAD? I'm a Fulbrigt finalist for Germany and applied to both...trying obsessively to figure out my chances of getting one of them...

I applied to DAAD as well and have no idea how many grants are given. I could look into that. But I heard or read somewhere the stipend is the same as Fulbright.

Are you doing research (if so, what field) or are you doing music/ arts stuff?

Edited February 23, 2011 by crimsonengineer87

[Damis]

To all my Germany peeps, don't forget that the deadlines are quickly approaching! I don't know about the researchers, but as an ETA the additional essays have to be IN GERMAN! Don't forget! Good luck!

-D

Edited February 24, 2011 by Damis