Boren 2011-2012

[jg33]

I mostly agree with you, but you're in a field that less people study (at least from what I know of it), so in general you're a more competitive candidate, so maybe that's why they didn't contact you. And congrats on being a finalist for Fulbright, hope you win it it!

Elementwil, that info you found on the University of Illinois' website I think is very telling.

Either way I hope we all get it :-)

Thanks!

I hope we all get it too!

I think the spreadsheet will prove especially helpful in answering the question regarding follow-up emails once everyone finds out about their status. Right now, we have 10 people on the spreadsheet. Out of those 10 people, 8 were sent follow-up emails and 2 weren't. There were a little over 600 applicants this year, so hopefully we can get at least 100 people on the spreadsheet by the time this is all over with (that way we have a sufficient sample size).

Thanks to Runner for posting the link to this forum on the Boren Awards Facebook page as that should bring more people to this forum (and the spreadsheet).

Edited April 19, 2011 by jg33

[emilyestlerock]

Hi Everyone!

I applied for the Fellowship through the African Language Initiative to study Bambara in Mali, and springboard into literacy research in the spring. Does anyone have any notion (anecdotal or otherwise) of the number of Fellowship applicants for the ALI? I did receive the budget email in March, assumed it meant nothing, and haven't received an email since.

Like everyone else, probably, I am going crazy, checking email nonstop and feeling nauseous daily :-)

When I called Boren last week, the rep I spoke with (Robyn, I think) definitely made it seem like we'd hear in the first week of May, rather than the last week in April...Thank goodness finally a forum to obsess over until May!!!

[riverguide]

Welcome aboard!

[mzpeck]

I just sent you an email too

I applied for a Boren Scholarship to China. I hope I get it!!! I have also been checking the mail and my inbox obsessively. waiting waiting waiting.... Ahhhh!!!!!!!!! Good luck to everybody

Just wanted to repost the link to the spreadsheet for all our information:

https://spreadsheets...=CPu-4N4N#gid=0

So, if you want information added to the spreadsheet, please email boren2011.2012@gmail.com.

I would give everyone editing privileges, but random people come along and delete everything, so it is best to only have a few people with editing privileges.

[StephanieM]

I attended one of their webinars (I think that's what they're called), and I'm pretty sure they said we'd hear if we got it or not on May 1st.

[emilyestlerock]

Just got an email about applying to American Councils for the ALI.

STRESS STRESS STRESS SPECULATION SPECULATION SPECULATION

What does this mean?!?!?!

[mariojuarez]

Again, more speculation, but: I told my campus boren representative that I didn't receive the "financial update email" and I asked if it was reasonable to assume that I have not been selected. Her response was "I think you should prepare yourself for that outcome." And then the usual boilerplate "nothing is final until it's final", etc. However in deference to jg33, I would think that a Fulbright finalist in an engineering grad program at UT-Austin would have made it past regionals based exclusively on the fact that they study engineering at Texas.

Anyway, I think I sent an email, but my info for the s/s: Country: Ukraine; Language: Russian/Ukrainian; Research area: Chem Eng/Alternative Energy and obviously: no email from iie.

[jg33]

Again, more speculation, but: I told my campus boren representative that I didn't receive the "financial update email" and I asked if it was reasonable to assume that I have not been selected. Her response was "I think you should prepare yourself for that outcome." And then the usual boilerplate "nothing is final until it's final", etc. However in deference to jg33, I would think that a Fulbright finalist in an engineering grad program at UT-Austin would have made it past regionals based exclusively on the fact that they study engineering at Texas.

Anyway, I think I sent an email, but my info for the s/s: Country: Ukraine; Language: Russian/Ukrainian; Research area: Chem Eng/Alternative Energy and obviously: no email from iie.

Thanks for the kind words. I don't think anyone should count themselves out until they hear back.

Are you a fellowship or scholarship applicant?

[mariojuarez]

Fellowship

Thanks for the kind words. I don't think anyone should count themselves out until they hear back.

Are you a fellowship or scholarship applicant?

[elementwil]

Obviously you're in the running! Crossing my fingers for you!

Just got an email about applying to American Councils for the ALI.

STRESS STRESS STRESS SPECULATION SPECULATION SPECULATION

What does this mean?!?!?!

[Rebekah]

@Emilyestlerock: I received the same email this morning...what does it mean?!?! Have any of the other ALI applicants received it? These next two weeks are going to drag by!! Good luck and happy waiting!!

Just got an email about applying to American Councils for the ALI.

STRESS STRESS STRESS SPECULATION SPECULATION SPECULATION

What does this mean?!?!?!

[StephanieM]

ALI applicants? What's that? Are we all supposed to hear from them?

[riverguide]

Not unless you plan to speak Russian in Africa, Stephanie...

[elementwil]

No - from what I understand ALI is the African Languages Initiative...it's a supplementary program held in the U.S. before their study abroad program, only for applicants who wish to learn Bambara, Swahili, Yoruba, or Zulu. However, I am not sure if they are mutually exclusive or not.

ALI applicants? What's that? Are we all supposed to hear from them?

Edited April 20, 2011 by elementwil

[StephanieM]

Not unless you plan to speak Russian in Africa, Stephanie...

[Rebekah]

@Riverguide: Your humor in the midst of all of this anxious waiting is much appreciated!!

Not unless you plan to speak Russian in Africa, Stephanie...

[StephanieM]

@Riverguide: Your humor in the midst of all of this anxious waiting is much appreciated!!

Yes! These two weeks are gonna go too slowly, with all the waiting.

[riverguide]

I'm in a good mood today. The weather in Beirut is wonderful and I just received and accepted a Senate internship offer for US Senator Jay Rockefeller on the Intelligence Oversight Committee for June.

[elementwil]

Congrats man! That's awesome! Can I be your running-mate when you run for POTUS?

I'm in a good mood today. The weather in Beirut is wonderful and I just received and accepted a Senate internship offer for US Senator Jay Rockefeller on the Intelligence Oversight Committee for June.

[riverguide]

By the time I'm done I might be running for the state line...lol.

[Rebekah]

Ok, I'll try this again. Maybe my post is too long...

I received the ALI email today and got some additional information that may save some other ALI applicants some legwork. The long and the short of it is to apply directly to your domestic program (in my case Swahili is at the U of F this summer) and pay the application fee. The reimbursement deadline will be extended for anyone who pays the fee and does not receive a Boren award.

Hi Rebekah,

My pleasure to hear that you’ve applied for the AFLI Swahili Domestic program.

Please go ahead with registration process – the deadline is April 30 and you will be eligible to request for application fee refund up to May 15 (in case you do not win the Boren Fellowship).

For complete info regarding AFLI at UF, please visit: http://www.africa.ufl.edu/scali/afliinfo.html

Best,

bwenge

Good afternoon, Dr. Bwenge,

Per the emails below, I was directed to contact you to confirm whether or not I should register and pay the application fee for the Swahili Domestic Program at this time. If I do win the Boren Fellowship I expect to find out the first week of May and could apply then. Is this too late?

Any recommendation you can make is appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time.

Sincerely,

Rebekah

You should contact the professor in charge of the domestic program and ask him if it’s OK to postpone registration until after you find out if you won the Boren or not. I think that’s going to be fine but you should double check.

Swahili Domestic Program

Dr. Charles Bwenge

Coordinator, Program in African Languages (PAL)

Phone: 352-392-2183 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 352-392-2183 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

cbwenge@ufl.edu

If you have any questions please feel free to call or send us an email.

Thank you.

Michael Saffle

Program Manager

NSEP David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships

Dear Mr. Saffle,

Thank you for sending out the additional information below. I'm sure you get a million emails a week from anxious applicants wondering when we will hear the final results. You are probably as anxious as we are to complete this process!

Could you confirm that because I am a Swahili African Language initiative applicant for the Boren Fellowship I should also apply directly through the University of Florida for the summer domestic SCALI program and pay the $150 application fee? It is my understanding from your email that this is the case, but seeing as the refund deadline has passed, I wanted to double check before paying the application fee.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Sincerely,

Rebekah

Hello from the Boren Awards.

We see that you applied for the African Language Initiative’s summer domestic program. We just want to remind you that you need to apply for the domestic program separately from the Boren Fellowship if you have not already done so. If you have, disregard this message. If you have not, please follow the link below to apply for the program.

This is the site - http://apps.americancouncils.org/africanlanguages/?q=content/overview. You can find the information about the domestic programs at this site, along with any deadlines, etc. Please contact American Councils with any questions about their application process.

We don’t have the final results for the Boren Awards yet but expect to hear from us around the first week of May.

If you have any questions about our application process please feel free to call or send us an email.

Thank you.

Michael Saffle

Program Manager

NSEP David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships

[riverguide]

The Boren folks contacted me sometime back and recommended writing my program to tell them that I was awaiting acceptance and to request an extension to pay the deposit. Then I received an email from my program indicating that the slots were overbooked and I needed to confirm with a deposit, which wasn't cheap: $500. Because I believe in the philosophy, "Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not out to get you..." I choked and went ahead and sent the $500 to ensure a slot.

[StephanieM]

I'm in a good mood today. The weather in Beirut is wonderful and I just received and accepted a Senate internship offer for US Senator Jay Rockefeller on the Intelligence Oversight Committee for June.

Congrats

[riverguide]

Thanks. After Egypt last winter its nice to have some good news for a change.

[acg]

I received the same email. My question is do you think Boren would let me change my plan and not do the summer ALI (but still do the Fall ALI provided I pass the langauge test)? I got a fellowship from the Dept of State to spend the summer in Israel and I think this is too good of an opportunity to turn down but obviously I would rather spend a year abroad then just six weeks abroad so I would definitely rather have Boren if I can't do both. Does anyone know how easy it is to change your plan of study if you get Boren? Or what about if it includes the ALI in your plan (I imagine this is harder to change?). I really hope we find out next week!

@Emilyestlerock: I received the same email this morning...what does it mean?!?! Have any of the other ALI applicants received it? These next two weeks are going to drag by!! Good luck and happy waiting!!