Kevin Patrick Cullen Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Awesome choice on the Bosnia ETA. Beautiful, amazing country. I've decided if I don't win the Ukraine ETA, I'm just moving to Bosnia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliviaKate84 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Anyone applying to Italy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeb266 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I'm applying for an ETA to Hungary. Based on the discussion boards from last year, it looks like the first round notifications went out on a rolling basis starting at around 10:30pm on the night of January 20th (Thursday) and most everyone found out by 5pm on Friday, January 21. So if everything is on the same schedule and pattern of last year we might be hearing by January 20th!! Kevin Patrick Cullen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliviaKate84 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 that would be so wonderful, Jeb266! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waveaflag Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 the year before didn't happen until the 29th. i think its totally random and probably depends on the amount of applications received. all i know is that i am obsessively checking my spam folder just in case. feibeinei 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oa0176 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Now that I am officially done with school, I dont have anymore distractions so these next few weeks waiting on that email will be agony. I keep having dreams/nightmares about it lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RusPNI Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 So I made it past the first round for the Critical Languages Scholarship in Russian for 8 weeks of government-funded study in Russia during the Summer. I am doubtful my graduate advisor (I am in research science) would let me go. Does anyone have any tips to persuade her? I don't think I am generally a persuasive person and could use some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waveaflag Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 any professor that wouldn't allow a student to embark on such an adventure shouldn't be teaching. period. Kevin Patrick Cullen and waveaflag 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RusPNI Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 any professor that wouldn't allow a student to embark on such an adventure shouldn't be teaching. period. Heh. Well, it's very high pressure in research science. College programs want you to graduate as soon as possible, principal investigators pay your salary and expect you to be available to them. My advisor is among the most understanding. Most science researchers would not even entertain the thought of such fancy as learning a foreign language in the middle of your graduate "career." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzisKaner! Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 So I made it past the first round for the Critical Languages Scholarship in Russian for 8 weeks of government-funded study in Russia during the Summer. I am doubtful my graduate advisor (I am in research science) would let me go. Does anyone have any tips to persuade her? I don't think I am generally a persuasive person and could use some help. In my opinion, it really depends how crucial Russian is to your program and over-arching goals. The Critical Needs Language Programs are fantastic, but if you didn't do it during your graduate career, having it on your resume is an accolade nonetheless. If you were thinking about working for the State Department as a Foreign Service Specialist at some point, having this specific scholarship would be beneficial, but not critical to you getting this position. As I'm sure you're aware, there are a ton of other government positions that you'd be eligible for simply by virtue of having a high proficiency in a Critical Needs Language. It may be an oversimplification of your question, but I think if you can figure out how Russian is going to fit into your future goals, if a higher level of fluency would be helpful, go for it. It would at the very least get something on your resume that makes you stand out in both an academic and internationally-minded individual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulz Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Any second-time or multiple applicants here? Why do you think that you didn't get the award the first time? Yes, I applied for the 2010-2011 fellowships. It's impossible to isolate the exact reason an applicant is or isn't selected. It's a very competitive process, and some countries/areas only give out a few fellowships. I focused on ways to strengthen my application and research ideas. This time around I have a better research plan and local connections. I did a bit of research on those selected, they were uber qualified and did some great research. It's been a rewarding process, the second time is a lot easier and less stress. Last time it took until early May for me to find out. It's better to sit back and enjoy the ride. This time it's also easier because I'm not a recent grad waiting to see which direction I'll take. Good luck to everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliviaKate84 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hey sulz thank you for taking the time to share with us your experiences! A friend of mine, who was a recent 2010-2011 Fulbright Fellow to Ecuador, was rejected her first time around and accepted on her second try. According to her, she feels as though she may've been passed over the first time because she did not have a specific research proposal and applied without an affiliation letter. From what I've heard by many past Fulbright Fellows and through my own research, your research proposal and affiliation letters are the absolute more important aspects of your application. If you don't have those two items nailed down, you are less likely to receive the grant. Where you propose to do research in a specific country also affects your chances of winning. I was told by the head of the Fulbright committee in Italy that they prefer projects in the South. Why? She wouldnt explain, but it must have something to do with it being less expensive to send Fellows to that part of Italy. Obviously Milan is going to be more expensive to fund than a smaller, more rural town in Puglia, for example. But that doesnt mean you shouldn't apply to Milan or Berlin for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inno89 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Thanks for the insightful info Olivia. Do you happen to know on how much they consider your major vs. your proposed field of study? My major is in the physical sciences while my proposed field is in the soft sciences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Espanya2013 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hey sulz thank you for taking the time to share with us your experiences! A friend of mine, who was a recent 2010-2011 Fulbright Fellow to Ecuador, was rejected her first time around and accepted on her second try. According to her, she feels as though she may've been passed over the first time because she did not have a specific research proposal and applied without an affiliation letter. From what I've heard by many past Fulbright Fellows and through my own research, your research proposal and affiliation letters are the absolute more important aspects of your application. If you don't have those two items nailed down, you are less likely to receive the grant. Where you propose to do research in a specific country also affects your chances of winning. I was told by the head of the Fulbright committee in Italy that they prefer projects in the South. Why? She wouldnt explain, but it must have something to do with it being less expensive to send Fellows to that part of Italy. Obviously Milan is going to be more expensive to fund than a smaller, more rural town in Puglia, for example. But that doesnt mean you shouldn't apply to Milan or Berlin for that matter. I wish I had known this before choosing a major city in Spain. But I wonder could the reason really be price? I thought all FB to the same country got the same stipend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waveaflag Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 both my fpa and fulbright panel at school told me that major or minor city is not necessarily important. it is more about the strength of your affiliation within that city. they mentioned that the only reason a major city can be more difficult is because several people could potentially establish affiliation at the same institution and they want diversity with the participating institutions. for instance, the max planck institut in germany is a very popular place of affiliation and it might become more difficult to obtain a grant to study there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RusPNI Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 In my opinion, it really depends how crucial Russian is to your program and over-arching goals. The Critical Needs Language Programs are fantastic, but if you didn't do it during your graduate career, having it on your resume is an accolade nonetheless. Thanks, Franzis. I have different career goals in mind, but I your point about framing this in terms of the long-term is well taken. Apparently, my monetary support from the department runs out about the same time as the language program would begin. That may be convenient after all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisa Yvel Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Didn't even know that this forum existed! Very excited to have found it. I myself am a senior neuroscience undergrad, applying for a research proposal in Scotland, UK. I have a strong affiliation with a professor there, and what I believe to be a strong research proposal. Here's to my fingers crossed for myself and all of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langelby Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I didn't apply for an ETA to France, but I did apply for a research grant to France! I'm freaking out right now since France is so damn competitive...What did you propose to do in your application (not familiar with the ETA app so not sure what you write about in there)? Also, where did you ask to be placed?? I would be going to Strasbourg... For an ETA you don't get to choose placement, you find that out later in the process. That makes it difficult to propose anything so they don't really focus on that for the ETA....atleast that's what i've read. And I keep hearing about how competitive France is, but I haven't heard of very many other applicants to France this year...sooooo we'll see. it's killing me!....we had to write a personal statement and a purpose for the grant...which for me was mainly the exchange of language and teaching methods cause i'm a French teacher in Louisiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waveaflag Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 i was randomly reading a post in another section about some potential grad students freaking over whether or not the admissions committees scour the internet looking for their "social-network identity". at first i thought it seemed a little paranoid, but then i began to wonder. do you think the fulbright committees have time to google us on facebook or any other host of sites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzisKaner! Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I think it's fairly unlikely. The interview committees are responsible for determining both the strength of the application as well as the quality of the applicant themselves. I don't think it would serve the Fulbright Committee well to use social networking as a metric for assessing candidates. While the Fulbright is administered by the US Department of State, it's not as if we have to undergo background checks and things of that nature. It's an academic scholarship, not a security clearance or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosgfp Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Does anyone know how people found out last year that the first round decisions would be out early? I know it was on the website but I can't find where the date could be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inno89 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Fosgfp: It would be added here in red text above the sign-in fields: https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/usa/24/. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sautdanslavide Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 So who out there feels like they've been losing their minds lately waiting to hear if they've made it past the first cut?! Here's to hoping that we find out by next Friday... feibeinei 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosgfp Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 So who out there feels like they've been losing their minds lately waiting to hear if they've made it past the first cut?! Here's to hoping that we find out by next Friday... I... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcelloMarcelli Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Cor blimey yes. Does some noble gradcafeite (one braver than I am) want to call up and ask when they're sending out notifications this year? Are you guys betting on the 20th like people are saying it was last year or --gulp --the 31st? I don't know what to think... Good luck, all of you! Marcello Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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