Fulbright 2012-2013

[redArcher]

Since some people are interested and I have some info, here is what I want to share from two other friends awarded the grant:

Colombia: Stipend was 1,200$ USD (2,400 pesos colombianos). However, either they have since reduced that amount or have shortened the grant period because the IIE is apparently going broke... He also mentioned that you have to stay on top of the stipend delivery because sometimes they were late with the deposits and his landlady almost kicked him out, lol.

India: Stipend is 1000$ USD. She is also paid in the local currency, rupees. This info is up to date.

They both opened accounts in-country and had money, which was wired into their American accounts, transferred automatically to their in-country accounts.

That's all I have for now! :-)

[msafiri]

Hi all. This is my second post, the first being notice of my recommendation to Costa Rica. I have been on the web nearly every day searching for info on someone ANYONE who can tell me when to expect to hear back from my country. My husband is not shaving until we get word and his beard is making me insane! **We'll blame it on the hair, not my burning desire for confirmation**

Does anyone here have info as to ballpark on when Latin American countries generally respond? I saw the Peru tweet (CONGRATS!!!), and of course Europe is always first out of the gate (Congrats to all of you as well!).

Last year, Central America applicants were notified the first week of April. I forget the exact date but I know it was after the 1st and before the 8th.

[Eternal Icicle]

Hey Bulgaria ETA applicants... I remember the application saying that they gave preference to graduate students...

I'm not a graduate student, are any other Bulgaria ETA finalists grad students?

Just wondering...

I am also not a graduate student, but I've had some undergrad coursework relevant to the region. Bulgaria both doubled the number of ETAs and added more preferences after I had chosen Bulgaria for my application. From what I've heard in the past, Bulgaria had difficulty filling their ETA quota when they had only 8-9 spots, and often reached out to alternates of other countries. So, they can prefer whomever they want... it still doesn't change the fact that very few people can even put Bulgaria on the map. I am surprised by the number of Bulgaria applicants on this forum, though!

[smurfgurl22]

It isn't impossible to go from your BA to a Ph.D program - I am (Unless of course, the Fulbright comes through, at which point the Ph.D is going to have to wait!) It's not easy - I've been working for 4 years to make myself a viable doctoral candidate, but it can be done. I wouldn't rule it out.

I'll second that--I'm also about to go straight into a PhD program (unless I end up getting a Fulbright...I'm an alternate), and I have several friends at my current institution who are also doing the same thing. We've all been planning on grad school for the past few years, and so have been able to shape our undergrad courses accordingly. When I've spoken with prospective advisors, they have claimed not to prefer MA students over BA students--I think it depends more on how focused you are as an undergrad.

The key thing I want to add is you need to be strategic about why you are doing the PhD and consider what you want to do after the PhD. If you are planning on going into academia, then you should go ahead and go down that route (either with MA or without - I did my grad work in UK and it really did not matter there at all. Not sure about US though). However if you are unsure that you want an academic career, then I would strongly suggest figuring out that first.

To put my situation into context, my field is wildlife conservation and I know many people who have gone onto to PhDs right after either a BS or MS due to a variety of factors such as lack of job prospects, academic interest in the PhD topic, or simply because it seemed that everyone else was getting one so they should too. However when they finished , they decided they did not want to be a professor/pure research and would instead like to more field level conservation action. The problem here however is that they have very little practical experience and from an employment standpoint, they aren't much better off than an MS grad.

Ok, just want to clarify: I think that there is a huge difference first of all between going from BA to PhD and going from BS to PhD. Basically, in the hard sciences, it is not AT ALL uncommon that you skip the MS and go straight to the research degree, especially if you are planning to stay in academia. The MS will only really prepare you for lower level tech jobs in labs and stuff like that, so it's really unneccesary, as far as I understand. But then again, I am not in the hard sciences, so this may not be universal. It's just what I've been told by people I know in the following fields: engineering, neuroscience, microbiology, and epidemiology.

On the other hand, as far as my experience in the humanities has been, broadly defined, I see that MAs are very much expected in order to move to the PhD. Usually when you apply, you apply for the MA, and it is considered a step in the process on the way to a PhD. You basically do the MA and then you do the PhD directly after in the same field, so by virtue of applying to the MA, you are sort of in an extended sense indicating interest in the PhD, which you should state clearly in your statement of purpose. Also, you can do like I did and switch universities after the MA to a different PhD program, of course, but I only got into the new PhD program because I already had an MA in a closely related field (it was actually a stated requirement for admission, along with GPA, etc.).

I guess the point I am trying to make is that, if you are going for a PhD in the humanities, you most likely should be applying to MA programs to start that have the option to continue on to a PhD, keeping in mind you can always switch later to other, potentially better, PhD programs later, especially if you do well in the MA to start.

Also, another thing to keep in mind is that this is a good thing. If you get into the MA and then ecide after a few semesters that academia is not for you, which A LOT of people do, then you will have something to show for your effort because you can just wrap up the MA and go on. A common problem in the hard sciences is that people get started, but decide they don't want to continue in academia. Then they are faced with the incredibly difficult decision of continuing on with something they no longer want to do, or throwing away years of effort and having nothing to show for it other than a half completed degree. That's not a fun place to be in.

So my advice is: apply for an MA, but always be looking towards the PhD, since that's your ultimate goal, and be sure to state this as your intention in the statement of puprose. Consider applying for backup programs also, since you may not get into your first choice MA/PhD program, and it's good to be able to go do another MA, and then transfer to the PhD you really want. I applied for several MA programs that I didn't really want, just to have this as an option (I didn't need it, since I got into my first choice, even though I ended up switching later anyway, but I know people that have needed it, and then were able to transfer).

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[caedmon]

On the other hand, as far as my experience in the humanities has been, broadly defined, I see that MAs are very much expected in order to move to the PhD. Usually when you apply, you apply for the MA, and it is considered a step in the process on the way to a PhD.

This is probably true for many cases, but perhaps I should have clarified--I'm very much in the humanities (finishing a BA in Classics, going into a PhD in medieval history) and I do have some classmates in the humanities who are going straight to the PhD. I would do a MA if I could get funding, but since I'm choosing between unfunded MAs and a fully-funded PhD program (at one of my dream institutions), the choice seems pretty clear. I think this also depends on the individual departments at various institutions--I know that at my current university, all of the Religion PhDs already have an MA, but this is not true for the History department, where about half of the incoming PhDs do.

Basically, it does seem like many people in the humanities do a MA first, but it's not always impossible to go straight from a BA.

[smurfgurl22]

This is probably true for many cases, but perhaps I should have clarified--I'm very much in the humanities (finishing a BA in Classics, going into a PhD in medieval history) and I do have some classmates in the humanities who are going straight to the PhD. I would do a MA if I could get funding, but since I'm choosing between unfunded MAs and a fully-funded PhD program (at one of my dream institutions), the choice seems pretty clear. I think this also depends on the individual departments at various institutions--I know that at my current university, all of the Religion PhDs already have an MA, but this is not true for the History department, where about half of the incoming PhDs do.

Basically, it does seem like many people in the humanities do a MA first, but it's not always impossible to go straight from a BA.

Yep, you're absolutely right. I was just talking about general trends. And funding does make a big difference. Also, the person who originally posted this question was saying that they weren't sure about the field and what one could do because they had a BA in a different subject, so in that case, I think an MA to start would make a lot more sense, hence my advice. But you're right, it does depend on the situation, and yours is a good example of why you might go with a PhD off the bat (know what you want for sure, experience in the field from the BA, and funding questions).

And good luck! Awesome that you got into your dream school! :-)

[ALSimon]

Did you try contacting the person in charge of Fulbright for that area?

I contacted my person and they told me when, historically, notices were sent out.

How do I find out who, exactly, to contact?

[Lia19]

Colombia: Stipend was 1,200$ USD (2,400 pesos colombianos). However, either they have since reduced that amount or have shortened the grant period because the IIE is apparently going broke... He also mentioned that you have to stay on top of the stipend delivery because sometimes they were late with the deposits and his landlady almost kicked him out, lol.

India: Stipend is 1000$ USD. She is also paid in the local currency, rupees. This info is up to date.

They both opened accounts in-country and had money, which was wired into their American accounts, transferred automatically to their in-country accounts.

Thank you...I'll add this to the stipends list!

[Garden De-gnomer]

I'm very much in the humanities (finishing a BA in Classics...)

No no--I've seen Latin and Greek grammar. That's a hard science!

[StephanieJ]

Tomorrow's a new day for emails!

[kate89]

I've had a feeling all day that tomorrow will be the day for Germany ETAs! Of course now that I announce it it won't come true, but I just thought I'd share my optimism! Let's hope for good news by the end of the week at least!!

[caramel08girl]

How do I find out who, exactly, to contact?

the people on this page: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/program_regions_countries.html?id=5

[oinkcluckmoobahh]

Hi all,

To help me pass the time and procrastinate on my thesis, and really just for the giggles of it, I took the country notification spreadsheet, modified it, and did some calculations in STATA. It was only supposed to take a good hour or so but since I'm not fluent yet in STATA I had to figure out a number of the syntaxes for panel data and whatnot. Anyway, here's what I did:

I took the notification date for each country and regressed on years, standard OLS method, and had STATA perform the calculation on every country, and save the individual constants and coefficients. Then, I put it into excel, corrected the data, and calculated the predicted date value for 2012. Basically, I took a linear regression of every country's notification dates to "predict" what time they would notify people this year, based on previous trends. I then listed the countries in order of predicted notification dates.

Obviously, the results from this are more or less bologna and you could probably tell as much just from a glance at the spreadsheet. The data is awfully limited (for some countries not even enough to do a proper regression) and obviously there are more factors than just the year involved. Still it was kind of fun to make, and the predictions are interesting if only to gawk at and ponder over while we waste more time waiting for the actual decisions. For example, it predicted that Germany and the UK notify between 3/6 and 3/7 - pretty close to what happened, right? And the real reason I did this in the first place was to see what the prediction for Turkey was, given that in the past it has been notification in March...then April...then May...

Yup. I'm supposed to hear back 6/1/12. =P.

Spreadsheet for your amusement located here: https://docs.google....0wT2JZNnc#gid=0

Good luck all!

P.S. I'm just going to reiterate that these aren't actual, real predictions so much as just regression results. Don't be mad at me if they aren't true!!!

Edited March 19, 2012 by Benjamin Lin

[Honeybunches]

I took the notification date for each country and regressed on years, standard OLS method, and had STATA perform the calculation on every country, and save the individual constants and coefficients. Then, I put it into excel, corrected the data, and calculated the predicted date value for 2012. Basically, I took a linear regression of every country's notification dates to "predict" what time they would notify people this year, based on previous trends. I then listed the countries in order of predicted notification dates.

May I just say that this was AWESOME! I don't care if it's true (well-- I do want to find out by the 24th about Brazil ) but all I can say is what a cool set of calculations for us to gawk at. Thanks, Benjamin!

Edited March 19, 2012 by Honeybunches

[boxoatoc]

I took the notification date for each country and regressed on years, standard OLS method, and had STATA perform the calculation on every country, and save the individual constants and coefficients. Then, I put it into excel, corrected the data, and calculated the predicted date value for 2012. Basically, I took a linear regression of every country's notification dates to "predict" what time they would notify people this year, based on previous trends. I then listed the countries in order of predicted notification dates.

What is the error term for each country? 1 April +/- 2 days is so different than +/- 16 days. Although I think that the past years' notification dates are are heteroskedastic so we might have to handle that first.

This is HILARIOUS -- thanks so much for the laugh!

[sambino4]

Any idea on when full grants to Malaysia will be announced? I was thinking mid-March, but realized I had nothing to base that on aside from wishful thinking and the fact that there are only 5 grants.

Edited March 19, 2012 by sambino4

[StephanieJ]

P.S. I'm just going to reiterate that these aren't actual, real predictions so much as just regression results. Don't be mad at me if they aren't true!!!

Statistics don't lie. Ever.

[MDW89]

I hope your calculation for Greece of March 21st is right! It's around when I was thinking too. I can't imagine it would be much later because at the beginning of the month, I received word from one of my affiliates in Salonika that the Greek Fulbright officers were visiting with him and discussing how my project could positively contribute to the Jewish community, and the city of Salonika.

[Eric Bee]

Hi all,

To help me pass the time and procrastinate on my thesis, and really just for the giggles of it, I took the country notification spreadsheet, modified it, and did some calculations in STATA. It was only supposed to take a good hour or so but since I'm not fluent yet in STATA I had to figure out a number of the syntaxes for panel data and whatnot. Anyway, here's what I did:

I took the notification date for each country and regressed on years, standard OLS method, and had STATA perform the calculation on every country, and save the individual constants and coefficients. Then, I put it into excel, corrected the data, and calculated the predicted date value for 2012. Basically, I took a linear regression of every country's notification dates to "predict" what time they would notify people this year, based on previous trends. I then listed the countries in order of predicted notification dates.

Obviously, the results from this are more or less bologna and you could probably tell as much just from a glance at the spreadsheet. The data is awfully limited (for some countries not even enough to do a proper regression) and obviously there are more factors than just the year involved. Still it was kind of fun to make, and the predictions are interesting if only to gawk at and ponder over while we waste more time waiting for the actual decisions. For example, it predicted that Germany and the UK notify between 3/6 and 3/7 - pretty close to what happened, right? And the real reason I did this in the first place was to see what the prediction for Turkey was, given that in the past it has been notification in March...then April...then May...

Yup. I'm supposed to hear back 6/1/12. =P.

Spreadsheet for your amusement located here: https://docs.google....0wT2JZNnc#gid=0

Good luck all!

P.S. I'm just going to reiterate that these aren't actual, real predictions so much as just regression results. Don't be mad at me if they aren't true!!!

to be fair, even with the regression,

What is the error term for each country? 1 April +/- 2 days is so different than +/- 16 days. Although I think that the past years' notification dates are are heteroskedastic so we might have to handle that first.

This is HILARIOUS -- thanks so much for the laugh!

he he, it is a funny concept :-) I wish we had a bigger sample size! Unfortunately, to have a data set where we could assume a normal distribution, we would need 25-30 YEARS of data from each country! (assuming that everyone in each country would hear the same day). This model also assumes that the release dates are interrelated, which we know they aren't :-/ But how great would it be to see the ordering and say "ok, suchandsuch a country got their results yesterday, so I should get mine next!"

[Honeybunches]

I received word from one of my affiliates in Salonika that the Greek Fulbright officers were visiting with him and discussing how my project could positively contribute to the Jewish community, and the city of Salonika.

Doesn't that mean you are a shoe-in?

[Eric Bee]

Doesn't that mean you are a shoe-in?

if you are doing jewish community work in greece next year and I'm in romania, you should expect a visitor ;-)

[Busti Bustamante]

According to the STATA spreadsheet I should have been notified last Thursday.

Fulbright must be late.

THIS WEEK!

Good Luck everyone!

[czaradam]

I think there are a few issues with your methods - it appears your regression may have been contaminated by using the notification dates of a country for all categories, instead of separating them - that's my only explanation for why STATA came out with the number of 13 April for France ETA applicants, even though in years past, according to the data, it's always been in March for the ETA's.

[bdoll]

wow, some people really are taking this regression thing seriously. Critiquing the regression method, seriously? The issue with the regression is oh... only having like three years of data.

Busti, what have you decided on the MA? I'm thinking about International Education/Higher Ed. Admin. as well. From the people in the field I've talked to it seems a bit like there's a "we did it that way so you have to do it that way too" vibe and you are more easily welcomed into the fold if you have followed the "traditional" BA-MA-PhD ladder, especially if you want to end up working at a college/university.

Edited March 19, 2012 by bdoll

[oinkcluckmoobahh]

I think there are a few issues with your methods - it appears your regression may have been contaminated by using the notification dates of a country for all categories, instead of separating them - that's my only explanation for why STATA came out with the number of 13 April for France ETA applicants, even though in years past, according to the data, it's always been in March for the ETA's.

Actually, I calculated this again manually and still get a date of 4/13/12 for France ETA applicants. Apparently they were notified in January in 2008 and this has a significant effect on the trend of the data. I would say it's probably more reasonable to guess that March is more accurate (given the heteroskedasticity, ommitted variables, blah blah blah) but the regression I think is correct. Happy to be corrected.

Edited March 19, 2012 by Benjamin Lin