Fulbright 2012-2013

[hungry]

ok guys, so this is INSANELY nerdy, but I also did some statistical calculations on notification times. Taking the data from 2010 and 2011 applicants who had response dates recorded on our spreadsheet, I looked at the mean date of notification, the standard deviation (how far, on average, the notification dates are from the mean date), the earliest and latest dates, and the skew for the dataset (indicates whether an outlier or a concentration of responses on the low or high end pull the mean in one direction or another...a negative skew indicates that it is likely that dates past the mean are more likely to cluster closer to the mean than those before, and vice versa). I did an overall analysis, and disaggregated by region.

You can find my results here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArDtL6Kx8D_HdFBERXQxX08zX0FlSXFFQUo0ZzRrRFE#gid=0

This was awesome, thanks

[bdoll]

Your description instantly made me think it had to be in the Pioneer Valley . I was just riding the PVTA today...

... Amherst?

[bdoll]

That website looks VERY interesting!!

THANKS!

I'm really liking NYU's program... I did this semester thing at NYU back in college and fell in love with the school/city... wasn't loving the co$t...

I'm leaning towards those broad, international education degrees like American University's, because I'm not 100% positive I'd like to go into education and I find comfort in knowing that I could branch out and my degree would work for me.

I've been told time and time again to research Columbia's program but it feels too policy-oriented for me.

What are you wanting to do with your degree?

I like NYU's program too, but like you I'm not sure about the cost. I think it would be worth it education-wise (especially if I could get a little bit of it funded) but I don't know if I can rationalize the cost of living over there...

I don't know too much about Columbia but they DO have two programs, one is more professionally oriented and one is more policy oriented, so people may have meant the former?

I don't really want to end up teaching, I don't think - ideally I'd like to end up as a project manager for some kind of education-oriented aid assoication/program, like a LEEP (Linking Education and Employment) program. I've also kind of thought about going the Admissions route and maybe ending up as a Director of International Admissions. What about you?

Edited March 20, 2012 by bdoll

[oa0176]

i had a dream they notified the rest of us waiting today at 3:09pm lol... i'm definitely losing my mind

[mkt123]

I always ask my FPA whatever questions I have, and she contacts Jonathan directly for me. He will typical always let phone calls go to voicemail, and if it's an FPA he calls them back within 24hrs, same with emails. I think I got one email response from him about a week and a half after I emailed him, and by then I learned that it's quicker to go through my FPA.

Edited because I called him "Jake!"

thanks much! also funny that you called him jake.

[Busti Bustamante]

I like NYU's program too, but like you I'm not sure about the cost. I think it would be worth it education-wise (especially if I could get a little bit of it funded) but I don't know if I can rationalize the cost of living over there...

I don't know too much about Columbia but they DO have two programs, one is more professionally oriented and one is more policy oriented, so people may have meant the former?

I don't really want to end up teaching, I don't think - ideally I'd like to end up as a project manager for some kind of education-oriented aid assoication/program, like a LEEP (Linking Education and Employment) program. I've also kind of thought about going the Admissions route and maybe ending up as a Director of International Admissions. What about you?

.

I hopefully may be hired soon as an Associate Director of Study Abroad... So, crossing my fingers...

But ultimately, I could see myself teaching at a university... serving as a study abroad director, working within international non-profits, human rights groups... possibly some government work... maybe Fulbright? peace corps? I'm lost. :|

I'll look into that... Columbia's two programs, they might have meant the former.

i had a dream they notified the rest of us waiting today at 3:09pm lol... i'm definitely losing my mind

I smiled.

I'm going crazy also... no worries.

[tarheel12]

does anyone know who the aceptance emails are coming from? FSB? IIE? Host country?

[sambino4]

does anyone know who the aceptance emails are coming from? FSB? IIE? Host country?

Carrier pigeons

[tarheel12]

at this speed, it wouldn't suprise me.....

[Eternal Icicle]

Carrier pigeons

The. Best. Answer.

[djb1599]

So... let me see if I have this correct.

US Fulbright Commission recommends up to 2x the amount of potential Fulbrighters..

If Portugal ETA has 2 grants available and they recommend 2x that amount... I'm 1 OF 4?!

On top of that, we're ranked... :|

Nervous/scary/anxious, much?!?!

Is it that they recommend up to 2x that amount or at least 1.5-2x that amount? I'm applying for Bosnia's ETA and there's only 1 spot this year....but it would seem crazy to only recommend 2 applicants because then they would essentially only be able to choose one person to receive the grant and one to be the alternate...I was just assuming that they sent at least 5 or so. I don't really know, though.

Eeek. Stressing.

[Busti Bustamante]

Is it that they recommend up to 2x that amount or at least 1.5-2x that amount? I'm applying for Bosnia's ETA and there's only 1 spot this year....but it would seem crazy to only recommend 2 applicants because then they would essentially only be able to choose one person to receive the grant and one to be the alternate...I was just assuming that they sent at least 5 or so. I don't really know, though.

Eeek. Stressing.

AHH!!!

You may be right...

I like my idea better, I have a better chance with 4..

[rdw]

So... let me see if I have this correct.

US Fulbright Commission recommends up to 2x the amount of potential Fulbrighters..

If Portugal ETA has 2 grants available and they recommend 2x that amount... I'm 1 OF 4?!

On top of that, we're ranked... :|

Nervous/scary/anxious, much?!?!

Is it that they recommend up to 2x that amount or at least 1.5-2x that amount? I'm applying for Bosnia's ETA and there's only 1 spot this year....but it would seem crazy to only recommend 2 applicants because then they would essentially only be able to choose one person to receive the grant and one to be the alternate...I was just assuming that they sent at least 5 or so. I don't really know, though.

Eeek. Stressing.

Long time lurker on this forum, but I finally have some information that I thought would be helpful to share with the group. I applied to the Norway ETA program, and during my interview, one of the panel members said that 7 people had been recommended. Norway is projected to have 2 ETA positions available for 2012-2013, so I guess the 1.5 to 2x number is flexible if your particular program is a really small one.

[Busti Bustamante]

Long time lurker on this forum, but I finally have some information that I thought would be helpful to share with the group. I applied to the Norway ETA program, and during my interview, one of the panel members said that 7 people had been recommended. Norway is projected to have 2 ETA positions available for 2012-2013, so I guess the 1.5 to 2x number is flexible if your particular program is a really small one.

AHH!!!

I still like my idea better..

Jokes aside, I'm even more nervous now!!

[Biz]

My program only has four spots but last year only 8 applied, so at most they could only send 8 applications and that's only if they were willing to recommend all of them.

Perhaps there's a difference in the way they handle full grant and ETA programs? Because I feel like we've all heard this 1.5-2x the number of spots thing. Or maybe it's just a story that went viral or a big game of telephone... regardless, here's to hoping all of our applications have been shining among our competition!

Has anyone else found it hard to study a less popular language? Not many Latvians hanging out around here... And there aren't a lot of quality language resources either.

[dmbravo]

Greetings! I'm also a long-time lurker.

I'm waiting to hear back from Chile and was wondering if anyone has heard back.

Thanks!

[MDW89]

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

I have no idea...but I hope that's what it means!

[rtlc06]

What I've been doing lately: (1) Hitting the refresh button on my email 500 times a day, (2) hittng the refresh button on this forum 500 times a day, (3) waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because I just had a dream I got a rejection letter from IIE, (4) waking up in the middle of the night in a semi-manic state because I just had a dream I got an acceptance letter from IIE (5) Googling "Fulbright notification, Dominican Republic" (and returning the same meager results every single time, yet still anticipating something new).

What I should be doing: (1) Drafting the theory section of my prospectus so that I can defend it in 2 months (2) applying for "real jobs" in case this Fulbright thing doesn't pan out (3) drafting an article for submission about my pilot study data (4) actively putting in something that resembles effort at the job I have now (5) finishing my IRB (6) thinking up other things I'm interested in talking about with my husband besides dissecting every single piece of the Fulbright application process and what each seemingly arbitrary "new development" (which usually doesn't even have anything to do with my region, anyway) means.

Given the above, I'm going to try something new. My obsessing over the outcome of this process isn't going to influence the result. That is, refreshing my email every 3 minutes and/or straight-arming the mailman NFL receiver style on my way to the mailbox to check for correspondence from IIE isn't going to change my status; it's just going to cause me to feel perpetually stressed out and continually unproductive. With that said, I propose a break. What's done is done. We have no control over the process at this point, and worrying/obsessing has no benefit. I'm going to (attempt) to take a Fulbright vacation and just let what's going to happen, happen. Each time an obsessive thought creeps into my head, I'm going to replace it with something productive (like my prospectus) or fun (like making plans with friends, etc...). The degree of anxiety I've caused myself (and perhaps other users of this forum are the same point) just isn't healthy; it's time to just let what's going to be, be.

[Raayah]

does anyone know who the aceptance emails are coming from? FSB? IIE? Host country?

From unis to the IIE to the Fulbright in host country to you

[sk325]

Well, I figured it was better late than never to join in on the convo!

I'm waiting to hear back about a Spain ETA.

[kaguyahime]

I'm thinking that acceptance would come from the FSB and rejection would come from IIE...

In most cases, you're not getting anything from the host country because they aren't the "final word."

[czaradam]

Just thought I'd add something quickly to the question on the number of recommended candidates. We're all getting this one and a half to twice the number of spots figure, and I think it's coming from here:

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

The key is that at least this number of people are recommended, so while it's masquerading as information, this really tells us nothing.

[bdoll]

From unis to the IIE to the Fulbright in host country to you

No, because the fulbright administrator in-country is not the final word. Your email should come from (at least nominally) Theresa Granza, the Director of US Student Programs at IIE I think? (unless you applied for the Fulbright Scholar Program in which case you will probably be notified by CIES since they administer that I think?). Someone who won the Germany Full got his/her email from IIE and copy pasted it here.

Edited March 20, 2012 by bdoll

[kate89]

So it seems like there are no new notifications today yet?! That's so disappointing!!

[Honeybunches]

Trying to divert my attention by obsessing about whether my abstract was accepted to a panel at the MLA conference.. but keep.returning.to.the.FULBRIGHT. What is it about the Fulbright which provokes such neurosis??!!

Abstract was just rejected from the MLA panel- Hoping to only have to swallow a single dose of the bitter rejection juice today and I don't get an email at 7:30pm from IIEE about Brazil! Ha!