Fulbright 2013-2014

[Books2readme]

The 60 seconds of cleaning your inbox must have been excruciating.

 

 

 If anything, killing time and NOT talking about fulbright scholarships or waiting can help out a bit with nerves. I know it does for me at least.

 

Yes, this is understandable. I suppose I am less nervous. I am awaiting an answer, but not on pens and needles as I was before recommendation. 

[there'sanappforthat]

 

I mean, they told me about two weeks, so that's why I thought it'd be this week!

 

As for why I think it's Friday- idk, Thursday seems like a pretty random day of the week compared to Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, and Friday is also the 15th, hence my thinking.

 

If it is tomorrow though, I'll be over the moon!

 I really don't think there is any rhyme or reason to it. We tried to figure it out already and were proven wrong.

[kumar1244]

  I really don't think there is any rhyme or reason to it. We tried to figure it out already and were proven wrong.

 

This is how I picture the fulbright comittee:

 

 

 

 

Just sitting around...laughing, watching this forum.

Edited March 13, 2013 by kumar1244

[there'sanappforthat]

 

This is how I picture the fulbright comittee:

 

 

 

 

Just sitting around...laughing, watching this forum.

 EXACTLY!!!! A bunch of sadists, the lot of them! Edited March 13, 2013 by there'sanappforthat

[vPersie]

This is how I picture the fulbright comittee:

 

 

 

 

Just sitting around...laughing, watching this forum.

 

Hhaha, thank you. I needed this.

[amirah]

Ok, so coming back to the Fulbright, but not on a current topic precisely, I was just struck by how few people apply overall. I realise the application is pretty intensive but I have applied for or been involved in other grant processes and I don't know that it is really that much more excruciating. I found this list of Top Producers of U.S. Fulbright Students by Type of Institution, 2012-13 and I am really struck by how few people actually apply. In a quick search I see that U. Mich @ Ann Arbor has over 42,000 students and yet they only have 141 applicants?! I think thats kind of amazing and puzzling. I know that the quality of the FPA can make a difference but still that is quite a disparity. 

 

I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want any more competition :-) but I really can't fathom why the numbers are so very low for such a prestigious award. 

[kumar1244]

I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want any more competition :-) but I really can't fathom why the numbers are so very low for such a prestigious award. 

 

 

At my university, the scholarship is not even announced. I by chance found it online, doing independant research. And apparently we had an FPA...there wasn't even an official interview requirement for mine. Unofficial introduction and then beginning of the application.

 

Total there are maybe like 8 or 10 people at my uni that apply (out of around 22,000 students).

[there'sanappforthat]

 

Ok, so coming back to the Fulbright, but not on a current topic precisely, I was just struck by how few people apply overall. I realise the application is pretty intensive but I have applied for or been involved in other grant processes and I don't know that it is really that much more excruciating. I found this list of Top Producers of U.S. Fulbright Students by Type of Institution, 2012-13 and I am really struck by how few people actually apply. In a quick search I see that U. Mich @ Ann Arbor has over 42,000 students and yet they only have 141 applicants?! I think thats kind of amazing and puzzling. I know that the quality of the FPA can make a difference but still that is quite a disparity. 

 

I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want any more competition :-) but I really can't fathom why the numbers are so very low for such a prestigious award. 

 I am always surprised at how many people haven't actually heard of it. I mean, Josh Lyman on the West Wing was a Fulbright scholar!!! Just kidding. I usually have to explain to people what it is, and the ones that do know of it usually say something to the extent of "Gosh, it's really competitive, isn't it? Do you think you have a chance?"

Thanks, thanks a lot, for that vote of confidence!

[secretlyismaili]

Ok, so coming back to the Fulbright, but not on a current topic precisely, I was just struck by how few people apply overall. I realise the application is pretty intensive but I have applied for or been involved in other grant processes and I don't know that it is really that much more excruciating. I found this list of Top Producers of U.S. Fulbright Students by Type of Institution, 2012-13 and I am really struck by how few people actually apply. In a quick search I see that U. Mich @ Ann Arbor has over 42,000 students and yet they only have 141 applicants?! I think thats kind of amazing and puzzling. I know that the quality of the FPA can make a difference but still that is quite a disparity. 

 

I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want any more competition :-) but I really can't fathom why the numbers are so very low for such a prestigious award. 

woo Chicago! ahem. You're right, that is sort of odd. And I found it interesting that, specifically for China, the number of applicants has decreased pretty dramatically in the last few years - from 174 to 164 to 130. Also, the number of awards has been steadily increasing - from 47 to 55 to 60. The only way I would make sense of it is the application being made prohibitively extensive, but again I agree with you that it's not that much more intense than, say, a FLAS application. I'll be trying to come up with a theory for understanding this....

[BlueLightSpecial]

This is how I picture the fulbright comittee:

 

 

 

 

Just sitting around...laughing, watching this forum.

 

I am on the committee for undergraduate admissions for my university (more selective public), and when I browse College Confidential (a few days before when I knew with certainty they would find out), this is EXACTLY how I was. Maniacally twiddling fingers and all. Internally, we intended to release decisions a week earlier. This got out to the public via rumors, but we then released a week later than they anticipated. The forum was exploding, much like this one, trying to figure out what was going on. Extra sadism points for those who then complained about not gaining admission and others wondering why they did not receive a decision, unknowing that their application was incomplete. And I knew all the answers of why they didn't get in if I cared to check. 

 

One observation I, regretfully, made from browsing College Confidential is how incredibly uncivil, unsurprisingly, high school students are with the seemingly high stakes world of college admissions. Every post would be followed with questions of "post your stats!!1" As if it mattered. The process is too complex for any single factor to determine admission or not, with too many unknown variables like essay scores, resume performance, and the applicant pool. Most of the time the "stats" they were posting were not at all relevant to our admissions criteria. The board definitely skewed towards ignorance and stupidity, with only a handful of comments ever making sense or being accurate. In that regard, this place is exponentially more friendly and accepting than over at CC. Besides people talking about research interests, this place has little if any "What is your GPA brah?!" type questions, though that may be the case over in other threads. 

Edited March 13, 2013 by BlueLightSpecial

[secretlyismaili]

The number of India applicants went down too: 

243 / 58

230 / 66

211 / 50

[there'sanappforthat]

 

I am on the committee for undergraduate admissions for my university (more selective public), and when I browse College Confidential (a few days before when I knew with certainty they would find out), this is EXACTLY how I was. Maniacally twiddling fingers and all. Internally, we intended to release decisions a week earlier. This got out to the public via rumors, but we then released a week later than they anticipated. The forum was exploding, much like this one, trying to figure out what was going on. Extra sadism points for those who then complained about not gaining admission and others wondering why they did not receive a decision, unknowing that their application was incomplete. And I knew all the answers of why they didn't get in if I cared to check. 

 

One observation I, regretfully, made from browsing College Confidential is how incredibly uncivil, unsurprisingly, high school students are with the seemingly high stakes world of college admissions. Every post would be followed with questions of "post your stats!!1" As if it mattered. The process is too complex for any single factor to determine admission or not, with too many unknown variables like essay scores, resume performance, and the applicant pool. Most of the time the "stats" they were posting were not at all relevant to our admissions criteria. The board definitely skewed towards ignorance and stupidity, with only a handful of comments ever making sense or being accurate. In that regard, this place is exponentially more friendly and accepting than over at CC. Besides people talking about research interests, this place has little if any "What is your GPA brah?!" type questions, though that may be the case over in other threads. 

I'm so glad it isn't like that. I don't know that I could deal with it. I already feel like I am competing against people who are much more qualified for such an honor than I.

[Books2readme]

Ok, so coming back to the Fulbright, but not on a current topic precisely, I was just struck by how few people apply overall. I realise the application is pretty intensive but I have applied for or been involved in other grant processes and I don't know that it is really that much more excruciating. I found this list of Top Producers of U.S. Fulbright Students by Type of Institution, 2012-13 and I am really struck by how few people actually apply. In a quick search I see that U. Mich @ Ann Arbor has over 42,000 students and yet they only have 141 applicants?! I think thats kind of amazing and puzzling. I know that the quality of the FPA can make a difference but still that is quite a disparity. 

 

I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want any more competition :-) but I really can't fathom why the numbers are so very low for such a prestigious award. 

 

Yes, you have to realize that the number is most likely so small because Universities like this choose the best candidates. This means that the student must be a graduating senior (of course), and he/she must stand out in some ways. I think that 140 applicants for this school is the right number because even applying for these grants in schools like this may be competitive (within the university). As you see from this link, even when there are 60-100 people applying 10-35 people are selected. It would probably be a huge deal if one school had double the amount of applicants for an academic year. The FPA does need to focus only on an amount he/she can handle. 

 

I'm sure that in schools like that some students are weeded out even before the proposal-writing process. 

 

In my school, there are usually only 8-12 that apply each year. I think that I'm the only one that was recommended. 

[kumar1244]

I am on the committee for undergraduate admissions for my university (more selective public), and when I browse College Confidential (a few days before when I knew with certainty they would find out), this is EXACTLY how I was. Maniacally twiddling fingers and all. Internally, we intended to release decisions a week earlier. This got out to the public via rumors, but we then released a week later than they anticipated. The forum was exploding, much like this one, trying to figure out what was going on. Extra sadism points for those who then complained about not gaining admission and others wondering why they did not receive a decision, unknowing that their application was incomplete. And I knew all the answers of why they didn't get in if I cared to check. 

 

You fiend. Lol.

 

Seeing as how this is one of the only fulbright forums, I am sure that someone is following our every post.

[Books2readme]

The number of India applicants went down too: 

243 / 58

230 / 66

211 / 50

 

Yeah, I noticed the same thing for Spain. 

[amirah]

Yes, you have to realize that the number is most likely so small because Universities like this choose the best candidates. This means that the student must be a graduating senior (of course), and he/she must stand out in some ways. I think that 140 applicants for this school is the right number because even applying for these grants in schools like this may be competitive (within the university). As you see from this link, even when there are 60-100 people applying 10-35 people are selected. It would probably be a huge deal if one school had double the amount of applicants for an academic year. The FPA does need to focus only on an amount he/she can handle. 

 

I'm sure that in schools like that some students are weeded out even before the proposal-writing process. 

 

In my school, there are usually only 8-12 that apply each year. I think that I'm the only one that was recommended. 

 

Hmmm, however you do not have to go through your school to apply. Remember that anyone can apply. Recommending on the official level comes much later at the Fulbright level. Fulbright does require that if you are a matriculating undergrad and/or grad you must go through school channels and of course if you are not a matriculating student you can apply at-large. But the on campus process is just to make sure Fulbright does not get dud applications. The school cannot throttle the number. I applied technically at-large but I chose to go through my Universities process so I could benefit from the help and the on campus interview but they had absolutely nothing else to do with my application and no real control about whether or not it would go on to the Fulbright committee. That was my choice. 

 

So I suspect that in schools which seriously control the matriculating applicants your idea has some weight but it still does not completely explain why there is, in my view, a startling lack of applicants. Secretlyismaili said it wasn't even advertised and I am not sure it is heavily advertised at UWashington but I see little Seattle U. on the list and I find that really surprising. 

 

PS

Also if we carry the logic through that a school of 42,000+ could only find 141 applications worthy of being passed on is quite shocking.

 

PPS

By the way, this isn't true: "Yes, you have to realize that the number is most likely so small because Universities like this choose the best candidates. This means that the student must be a graduating senior (of course), and he/she must stand out in some ways." 

Edited March 13, 2013 by amirah

[ALostScholar]

I appreciate the comradeship in this forum and now that picture made me laugh real loud. Good group of people in here. I hope everyone is hanging in there....this week has been much better for me than last week...

[chelali]

That's fantastic! I guess that would explain your presence in Kolkata, bastion of communists. ;-)    

(Kerala is good in that way too...) 

I would be in Nanjing if I get the Fulb, though I plan on traveling heavily through the Northwest - Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and of course Xinjiang to dust off the ol' Uyghur. 

Did you just apply individually for that, like was this outside of the Fulbright application? Man I need to do that next year.

Congratulations! What do you think you'll do?

 

Hahaha of course! My original project was going to be on Communist development and how the party changed Bengal province and then I realized I probably won't get it since it directly relates to Indian National Security and Stability (there is a large Maoist insurgency in India now).

 

I applied last minute to the two schools and both came back begging me to come to their institution! Hahaha its rare to find a Communist in America (member of CPUSA) and even rarer to find one who still enjoys reading the little red book in an apartment decorated with propaganda posters haha.

 

If I dont get the Fulbright, I will just take the CGS and go study in China!

[there'sanappforthat]

 

I appreciate the comradeship in this forum and now that picture made me laugh real loud. Good group of people in here. I hope everyone is hanging in there....this week has been much better for me than last week...

 Same here! Last week was hellish!

[moonstring]

hallo out there! Has anyone else applied for an ETA in Slovak Repub??????

[there'sanappforthat]

 

Hahaha of course! My original project was going to be on Communist development and how the party changed Bengal province and then I realized I probably won't get it since it directly relates to Indian National Security and Stability (there is a large Maoist insurgency in India now).

 

I applied last minute to the two schools and both came back begging me to come to their institution! Hahaha its rare to find a Communist in America (member of CPUSA) and even rarer to find one who still enjoys reading the little red book in an apartment decorated with propaganda posters haha.

 

If I dont get the Fulbright, I will just take the CGS and go study in China!

 Sounds like a win-win either way!

[BlueLightSpecial]

On 3/13/2013 at 4:44 PM, kumar1244 said:

You fiend. Lol.

 

Seeing as how this is one of the only fulbright forums, I am sure that someone is following our every post.

 

Conspiracy: They do this intentionally to delay making decisions.

 

Double-conspiracy: I am actually that person following our every post posing as a Fulbright applicant.

 

Fulbright Inception.

[CrystalDee]

That spreadsheet is great! Just noticed the other dates. So, looks like April notification for me. Last year's person didn't find out until May.

 

And yes, it is nice to just chat a little, and not be so anxious.

[cm125]

Just an idea, but maybe creating another Fulbright thread would be a good idea. This one can remain an analysis/speculation/conversation/commiseration, etc discussion thread. Then there would be a results thread (sort of how Grad Cafe has a results list for grad school admits and rejections) where people just post their country, time of notification, and program when they get notified.

People could quickly check results and then come to this thread to discuss. (Or have email alerts for it so they know results are coming in) Something like "Fulbright 2013-2014 RESULTS." It would also make it easier for the kind soul that is compiling the spreadsheet or for future applicants to skim.

[amirah]

Just an idea, but maybe creating another Fulbright thread would be a good idea. This one can remain an analysis/speculation/conversation/commiseration, etc discussion thread. Then there would be a results thread (sort of how Grad Cafe has a results list for grad school admits and rejections) where people just post their country, time of notification, and program when they get notified.

People could quickly check results and then come to this thread to discuss. (Or have email alerts for it so they know results are coming in) Something like "Fulbright 2013-2014 RESULTS." It would also make it easier for the kind soul that is compiling the spreadsheet or for future applicants to skim.

I think the Google spreadsheet does a good job of that as long as people update it.