Fulbright 2009-2010

[couglaxugh]

Does anyone know if the Macau Fulbright notifications will be sent out with the HK notifications? I am assuming they will be, but I don't know if they are doing it separately. Is anyone else waiting on a Macau notification?

[Dreydenn]

OMG, I got it! I'm going to China!!!!!!!!!!

[wishin&hopin]

[sunbean8]

Given that this is a grad school board, I thought I'd send out some advice about how this kind of waiting relates to what happens later in graduate school regarding funding (for fieldwork, and for tuition/living expenses) -- This sort of waiting, as unfair and infuriating as it is, is REALLY common in graduate programs and is something I wish I'd understood better before coming to grad school. Many programs are unable to tell you if you will be funded from semester-to-semester (although some will guarantee that you will have funding for x number of years, which may or may not be enough time reasonably fulfill the degree requirements), let alone what you will be doing well in advance. Although I have been fully funded through 5 years of a doctoral program in Anthropology, and am very grateful for it, we are only assured 3 years of funding in my program at the outset, which is enough to get most students in the program through coursework but often not the grantwriting and comprehensive exam phase. For the last 2 years, I have been told my funding status (and what I will be teaching) sometimes as few as 3 weeks before the next semester starts. And while Fulbright is unusually long in its decision-making, most granting agencies will make you wait quite a bit before responding. So if this sort of thing is something that you can't (or don't want to) deal with, grad school might not be right for you. Anyone out there agree/disagree?

Also, for those wait-listed or rejected -- don't despair too much. If you got to this stage, you are on to something, and doing a second round of proposals will probably yield a grant for you. This was my second round of proposals, and due to some follow-up preliminary fieldwork and following the advice of faculty and reviewers, I was able to get funded this time. I know people who have gone through 3 or more rounds of proposals and eventually got a grant. So if your project is something that you are genuinely committed to, look around for other sources of funding but also keep reapplying to Fulbright and other funding agencies; something will eventually pan out (whether you want to wait or not is another thing...)

[nemolover]

sunbeam, what other funding agencies do you recommend? i am not enrolled in graduate school (i'm a graduating senior), and Fulbright was the only option i could find. do you know of any that will fund someone who only has a BS and is not in grad school?

[sunbean8]

sunbeam, what other funding agencies do you recommend? i am not enrolled in graduate school (i'm a graduating senior), and Fulbright was the only option i could find. do you know of any that will fund someone who only has a BS and is not in grad school?

Most everything that I applied, and re-applied for, with the exception of the Fulbright-IIE, was intended to fund dissertation research, and most agencies that fund research are focused on academics rather than anyone at-large. (For anyone interested, I did the standard anthro/social science circuit -- Fulbright-IIE, Fulbright-Hays, SSRC, NSF, Wenner-Gren, and one that was area-specific, AIIS. Rejected for everything except the Fulbrights, although I've not yet heard from Hays; and I was encouraged to revise and resubmit by NSF.) That being said, there are all kinds of small grants out there that fund various kinds of research or projects by those who are not currently students -- you'd need to look into what kind of small granting agencies there are for work in your field/related to your field in your city, and you might turn something up, although availability of funding outside of the academy is very, very low. I know of academics with PhD's who never found a stable job, and also get shut out of the funding loop for this reason. It's difficult.

I do wish you luck, though, nemolover, and I hope you're able to find something -- bear in mind that it is possible to work and

do research at the same time, but very difficult to balance if you don't have a job with very, very flexible hours. Field research is slow and time-consuming; interviews/appointments are sometimes difficult to schedule, and while lots of people will be very helpful, lots will also not keep appointments, or just not want to tell you "no" even if they'd rather not be involved (esp. in South Asia, in my experience). So if you are going to fund your research by working, give yourself a lot of extra time -- plan on more than 9 months to a year.

That being said, I know two people who have funded their own research in South Asia (one in India and one in Pakistan). Both did so by working full-time in the US for a year or so to save up $10,000-$12,000, and then going to the field to conduct their research. It means more waiting, but is a lot more feasible than trying to work and support yourself in the field while trying to do research (in my opinion).

[schenkgrant]

After what seems like an eternity of waiting, I finally got my manila envelope. I'm going to Sri Lanka!!! After constant phone calls to IIE, incessantly checking this forum 24/7, and living in complete anxiety of the past month and a half, I'm glad the end has FINALLY come. I've been fantasizing about this moment for so long.....I'm truly grateful.

Details about the mail. As someone mentioned before, the manila envelope was surprisingly small. It was postmarked April 16th (a Thursday). When I called the Fulbright office last week, they said it would be mailed on Wednesday. When I called the Fulbright office this morning, they sent it was sent out on Friday. I guess it was neither. The envelope contains a letter congratulating you and talking about how the Fulbright is amazing and you should be proud. Another letter explaining the medical clearance and they're not responsible for costs. Another letter about how graduating seniors must send them a final transcript so they know you have a bachelors at least. Lastly, the actual medical form which is 4 pages long.

To all those still waiting to hear from the Fulbright, either for the first time or as an alternate, I wish you all the luck in the world. If all else fails, you can come visit me in Sri Lanka

I'll with with Summernights in Kandy, Sri Lanka - I got my Fulbright! I found out yesterday at 2pm when the mail came, it was a whirlwind of a day! Going for my physical tomorrow already to begin filling out the medical forms.

Kirti - in the letter it said something about getting research permission if applicable, do we need that? Now we get to wait to hear all the specifics. When I need to go to Washington, how to book flights, living arrangements, how research expenses are determined. I am still in shock and disbelief, the last 24 hours feels like it has been going on for a week. I can't believe how lucky I am.

[Albanski]

I called Fulbright yesterday and the letters for Albania will be mailed out this wednesday. Finally, its about time!

Anyways, I wanted to know how big the envelope was for those that had been accepted, and how long did it arrive for those who live in NY or NYC (approximately how many days)

Thanks!!!!!! Good luck to all the alternatives!

[dianuccia]

Dianuccia, tell us about your project in Lecce.

[rugby]

Most everything that I applied, and re-applied for, with the exception of the Fulbright-IIE, was intended to fund dissertation research, and most agencies that fund research are focused on academics rather than anyone at-large. (For anyone interested, I did the standard anthro/social science circuit -- Fulbright-IIE, Fulbright-Hays, SSRC, NSF, Wenner-Gren, and one that was area-specific, AIIS. Rejected for everything except the Fulbrights, although I've not yet heard from Hays; and I was encouraged to revise and resubmit by NSF.) That being said, there are all kinds of small grants out there that fund various kinds of research or projects by those who are not currently students -- you'd need to look into what kind of small granting agencies there are for work in your field/related to your field in your city, and you might turn something up, although availability of funding outside of the academy is very, very low. I know of academics with PhD's who never found a stable job, and also get shut out of the funding loop for this reason. It's difficult.

I do wish you luck, though, nemolover, and I hope you're able to find something -- bear in mind that it is possible to work and

do research at the same time, but very difficult to balance if you don't have a job with very, very flexible hours. Field research is slow and time-consuming; interviews/appointments are sometimes difficult to schedule, and while lots of people will be very helpful, lots will also not keep appointments, or just not want to tell you "no" even if they'd rather not be involved (esp. in South Asia, in my experience). So if you are going to fund your research by working, give yourself a lot of extra time -- plan on more than 9 months to a year.

That being said, I know two people who have funded their own research in South Asia (one in India and one in Pakistan). Both did so by working full-time in the US for a year or so to save up $10,000-$12,000, and then going to the field to conduct their research. It means more waiting, but is a lot more feasible than trying to work and support yourself in the field while trying to do research (in my opinion).

This is all really solid advice. I am in (nearly) the same boat, doing a PhD in urban planning and dependent on an external funder in order to do field research. I applied to SSRC, both Fulbrights, and AIIS this year, in addition to some planning specific grants, and was turned down by everything but Fulbright (no official word from FH yet, but got the unofficial word.) The moral of the story is that you have to aim pretty wide and hope you hit something, because any one reviewer can kill an application. The AIIS feedback I received was very positive, except for one person who disliked my research proposal.

I am amazed at how much better my applications got as time went on - write grants early and often!

[graduatingsoon]

I've been monitoring the board for some time and still haven't seen anyone post anything about Central Asia. Anyone else waiting to hear? I called the Fulbright office today and was told that my particular country hadn't yet made decisions...

[wishin&hopin]

This is all really solid advice. I am in (nearly) the same boat, doing a PhD in urban planning and dependent on an external funder in order to do field research. I applied to SSRC, both Fulbrights, and AIIS this year, in addition to some planning specific grants, and was turned down by everything but Fulbright (no official word from FH yet, but got the unofficial word.) The moral of the story is that you have to aim pretty wide and hope you hit something, because any one reviewer can kill an application. The AIIS feedback I received was very positive, except for one person who disliked my research proposal.

I am amazed at how much better my applications got as time went on - write grants early and often!

The only thing I would add here is that grants beget grants...some of the more prestigious foundations often seem hesitant to award a student who hasn't been funded before a major grant (one good exception, however, is the Fulbright, which seems equally fund both "veterans" and "novices" to research projects). This of course can be tricky, but I think a great starting place to look for smaller fellowships and funding is your university; look and see what kinds of grants, projects, or awards you might be eligable to apply for...you'd probably be surprised to see how much is out there, and having a couple of these on your CV will go a long way when it comes to the "bigger" grants like SSRC, ACLS, etc. As an undergraduate/new grad, another great way to get some good research experience is to volunteer as a research assistant for a prof in your field (some will actually pay you for your time). They appreciate the help, you get to contribute to a current project, and this looks great on your CV---win-win situation. And Rugby is 100% right...you'll get better at writing proposals as you go on (I look back at some of mine--even those that got me something--and am horrified by how awful they seem now!!).

Nemolover, you're an alternate, right? So don't sign off on the Fulbright yet, you never know. And if you don't get it this time around, there is always next year--there are a couple of people on this board who have gotten their grants the 2nd time around and I have a couple of friends who have done the same. I know its not ideal and the thought of going through this process again probably makes you want to run screaming, but think of it this way--at least you aren't like some of us, in your last phase of dissertation research and can't apply again if we get the bad news. Blah. I wish you all the best, and will keep my fingers crossed for you!!!

[nemolover]

sunbeam8, rugby, and wishin&hopin,

thanks so much for all the advice!! i actually have gotten a grant from my university before, to do research in Bhutan. they don't offer any grants for graduating seniors, though. also, they don't give money to students going to countries on the State Department's "Travel Warning" list--and Nepal is on that list, unfortunately.

and, sunbean8, i totally feel ya on the difficulties of research in South Asia. if only the Bhutanese could give me a straight "no" when they can't help! hahaha. ...i love South Asia.

[qes]

I just want to echo what a few folks have said on here. Grad school has also for me involved a lot of (a) waiting and ( rejection. Both of these things, I think, are simply facts of life for academics. You have to wait to hear about grants, wait to hear about funding (my funding has also been semester-to-semester for the 4 years I've been here -- things have always worked out, but I've never had guarantees, and sometimes things came down to the wire). I've had articles rejected (pretty harshly), I've been rejected for grants/fellowships that I thought I was a shoe-in for, etc and it sucks, but its part of being an academic. You sort of have to learn to get used to it. For this project, too, I was totally rejected for one grant (SSRC), was an alternate for another (American-Scandinavian Foundation) and one granting-agency decided not to fund anyone due to the economy (American-Swedish Institute) before being accepted by Fulbright IIE.

My advisor told me my first year of grad school that what truly separates the wheat from the chaff in academia is persistence. I believe it. So, just hang in there.

[sfreed]

Hey all - I just received my acceptance for an ETA in India!! I'm in Colorado right now, although the package was sent to my home in Philadelphia back east. Originally I applied to an ETA in Nepal although I said that I'd be willing to go to other countries and so my letter said that I'd be in India.

Don't get me wrong...I'm way psyched, but no one said anything to me about Nepal at all since that original inquiry. How did that work for those of you who were also originally looking to be in Nepal?? If you've heard back, did Fulbright ever say anything to you about switching countries??

[nemolover]

I just want to echo what a few folks have said on here. Grad school has also for me involved a lot of (a) waiting and ( rejection. Both of these things, I think, are simply facts of life for academics. You have to wait to hear about grants, wait to hear about funding (my funding has also been semester-to-semester for the 4 years I've been here -- things have always worked out, but I've never had guarantees, and sometimes things came down to the wire). I've had articles rejected (pretty harshly), I've been rejected for grants/fellowships that I thought I was a shoe-in for, etc and it sucks, but its part of being an academic. You sort of have to learn to get used to it. For this project, too, I was totally rejected for one grant (SSRC), was an alternate for another (American-Scandinavian Foundation) and one granting-agency decided not to fund anyone due to the economy (American-Swedish Institute) before being accepted by Fulbright IIE.

My advisor told me my first year of grad school that what truly separates the wheat from the chaff in academia is persistence. I believe it. So, just hang in there.

what about those of us not really into academia? my project was only partly research. i mean, it was research in order to carry out a sustainable development project (an education program to teach villagers how to use electricity for new income-generating activities; you can't do that without doing a ton of research first--how the villagers currently use electricity and existing barriers to more lucrative uses; possible income-generating opportunities that take advantage of their capacities and skills; and effective, culturally-appropriate education methods. and of course i need to do a couple test runs). i also applied to a public service grant and should hear the results next week (but i'm not too hopeful, because i'm not sure that my project is really "public service"). any ideas about how we can fund other, not-purely-academic projects?

thanks for all your advice and suggestions!!

[amyleigh]

I haven't noticed anyone else post a "yay! I'm going to Nepal on a Research Grant!" yet. Nepal? Anyone? Am I alone????

[qes]

what about those of us not really into academia? my project was only partly research. i mean, it was research in order to carry out a sustainable development project (an education program to teach villagers how to use electricity for new income-generating activities; you can't do that without doing a ton of research first--how the villagers currently use electricity and existing barriers to more lucrative uses; possible income-generating opportunities that take advantage of their capacities and skills; and effective, culturally-appropriate education methods. and of course i need to do a couple test runs). i also applied to a public service grant and should hear the results next week (but i'm not too hopeful, because i'm not sure that my project is really "public service"). any ideas about how we can fund other, not-purely-academic projects?

thanks for all your advice and suggestions!!

I don't know much about non-academia, sorry! But I don't know if anyone suggested this, but it seems like this is just the kind of thing that the Peace Corps is looking for. Have you looked into that?

[alexzinn]

couglaxugh- I'm also a finalist for the ETA to Macau. In fact, I'm one of two Macau ETA finalists at my school. As to your question, I have no idea if they're going out with HK, or China for that matter. I hope we both receive good news soon.

[boethian]

We should really consolidate this thread into some kind of easy to read statistics.. especially for alternates now and the predictably frantic people next year. I mean, who wants to read all 45 pages -- and who knows how many this will end up being? -- to find out the rough chances (for example) of getting off the alternate list for the Netherlands?

Right now I'm an alternate for Research Germany, and (for another example) I'd like to know if any have been moved up to principal status since I've read at least two ETA Germany alternates have. But it would be much easier for me to find that out if there were such a list, such as a series of lines that read: [ETA or Research] [Country]: x1 accepted, x2 rejected, x3 accepted from alternate, x4 rejected from alternate, x still alternates. Then when you personally find out something you can just update the master list by adding 1 to the appropriate spot and posting it.

I'd expect there'd be a kind of selection against posting rejections, but I think it's a lot more useful than what we have now. The list might get kind of long and it might be better to just update by country or area instead of updating EVERYTHING.

Research Germany: x1 accepted, x2 rejected, x3 accepted from alternate, x4 rejected from alternate, 1 still alternates

[boethian]

We should really consolidate this thread into some kind of easy to read statistics..

And with this list, since Fulbright publishes how many apply and get accepted, we can get a measure of how horribly skewed the people on this board really are. I expect people reading this are more successful than average.

[couglaxugh]

couglaxugh- I'm also a finalist for the ETA to Macau. In fact, I'm one of two Macau ETA finalists at my school. As to your question, I have no idea if they're going out with HK, or China for that matter. I hope we both receive good news soon.

That is funny, there are two Macau ETA finalists at my school as well. The person who showed me this website is the other ETA finalist. You don't happen to go to Scripps do you?

[alexzinn]

That is funny, there are two Macau ETA finalists at my school as well. The person who showed me this website is the other ETA finalist. You don't happen to go to Scripps do you?

Nope, I'm not even female. Is there another finalist at Scripps besides Holly Poole?

[couglaxugh]

Nope, I'm not even female. Is there another finalist at Scripps besides Holly Poole?

Nope, I go to Pitzer which is on the same campus as Scripps. Where do you go to school? It is funny that 1/4 of the finalists come from two campuses.

[alexzinn]

Yeah, that is kind of wild. I go to Grinnell. In an interesting twist, the other finalist is my ex-girlfriend. Neither of us knew the other was applying.