Fulbright 2009-2010

[sunbean8]

Rakhan said it best. Fulbrights are not some trophy or ribbon. The mission of the Fulbright, whether we know or not, whether we want to believe it or not, it to foster and promote cultural understanding.

If I could throw my two cents in here, this quote is at the crux of what's going on here. The fact of the matter is that everyone who became a finalist for the Fulbright (and a lot of those who did not make it through that first round) are intelligent people with great qualifications who are curious about the world, and there are more people with the right qualifications and interests than there are Fulbright awards. The goals of the Fulbright commission do not always overlap with our own goals, and who we think is "deserving" of a Fulbright is based entirely on our situation in life.

I am in a PhD program that requres graduate students to fund their own dissertation research -- if you can't get that external funding, you can't do your research and you can't finish your degree, resulting in perpetual ABD status. From

_my_ perspective, then, I would like to see Fulbrights going to talented graduate students who literally need it to fulfill their degree. Please read the next sentence before you start attacking and insulting this, so you'll see my argument. I realize, however, that it is not the only goal of Fulbright commission to fund talented graduate students who need a Fulbright or other, similar, award to complete their degree, and that there are good reasons for that -- namely, promoting cross-cultural understanding, which is something that can be done by funding said graduate students, but also by funding graduating seniors who haven't decided yet about grad school and may never go, and by funding at-large candidates who can contribute to this goal and are just as deserving of the experience of living abroad as those of us who have decided to go into academia. In fact, in a lot of ways I am glad that the Fulbright's goals are not 100% in alignment with my goals because, as nemolover has so eloquently pointed out, academics have the Fulbright and lots of other funding opportunities at their disposal, whereas Fulbright is one of the only institutions that give non-academics the opportunity to live abroad.

I am very pleased, and very proud, to have received a Fulbright this year. But for those of you who are alternates or where rejected, I definitely feel your pain -- This Fulbright is the 10th major grant that I have applied to (i.e., I have received 9 rejections from granting agencies, and each and every one hurt, although none as much as that first one). My grants have, of course, become better-written and more nuanced as I've gone through this process, but starting with the first one, my academic advisor believed them to have been fundable, as did the professors and language instructors who wrote letters of recommendations for me (some of whom are currently at "the top of their field," for whatever that is worth). Despite that, Fulbright is the first to fund me, and I have a decent shot at an NSF when I submit revisions. With my 1 grant, and another "maybe," this means that the same project has been rejected flatly 8 times by 6 different granting institutions.

As many people have said, a lot of this is arbitrary -- getting a grant depends on, first and foremost, your own hard work to make sure that you've put together the best application package you can; but after that it depends on a number of factors: Who is on the panel reviewing applications that year? Do they like they research questions you are asking and agree with your methodology? What specific topics/areas does the granting agency specialize in? What are the politics of the geographical area that you want to work in? Is your topic too controversial for that area? How many other well-qualified applicants are there in the same pool of applications? Finally, do your goals align with the goals of the organization? And bear in mind here, that the goals of the Fulbright are different than those of a lot of the other organizations -- they do not exclusively want to fund research, but to promote understanding, and so you could have the most worthy research project in the world and still not be funded by them if they don't think your goals or personality are in alignment with theirs. And then, finally, there are a lot more of us with good research ideas, excellent credentials, and goals and personalities that are in alignment with Fulbright's than there are Fulbright grants.

[Rainer]

I tried posting a question a long time ago, but nobody picked up that thread because of the blog-stility. This place was such a comfort, but it has of late turned sour--anger is seductive. I miss the time when everyone offered congratulations to grantees and condolences to rejections, optimism for alternates.

My question was how long does it take for the medical clearance to come through?

[Dreams]

I tried posting a question a long time ago, but nobody picked up that thread because of the blog-stility. This place was such a comfort, but it has of late turned sour--anger is seductive. I miss the time when everyone offered congratulations to grantees and condolences to rejections, optimism for alternates.

My question was how long does it take for the medical clearance to come through?

I don't know about others, but I received mine about a month after I mailed it in.

[Rainer]

I don't know about others, but I received mine about a month after I mailed it in.

Wow! The waiting continues, huh?

[sunbean8]

And for those of us who were successful this season, lend a hand and advice on what worked so those who are persistent can be successful next year.

What worked for me was persistance, but also getting to know the goals of those involved in the selection process. This involved tailoring my Fulbright application to the goals of the organization and host country (and by tailoring, I don't mean being ungenuine -- luckly, one of the basic goals of my discipline, cultural anthropology, aligns quite nicely with Fulbright's desire to promote cultural understanding). My project is multi-faceted, and in applying to each funding organization I sought to highlight the facet of the project that I thought was most in line with the organization's goals.

More specifically, for the Fulbright-IIE, I was careful to take the advice of my FPA (for those of us applying through our universities). When I went to India last summer for a second round of preliminary work, I got a letter of support from everyone who I thought had something to say about either my project or me as a person. This means that I have a letter of support from the NGO that I will work with, but also from my landlord last summer who wrote about how well I "adapted" to India and how much she had enjoyed getting to know me; from a Hindi tutor who wrote about my language skills and how hard I worked as a student; and from the president of a second NGO whose work is only tangentially related to mine, but who wrote in support of my topic and promised to assist me however they could. My letters were thus a mixture of the very practical (i.e., those from the NGOs) and those that attested to the fact that I was functional in and respectful of Indian culture, and that I was a hard-worker within that context. So for those of you doing preliminary work for a Fulbright, don't only get letters of affiliation from academics and professionals -- getting some more personal ones probably helps.

Also, with regards to my FPA -- she is very good at her job (my school gets LOTS of Fulbrights), but also very, very opinionated on what constitutes a good application. Because she, in conjunction with other individualized committee members, is influential in rating our applications before they are sent on to NY, I was careful about my interactions with her and strove to be sure that I was making a good impression, meeting her deadlines on time, and taking her advice. The number of people at my school who either discounted her, were disrespectful to her, or did not meet her deadlines was amazing to me, given that in some ways she is the first the line of "reviewers" who will see and rate our applications. So if you have an FPA, foster and maintain a good relationship.

After that, write drafts, get comments, put together the best package you can. And if you are rejected and reapply, ask for feedback from Fulbright so that you can understand what about your project resulted in its not being funded (or what could have helped you be higher ranked if you were clearly in the "fundable" category).

Good luck to everyone in this forum -- And for those of you going to India this summer, I look forward to meeting you in Delhi in August.

[nemolover]

After that, write drafts, get comments, put together the best package you can. And if you are rejected and reapply, ask for feedback from Fulbright so that you can understand what about your project resulted in its not being funded (or what could have helped you be higher ranked if you were clearly in the "fundable" category).

my FPA told me that IIE won't give you any feedback... has anyone heard that it is possible to get feedback? and who do you ask for feedback? your region's program manager?

i think it is also important to keep in mind the types of projects/areas of study that the country you are applying to usually funds. I may have made a mistake applying to Nepal as an engineering student, since they have given to a grant to only ONE engineering student since the program began ~15 years ago, and that was 10 years ago. that being said, they did make me an alternate, which means they think i'm "fundable," so i would really like some feedback.

PS: sunbean8 - congratulations on finally getting funding after so many unsuccessful attempts!! your persistence sets an example for all of us. maybe i'll run into you in India next year!

[sunbean8]

On a practical note, did anyone else doing Fulbright India get the e-mail from Girish about e-mailing our bank account information to someone so that they can set up direct deposit? If so, anyone else feel a little queasy about this -- It's not that I don't trust Fulbright India, but there are tons of ways for that to be intercepted and cause us lots of trouble. I was thinking of asking if there is a way to put it into the secure website that they say they'll send us information about. Anyone else in this boat want to also question them about this? Any other ideas for secure way to get this sensitive information to them?

[hurricaneb]

To everyone who has been accepted, how long do you have to accept or reject the grant?

[fulbrightest]

I cannot believe you just said that!!! YOU ARE AN ARROGANT ASSHOLE. (well, you made it obvious enough from your screen name. ful"brighest," really??) As an alternate, I found this board very supportive until now. I kept turning here for advice, and I shared my own bits of advice to others who needed it. I tried to reach out (except, admittedly, when I reacted to mkurti's initial outburst of anger--which was not as bad as what you just said). You are NOT better than anyone because you got a Fulbright. You are NOT better than mkurti. You are NOT better than Rahkan. And you are NOT better than me. And if you really think that, then you probably don't deserve a Fulbright. The Fulbright is about gaining an understanding of other human beings. Sure, they mean through cultural exchange, but that principle applies to your fellow Americans as well. I bet IIE would reconsider their decision if they knew your true disrespectful attitudes toward others. (By the way, I don't necessarily think Rahkan is much better.)

A longer message from me to come...

I chose to ascribe my success to God to highlight the arbitrary nature of the final selection. It seems Fate, as well as brilliance and backing from quality referees, is required for one to win a Fulbright.

Curious you mention my screen name. My use of the superlative in my screen name choice is a cheap play on words. I'm wondering about yours. "Nemo" being Latin for "no man" or "no one". Why are you so lonely?

I've never used comparative claims in my posts here. I patted myself on my back not for being better than anyone here, but for being incredibly blessed and successful. I offered an appraisal of myself in isolation, not comparatively.

I find your judgments regarding whether or not I deserve a Fulbright to be extremely contemptuous.

[rugby]

Fulbrightest, please, take it somewhere else. I suspect you are just having some fun (not sure if it is possible for a real person to be as arrogant and clueless as you sound), but this thread has been a place for positive reinforcement and mutual support. If you want to pick fights, please do it through private messages instead.

[rugby]

On a practical note, did anyone else doing Fulbright India get the e-mail from Girish about e-mailing our bank account information to someone so that they can set up direct deposit? If so, anyone else feel a little queasy about this -- It's not that I don't trust Fulbright India, but there are tons of ways for that to be intercepted and cause us lots of trouble. I was thinking of asking if there is a way to put it into the secure website that they say they'll send us information about. Anyone else in this boat want to also question them about this? Any other ideas for secure way to get this sensitive information to them?

Sunbeam, I have the same concerns. I am not about to email my bank information to someone! I am going to send them an email tomorrow and try to sort out an alternative (probably call and give them my information verbally?)

I have another practical concern, would be interested to know what you all think. After applying for the Fulbright to study in Chennai and receiving some critical feedback as to the location of my research, I subsequently applied for other grants based on research in Kolkata. Now I have the dilemma of having been accepted to the Fulbright but wanting to change the location (same research question and research plan.) I wonder if Fulbright India will have a problem with this? Do you think they dole out Fulbrights geographically, so that there is some sort of mix between cities/states?

[rinairy]

Do you go to Stanford? The only time I ever hear "top five" as a distinction is from Stanford people.

What do people from Harvard and Stanford have in common? They both got into Stanford. hehe, sorry, couldn't resist! Look, we both have colors as our mascots.

you are such a jerk. thank god i don't go to harvard -- look at the monsters it produces.

this board is supposed to be supportive and informative, but you're transforming it into your own ego-stroking and sadistic playground.

any news from jordan?

[rinairy]

you are such a jerk. thank god i don't go to harvard -- look at the monsters it produces.

this board is supposed to be supportive and informative, but you're transforming it into your own ego-stroking and sadistic playground.

any news from jordan?

i want to apologize -- right after submitting i realized how very unfair my statement about harvard is. i do not mean to stereotype the institution or the people who studied there. i obviously realize harvard produces many upstanding scholars and citizens. fulbrightest is just a bad apple, and bad apples can fall (rotten and worm infested) from any tree.

[Rahkan]

I haven't belittled. I've hopefully added the finishing touches to a sculpture that is just a few polishes away from being lauded a masterpiece. My critiques have been pragmatic, though the dink of the chisel may sting.

You have not planted a seed of doubt. Not only do you think I am brilliant, so do three screening rounds of Fulbright panels, a host of Harvard professors, and most importantly, myself.

You can keep your prayers. Evidently, God thinks I'm brilliant, too. She's on my side.

Is She on yours? Did you get a Fulbright?

What an interesting mix of hippyism and condescension. How do you reconcile the two in your own mind? All I wanted to do was stick up for someone who was being given a raw deal by this board, and point out some of her virtues. But you had to turn it into a ruler contest.

It doesn't matter whether I got a Fulbright, Mr. Harvard. I suspect that if this is the way you act, your Fulbright will be the last success you have in life. Someday your egomania will come back to bite you. And when that happens, you know what? I'm not gonna give a damn. I'll have forgotten about this, and I'll be off living my life, doing my work. Maybe your narcissistic personality requires you to desperately seek external validation, but I hope to God that someday you learn that true validation comes from within. Any person who'd write the sort of messages you have must have desperately low self-esteem.

[Albanski]

Thanks for all of you who stood up for me. Forget Fulbrightest!

Anyway, since there were 5 finalist and 3 principal candidates, what are the chances that my alternate status will be changed to principal? My letter (whats left of it) says AL-1. If I call the program manager do you think she would tell me my ranking? I read from previous posts that 1/3 of alternates get a spot, but I don't know if it's realistic for this small country.

[OD09]

I don't see why people are so suddenly keen on making Fulbrightest the center of unnecessary, bitter criticism. His initial response to your defense of mkurti098, Rahkan, was insight and reflective of some much needed perspective. Corporatism and the corporate mentality has and will continue to fuel the vices and virtues of our capitalist society. His remarks of Stanford were facetiously made and was not meant to be taken literally (campus rivalry and inter-collegiate banter are nothing new). I know we're all on edge about the Fulbright, but we all need to claim down.

I was a Fulbright Alternate this year to Thailand and I saw no insult in Fulbrightest's argument. Mkurti098, you are just trying to vent some steam, and you are fully entitled to do so! It was a crushing blow when I was named Alternate. I was also named a finalist for the Marshall and finalist for the Rhodes (all of which I did not win). Needless to say, I was devastated for months. We need to learn to cope with rejection in such a way that would build character, not expose vices. Also, I did not attend a "top five" school, but a "top forty" school. Fulbrights, Rhodes, and Marshalls do not consider college rankings. They care more about individual accomplishments and character. I am sure Fulbrightest didn't win because he went to Harvard or had Harvard recommendations. Let's be rational now.

If anyone is in need of commiseration, please PM me. I have plenty of rejection stories to tell.

[Minnesotan]

Fulbrightest is out of here! This is a place for semi-professional discussion. You don't need to be serious all of the time, but you do need to know when enough is enough.

Hopefully this was just a troll issue, but to fulfill my duties as moderator I need to make two things clear:

1) Either it stops now, or I'm giving out more bans.

2) If this thread does not get back on topic immediately, it gets locked.

[Dreydenn]

Wow, if medical clearance takes a month, that cuts it a bit close for starting in July.

[samma]

I sent in my medical clearance about 5 weeks ago and I have not heard anything back. My program does not start until next year so I guess there is no rush. However, I would have thought I would hear something by now... is there anyone out there going to Argentina? Maybe they can give me some insight...

[suenteus]

How much do you think where you did your undergrad matters in the final decision? All other factors are equal, do you think one graduating from a 'top five' ranked school has a better chance?

I'm not sure there's an answer to this question. The judging panels change every year, each with a unique set of druthers and preconceptions.

Personalities aside, their key concern with your background should be whether it has prepared you to succeed in executing the proposal.

I went to the University of Florida - not at all a "top five" school, but one that offers a lot of room to personally pick up the slack when the academics were lacking. For me this involved building artistic collectives in the community, and my project proposal was the next logical step down that road.

[Johanna]

I'm not sure there's an answer to this question. The judging panels change every year, each with a unique set of druthers and preconceptions.

Personalities aside, their key concern with your background should be whether it has prepared you to succeed in executing the proposal.

I went to the University of Florida - not at all a "top five" school, but one that offers a lot of room to personally pick up the slack when the academics were lacking. For me this involved building artistic collectives in the community, and my project proposal was the next logical step down that road.

I'm trying to verify this information*, but I know that Smith College ranks either 1 or 2 in the country for Fulbright. While Smith is a great school, it isn't quite top 5.

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents ... _ba_08.pdf

*If you click the link above, Smith is listed as coming in second behind Pamona, with 15 winners to their 16; however, Smith only had 32 applicants, while Pamona had 53. So, yeah, maybe that helps to answer the question a bit.

[Albanski]

When additional funds become available are they for a region or for a specific country?

[rinairy]

[

I'm trying to verify this information*, but I know that Smith College ranks either 1 or 2 in the country for Fulbright. While Smith is a great school, it isn't quite top 5.

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents ... _ba_08.pdf

*If you click the link above, Smith is listed as coming in second behind Pamona, with 15 winners to their 16; however, Smith only had 32 applicants, while Pamona had 53. So, yeah, maybe that helps to answer the question a bit.

Wow this is great info. It lead me to this page: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/news_story.php?id=74

which links to stats for other types of "Carnegie Classifications" (this type of classification is news to me).

I fall under the category of an applicant from a "research institution" : http://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/research.pdf

Thanks so much!!

[rinairy]

Wow this is great info. It lead me to this page: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/news_story.php?id=74

which links to stats for other types of "Carnegie Classifications" (this type of classification is news to me).

I fall under the category of an applicant from a "research institution" : http://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/research.pdf

Thanks so much!!

Just found the latest stats for 2008-2009:

http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i09/09a02301.htm#top

[Johanna]

Wow this is great info. It lead me to this page: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/news_story.php?id=74

which links to stats for other types of "Carnegie Classifications" (this type of classification is news to me).

I fall under the category of an applicant from a "research institution" : http://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/research.pdf

Thanks so much!!

Oh, that's so interesting! I didn't look at the rest of the site. When you look at the research institutions they have more grantees, but proportionally they also have more applicants. Yale had the most grantees that year, but a success rate of about 1/3. Smith had a success rate of about 1/2, and then there were some other categories where schools had even better success rates. That's really interesting.