Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship - 2013/14

[kekbatter]

Who applied this year?

[Quantum Buckyball]

didn't get to apply this year but I will next year.

[1236smalls]

Who applied this year?

I did. Has anyone heard back yet? They said they would respond by January, but I have heard in the past they let you know by now. 

[Dash]

I did. Has anyone heard back yet? They said they would respond by January, but I have heard in the past they let you know by now. 

I applied. Haven't heard anything yet. They'll let you know via e-mail by Jan 9 per the confirmation e-mail they sent out once your application file was complete.

[obot]

I got rejected yesterday. Really long rejection letter...

 

 

 

 

This year the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans received more than 1,000 applications for the competition to select the 30 members of the class of 2013.  The task of identifying the 77 applicants whom we can designate as finalists and invite for interviews has been especially arduous and wrenching this year.  All of the applications have been read with care, many of them by several readers who bring diverse experiences, perspectives, and insights to bear on the task.

 

I very much regret to inform you that we are unable to include you in the group of finalists who will be interviewed for this competition. 

 

In making our decisions, we sought to identify applicants who best matched -- at the highest levels -- the specific and distinctive selection criteria of this program.  Thus, our decision should not be read as a judgment on your achievements, merit, potential or promise, but rather as an assessment grounded in the criteria that Paul and Daisy Soros and the Trustees of the program have chosen to emphasize and reward. 

 

Those of us who have read the applications have been repeatedly awed by stories of determination, commitment and courage that many of you tell.  They remind us of how difficult it often is for New Americans to prosper academically in the face of challenging immigration experiences. Other stories make clear that the heaviest burdens of immigration often fall on parents.  Even when that is the case, applicants often face daunting challenges of charting paths that take advantage of American opportunities while respecting the cultural norms and expectations of their forebears. 

 

Many Americans are frightened by and opposed to the continuing flow of immigrants to this country.   We wish that they might all have had the privilege of reading the stories of applicants and the praise of their teachers and mentors.   These documents provide powerful correctives to the unfortunate tendency to disparage contemporary immigration that is so common in current political discourse. 

 

You and your fellow applicants share a belief in the value of education, a quest for excellence, and a commitment to bettering your condition and that of this country.   We are grateful for your embrace of these ideals, which are the core of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship Program. My very best wishes for your continued personal and academic growth. 

 

We introduced a new application system this year and recognize that some of the procedures did not work as planned and promised.   For any inconvenience you experienced, we apologize.  In addition, the disruption of the lives of some applicants and recommenders as a result of “Sandy” complicated completing applications.   I hope that the extension of the deadline that we allowed dealt with this problem, if you were adversely affected.  

Yours sincerely,   

 

Stanley J. Heginbotham

Director

[Ghostface]

I have also applied to for the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for the 2013-14 cycle. I have *only* received an e-mail confirming the receipt of my application and I believe another saying that I should hear something regarding the "status" of my application on or around the 9th of January (this last e-mail sent towards the end of December). Well, that date has come and gone. I haven't heard absolutely nothing since that e-mail.

 

I am wondering if anyone else out there is in the same boat. I'm not sure if the lack of response is due to an unusually high number of applications this year or what not. It's February now and I would just like to know where I stand.

[Dash]

I have also applied to for the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for the 2013-14 cycle. I have *only* received an e-mail confirming the receipt of my application and I believe another saying that I should hear something regarding the "status" of my application on or around the 9th of January (this last e-mail sent towards the end of December). Well, that date has come and gone. I haven't heard absolutely nothing since that e-mail.

 

I am wondering if anyone else out there is in the same boat. I'm not sure if the lack of response is due to an unusually high number of applications this year or what not. It's February now and I would just like to know where I stand.

Hey Ghostface,

 

I'd check your spam folder. I was not selected for an interview this year and received an identical e-mail to the one in the post above yours. It is my understanding that the interviews will already have been competed at this point if you were selected.

 

-Dash

[hotyel]

Hi Guys, 

 

what did you write about in your essays? I was just recently told that the reason I was rejected is because I did not use "I" in my essays. I wrote about immigrant experience and how its linked to activities that contribute to the society. So, was I wrong? was I supposed to talk about my own experience???? PLEASE explain.