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Fulbright 2014-2015


conservationbiologist14

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Blindsided how so? not expecting it to come in the mail? Or because of the result?

 

I'm honestly trying to just expect a "no" because I just know it's so ridiculously competitive. But I still am having anxiety about it :/

 

I wasn't expecting the email for another 5 days and I was also in a rush to get something turned in for my class and not be late for my lecture. I only had five minutes to process it before I had to be in front of a room filled with people and so that was hard to keep it together/not be sad or emotional.

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I wasn't expecting the email for another 5 days and I was also in a rush to get something turned in for my class and not be late for my lecture. I only had five minutes to process it before I had to be in front of a room filled with people and so that was hard to keep it together/not be sad or emotional.

 

I understand :( It can come in waves, too. I got rejected from DAAD and Fulbright last year, and weeks later, I got a rejection from this tiny little artist residency that I didn't even care much about, and I LOST IT. Just felt miserable and was sobbing. Fortunately I have a very respectable backup this year so I don't think I'll have a breakdown (lol) but I will be sad if I don't get it.

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Oh yeah, same here! I wouldn't have been able to have such a life-changing experience without Gilman. I only hope that with Fulbright, I can finish what I started there. Their kimbap (Korean version of sushi) was to die for.... I loved Korea so much that even after my Master's program (if awarded a Fulbright), I'd like to stay another 5 years to a decade (if not permanently) haha  

 

Spain~~~! I went when I was in high school with my Spanish class. Where do you plan to carry out your project? I think my favorite city in Spain was Barcelona. That sunrise over the Mediterranean was mesmerizing... not to mention the cool architecture! 

 

I didn't have an interview with my school. I applied at-large. I  graduated last Spring. I wanted to apply through my school but my adviser was super discouraging, unresponsive, and unhelpful. He made it clear that he had very little faith in me haha Plus he wanted me to take time off from my full-time job to drive 4 hours away to have the interview where a simple Skype call would have sufficed. So I went rogue haha But I received a lot of help from my college's head of the writing department which I'm super grateful for. In the end, I'm glad that I applied at-large rather than through the school. If it was up to him ranking me, I probably wouldn't have made it this far.... Using your instincts can be key in things like this lol

 

I've never been to Spain so it would be an exciting opportunity. I'd be ETAing in either Madrid or Cantabria, so IF I actually get it, I'd just adjust my project to whichever location I'm in. My Fulbright advisor was EXTREMELY unhelpful, but I didn't let that discourage me either. I went to the chair of the rhetoric writing department and several other professors to take a look at my statement. Our FPA was an older woman who was not open minded AT ALL. You would think that the FPA is someone who likes cultures and doesn't judge. NOPE. There was this man from a country in West Africa and he had an accent, so when he asked her in the Fulbright info session about his proposed project (to have some sort of PE activity) she said the following: First, you have to be careful because Fulbright wants people to be native English speakers, I noticed some of you have an accent (she meant him) so that could set you back. Second, as for your PE program sounds interesting....maybe you could add some hip-hop music component to it. After the meeting he was really upset because she assumed he liked hip-hop because he's black. He didn't even apply to the fulbright because of her. She is no longer the FPA at our school, they hired a new one this year, but the new one is just as closed minded. Later, other people told me that yes, Fulbright wants native English speakers but that doesn't mean that one has to have the "standard" English accent...whatever THAT means. Even in the US, depending on your location, there's different accents, so to say that they want the standard English was completely ignorant from her part. The man didn't even have that bad of an accent and if he did she didn't have to call him out in front of everyone. A nice private chat would have sufficed. The people who helped me with my statement were much more helpful that my FPA hands down. 

Edited by japaniia
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I've never been to Spain so it would be an exciting opportunity. I'd be ETAing in either Madrid or Cantabria, so IF I actually get it, I'd just adjust my project to whichever location I'm in. My Fulbright advisor was EXTREMELY unhelpful, but I didn't let that discourage me either. I went to the chair of the rhetoric writing department and several other professors to take a look at my statement. Our FPA was an older woman who was not open minded AT ALL. You would think that the FPA is someone who likes cultures and doesn't judge. NOPE. There was this man from a country in West Africa and he had an accent, so when he asked her in the Fulbright info session about his proposed project (to have some sort of PE activity) she said the following: First, you have to be careful because Fulbright wants people to be native English speakers, I noticed some of you have an accent (she meant him) so that could set you back. Second, as for your PE program sounds interesting....maybe you could add some hip-hop music component to it. After the meeting he was really upset because she assumed he liked hip-hop because he's black. He didn't even apply to the fulbright because of her. She is no longer the FPA at our school, they hired a new one this year, but the new one is just as closed minded. The people who helped me with my statement were much more helpful that my FPA hands down. 

 

Um, that is an AWFUL STORY! Wow!!! unbelievable that they would put someone in that kind of position who is supposed to be an ambassador for the program... ugh! I had a horrible FPA last year but this year I did it at large, thank goodness.

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I've never been to Spain so it would be an exciting opportunity. I'd be ETAing in either Madrid or Cantabria, so IF I actually get it, I'd just adjust my project to whichever location I'm in. My Fulbright advisor was EXTREMELY unhelpful, but I didn't let that discourage me either. I went to the chair of the rhetoric writing department and several other professors to take a look at my statement. Our FPA was an older woman who was not open minded AT ALL. You would think that the FPA is someone who likes cultures and doesn't judge. NOPE. There was this man from a country in West Africa and he had an accent, so when he asked her in the Fulbright info session about his proposed project (to have some sort of PE activity) she said the following: First, you have to be careful because Fulbright wants people to be native English speakers, I noticed some of you have an accent (she meant him) so that could set you back. Second, as for your PE program sounds interesting....maybe you could add some hip-hop music component to it. After the meeting he was really upset because she assumed he liked hip-hop because he's black. He didn't even apply to the fulbright because of her. She is no longer the FPA at our school, they hired a new one this year, but the new one is just as closed minded. Later, other people told me that yes, Fulbright wants native English speakers but that doesn't mean that one has to have the "standard" English accent...whatever THAT means. Even in the US, depending on your location, there's different accents, so to say that they want the standard English was completely ignorant from her part. The man didn't even have that bad of an accent and if he did she didn't have to call him out in front of everyone. A nice private chat would have sufficed. The people who helped me with my statement were much more helpful that my FPA hands down. 

 

Wow...just wow.

That is absolutely awful. I hope he does end up applying for a Fulbright in the future and showing her just how wrong she was.

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Um, that is an AWFUL STORY! Wow!!! unbelievable that they would put someone in that kind of position who is supposed to be an ambassador for the program... ugh! I had a horrible FPA last year but this year I did it at large, thank goodness.

 Yeah I think sometimes it's better to apply at large, especially if one has an FPA like her. It's a good thing she's not the advisor anymore. But the new advisor told me this:  " well, don't feel too confident just because you speak Spanish doesn't mean you can get into Spain. After all, sometimes they don't like the Latin accent over there and prefer someone to speak 'castellano' rather than Mexican Spanish." 

 

I mean sure, that is maybe 20% true because most Spanish students that go to my school are extremely open minded. She's probably talking about the older generation or those who are extremely nationalists. But still, I don't know why our FPA's are so bad....We do have quite a bit of students getting the fulbright every year which is why I applied through my school, but seriously, it's either tough love or flat out ignorance on the part of our advisors.

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For anybody else applying for Brazil, it looks like notifications have gone out on Mondays for the past few years. So, maybe that means we can try to rest easy until next Monday. Probably not, but maybe. 

Good luck everybody.

 

 

Good luck, UNCAnthro!! I emailed the Fulbright Brazil program administrator asking if there had been any news and she gave me a one-word answer: "soon." I have a feeling they will be coming out in this week, since other program advisors have given answers like "We expect applicants to all countries to be notified by April 15th." "Soon" has to be sooner than April 15th! The latest they have gone out for Brazil has been April 4th. Eeeeek so excited. And even more excited to be able to stop checking my email every ten seconds.

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Wow...just wow.

That is absolutely awful. I hope he does end up applying for a Fulbright in the future and showing her just how wrong she was.

 

He actually decided to stay at our school one more year to study abroad through the study abroad programs...because he was so discouraged. :( Poor guy...

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Good luck, UNCAnthro!! I emailed the Fulbright Brazil program administrator asking if there had been any news and she gave me a one-word answer: "soon." I have a feeling they will be coming out in this week, since other program advisors have given answers like "We expect applicants to all countries to be notified by April 15th." "Soon" has to be sooner than April 15th! The latest they have gone out for Brazil has been April 4th. Eeeeek so excited. And even more excited to be able to stop checking my email every ten seconds.

 

Did she LITERALLY write only "soon" in the email??? that's super rude! 

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I just did the unforgivable: I emailed my FPA to ask if she knows anything. I'll report back when (if) she responds.

 

hehe gooood, goooooooooood

 

I'm having a feeling it's not happening today. Ugh.

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In even more psychotic endeavors, here are the Germany notification times for the years prior:

 

2013 - 2014: 2:45 PM some full grant acceptances came through, then at 5:09 someone posted they were an alternate.

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Maybe not. In any case, I need to get back to work instead of continuing this loop of refresh, check, refresh, check....

 

Hah I know I'm just making my blood pressure go wild. Ugh I'm frustrated though, I thought for sure it'd be today...

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Good luck, UNCAnthro!! I emailed the Fulbright Brazil program administrator asking if there had been any news and she gave me a one-word answer: "soon." I have a feeling they will be coming out in this week, since other program advisors have given answers like "We expect applicants to all countries to be notified by April 15th." "Soon" has to be sooner than April 15th! The latest they have gone out for Brazil has been April 4th. Eeeeek so excited. And even more excited to be able to stop checking my email every ten seconds.

Thanks, good luck to you too! Not sure what to make of 'soon,' but I hope you're right about announcements coming out this week. I'm finding it so hard to focus on anything else right now.

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Hi!

 

I have been reading this thread for a while and I just wanted to thank everyone for their support and advice. I'm also a Fulbright ETA to Brazil and have been checking my email constantly (Also, does anyone else hate that awfully long pause before a vibrating phone is followed up by a lit up screen with an email?) 

 

In terms of grad school, I think Fulbright Brazil does make it a bit harder to plan. I'm an athlete, so I was planning on training for my sport and maybe compete in the meantime. I was also thinking of traveling and studying for the GRE. I did not apply for any short-term grants, however.

 

I have also been accepted to a Masters program in England. If I'm accepted to Fulbright I guess I would have to make that choice. I still am not sure yet. 

 

I hope that everything works out well for everyone on this thread! 

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Hi everyone!  I'm in the same boat as everyone else - constantly checking my email and this forum.  Bulgaria has heard back on the 27th the past couple years, so I'm hoping I don't have to wait much longer than that.  But I wish we knew when they'd be emailed - last year they came at 11am EST.  For me, out here in California, that would be right before I started teaching my first class! 

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This is quite upsetting.

 

How so, because we haven't heard?

 

I'm honestly very annoyed. They already posted the statistics, so obviously decisions are made, and the fact is, even if we win, we have to apply to Hochschule by April 15th (most likely) to get the deadline in for fall (if you're doing a study scholarship). Also, many other decisions are in so people are being forced to make decisions without all the information! gah!

 

It has to be this week though... I'm going to go nuts otherwise. Last year they heard on a Wednesday, so maybe it will be tomorrow? I assumed today since so many years prior had been a Tuesday. I'm guessing it's kind of late in the day at this point, though.

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How so, because we haven't heard?

 

I'm honestly very annoyed. They already posted the statistics, so obviously decisions are made, and the fact is, even if we win, we have to apply to Hochschule by April 15th (most likely) to get the deadline in for fall (if you're doing a study scholarship). Also, many other decisions are in so people are being forced to make decisions without all the information! gah!

 

It has to be this week though... I'm going to go nuts otherwise. Last year they heard on a Wednesday, so maybe it will be tomorrow? I assumed today since so many years prior had been a Tuesday. I'm guessing it's kind of late in the day at this point, though.

 

Well, they only posted preliminary statistics. They didn't give final numbers for last year's cycle until this month!

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Well, they only posted preliminary statistics. They didn't give final numbers for last year's cycle until this month!

 

Oh really? I guess I wasn't looking that closely. I suppose there's a lot of red tape to work around with these things.

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ISRAEL just sent out notifications too!!!!!!! OMG Korea~~~~ today was supposed to be your day...

 

I think all of us Korea people were a bit too sure that today would be it. Seriously, what is the point of putting ourselves through all this torture of trying to figure it out?

 

That said, I REALLY WANT TO KNOW! My parents and friends keep asking me about it.

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