Fulbright 2014-2015

[SmarteyMartey]

Is anyone applying to graduate school as well as the Fulbright? Obviously, my first choice would be the Fulbright, but if we aren't finding out until possibly May or June, are people worried about accepting a grad program then finding out they got it? 

I was going to but after my time in Taiwan, I decided against it and focused on applying to certain abroad opportunities to gain fluency in Mandarin. Of course, I could defer but decided not to put the energy into the graduate applications which was for the best since I had a lot going on during the time. If I had, I definitely would have deferred.

If I receive the Fulbright or any of the other programs that I applied to, I will have more than enough time to put in place my other funding options for a fully funded graduate degree. I have been doing a lot of research on a variety of options so I have several strong plans in place. 

Right now, I am trying to keep track of accepting the abroad programs that I have applied to and ensure that I have enough time to know if I got the Fulbright or not. Last thing I want to do is accept something else and find out I got the Fulbright. O_o Fulbright is Plan A. Period!

[alfred92]

I am sure this question has been asked before, but can anyone tell me what kinds of questions Fulrbight committees tend to ask on Skype interviews? I have an interview with Fulbright Colombia on Monday and I'm very nervous.

[Bluefit]

I'll continue to chat and participate as it only makes me more excited to apply for 2015.

Spainbound, I thought on another post you said you were a working attorney? If so I would do the Full Research for a professional and not the stiudent

[yeloquehay]

Hi all! Does anybody happen to know if Spain requires an interview for ETAs? I was recommended and I am just curious about the next step in the process. Thanks! 

[Horb]

So if I get this, I will be the Kermit the frog gif where he freaks out. Anyone else thinking of what their reaction would be?

[USA.J]

From a reliable source...FYI...

"Final Selection Process

1.) Each country's Fulbright Program is run a bit differently, so whatever I say from country A's case may not apply "as-is" to Fulbright in country B. The IIE panel normally recommends to a bi-national Commission more candidates than can be funded (typically 1.5 to 2x more) and the number finally funded by Fulbright in any given country will differ with each year's budget, and who will ultimately get selected will differ based on each year's pool of candidates as well as the topics funded in recent years. This means there is still a hurdle to overcome for final selection.

2.) The next Selections' Committee panel in a bi-national Commission country is not in the U.S. Embassy, but in the Commission itself, and the Selections' Comittee is usually made up of some of the Commission (Board) members, which will go through all of the recommended applications and recommend to the Commission as a whole who - and how many - should receive awards for the coming academic year. The U.S. Embassy is normally represented on the Commission, but not as a majority of the voting members.

3.) Those selected by the Commission are then vetted, finally, by the U.S. Presidentially-appointed Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB or FFSB), which normally approves all selected by the Commission, but has the right to decline some selected by the Commissions.  This is rare, and happens only for extremely sensitive political content or circumstances of research."

[Jbwilliams]

Congratulations to everyone who received a recommendation. I did not. To be honest I'm pretty torn up about it. I could have really used this

 

Have a blast, guys

[raymondnorth]

I am sure this question has been asked before, but can anyone tell me what kinds of questions Fulrbight committees tend to ask on Skype interviews? I have an interview with Fulbright Colombia on Monday and I'm very nervous.

 

Alfred,

 

Good luck!  I'm sure you'll have a great interview.  I had mine as well for the Colombia ETA program on Friday, and I was pretty nervous.  Even though I spent the whole week pretty busy attending to work and life stuff, not stressing about about the interview, I left my office a little before my appointed slot and pretty much condensed all of my anxiety into an hour and a half span of time.  Regardless, the two committee members I spoke to were really friendly and stuck to the six topics they sent out by email on Thursday last week (for those in other programs that want an idea of what their committee's interview could look like, see copied email below).  

 

The interview was all in Spanish, though for some reason one of the later questions (the one about preferred environment) was posed to me in English, and I asked if they wanted me to respond in English or Spanish, they said whichever, so I chose Spanish - I'm more articulate in English, for sure, but I figured I really only had one opportunity to show them I'm confident in being able to communicate myself in Spanish.  I have no idea how I did, like I said, I was suddenly very nervous immediately before the interview.  They said I should be finding out their decision "muy pronto."  Not sure what to make of that... 

 

Best of luck to everyone in their interviews.

 

Dear Candidate,

 

Thank you for confirming your availability. You will be interviewed by a panel with representatives from Fulbright Colombia, and the brief interview may cover the following topics:  

 

• Expectations for the program

• Your ideal city/living environment (for example, a large cosmopolitan city, a hot climate, a small ¨college town¨)

• Previous teaching experience

• Academic background

• Interest for Social Project  

• Reasons for choosing Colombia

[spainbound15]

Spainbound, I thought on another post you said you were a working attorney? If so I would do the Full Research for a professional and not the student

 

I actually called the main office and was told that I should only apply for the Full Research Scholar if I've been working for more than 5 years, which is not the case.  Were you told differently, or have you been in the working world longer than I?

[Bluefit]

I actually called the main office and was told that I should only apply for the Full Research Scholar if I've been working for more than 5 years, which is not the case.  Were you told differently, or have you been in the working world longer than I?

[/quote

Oh okay, yah I've been working longer than 5 years.. Started my job early at 20 1/2 right after military service. So by now, yes longer than 5 years.

Too bad, cause the lawyer professional experience is severely sought after in many countries. If you are close to 5, I would go with it. Maybe throw your intern in as time if it makes you to five years.

[Bluefit]

Edited February 3, 2014 by Bluefit

[alfred92]

Alfred,

 

Good luck!  I'm sure you'll have a great interview.  I had mine as well for the Colombia ETA program on Friday, and I was pretty nervous.  Even though I spent the whole week pretty busy attending to work and life stuff, not stressing about about the interview, I left my office a little before my appointed slot and pretty much condensed all of my anxiety into an hour and a half span of time.  Regardless, the two committee members I spoke to were really friendly and stuck to the six topics they sent out by email on Thursday last week (for those in other programs that want an idea of what their committee's interview could look like, see copied email below).  

 

The interview was all in Spanish, though for some reason one of the later questions (the one about preferred environment) was posed to me in English, and I asked if they wanted me to respond in English or Spanish, they said whichever, so I chose Spanish - I'm more articulate in English, for sure, but I figured I really only had one opportunity to show them I'm confident in being able to communicate myself in Spanish.  I have no idea how I did, like I said, I was suddenly very nervous immediately before the interview.  They said I should be finding out their decision "muy pronto."  Not sure what to make of that... 

 

Best of luck to everyone in their interviews.

 

Dear Candidate,

 

Thank you for confirming your availability. You will be interviewed by a panel with representatives from Fulbright Colombia, and the brief interview may cover the following topics:  

 

• Expectations for the program

• Your ideal city/living environment (for example, a large cosmopolitan city, a hot climate, a small ¨college town¨)

• Previous teaching experience

• Academic background

• Interest for Social Project  

• Reasons for choosing Colombia

Thanks so much for you reply! I really appreciate it because I was never sent a list of questions.

 

How long was your interview? Mine seemed so quick :/ .

[tieloran]

Congratulations to everyone who received a recommendation. I did not. To be honest I'm pretty torn up about it. I could have really used this

 

Have a blast, guys

You should definitely apply again. It takes a lot of people multiple tries before getting a Fulbright or even getting recommended.

[Chandelier]

I'm in the same position for Malta! I've now been recommended twice (alternate last year, ugh). I'm trying not to think too much about this until April, since I probably won't hear until late that month or May (based on past experience), but it's so hard.

 

I feel the same way. I think this application cycle has been a lot more stressful for me. I wasn't very worried about last cycle because I applied on a whim and honestly thought I was going to get the grant (that senior year feeling of invincibility ((stupidity)) I guess?) Anyway, Fulbright knocked me flat on my butt, which in my case was very much needed. But now I've put a lot more thought into my application and I've done a lot to supplement the application. Even though I think I've put together a much stronger application, I'm terribly anxious because putting all that thought into my application made me truly understand why I wanted this grant. I also don't want to tell my family and friends bad news again (they're just as excited for my recommendation as last cycle) and I really don't want to tell my FPAs bad news again. They've been fantastic throughout the last two years and last year although we had about 10 people recommended we didn't have a single person win the award. 

[spainbound15]

Hi friends:

 

For those of you who applied for a Fulbright in a non-English-speaking country, did you contact your prospective sponsors/affiliations in English or his/her native language, or both?

[carrar]

Hi friends:

 

For those of you who applied for a Fulbright in a non-English-speaking country, did you contact your prospective sponsors/affiliations in English or his/her native language, or both?

In the native language. I also wrote a more formal letter of introduction with a project summary in that language (had a native speaker with knowledge of the topic look over it for me). The only time I wrote to someone in English was when I emailed the U.S. embassy in that country for possible contacts and when I emailed a couple of other Fulbright recipients (who were VERY helpful) in-country for info. So basically, target language unless I was writing to Americans.

[elenacristo]

Hi all, 

 

I'm new to posting but have been reading along for the past few weeks. I'm looking for some advice: I was recommended for an ETA in Norway and have an interview on Thursday. I was recently offered a teaching position at an International School in India. They need an answer in the next few weeks! If I accept, then I'm out of the running for the Fulbright since I have to sign the contract. Thoughts? Does anyone know exactly how many people are recommended? I guess I'm trying to figure out how good a chance I have of getting the Fulbright? 

 

Thank you so much!!! 

[traveler_5563]

Hi all, 

 

I'm new to posting but have been reading along for the past few weeks. I'm looking for some advice: I was recommended for an ETA in Norway and have an interview on Thursday. I was recently offered a teaching position at an International School in India. They need an answer in the next few weeks! If I accept, then I'm out of the running for the Fulbright since I have to sign the contract. Thoughts? Does anyone know exactly how many people are recommended? I guess I'm trying to figure out how good a chance I have of getting the Fulbright? 

 

Thank you so much!!! 

Hey Elena,

 

From Fulbright's page for recommended candidates (http://us.fulbrightonline.org/information-for-recommended-candidates) under the FAQs:

"What is the ratio of candidates recommended to grants given in each country? 

The National Screening Committees recommend at least 1.5-2 times the number of candidates as there are grants available for a particular award."

 

So you probably have around a 50 percent shot now! Although you have no idea how strong the other recommended candidates are or if your application is similar to other candidates, etc. In other words: it's hard to say. 

 

Good luck! 

[Mr.Holt]

Congrats to everyone that made it to the next round and a sincere heartfelt sorry to those that did not. 

[olioliwoo]

Does anyone know why the header for the spreadsheet keeps getting messed up? (The cell that's supposed to say "Fulbright Notifications 2014-2015.")

 

 

I think this is the 8th time I am correcting it and I don't know if it's from people playing around with the document and not realizing their changes are permanent or if it is getting messed up because of some other function I am not aware of when sorting, adding, etc.

[Hina]

Does anyone know if there's some way we can find out if the country we applied to has interviews? I applied for a full research to Bangladesh, and don't see anything on the Fulbright Bangladesh page about interviews. I also checked out last years spreadsheet and both the Bangladesh candidates listed on the spreadsheet did have interviews (one was full research and one was ETA). Does anyone have insight on how to find out if the country definitely has interviews, or do we just have to wait till we get an e-mail? 

 

Also, congrats to everyone that got recommended! Definitely happy to be recommended but still very nervous about my chances of actually getting the grant. Guess we'll have to wait and see! 

[Porshyen]

Hey, everyone! 

 

If anyone has any questions about what life is like as an ETA, especially in Eastern Europe, I would be happy and try to provide you some information. 

 

I have been lurking around these forums and followed first round notifications with anticipation. I am sorry that not all of you are moving forward, you are all smart, deserving people. That said, something will work out, that I do believe. For those of you did make it past the first round, congratulations!

[lalakey]

Okay, this is going to sound unbelievably stupid, but I don't know the difference between Full Research/Study. I don't actually know what I applied for exactly. I applied to simultaneously study at a Hochschule and also carry out a project that is supported by a professor who would be my primary teacher, as I am a voice student. Sooo... which did I apply for? lol. Just curious because I'm looking at the spreadsheet, and someone applied for my same subject area in the same country So I'm feeling weird about my chances. 

[log_lady]

Alfred,

 

Good luck!  I'm sure you'll have a great interview.  I had mine as well for the Colombia ETA program on Friday, and I was pretty nervous.  Even though I spent the whole week pretty busy attending to work and life stuff, not stressing about about the interview, I left my office a little before my appointed slot and pretty much condensed all of my anxiety into an hour and a half span of time.  Regardless, the two committee members I spoke to were really friendly and stuck to the six topics they sent out by email on Thursday last week (for those in other programs that want an idea of what their committee's interview could look like, see copied email below).  

 

The interview was all in Spanish, though for some reason one of the later questions (the one about preferred environment) was posed to me in English, and I asked if they wanted me to respond in English or Spanish, they said whichever, so I chose Spanish - I'm more articulate in English, for sure, but I figured I really only had one opportunity to show them I'm confident in being able to communicate myself in Spanish.  I have no idea how I did, like I said, I was suddenly very nervous immediately before the interview.  They said I should be finding out their decision "muy pronto."  Not sure what to make of that... 

 

Best of luck to everyone in their interviews.

 

 

 

Hey! I was fortunate enough to complete an interview for Fulbright Colombia. Did it first thing Friday. I was nervous too but think it went well.  Hoping to hear back soon. Have you all heard anything yet? Let me know. I'll be obsessively checking my e-mail until then. Oh, also, have you sent the hard copies of your transcripts to the NY office yet?

Edited February 4, 2014 by log_lady

[Torrid]

Okay, this is going to sound unbelievably stupid, but I don't know the difference between Full Research/Study. I don't actually know what I applied for exactly. I applied to simultaneously study at a Hochschule and also carry out a project that is supported by a professor who would be my primary teacher, as I am a voice student. Sooo... which did I apply for? lol. Just curious because I'm looking at the spreadsheet, and someone applied for my same subject area in the same country So I'm feeling weird about my chances. 

 

My understanding is that they are one and the same? I.e. a research/study grant is one grant. I think the two are lumped together because you need a university affiliation to conduct your research, so you'll be fully matriculated into the Hochschule while you carry out your project -- thus, you are doing your research whilst, technically, studying.