Fulbright 2015-2016

[perfluidity]

From the Fulbright e-mail saying I was recommended:

 

"IIE must receive these transcripts by February 20,  2015. Transcripts must be in the original sealed envelope as issued by the Registrar’s office."

 

I think that it's a "no news is good news" situation and that they only say something if they did not receive your transcripts. 

 

 

I don't know if it has any impact on when the decisions are sent out, but a couple of my friends applied for Germany (one-year research grant) and one got a reminder about transcripts two days ago. Dunno if they're still waiting on people's documentation or if they'd send decisions out without having given folks some extra time after this latest notice was sent out. Any insights?

 

To clarify, the e-mail that was sent to your friend Viggosloof -- did they give them any other date to get the transcripts in by?

[RNM2015]

Good Morning Everyone!!! We've almost made it through week 2 of anticipation and nothingness! Hugs to everyone, y'all are the best support system ever! (Including all my well-wishing but completely clueless-about-this-anxiety friends and family)

 

My prediction of the day:  UK Notifications will go out next week on Tuesday.  Why?  1) I want them to and I would like to feel like I have control over it by guessing. This obviously is logical and in no way obsessive.  2) For the past 5 years, they've gone out the 3rd week of March, and all but one of those have been on a Tuesday. 3) ...... I don't know! Why do I keep doing this?!

 

PS: Person who hasn't been able to create an account: I can't make it work when I'm using internet explorer, but it works great in Chrome... Try using a different browser! You can download Chrome for free if you don't have it, FYI!

I like your plan ! But I think that they should announce today becuase im tired of waiting....its like waiting for Christmas times a thousand lol cmon fulbright!! today is the day !!!!!

[lemon123]

I got an email from Fulbright (Richard Harris) today, to send in "official" transcripts. (They received the initial ones I sent- in which I used interfolio).

 

So FYI, dont use interfolio to send transcripts to Fulbright.  I applied for a research grant (India).

 

I sent the note to my advisor and she said "Possibly good, but possibly neutral, unfortunately. I'm not sure whether they ask everyone who's been nominated for the official transcript before they make a decision (neutral) or whether they only request official transcripts when they are verifying whether they should offer you a grant (which would be positive!)"

 

Not sure what to make of it at this point. Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

[viggosloof28]

No, as far as I know, they didn't give a date by which the official transcripts had to be received...I'll double-check with them, though!

[waiting279]

I got an email from Fulbright (Richard Harris) today, to send in "official" transcripts. (They received the initial ones I sent- in which I used interfolio).

 

So FYI, dont use interfolio to send transcripts to Fulbright.  I applied for a research grant (India).

 

I sent the note to my advisor and she said "Possibly good, but possibly neutral, unfortunately. I'm not sure whether they ask everyone who's been nominated for the official transcript before they make a decision (neutral) or whether they only request official transcripts when they are verifying whether they should offer you a grant (which would be positive!)"

 

Not sure what to make of it at this point. Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

 Can't weigh in on good vs bad, alas, but thanks for posting! It's good to know that they're working on this step. I'm pretty sure one of mine arrived up to a week late, but if I don't hear anything in the next little while, I'll assume all's well as far as transcripts are concerned.

Edited March 12, 2015 by waiting279

[lilymasala]

I got an email from Fulbright (Richard Harris) today, to send in "official" transcripts. (They received the initial ones I sent- in which I used interfolio).

 

So FYI, dont use interfolio to send transcripts to Fulbright.  I applied for a research grant (India).

 

I sent the note to my advisor and she said "Possibly good, but possibly neutral, unfortunately. I'm not sure whether they ask everyone who's been nominated for the official transcript before they make a decision (neutral) or whether they only request official transcripts when they are verifying whether they should offer you a grant (which would be positive!)"

 

Not sure what to make of it at this point. Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

 

At a minimum, perhaps that means USIEF (the corresponding agency in India) has started looking at our applications?  I think it is probably neutral if you included scanned versions via interfolio with your initial application.  

 

In the e-mail we received when we were notified of being recommended, there is a link to a website http://us.fulbrightonline.org/information-for-recommended-candidatesthat says that failure to submit your official transcripts could delay your final notification.  So, I don't think it will have any bearing on their actual decision?  Best of luck, I'm applying to India for research too!

[RNM2015]

Still refreshing my email....

[rockrmoose]

So I emailed Jonathan Akeley, the Senior Programs Officer for East Asia-Pacific. This is what he said to me:

 

"Dear Amanda,
It's not possible to predict when notifications for a particular country will go out, but in previous years Taiwan notifications have usually been sent in early April.

Sincerely,
Jonathan"

 

Not very helpful I know, but this probably means the staff in Taiwan is still looking applications over. Really hoping they still come out earlier this year...

Edited March 12, 2015 by rockrmoose

[ltsax]

So I emailed Jonathan Akeley, the Senior Programs Officer for East Asia-Pacific. This is what he said to me:

 

"Dear Amanda,

It's not possible to predict when notifications for a particular country will go out, but in previous years Taiwan notifications have usually been sent in early April.

Sincerely,

Jonathan"

 

Not very helpful I know, but this probably means the staff in Taiwan is still looking applications over. Really hoping they still come out earlier this year...

Hey, I just sent Mr. Akeley the same email (except asking about Japan) and he hasn't responded yet. When did you send your email?

[rockrmoose]

Hey, I just sent Mr. Akeley the same email (except asking about Japan) and he hasn't responded yet. When did you send your email?

 

I sent it last night at 8:20pm Pacific Time! So about 14 hours ago.

Edited March 12, 2015 by rockrmoose

[kconhead]

I don't know if it has any impact on when the decisions are sent out, but a couple of my friends applied for Germany (one-year research grant) and one got a reminder about transcripts two days ago. Dunno if they're still waiting on people's documentation or if they'd send decisions out without having given folks some extra time after this latest notice was sent out. Any insights?

I am pretty sure that the ETA Germany always comes out the last few days of March because they are competing with the USTA Austria that comes out in the first week of April. Don't know how that effects the research, but I am assuming all of Germany is the same day (or days).

[Damis]

Transcripts don't effect when decisions are released.

 

I have a harrowing story about transcripts involving down to the wire fighting during the first half of my year in Germany. Almost got me sent home through no fault of my own. Not fun. LOL!

[ltsax]

In an attempt to distract everyone from the lack of notifications, I would be curious to learn which programs have a language requirement and everyone's thoughts about the best way of learning foreign languages. 

[tapenalani]

Quick question! I just learned today that I am the Dean's Medalist for my school so I was wondering if it was worth mentioning new awards to either my institutional contact at my university or Fulbright? 

[meowsica]

In an attempt to distract everyone from the lack of notifications, I would be curious to learn which programs have a language requirement and everyone's thoughts about the best way of learning foreign languages. 

 

the program i applied for asks for one year of language study/a novice level.

 

for me, the best way to improve my foreign language skills has always been immersion. i studied abroad in beijing and my mandarin improved leaps and bounds just because i was forced to use it (my program made us sign a language pledge). having friends my own age who were native mandarin speakers and could teach me slang & how to really say things, instead of just textbook phrases, was also great. i also tried really really hard to not be afraid to start conversations with people in mandarin. like on the bullet train to nanjing one weekend i spent the whole 4 hours stretching my chinese to its limits to talk to the guy sitting next to me.

 

i think the only way to really improve is to get over the fear of being wrong and just chatter away as much as you can. i'll sometimes speak to myself in mandarin or korean, just to practice. adding a little alcohol into the situation if you dig that never hurts, either, because it makes you less nervous

[RosyPosy68]

In an attempt to distract everyone from the lack of notifications, I would be curious to learn which programs have a language requirement and everyone's thoughts about the best way of learning foreign languages. 

YES! I love this topic. Even though it's not technically relevant to my Fulbright (UK....enough said...), Languages/Linguistics are my favorite! ( Just background-- I have a minor in a foreign language and my research is in a category of language acquisition)

 

 

So the person I know that is here from Germany for the year had basic foundations of English grammar in high school, but mostly learned by watching youtube videos in English with German subtitles, and then gradually switching to English subtitles.  Because languages are cool and fun and awesome (!!!) and since I don't have a language to learn for Fulbright, I have been trying to learn German lately, too, to help keep my occupied until I start school again. 

 

 

Without a doubt, the most important component of language learning--whether it's your first or fifth language-- is communication. Eventually, you NEED someone to talk to in that language in order to become fluent. There are tons of ways to do this: language exchange websites (my friend used LiveMocha to improve her Spanish before moving to Spain), tutors, friends speaking that language, etc.  In fact, that's why I picked German! I was trying to learn a different language, but I didn't know a single person who spoke it.  Now that I have someone to talk to... bam! next language!  I think ideally I'd take a class at a language school, but I'm waiting to see how much money I'll have next year, because they're super expensive. 

 

 

These are some of my methods that I like, though:

 

-Pimsleur! It's a website/program/app (a bit expensive, but helpful) that is a listening/responding based exercise in 30 minute "lessons". I like to play them in the car on my commute. I've been told by aforementioned-German-speaker that the way they teach it is hilariously formal and not QUITE how people talk, but it does help with pronunciation and word order and other confusing things.  

 

 

-FREE APPS! Yay! Technology is awesome. Duolingo has a free app that's basically vocab and sentence games.  It's really helpful. For German, there's also a free vocab app through the Goethe Institut that has vocab flashcards alphabetically and by TELC level (A1, A2, etc). I make all sorts of charts to memorize these words, and I like labeling things with sticky notes around my house and office, too. 

 

Now that I have some more background, I've been starting to watch my favorite movies in German.  I already know all of the words in English, so it's a good way to learn conversational phrasing and stuff.  (Shoutout to Bailey24 for the awesome advice)

 

the program i applied for asks for one year of language study/a novice level.

 

for me, the best way to improve my foreign language skills has always been immersion. i studied abroad in beijing and my mandarin improved leaps and bounds just because i was forced to use it (my program made us sign a language pledge). having friends my own age who were native mandarin speakers and could teach me slang & how to really say things, instead of just textbook phrases, was also great. i also tried really really hard to not be afraid to start conversations with people in mandarin. like on the bullet train to nanjing one weekend i spent the whole 4 hours stretching my chinese to its limits to talk to the guy sitting next to me.

 

i think the only way to really improve is to get over the fear of being wrong and just chatter away as much as you can. i'll sometimes speak to myself in mandarin or korean, just to practice. adding a little alcohol into the situation if you dig that never hurts, either, because it makes you less nervous

 

DEFINITELY agree with mewosica, though.  The hardest but most important part is to keep trying. Of course it’s awkward and embarrassing when you know you’re saying things wrong. But force it anyway. You’ll get more comfortable eventually! (Or so I keep telling myself) I will randomly run sentences by The German Speaker to see if they make sense or if I am pronouncing things correctly. Now that TGS has given up on trying to perfect my "ch" or "r" sounds, our conversations have become quite productive! 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2015 by RosyPosy68

[ltsax]

Quick question! I just learned today that I am the Dean's Medalist for my school so I was wondering if it was worth mentioning new awards to either my institutional contact at my university or Fulbright? 

I just received a fellowship to study Japanese at Middlebury Language School so my Fulbright Adviser told me to email the regional coordinator (Johnathan Akeley (sp?) in my case) to briefly inform him. However, this is directly related to my qualifications to conduct my project. Thus, I would only email them if the Dean's Medalist award speaks to  your ability to conduct your project.

[jadesg1]

In an attempt to distract everyone from the lack of notifications, I would be curious to learn which programs have a language requirement and everyone's thoughts about the best way of learning foreign languages. 

Hi there,

I've been trying to post less on this forum because I feel like I'm on here way too much (read: I KNOW I'm on here way too much) but I love this question! 

My program (Jordan ETA) doesn't have a language requirement per se, but it does recommend one year of Arabic study. I took a year of Arabic at my University and studied abroad in Morocco during undergrad, as well as interned in Palestine for about three months immediately following graduation. 

I know that this is probably fairly cliche, but linguistic and cultural immersion is truly the best way to become proficient in a foreign language. This has also been backed up far-and-wide by linguistic scholars (my own major was Linguistics in college). 

This doesn't necessarily mean you need to leave the country to work on your language, depending on circumstances - although I'd always recommend finding a way to swing a stint outside of the US. For example, if Spanish is your target language, finding a nonprofit to volunteer with that serves immigrants might be a way to practice as you simultaneously take lessons/classes. After taking a year of college Spanish in high school, I found it very beneficial to practice the language in my AmeriCorps role during my gap year as many of my students were Spanish-speaking ELL kids.

Further, online resources such as ConversationExchange.com are incredibly helpful if you're willing to be consistent with it. I met one of my great friends through this, and he visited me in Seattle last year. I'll also be going to Colombia relatively soon to see him, as well! You never know what will happen. 

Hope this helps. Good luck. 

Edited March 12, 2015 by jadesg1

[rockermaster]

In an attempt to distract everyone from the lack of notifications, I would be curious to learn which programs have a language requirement and everyone's thoughts about the best way of learning foreign languages. 

 

 

So, generally the Irish programs don't require it. Y'know, being in Ireland and all. But I applied for a grant in the Irish language, so I have to have had 2 years of study, and have to take a placement test before hand. As has already been said, immersion is a great way to go. As soon as you are able, start speaking with natives, even if you make mistakes! Make sure to write, too, and listen to radio, watch movies, etc. in your target language.

 

 

YES! I love this topic. Even though it's not technically relevant to my Fulbright (UK....enough said...), Languages/Linguistics are my favorite! ( Just background-- I have a minor in a foreign language and my research is in a category of language acquisition)

 

 

Your Fulbright proposal is related to language acquisition? That's awesome. Linguistics is an interest of mine, but something my school didn't offer, sadly. However, my proposal was related to sociolinguistics (don't know if we're allowed to talk about our proposals or not..)

[ltsax]

the program i applied for asks for one year of language study/a novice level.

 

for me, the best way to improve my foreign language skills has always been immersion. i studied abroad in beijing and my mandarin improved leaps and bounds just because i was forced to use it (my program made us sign a language pledge). having friends my own age who were native mandarin speakers and could teach me slang & how to really say things, instead of just textbook phrases, was also great. i also tried really really hard to not be afraid to start conversations with people in mandarin. like on the bullet train to nanjing one weekend i spent the whole 4 hours stretching my chinese to its limits to talk to the guy sitting next to me.

 

i think the only way to really improve is to get over the fear of being wrong and just chatter away as much as you can. i'll sometimes speak to myself in mandarin or korean, just to practice. adding a little alcohol into the situation if you dig that never hurts, either, because it makes you less nervous

Are you learning Korean and Chinese at the same time? Thats sound really cool, but also pretty hard lol. Besides Japanese, I would love to be able to speak Korean one day, but the thought of learning 2 Asian languages at once sounds difficult. I also really agree that you can't be afraid to make mistakes. When I studied abroad in Japan, as a perfectionist, I would often shy away from speaking to natives because of the fear of making a fool of myself (even though I still managed to do that  a few times lol). Once of my goals going forward will definitely be to put myself out there more often.

[kconhead]

In an attempt to distract everyone from the lack of notifications, I would be curious to learn which programs have a language requirement and everyone's thoughts about the best way of learning foreign languages. 

 

IMMERSION IMMERSION IMMERSION.

 

i went from not speaking a word of German to speaking almost like a native in 11 months. Whenever I go back, people are surprised to hear that I am from America (if they think I have an accent, it's always that the think I am from Netherlands) and I honestly believe it's because I refused to speak English the entire time I was abroad. The more you speak, the more you HAVE to know, and I have found that being shameless in asking questions really helps.

 

I found that learning sentence structure and a few basic verb conjugations really helped me (to be, to have, to do/make), and then I could just fill in vocabulary from there.

 

My latin teacher had always touted that an understanding of latin and how languages function would help us immensely in learning a new language, and I agree with that completely. I could always ask someone quickly if a certain verb took the dative or the genitive, which was a solid and quick way of learning grammar. I just needed to note it in a small book that I carried with me and it was in my brain. Also, an understanding of sentence structure (and thereby, the parts of the sentence) given to me in 3rd grade english classes and reinforced in my high school latin classes helped tremendously.

[viggosloof28]

I definitely agree with kconhead.  My four months of total immersion in the Goethe Institutes in Berlin and Schwaebisch Hall did more for my German than all the classes I took in US schools combined!

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

We all must be kindred spirits! Immersion is definitely the best method of language study. The two official languages for my country are Russian and Romanian. I studied Russian for four years in a standard classroom setting and then to acquire Romanian language skills, I spent two months last summer in Romania for an intensive language program. As a result, I am far more comfortable speaking Romanian than I am speaking Russian, despite having a better grasp of Russian vocabulary and grammar.

I also second the comment that studying Latin provides a big advantage in language learning, especially when it comes to understanding grammar!

Edited March 12, 2015 by RRachel1

[meowsica]

Are you learning Korean and Chinese at the same time? Thats sound really cool, but also pretty hard lol. Besides Japanese, I would love to be able to speak Korean one day, but the thought of learning 2 Asian languages at once sounds difficult. I also really agree that you can't be afraid to make mistakes. When I studied abroad in Japan, as a perfectionist, I would often shy away from speaking to natives because of the fear of making a fool of myself (even though I still managed to do that  a few times lol). Once of my goals going forward will definitely be to put myself out there more often.

 

i am! i started learning chinese first, so my chinese is much more advanced than my korean. i think it helps sometimes, because korean has some sino-influenced vocabulary that i can recognize here and there. but overall i wouldn't say it's too hard. i don't know much about japanese, but chinese and korean are hugely different in terms of grammar structures, pronunciation, writing systems, etc. so i don't find myself making mix ups too often!

 

here's a couple of links that might be more useful for those learning asian languages, since duolingo/etc don't feature them yet:

• Memrise: focused solely on vocabulary memorization. really helpful for learning chinese characters, but for other languages too!

• Human Japanese ($): i've never used this but my friends/sister/etc. swear by their computer program & cell phone app.

• TalkToMeInKorean: obviously only for korean learners. they have free audio and text lessons, as well as a regularly-updated youtube channel. super, super helpful and easy to use.

• HelloTalk: a cell phone app that connects you with people from across the world and allows you to chat and language learn together!

• Lang-8: you write a journal entry in the language you're learning, and then native speakers correct it. then you return the favor for those learning english!

• Pleco: the very best chinese-english dictionary app available! it was my very best friend while i was abroad.

• A big ole' list of Asian language learning resources.

Edited March 12, 2015 by meowsica

[waiting279]

Immersion is great, but especially when it's not possible, don't underestimate old-fashioned reading, sometimes with a dictionary for exactness and sometimes without for general gist / fluency. Reading is a terrific way to improve your vocabulary, as you can often guess the meanings of new words upon repeated exposure, and you tend to internalize sentence structure, too.

 

It sounds cheesy, but if you're in the country and have access to a library, start with children's books and gradually work your way up. Or, find books you've already read in English that either originate in or are translated into language X. Another tip is Wikipedia since you can find most any topic in any language.

Edited March 12, 2015 by waiting279