chethedoctor Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Rosy I hope you get the chance to work with the professor.
RosyPosy68 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Rosy I hope you get the chance to work with the professor. Thank you! I wish you the best of luck on your interview! Here's to hoping we both end up in the UK this fall!
umamam Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 That is a huge bummer. An advisor should have known to tell you. Did you apply for DAAD? Might be a better bet. Yup! And a few other sources, so I should be okay. I should have read the fine print better, myself, but I find it odd that it is only mentioned in one place; this must apply to many other graduate students applying for Fulbright.
mylime Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) Hi all! I'm yet another lurker drawn out by a recommendation (Spain ETA) and the anxiety of waiting. I had a question: is there a place where the stipend by country/type of grant is stated? I'd like to have an idea of how much my partner and I might want to start putting aside now for any additional living expenses, should I receive the grant. Edited February 4, 2015 by mylime
larajean_p Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Hi all, Until recently, I had done a reasonably good job of not checking this forum too often. Unfortunately, that self-restraint vanished a couple weeks ago when I found out that I was recommended to the next round for the ETA in Germany. So here I am lurking in full force. Reading the above comment and others where applicants discussed listing their city preferences has me a bit confused. I literally have no recollection of stating city preferences. Do you think I would have been able to submit the application had I left those fields blank? Or am I just completely forgetting filling this out? In the same vein, if we're chosen for a Fulbright, are we notified of our placement immediately or does that take more time? Hi bluestraveler, There was a little note specifying for Germany ETA students to put their preferences where it said "Proposed host country affiliation" or something like that, but it was optional. I think generally speaking, we get notified in mid/late March, and then the notification come in a spottier fashion. I think we all get them sometime during the months of April/May.
perfluidity Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Yup! And a few other sources, so I should be okay. I should have read the fine print better, myself, but I find it odd that it is only mentioned in one place; this must apply to many other graduate students applying for Fulbright. True. Best of luck to you on your other applications.
alifbaarbie Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Which country are you applying to? Is it skype or telephone? I am preparing with Skype practice, mock interview, and reading up some more on my application. I didn't anticipate this either... but I think we will be prepared. After all, the application process was SO extensive that we must all be fairly familiar with our applications by now. Im applying to Greece. It is a Skype interview. I am not sure what exactly to expect for this interview, but like you said...I am pretty familiar with my application so I shouldn't have to worry this much. I think I'm freaking out because I did not expect it at ALL. We shall overcome...... Lol.
thefairhelen Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Im applying to Greece. It is a Skype interview. I am not sure what exactly to expect for this interview, but like you said...I am pretty familiar with my application so I shouldn't have to worry this much. I think I'm freaking out because I did not expect it at ALL. We shall overcome...... Lol. Yes we shall! I had my mock interview today. It was incredibly helpful, and I would encourage you to set one up as well. My professors' questions helped me think about the points of my application that I hope to highlight, as well as things I should prepare to explain. They also told me things about Skype etiquette that I had never heard... just little things like look right into the camera, prepare a short introduction, wear a good headset, etc. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck!
pterosaur Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 I'm not doing a Fulbright interview, but I did a lot of fellowship interviews in late fall, including a Skype interview for the Mitchell. I think it reduces the stress level to be in a familiar setting rather than walking into a totally unfamiliar place for an in-person interview. A couple of things about Skype interviews: Make sure you're in a quiet, well-lit room (so you're not backlit). Try to look at the camera so that it looks to them like you're making eye contact. Put the camera higher up than normal. (For me this meant putting my laptop on a stack of books.) The camera-from-below angle is not flattering, and having it higher up will make you sit up straighter. Do a test call with someone to make sure your video and audio are good over your connection. If you can, connect to wired instead of wireless internet. For the interview: Do a mock interview if you can! It's hugely helpful. The fellowships office at my school set up a couple for me with professors I didn't know to simulate that unfamiliarity. If you can't do that, just have someone ask you some questions and practice responding. It'll give you a lot more confidence going in. My interviews included questions along these lines: Why did you pick the university you're currently attending for undergrad? Tell me about your research, and why it matters. (I'm a science major.) Why do you want to go to XYZ university? Why this fellowship? How do you hope this experience will benefit you in the long term? What do you want your contribution will be to your field? Who is a figure you admire in your field? There will also likely be questions specific to your experiences and field, so think about what's unusual or unique on your resume that they'll want to know more about. (I got asked about curling at one of my interviews.) I don't know of the Fulbright asking off-the-wall questions, but for the Marshall they asked me about what I thought of mandatory Ebola quarantine.
RosyPosy68 Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Yes we shall! I had my mock interview today. It was incredibly helpful, and I would encourage you to set one up as well. My professors' questions helped me think about the points of my application that I hope to highlight, as well as things I should prepare to explain. They also told me things about Skype etiquette that I had never heard... just little things like look right into the camera, prepare a short introduction, wear a good headset, etc. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck! That's great information! I definitely agree that the most important thing is to look right into the camera. It feels like eye contact. I had a Skype interview for a research internship this summer. It was a bit awkward, just because there were two people interviewing me trying to fit onto the screen together, and it felt a little artificial. However, if you expect it to feel artificial and just accept that it will never be quite the same as interviewing in person, then you should be fine. If you don't skype with friends often, I recommend practicing skyping with people you know a few times first, so that you are used to seeing other people (and yourself!) in that situation. I don't think I executed the interview perfectly, and there are a lot of things I would like to do differently, if given the opportunity for a Fulbright interview, but I did get the internship position. I guess I did something right! Other suggestions: Always pause briefly before answering a question! Sometimes there is a slight lag between sides, and you do not want to end up speaking over the person interviewing you. Even if there is not a lag, it gives you a moment to collect your thoughts instead of rushing into an answer. Keep one, small list of bullet points near you to jog your memory. You don't want to be shuffling papers or looking down very often, but if you forget one of your points, it may be helpful. (I'm curious to hear other people's opinions on this method, though!) I had a whole notebook in front of me in my last interview and when I got nervous, I started frantically looking through things. Please don't do this! I know I looked SO unprofessional. If you are worried about confidence, set yourself up so that you can stand during the interview instead of sitting. This may sound absurd, but there is something about standing that makes you feel you are owning what you are saying. That being said, I can only stand during phone interviews-- I move too much to stand still while someone is watching me! Practice telling your friends (via skype!) about your project, about the country you want to do it in, and about yourself. Have a friend ask you a question or two you are not expecting. Practice collecting your thoughts and answering calmly. I think this is the most important: Be Sincere. Don't lie, don't tell them what you think they want to hear. They will be able to tell, and it won't look good for you! If they ask what you like to do in your free time, and it's going out for a drink with your friends, don't tell them you spend your time reading encyclopedias or creating plans for world peace! Find a way to explain who you actually are with diplomacy. Think about how your actual identity fits the bill for a Fulbrighter and practice describing yourself that way. Dress like you were going to an interview in person! Except.... My trick is that if I already know they can't see my legs, I wear sweatpants with my blazer and sweater. That's my own personal comfort zone. Find something that works for you! Good luck everyone! This community has helped me so much... I wish there were Fulbrights for all of us
RosyPosy68 Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Speaking of interviews, I have to pass on my good news for today! I just received my interview invitation for the UK! Gulp!
RosyPosy68 Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Hi all! I'm yet another lurker drawn out by a recommendation (Spain ETA) and the anxiety of waiting. I had a question: is there a place where the stipend by country/type of grant is stated? I'd like to have an idea of how much my partner and I might want to start putting aside now for any additional living expenses, should I receive the grant. Hi Lime! I got excited when I saw Sociolinguistics under your name! My interest is Psycholinguistics, but one of my most influential mentors is a Sociolinguist. Good luck in your studies, and I'd love to chat about your program/research if you want to PM me sometime! As far as Spain ETA goes, are you familiar with the Cultural Ambassadors Program? Of course, it does not have the same prestige or honor as the Fulbright program, but if you are set on teaching English in Spain for a year, it is definitely an excellent, nearly fool-proof back up plan. You receive approximately 900Euro/month, depending on your region of placement, and you are placed in a primary or secondary school to provide English Conversation practice. My best friend has been doing this in Madrid for 2 years now, and is about to renew for a 3rd year. Actually, one of the other assistants at her school doing the same thing she is doing is a Fulbright ETA! Applications aren't due until April, so if you want something productive to do to pass the time until you hear about Fulbright, that's definitely an option! Good luck! If you haven't been to Spain before, you are in for a treat (I'm just assuming you and your partner will end up there!) It's an amazing place with wonderful people (and food..and mountains..and language...and music...) mylime 1
Oliebollen Posted February 5, 2015 Author Posted February 5, 2015 Hi all! I'm yet another lurker drawn out by a recommendation (Spain ETA) and the anxiety of waiting. I had a question: is there a place where the stipend by country/type of grant is stated? I'd like to have an idea of how much my partner and I might want to start putting aside now for any additional living expenses, should I receive the grant. I was looking for numbers on award amounts today... they don't seem to exist! There seem to be a lot of factors involved (project needs, funding allocations year-to-year, whether you have dependents, etc.) I think this figure would a really good candidate for grantees to add to the spreadsheet, myself! mylime 1
thefairhelen Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 I'm not doing a Fulbright interview, but I did a lot of fellowship interviews in late fall, including a Skype interview for the Mitchell. I think it reduces the stress level to be in a familiar setting rather than walking into a totally unfamiliar place for an in-person interview. A couple of things about Skype interviews: Make sure you're in a quiet, well-lit room (so you're not backlit). Try to look at the camera so that it looks to them like you're making eye contact. Put the camera higher up than normal. (For me this meant putting my laptop on a stack of books.) The camera-from-below angle is not flattering, and having it higher up will make you sit up straighter. Do a test call with someone to make sure your video and audio are good over your connection. If you can, connect to wired instead of wireless internet. For the interview: Do a mock interview if you can! It's hugely helpful. The fellowships office at my school set up a couple for me with professors I didn't know to simulate that unfamiliarity. If you can't do that, just have someone ask you some questions and practice responding. It'll give you a lot more confidence going in. My interviews included questions along these lines: Why did you pick the university you're currently attending for undergrad? Tell me about your research, and why it matters. (I'm a science major.) Why do you want to go to XYZ university? Why this fellowship? How do you hope this experience will benefit you in the long term? What do you want your contribution will be to your field? Who is a figure you admire in your field? There will also likely be questions specific to your experiences and field, so think about what's unusual or unique on your resume that they'll want to know more about. (I got asked about curling at one of my interviews.) I don't know of the Fulbright asking off-the-wall questions, but for the Marshall they asked me about what I thought of mandatory Ebola quarantine. That's great information! I definitely agree that the most important thing is to look right into the camera. It feels like eye contact. I had a Skype interview for a research internship this summer. It was a bit awkward, just because there were two people interviewing me trying to fit onto the screen together, and it felt a little artificial. However, if you expect it to feel artificial and just accept that it will never be quite the same as interviewing in person, then you should be fine. If you don't skype with friends often, I recommend practicing skyping with people you know a few times first, so that you are used to seeing other people (and yourself!) in that situation. I don't think I executed the interview perfectly, and there are a lot of things I would like to do differently, if given the opportunity for a Fulbright interview, but I did get the internship position. I guess I did something right! Other suggestions: Always pause briefly before answering a question! Sometimes there is a slight lag between sides, and you do not want to end up speaking over the person interviewing you. Even if there is not a lag, it gives you a moment to collect your thoughts instead of rushing into an answer. Keep one, small list of bullet points near you to jog your memory. You don't want to be shuffling papers or looking down very often, but if you forget one of your points, it may be helpful. (I'm curious to hear other people's opinions on this method, though!) I had a whole notebook in front of me in my last interview and when I got nervous, I started frantically looking through things. Please don't do this! I know I looked SO unprofessional. If you are worried about confidence, set yourself up so that you can stand during the interview instead of sitting. This may sound absurd, but there is something about standing that makes you feel you are owning what you are saying. That being said, I can only stand during phone interviews-- I move too much to stand still while someone is watching me! Practice telling your friends (via skype!) about your project, about the country you want to do it in, and about yourself. Have a friend ask you a question or two you are not expecting. Practice collecting your thoughts and answering calmly. I think this is the most important: Be Sincere. Don't lie, don't tell them what you think they want to hear. They will be able to tell, and it won't look good for you! If they ask what you like to do in your free time, and it's going out for a drink with your friends, don't tell them you spend your time reading encyclopedias or creating plans for world peace! Find a way to explain who you actually are with diplomacy. Think about how your actual identity fits the bill for a Fulbrighter and practice describing yourself that way. Dress like you were going to an interview in person! Except.... My trick is that if I already know they can't see my legs, I wear sweatpants with my blazer and sweater. That's my own personal comfort zone. Find something that works for you! Good luck everyone! This community has helped me so much... I wish there were Fulbrights for all of us Thank you both! This is incredibly helpful. Congrats on getting an interview, Rosy, and good luck!
SMartin11879 Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 Hi all, Until recently, I had done a reasonably good job of not checking this forum too often. Unfortunately, that self-restraint vanished a couple weeks ago when I found out that I was recommended to the next round for the ETA in Germany. So here I am lurking in full force. Reading the above comment and others where applicants discussed listing their city preferences has me a bit confused. I literally have no recollection of stating city preferences. Do you think I would have been able to submit the application had I left those fields blank? Or am I just completely forgetting filling this out? In the same vein, if we're chosen for a Fulbright, are we notified of our placement immediately or does that take more time? Hi bluestraveler, Like Larajean_p said, I also believe this preference section was optional. I am not sure if there will be another opportunity for one to state preference, but if you do have a strong preference and find out you have been accepted on the Germany side, you could probably get in contact with someone there to figure it out. I commend your lurking and will most likely be doing so on a weekly basis myself! It is all very exciting, and it is nice to share in the entire spectrum of emotions we all will/might feel during this second waiting process. At any rate, if you aren't sure you entered anything for that section, you can always peak back at your Embark application, as they are still viewable.
Oliebollen Posted February 6, 2015 Author Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) I emailed my FPA to ask if she had any insight on whether China interviews recommended candidates, and she sent me a list of all the countries who have done interviews in the past (though she said there's no guarantee a country that's not on the list won't start): Andorra TA Australia Bangladesh & ETA Colombia & ETA Mexico, business, and ETA Nepal & TA Norway & ETA Russia & ETA UK Edited February 6, 2015 by Oliebollen
Dostoprimechatel'nosti Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 I emailed my FPA to ask if she had any insight on whether China interviews recommended candidates, and she sent me a list of all the countries who have done interviews in the past (though she said there's no guarantee a country that's not on the list won't start): Andorra TA Australia Bangladesh & ETA Colombia & ETA Mexico, business, and ETA Nepal & TA Norway & ETA Russia & ETA UK Yes! I was visiting my FPA to hand in some transcripts and the first thing he brought up were the interviews! (I'm guessing the FPAs share information with one another as much as we do) We are both positive that my country won't interview this year, but he mentioned that Greece and Poland are both unexpectedly interviewing finalists this application season.
SoundandVision Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 I emailed my FPA to ask if she had any insight on whether China interviews recommended candidates, and she sent me a list of all the countries who have done interviews in the past (though she said there's no guarantee a country that's not on the list won't start): Andorra TA Australia Bangladesh & ETA Colombia & ETA Mexico, business, and ETA Nepal & TA Norway & ETA Russia & ETA UK So helpful! thank you for posting! I thought most of the Latin American countries did this but it sounds like its much less widespread than I thought. I'm breathing a bit easier about not hearing about an interview.
larajean_p Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 Noticed that these statistics were apparently last updated in February 2014... http://us.fulbrightonline.org/eta-grant-application-statistics Does this mean we'll get to see the number of applicants and projected number of placements for 2015 - 2016 soon?
chethedoctor Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 Do we know if this is the number of applicants in relation to the number of projected placements or the recommended number and the projected placement?
waiting279 Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) I emailed my FPA to ask if she had any insight on whether China interviews recommended candidates, and she sent me a list of all the countries who have done interviews in the past (though she said there's no guarantee a country that's not on the list won't start): Andorra TA Australia Bangladesh & ETA Colombia & ETA Mexico, business, and ETA Nepal & TA Norway & ETA Russia & ETA UK Thanks! I hadn't paid attention to it before, but apparently there's a column in the spreadsheet called Country Interview Date. Let's keep it updated (and mark something like "none so far" if you haven't been contacted about an interview). If you don't want to give an exact date for any reason, feel free to be approximate or just write "yes." Edited February 7, 2015 by waiting279
waiting279 Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 Noticed that these statistics were apparently last updated in February 2014... http://us.fulbrightonline.org/eta-grant-application-statistics Does this mean we'll get to see the number of applicants and projected number of placements for 2015 - 2016 soon? Good catch! The study/research grant statistics are apparently from January 2014, so perhaps they're due to be updated, too... http://us.fulbrightonline.org/studyresearch-grant-application-statistics
schmokay Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 Do we know if this is the number of applicants in relation to the number of projected placements or the recommended number and the projected placement? I think it's total initial applicants.
comrade18 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 Does anybody know the questions that are asked for those who are applying to be an ETA? I've been invited for an interview for the ETA program in Russia. It is supposed to be a "language test" in which the interview is conducted in Russian. I've heard a lot of different things, from it just being very, very basic Russian conversation, to it being more complicated and getting into your reasons for wanting to teach, what you'll do with your students, etc. Are the language interviews split between English and the language of the host country? Does anyone have any idea what I'll be facing? Thanks!
saritaf3 Posted February 9, 2015 Posted February 9, 2015 I was looking for numbers on award amounts today... they don't seem to exist! There seem to be a lot of factors involved (project needs, funding allocations year-to-year, whether you have dependents, etc.) I think this figure would a really good candidate for grantees to add to the spreadsheet, myself! Hey guys! The Spain info is here: http://fulbright.es/convocatorias/ver/1431/english-teaching-assistantships-comunidad-de-madrid/2015-2016 For people looking for other countries, try checking the country websites instead of the US site for something similar! mylime 1
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