Boren 2015 - 2016

[triscuit]

I really have my heart set on winning the Boren Fellowship. I am applying to study Korean in Seoul. I've lived in Seoul for the past 4 years and am really passionate and knowledgeable about Korean culture and language. I never got the chance to immerse myself in Korean as much as I've wanted to because I've been teaching full time in the past four years. Getting the Boren would allow me to devote all of my time towards Korean which would be so fantastic.

Who else applied? What language and country did you apply for? I'm a little bit worried because I requested for them to open my application a few times after submitting it... the first time I was confused about the "99% complete" thing... some instructions on the website said to click "submit" to see what is missing if it doesn't show that the application is 100%. The other time was when I received an edit from a former fellow late and wanted to revise my essays with her suggestions since they were really valuable. I need to call them and ask if they can do it again because I made a stupid typo when I edited it last time that I didn't catch before I submitted it and want to add more about my professional experience in the non-essay part of the app. I keep submitting it thinking I'm finished after proofreading it a million times but what I've learned is that proofreading it a million times almost makes it worse! Will asking them to open it again look bad? Do they have a record of that kind of thing? I'm going to call them tonight (Korean time) and ask. I'm so worried! 

Anyway, good luck everyone!

[zephyri]

Hi Triscuit,

 

I really wouldn't worry about multiple re-submits.  While the person who had to open it for you probably wasn't thrilled it shouldn't matter in terms of application review.  I ran the regional hub of a major national scholarship for three years, and like most programs, we kept the administration largely separate from the application review process.  From what I understand about Boren, they first have our applications (I applied too!) vetted by committees of regional experts (ie Asia, Middle East, etc), and then some applications go on to the final stage where they are evaluated together with applications for study in all regions.  It just doesn't follow that someone in the IIE office who re-opened your application, would be the same person judging your application when they all go out for review.  For the scholarship I managed, I would make sure all the applications were in order (printing, making them available online) and then send the applications to the committee.  When I did give input on specific candidates, it was on the substance of the application (not the process).  To be honest, so many applicants called/emailed me questions during the lead up to the deadline, that I couldn't remember who had asked me what when it came to application review.

 

I hope this helps, and good luck (to both of us!)

[Chiri12]

Hey- I applied too. I was able to get mine in this last week after almost 8 months of working on it. That letter of affiliation was KILLER to get, but the representative from Boren who came to my school stressed the importance of it, so I worked and it came in a week before the deadline. Now it is waiting time. I think my application was complete and hopefully I made a good case. Let's see! Good luck all!!

[triscuit]

Really? The university I plan to study Korean at refused to give me the letter because I am "not yet a student" so they said that it was illegal unless I paid the tuition. I thought that the letter of affiliation was optional? I do have a recommendation letter from the director of the language program there. I hope that is good enough.

8 months? Wow. I decided to apply in early December and worked on it relentlessly until I finally submitted it the night before the 27th. Good luck to us all.

[Chiri12]

Yea, it was a force getting them. I had to do some inventive work to get the letters from organizations. I got two- one from a language school and one from the organization that I will hopefully be working with. If you only knew how long it took to get. Yea, I heard about the Boren Fellowship last year at an event that I went to at my campus and I immediately knew it was for me. So then I started looking for countries and organizations and wrote and re-wrote my app, that is what took so long.

 

It literally is killing me waiting and it has only been a week!

[triscuit]

Oh my god, I know! I just looked at the date and thought "It's ONLY been 11 DAYS?!" This wait is going to kill me. I want to be fluent in Korean so badly even if my Korean s/o refuses to speak to me in Korean and only wants to use English, hahaha. I will force him to use Korean with me! If you want to gripe about the wait with me, you can message me on What's App What country/language did you apply for?

[kbui]

Hey, quick question about the Boren Fellowship.

 

Can it be used for (almost) purely language study? Or does it have to connect to a research project that you'll be able to complete while in the host country and at the university you'll be at? Or do they not require it but it's suggested that you have a research project?

[zephyri]

Hi Kbui,

 

I think it really depends on where you are in your graduate career.  If you are a first or second year PhD student, language study alone might be ok (paired with an internship to practice), but if you are a 2nd year MA or nearing the end of your PhD it makes more sense to be doing research while overseas improving your language skills.  When in doubt, it's better to make a strong case for just language study (if that's all you know you want to do at this point), tying it to your future plans (whatever they may be, inside or outside academia), rather than trying to build in a half-hearted research plan just because it seems like they might want that.  

 

A good place to look would be previous Boren alumni who studied/researched in the country you are applying to.  That way you can see if any successful applicants focused on language study only- and how you might make your case along those lines.

[zephyri]

Got the "updates to budget" email today, at 12:24 EST.  Message says it was sent to all Boren applicants, and reminded us that notification is in late April.  As we know from years past, this e-mail doesn't mean anything about our applications.  

[triscuit]

You just beat me to it. I just received the email now and got a little excited. I read that whole thread from last year or two years ago when everyone was agonizing about it. I guess we still don't know if it means anything or not, but from what I can remember, only one person on the forum who didn't get the budget email ended up getting the scholarship/fellowship. But that's not representative of the whole pool of applicants. Best just to be patient and not think about the email, I guess.

Edited February 24, 2015 by triscuit

[Chiri12]

Can there be two updated budget emails? It seems too soon as the first review committee dosent meet until March, correct? It seems after that, that people receive the email about the budget update and then it goes to the national committee for submission and approval. Who know!?... Two other things... did you fill out the survey yesterday? Is there any other active forum for the fellowship or just us?

[zephyri]

I filled out the evaluation survey on Monday, I think, but since they're anonymous, I don't think that had anything to do with the budget email (not sure if you were asking about them as connected matters).  I don't know about a second budget e-mail, but since triscuit and I both got the e-mail on the same day, it seems like they're doing it earlier this year.  This is the only forum that I know of... let me know if you see another.

[Chiri12]

I got the budget email as well from Mr. Saffle. Maybe they only had 3 applicants lol? I worked super hard on mine, a few months actually to put together everything. I really hope it works out. Funny thing is everyday since I submitted it, I have seen atleast one sign or mention of the country that I applied to in daily life. Good luck to us all!

[triscuit]

Chiri, what country/language did you apply for? I worked super hard on mine as well. Relentless editing and requests for others to edit. It was an obsession. Just know that if you don't get it, you tried your absolute best. That's what I'm telling myself.

[minayang]

Hello! I applied for the scholarship (year-long). I'm finishing up the domestic portion of the Korean Language Flagship Program here at University of Hawaii at Manoa. I'll be going abroad for the year at Korea University whether I get Boren or not since it's a requirement for my degree haha. 

 

I received the meaningless survey request, but I haven't received a request for updated budget information. I think it's still quite early for that. We'll probably get that within the next few weeks.

 

I've gone ahead and made the spreadsheet for this year's applicant information. Please enter your information! 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_kycc1BYMhveJA2WneFfNjwJkMLc5xZxDXUzcjZww9E/edit?usp=sharing

 

Thanks, and good luck to you all.

Edited February 28, 2015 by minayang

[triscuit]

Mina, some of us received the budget email already. We are suspecting that it has no indication whether or not we receive the fellowship. Thanks for making the spreadsheet!

Edited February 28, 2015 by triscuit

[contemplate]

I applied for Thailand/Burma and have never received any email about a budget update! I did receive their survey about the application, however. Are most people here fellowship applicants or scholarship applicants? I'm an undergrad, so I applied for the scholarship.

 

Also, I'm a bit worried that I won't receive the notification when the time comes since I'm currently studying abroad. Does anybody know if they only mail our letters of award or also email them? 

[Chiri12]

I applied for the fellowship. The last week of Feb. we received a budget update for minor changes (suspected that everyone actually receives this request, fellowship only maybe?) and the survey. I think everything gets emailed to us? Hopefully soon we get some word...

[zephyri]

Don't know when the notification date for the scholarship is, but the fellowship notification date is late April, according to the website.  Still more than a month out!  Notification is done over e-mail.   I think spring should be called rejection-and-occasional-acceptance season, because that's what it's always been throughout my life applying for various things- college, grad school, fellowships.  Already got two rejections on fellowships this year, so of course my hopes are rising as the Boren date grows nearer! 

[Chiri12]

Aww man, sorry to hear about the rejection. Positive thoughts about this fellowship. I put all my eggs in one basket for this. I was supposed to graduate in May, but deferred to the summer with just three classes to go. I am confident that I am going to get this that I am making sure that I can stay a full time student to do this fellowship. My only two concerns are- maybe I made a little spelling mistake on my app (I looked it over with a fine tooth comb, but who knows...) and my undergraduate GPA was not that great, but that was many many moons ago. My GPA now is almost a 4.0. All we can do now is wait. It is somewhat comforting to know other people are in the same shoes.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Chiri12

[Kosmosis707]

I applied for Thailand/Burma and have never received any email about a budget update! I did receive their survey about the application, however. Are most people here fellowship applicants or scholarship applicants? I'm an undergrad, so I applied for the scholarship.

 

Also, I'm a bit worried that I won't receive the notification when the time comes since I'm currently studying abroad. Does anybody know if they only mail our letters of award or also email them? 

 

Hi contemplate, 

 

I have been eyeing the Boren Fellowship for 2016-2017, as I am a recent admit for an MIA at UC San Diego.  I’m EXTREMELY interested in Burmese language, since it’s hard to find in the states.  What affiliated universities teach Burmese?  Or are you applying for Thai? Any pointers you could give would be greatly appreciated!

[contemplate]

Check your messages!

[shoft_el_ayam]

Hello everyone!! 

Can anyone help me out as to what this email means? I have read past forums and understood that not everyone gets these, some people got an email saying that it was sent out to ALL applicants and are requesting DATES. 

Appreciate it!

 

Dear ___________.

 

Thank you for submitting your National Security Education Program David L. Boren Scholarship application. Your application is being considered and final award decisions will be announced at the end of April 2015. If your study abroad program has an earlier deposit deadline, you may want to let them know that you are awaiting a decision from the Boren Scholarship.

 

If you are awarded a Boren Scholarship, you will be required to attend the Orientation and Convocation in Washington, DC on June 8^th and 9^th. If you are awarded, certain materials will need to be submitted before your first award disbursement would be issued.  In addition, you would need to purchase your airline tickets before receiving your first disbursement. Funding would then be distributed over the duration of the program and not in a single installment. Please plan accordingly.

 

As your application is being considered, we request that you provide IIE with additional information about your study abroad program costs and financial aid status.  The Boren Scholarship online system (https://nsep.iieweb.net/nsep/nseplogin.asp) allows you to submit the requested information electronically.  Applicants should use their original user name and password to log onto the system.  Please be sure to hit the “UPDATE” button in order to save the requested information online.

 

** PLEASE PROVIDE IIE WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION USING THE ONLINE SYSTEM BY 5:00PM EDT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015! **

 

A.      Cost of attendance at home institution – Please state your total cost to attend your current U.S. institution for one academic year.  Include tuition, room and board, books, etc. as appropriate. Do not subtract financial aid or scholarships/grants.

B.      Updated Financial Aid Information – If you receive financial aid, identify the total amount of financial aid that you receive for an academic year.  Include scholarships, grants, AND loans.

C.      Study Abroad Dates and Cost –The table lists your study abroad dates and costs as stated in your application.  You must contact your study abroad program to determine if anything has changed.  If so, enter the new dates or amounts in the space provided.  The program costs MUST be broken down into the following categories: 

• Cost of tuition and fees – If your home institution requires you to pay its tuition rather than the study abroad program costs, please include your home institution tuition costs in this field.
• Cost of room and board – This is housing and food. This should include costs incurred during program breaks if you are to remain in your host country.
• Cost of round-trip international airfare – Please remember that you must travel on a U.S. Airline as far as possible.
• Cost of books, insurance and local transportation.

 

Please be as accurate as possible in estimating these costs, keeping in mind that Boren does not select recipients based on their budgets.  If there is no change to the information listed, you will need to reenter the same dates/figures on the second column. If you budget was not previously broken down, please contact your study abroad provider to get the costs broken down into our categories.

 

D.      Study Abroad Financial Aid - identify the amount of financial aid that at this time you are certain you will receive for your proposed study abroad.  Do not include loans or tentative scholarships/grants.

 

Do not hesitate to call our office at 1-800-618-NSEP or emailboren@iie.org if you have any questions.  We look forward to receiving your updated information by 5:00PM EDT Wednesday, March 18. 

[zephyri]

Hi,

 

Looking at this e-mail, it seems like it's for scholarship (undergrad) applicants only, not fellowship (grad) applicants.  Makes sense that Boren would want all that info ahead of time, since the scholarship is for a formal study abroad program, and the fellowship is more varied in terms of program structure.

 

I hope that this e-mail bodes well for scholarship applicants, because it would be annoying to fill in all that info, and not get the award!

 

I think the confusion on e-mails about budget updates (and the one posted above) comes from the different sets of emails that scholarship and fellowship applicants get.  

Edited March 11, 2015 by zephyri

[Chiri12]

Could it be that the committees have already met and that we should be hearing soon?