Fulbright 2016 - 2017

[chethedoctor]

8 hours ago, Photogeographic said:

I will be photographing the use of honey bees as a mitigation technique in the human elephant conflict in Kenya. elephantsandbees.com

Oh hey I remember you from last year! I am really happy for you! How's your Swahili coming along? Excited about going to Kenya and doing what you love doing?  Your project is really interesting! Is there anyway I can follow the journey? Like a website or a blog?

Safari salama! 

 

[Dilemma1]

@chethedoctor I remember seeing your posts on last years thread!  Did you end up going to Leicester?  How are you liking the UK?

[cc2016sr2017]

The waiting is killing me! How is everyone else passing the time, especially seniors who may be applying to other jobs/scholarships? 

[Dilemma1]

10 hours ago, cc2016sr2017 said:

The waiting is killing me! How is everyone else passing the time, especially seniors who may be applying to other jobs/scholarships? 

I constantly check this page and the google sheet....which kind of helps lower the anxiety of the unknown.  For me I've had so much to do between internship applications, interviews with MA programs and work+school that I have mostly been kept pretty sane despite this strange limbo we find ourselves in.  I really want to know where I'll be next fall but everything is just up in the air! 

 

How have you been passing the time?

[awayfromhere]

10 hours ago, cc2016sr2017 said:

The waiting is killing me! How is everyone else passing the time, especially seniors who may be applying to other jobs/scholarships? 

Netflix, and lots of ice cream 

[Fifor]

Hey everyone! I am a semifinalist for a German research grant. My project will be incorpotated into their new cancer program at their research center. I am trying to learn German as fast as possible since I don't know any yet! 

Has anyone heard from the German Comission? A friend of a friend says they sometimes reach out for additional information. Might not be true

[cc2016sr2017]

3 hours ago, Dilemma1 said:

I constantly check this page and the google sheet....which kind of helps lower the anxiety of the unknown.  For me I've had so much to do between internship applications, interviews with MA programs and work+school that I have mostly been kept pretty sane despite this strange limbo we find ourselves in.  I really want to know where I'll be next fall but everything is just up in the air! 

 

How have you been passing the time?

Definitely a lot of checking this page and the google sheet as well, seeing who's been updating it and what new countries are represented. School and applications take up a lot of time as well, and I'm doing a thesis for one of my majors which takes up a lot of space in my mind. And I know I shouldn't, but I do a ton of research on my country and talk to people who have been there, and it's just getting me more excited, which I know is a dangerous thing!

[BlueberryScone22]

Has anyone else applied to both Fulbright and graduate school for the same year? I am very shocked to have been accepted into my first choice school, and also to be a Fulbright research semi-finalist. I'm going to speak with MIT about my situation soon, but am wondering if anyone has thoughts on this matter. I think they will let me defer, but it seems doubtful that I'll hear if I'm awarded the grant before the April 15th deadline. And in a way I might be more excited about MIT than Fulbright, but deferring wouldn't take away the opportunity. This is the best kind of problem to possibly have and I am truly overwhelmed! All thoughts welcome.

[Swingin_Sween]

Hey, has anyone heard back about their transcripts? I am assuming that if they didn't receive mine then they would have sent me an email, but I would like to be sure about this. Thanks

[LifeLearner]

The wait is definitely the hardest part. I check this and the spreadsheet, but I also have to remind myself not to obsess too much haha. I'm also not taking a heavy load this semester so I have more free time and less homework which means more time to be anxious and nervous (unfortunately)!

[sat0ri]

3 hours ago, BlueberryScone22 said:

Has anyone else applied to both Fulbright and graduate school for the same year? I am very shocked to have been accepted into my first choice school, and also to be a Fulbright research semi-finalist. I'm going to speak with MIT about my situation soon, but am wondering if anyone has thoughts on this matter. I think they will let me defer, but it seems doubtful that I'll hear if I'm awarded the grant before the April 15th deadline. And in a way I might be more excited about MIT than Fulbright, but deferring wouldn't take away the opportunity. This is the best kind of problem to possibly have and I am truly overwhelmed! All thoughts welcome.

So I think it is definitely possible, but I don't know about MIT specifically. Before deciding to do a master's degree abroad I looked into Harvard's policy on this. The website for Harvard Chemistry PhD FAQ's says the following:

"If I apply and am accepted, may I defer my admission for one year?

Requests to defer admission must be approved by the admissions committee. Generally, deferrals will only be approved for "notable" Fellowship Awards (e.g. Marshall, Fulbright, etc.), medical, and military reasons."

 

[wildchartermage]

5 hours ago, BlueberryScone22 said:

Has anyone else applied to both Fulbright and graduate school for the same year? I am very shocked to have been accepted into my first choice school, and also to be a Fulbright research semi-finalist. I'm going to speak with MIT about my situation soon, but am wondering if anyone has thoughts on this matter. I think they will let me defer, but it seems doubtful that I'll hear if I'm awarded the grant before the April 15th deadline. And in a way I might be more excited about MIT than Fulbright, but deferring wouldn't take away the opportunity. This is the best kind of problem to possibly have and I am truly overwhelmed! All thoughts welcome.

Congrats on that! Which country dd you apply for?

Btw, I was a MIT undergraduate student ('14) and I had applied for Italy fulbright research grant in this cycle. 

MIT's a great place with vibrant culture, and I'm sure you'll have great time there (other than the stress associated with studying..no place is perfect, but compared to other schools, I can't imagine my undergraduate experience elsewhere). I can say MIT has really spoiled me while I was there. 

I don't know about MIT's defer policy, but MIT has been supportive of Fulbrighters, and other winners of prestigious fellowships. Which program did you apply for? 

[BlueberryScone22]

Thanks @wildchartermage and @sat0ri ! I'm pretty sure it's allowed – we did discuss it briefly/ casually as a hypothetical possibility, and the response form has a defer option. I'm just more generally curious about the pros and cons of deferring or not. Of course, I don't know if I'll even get the Fulbright and don't want to overthink it beforehand, but at the same time I feel I'll need to make a decision fairly quickly because of deadlines. 

I think my (small-ish) reluctance is, that I'm very excited to be a part of a community of scholars in my field, whereas the Fulbright research path has the potential of being a bit lonely. But I still know that having nine months to focus on research is a huge privilege and one I'll surely miss once school starts. Really when I think about it, deferring makes perfect, logical sense, but I'm just so excited about MIT and don't want to wait!

@Satori Yes, thanks, I'm very excited about MIT – it feels like the perfect "fit." I applied to Croatia (so next to Italy!). 

[dude_diligence_]

13 hours ago, BlueberryScone22 said:

Has anyone else applied to both Fulbright and graduate school for the same year? I am very shocked to have been accepted into my first choice school, and also to be a Fulbright research semi-finalist. I'm going to speak with MIT about my situation soon, but am wondering if anyone has thoughts on this matter. I think they will let me defer, but it seems doubtful that I'll hear if I'm awarded the grant before the April 15th deadline. And in a way I might be more excited about MIT than Fulbright, but deferring wouldn't take away the opportunity. This is the best kind of problem to possibly have and I am truly overwhelmed! All thoughts welcome.

Congrats on the acceptance! I also applied to grad programs during this cycle in addition to the Fulbright. I think it's safe to say that our programs would grant us deferrals should we receive a Fulbright grant (fingers crossed!) From what I've been told, universities are pretty accommodating regarding academic fellowships. 

[Horb]

13 hours ago, pdelacru said:

Congrats on the acceptance! I also applied to grad programs during this cycle in addition to the Fulbright. I think it's safe to say that our programs would grant us deferrals should we receive a Fulbright grant (fingers crossed!) From what I've been told, universities are pretty accommodating regarding academic fellowships. 

I was told I would not be allowed to defer when I told a PhD program I was accepted to that I was a Fulbright finalist. You should just email the DGS and see what the department and university policy is. It's becoming more common, I've been told, for schools to not allow deferrals, as more people are applying to grad school. 

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

On 2/20/2016 at 0:10 PM, BlueberryScone22 said:

Has anyone else applied to both Fulbright and graduate school for the same year? I am very shocked to have been accepted into my first choice school, and also to be a Fulbright research semi-finalist. I'm going to speak with MIT about my situation soon, but am wondering if anyone has thoughts on this matter. I think they will let me defer, but it seems doubtful that I'll hear if I'm awarded the grant before the April 15th deadline. And in a way I might be more excited about MIT than Fulbright, but deferring wouldn't take away the opportunity. This is the best kind of problem to possibly have and I am truly overwhelmed! All thoughts welcome.

Congratulations! I also just found out on Thursday that I was accepted to my first choice grad program with funding! I am so excited and it has definitely given me something to focus on besides this wait!  

I spoke to the program director during the open house in the fall and was told that deferring would be possible (and quite common), the only downside is that funding cannot be guaranteed upon return to the program.  As a result, I have already accepted admission and if I am fortunate enough to receive the Fulbright grant I will submit a request to defer admission.

I know that it works differently for every university/department, though. Congrats again and best of luck to you!!

[diaverti]

just had an eta skype interview jsoiahnciurbhfsiughevnesijrsknedijkasbnijkclvbialsejkbfcijksfndjvbskelhnfjwksahnekjldhikjewahnsiidjfvbsjkznfsvjkbfkhvjkkknxzv! how much should this affect our chances? is it true they were already probably decided and the interviews were to just reinforce their decision?

[Dilemma1]

3 hours ago, diaverti said:

just had an eta skype interview jsoiahnciurbhfsiughevnesijrsknedijkasbnijkclvbialsejkbfcijksfndjvbskelhnfjwksahnekjldhikjewahnsiidjfvbsjkznfsvjkbfkhvjkkknxzv! how much should this affect our chances? is it true they were already probably decided and the interviews were to just reinforce their decision?

What kind of questions did they ask?  Congrats!  I personally think it's a really good sign since not everyone gets interviews but I'm also not entirely sure :/

[clueless801]

5 hours ago, diaverti said:

just had an eta skype interview jsoiahnciurbhfsiughevnesijrsknedijkasbnijkclvbialsejkbfcijksfndjvbskelhnfjwksahnekjldhikjewahnsiidjfvbsjkznfsvjkbfkhvjkkknxzv! how much should this affect our chances? is it true they were already probably decided and the interviews were to just reinforce their decision?

Do we all get interviews?? I applied to Bangladesh and as far as I know, its a very small program with very few applicants in comparison to other programs. If you don't mind me asking, which country and how did the interview go?

[Carterware]

Well, my UK interview's done. Definitely some questions I was not expecting. Glad that's over!

[pcgraham]

seems like at this point its the same two questions that keep coming up. "Do we all get interviews?" and "what questions do they ask?". Just look through the past few pages and there are more than enough answers. Otherwise it kills this thread.

[Mechka]

Super long term lurker (since 2013), but finally have the courage to post. Haven't added myself to the spreadsheet though. 

First applied for a Bulgarian ETA for the 2013-2014 year, applying as a senior in college, and was a finalist but was ultimately not accepted. Graduated and worked for a few years before deciding to apply again, also for Bulgaria as an ETA. Moved through to the next round and recently had an interview. Because there is so much interest into the questions asked, I will try and list a few. Interview was quite laid back, lasting 15 minutes from start to finish. Was told that we will find out in the end of March. 

Questions:. Why Bulgaria? (In my case this was more why did I choose to study in Bulgaria while in college and learn Bulgarian formally). What do I anticipate will be the greatest difficulty in being there for a year? What do I want to do in terms of volunteer work outside of teaching? Would I feel more comfortable with a co-teacher or teaching independently? There were a few more questions, mostly ones that were highly specific, like questions about specific classes I took in college, so there is no way to really prepare for those (nor are they super helpful to post for you all, since you likely didn't take the same classes!)

With all that being said, best of luck everyone. For those applying as graduating seniors, remember if you don't get it, it's not the end of the world. Although I felt crushed when I found out that I wasn't selected in 2013, I realize now that it was really quite a good thing to happen. I learned a lot about myself over the past three years and I think I returned as a stronger candidate. 

[sat0ri]

Has anyone sent a follow-up email after their interview?

[Carterware]

7 hours ago, sat0ri said:

Has anyone sent a follow-up email after their interview?

No, do you think that's a good idea? They are probably interviewing nearly 100 people...in our case at least

[busybee]

On February 20, 2016 at 11:10 AM, BlueberryScone22 said:

Has anyone else applied to both Fulbright and graduate school for the same year? I am very shocked to have been accepted into my first choice school, and also to be a Fulbright research semi-finalist. I'm going to speak with MIT about my situation soon, but am wondering if anyone has thoughts on this matter. I think they will let me defer, but it seems doubtful that I'll hear if I'm awarded the grant before the April 15th deadline. And in a way I might be more excited about MIT than Fulbright, but deferring wouldn't take away the opportunity. This is the best kind of problem to possibly have and I am truly overwhelmed! All thoughts welcome.

I also applied for both Fulbright and PhD programs. In my interview with Brown, I was told that it is unlikely I could defer.  

I'm in the same boat, too, regarding the deadlines. According to the spreadsheet, in past years finalists for my country have been notified in late April! I was emailed by an IIE program officer asking me for a copy of my passport, and when I asked him in the email about this, he told me unfortunately he had no way of knowing about the dates. I'm not quite sure what to do myself. 

Congrats on MIT! My department director told me that at the very least, I could write "Fulbright Fellowship 2016-2017- Declined" on my CV.