Fulbright 2016 - 2017

[kyjin]

12 hours ago, matsukoDELUXE said:

I attempted to respond directly to your post, but no energy for that   Awesome!  I will be at the National Institute of Japanese Literature （国文学研究資料館) in Tachikawa.  Although, I'm planning on living maybe in Kōenji or somewhere else along the Chūōsen.  I'm not sure if I want to live in a share-house or try and get an apartment.  I like the idea of living in a crummy, old tatami apartment, but it seems like such an involved process to try and rent an apartment..

Cool! I've only done share-houses when I've been in Tokyo for short trips (2 months). It's a great way to meet people, but it's luck of the draw if you have decent neighbors. The apartment hunting process does seem tough. I have a friend who had the Fulbright last year and wrote a series of posts about apartment hunting if you're interested. I'm actually going to be renting a place owned by a friend of my advisor's, so I get to avoid much of the hassle of key money and the like. 

Guh, it's so exciting!!!

[Catluvr2001]

Hi everyone,

I have a bit of a serious question. I was thrilled to be nominated as a semifinalist for a study/research grant. I'm currently in my last year of my Master's program. However,

 I've recently encountered a hurdle that will likely prevent me from finishing my degree on time this semester. I'm a performing artist, and a horribly bad-timed injury is preventing me from fulfilling my last credit that I need to graduate this semester. Normally this would be NBD, as I could fulfill this last performance requirement in the fall after I'm healed, and my degree would be conferred in December - but the Fulbright situation makes things a bit more complicated. At first I was devastated because I thought that if I can't get my degree in May, I'd be ineligible for the potential Fulbright (I won't hear the result until April/May most likely), since I've stated in all my fulbright application materials that my anticipated graduation date is May 2016. However, now I'm wondering if this is actually the case, since the basic eligibility requirements for my country/Fulbright in general state (http://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/eligibility): 

• Applicants must have a conferred bachelor's degree or the equivalent before the start of the grant.
• In the creative and performing arts, four years of professional training and/or experience meets the basic eligibility requirement.

.......I do meet these requirements regardless of when my Master's degree is conferred, so perhaps this would actually be no problem at all - I'm trying not to freak out. Does anybody have any insight into this? Obviously I know that this is a very particular situation and actual answers would come from IIE, but I'd just like to throw this out there to collect as much information as I can. Thanks all. 

[time_consume_me]

On 2016-03-05 at 0:27 AM, matsukoDELUXE said:

I attempted to respond directly to your post, but no energy for that   Awesome!  I will be at the National Institute of Japanese Literature （国文学研究資料館) in Tachikawa.  Although, I'm planning on living maybe in Kōenji or somewhere else along the Chūōsen.  I'm not sure if I want to live in a share-house or try and get an apartment.  I like the idea of living in a crummy, old tatami apartment, but it seems like such an involved process to try and rent an apartment..

 

On 2016-03-05 at 1:02 PM, kyjin said:

Cool! I've only done share-houses when I've been in Tokyo for short trips (2 months). It's a great way to meet people, but it's luck of the draw if you have decent neighbors. The apartment hunting process does seem tough. I have a friend who had the Fulbright last year and wrote a series of posts about apartment hunting if you're interested. I'm actually going to be renting a place owned by a friend of my advisor's, so I get to avoid much of the hassle of key money and the like. 

Guh, it's so exciting!!!

Hey guys, congrats on your awards and placements! 

Just wanted to interject here to ask about housing.  I am also moving to Japan this year for research (on the MEXT scholarship offered by the JP government) and am going to be renting an apartment.  Were either of your offered dorm rooms at all?  At this point in our respective academic careers (and lives) dorms can be undesirable .... We aren't partying undergrads anymore, right? haha

Anyway, considering our circumstances (Student visa, monthly stipend) and desires to rent apartments I thought we might be able to share some info.

Cheers guys and congrats again -- to the rest who are still waiting it out, best of luck to you all.  As someone else said above, even if you are rejected the experience of putting together your application makes it worthwhile either way!

[kyjin]

2 hours ago, hojoojoh said:

 

Hey guys, congrats on your awards and placements! 

Just wanted to interject here to ask about housing.  I am also moving to Japan this year for research (on the MEXT scholarship offered by the JP government) and am going to be renting an apartment.  Were either of your offered dorm rooms at all?  At this point in our respective academic careers (and lives) dorms can be undesirable .... We aren't partying undergrads anymore, right? haha

Anyway, considering our circumstances (Student visa, monthly stipend) and desires to rent apartments I thought we might be able to share some info.

Cheers guys and congrats again -- to the rest who are still waiting it out, best of luck to you all.  As someone else said above, even if you are rejected the experience of putting together your application makes it worthwhile either way!

Hi hojoojoh! Where about are you going to be studying? The University of Tokyo has rooms available for researchers, but none of them are guaranteed. (You have to apply for them.) For those dorms, they have separate dorms specifically for foreign researchers, so you wouldn't be living with undergrads, but you still have shared spaces. Previously when I was in Japan for short stays (studying at Todai and Meiji), I wasn't offered dorm space, so I went for a share house through Sakura House. They also offered prefurnished apartments, but can be a bit expensive. 

Here's the article I mentioned before about finding an apartment that my friend put together: https://shinpaideshou.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/living-in-japan-part-3-apartment-hunting-basics/ Personally I'd look for something pre-furnished if you're only going to be there for a year, but I know several people who went for unfurnished and then dealt with getting rid of stuff after a year. 

Feel free to pm me if you'd like to share more info/have more questions!

In other news I've come down enough from cloud nine to start working on my paperwork for medical clearances, and also getting back to studying for quals... 

[Mechka]

Anyone else panicking and wondering if the Fulbright is really the right direction for them? 

[highhopesanddreams]

Hi all! I've been lurking on this for a while... I'm a semi-finalist for ETA in Czech Republic. I'm getting so nervous, especially since March is the month. Earliest notifications that come out for CZ has been March 15th so that's about a week away. I'm hoping for sooner just so I know.

I am definitely nervous about if Fulbright is "right' for me. I think it is. It is a huge life change uprooting but I think I need that for a year. 

Question to those who already found out about final round-- what time did you get notified? Anyone on a weekend? I'm trying to figure out what time is best to obsessively refresh my email other than every five minutes.

[kfm]

18 minutes ago, highhopesanddreams said:

Question to those who already found out about final round-- what time did you get notified? Anyone on a weekend? I'm trying to figure out what time is best to obsessively refresh my email other than every five minutes.

You're asking the question that's in my mind too haha

[lyonessrampant]

For those of you who have heard, did you get an email from the Fulbright Commission in your countries or from the Fulbright Commission in New York?

[kfm]

48 minutes ago, lyonessrampant said:

For those of you who have heard, did you get an email from the Fulbright Commission in your countries or from the Fulbright Commission in New York?

Also, do we know if anyone has heard today?

[sat0ri]

 

8 hours ago, highhopesanddreams said:

Hi all! I've been lurking on this for a while... I'm a semi-finalist for ETA in Czech Republic. I'm getting so nervous, especially since March is the month. Earliest notifications that come out for CZ has been March 15th so that's about a week away. I'm hoping for sooner just so I know.

I am definitely nervous about if Fulbright is "right' for me. I think it is. It is a huge life change uprooting but I think I need that for a year. 

Question to those who already found out about final round-- what time did you get notified? Anyone on a weekend? I'm trying to figure out what time is best to obsessively refresh my email other than every five minutes.

7 hours ago, kfm said:

You're asking the question that's in my mind too haha

You can check what day of the week based on past years' data. For example, for the past 10 years for UK Fulbright awards, all notifications were sent out on Saturday or sometimes Sunday. Further it tended to be the 3rd or 4th weekend of the month. As far as time of day, I don't think you can be that precise with your neuroticism! Which isn't to say I wouldn't totally love to have that level of precision myself

[Swingin_Sween]

4 hours ago, kfm said:

Also, do we know if anyone has heard today?

I don't think anyone has. I assume some of us will find out this week

 

5 hours ago, lyonessrampant said:

For those of you who have heard, did you get an email from the Fulbright Commission in your countries or from the Fulbright Commission in New York?

I am pretty sure the email comes from New York

[kyjin]

10 hours ago, highhopesanddreams said:

Question to those who already found out about final round-- what time did you get notified? Anyone on a weekend? I'm trying to figure out what time is best to obsessively refresh my email other than every five minutes.

Japan came out on Friday, about 2:20 PM EST. The google doc is your best bet to get an idea for days for other countries, but Japan was earlier than previous years. 

8 hours ago, lyonessrampant said:

For those of you who have heard, did you get an email from the Fulbright Commission in your countries or from the Fulbright Commission in New York?

The email was from the Fulbright Commission in New York. The Fulbright Commission in Japan contacted me Sunday night (Monday morning Japan time) to confirm my address and phone number to send my official letter. 

[Yaya OK OK]

Turkey ETA decisions were sent out - congratulations to those awarded!

[wanderlust`]

Congrats to all of the Turkey ETA awardees! Anyone else an alternate? How often are alternates chosen for awards?

Edited March 8, 2016 by wanderlust`

[time_consume_me]

On 2016-03-06 at 4:49 PM, kyjin said:

Hi hojoojoh! Where about are you going to be studying? The University of Tokyo has rooms available for researchers, but none of them are guaranteed. (You have to apply for them.) For those dorms, they have separate dorms specifically for foreign researchers, so you wouldn't be living with undergrads, but you still have shared spaces. Previously when I was in Japan for short stays (studying at Todai and Meiji), I wasn't offered dorm space, so I went for a share house through Sakura House. They also offered prefurnished apartments, but can be a bit expensive. 

Here's the article I mentioned before about finding an apartment that my friend put together: https://shinpaideshou.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/living-in-japan-part-3-apartment-hunting-basics/ Personally I'd look for something pre-furnished if you're only going to be there for a year, but I know several people who went for unfurnished and then dealt with getting rid of stuff after a year. 

Feel free to pm me if you'd like to share more info/have more questions!

In other news I've come down enough from cloud nine to start working on my paperwork for medical clearances, and also getting back to studying for quals... 

Thank you for your reply.

I will be working under supervision of an historian at Kobe University and my research will bring me to Kobe more than a few times.  I am looking to avoid university housing at all costs - I have lived in Japan and attending university there before.  Dorms and such are not for me anymore.

Might I ask what you and @matsukoDELUXE are researching?  I am in the field of Canadian diplomatic history.  Presently writing my MA thesis to be completed and defended before my departure for Japan in October.

Congrats again to the both of you.  Should there be some overlap in our fields (or continued communication between us), we could meet up somewhere for a drink in Tokyo, Osaka, etc.

Have either of you lived in Japan before?  Taken the JLPT?  This forum has so few discussions of living, studying, applying for Japanese programmes, etc that I am resisting asking a million questions for the risk of totally derailing this thread.  Sorry about that.

Edit: @kyjin, I've actually read more than a few posts on that blog before! It's a good one. Cheers

 

Edited March 8, 2016 by hojoojoh

[Caytei]

I appear to have started stress-eating this week and should be the size of a small whale by the time the notifications are sent out. 

How is everyone else coping with the anxiety of waiting? Any good tips to share or are we all just spiraling down together?

[cc2016sr2017]

28 minutes ago, Caytei said:

I appear to have started stress-eating this week and should be the size of a small whale by the time the notifications are sent out. 

How is everyone else coping with the anxiety of waiting? Any good tips to share or are we all just spiraling down together?

Sending good vibes your way!

I know I'm spiraling down and down. I check my phone compulsively -- if I'm ever in a group situation, like with my friends, I'll check my phone, apologize for being rude for looking at my phone, and promptly check one more time.

This tip may help you (or it may drive you crazier) because I know it helps me: basically in my planner I have a monthly calendar view, and every day I don't hear back about my country I write "No FB" with a sad face in the bottom corner of each day. My friend saw me doing this and thought I was insane (I probably am), but because I'm fairly confident my country will come out in March it helps me pass days and see that with each passing day I don't hear back, tomorrow becomes a little more likely I will.

[sairam94]

30 minutes ago, Caytei said:

I appear to have started stress-eating this week and should be the size of a small whale by the time the notifications are sent out. 

How is everyone else coping with the anxiety of waiting? Any good tips to share or are we all just spiraling down together?

I guess a lot of ice cream, but other than that I'm mentally preparing myself for a rejection so I don't get too bummed out. If it's meant to be, it'll happen  

[Stopthat]

3 hours ago, Caytei said:

I appear to have started stress-eating this week and should be the size of a small whale by the time the notifications are sent out. 

How is everyone else coping with the anxiety of waiting? Any good tips to share or are we all just spiraling down together?

and here's to us being a small whale together.  I had 4 dozens of Krispy Kreme in 4 weeks.  Is that too many donuts? probably...

[kyjin]

6 hours ago, hojoojoh said:

Might I ask what you and @matsukoDELUXE are researching?  I am in the field of Canadian diplomatic history.  Presently writing my MA thesis to be completed and defended before my departure for Japan in October.

Congrats again to the both of you.  Should there be some overlap in our fields (or continued communication between us), we could meet up somewhere for a drink in Tokyo, Osaka, etc.

Have either of you lived in Japan before?  Taken the JLPT?  This forum has so few discussions of living, studying, applying for Japanese programmes, etc that I am resisting asking a million questions for the risk of totally derailing this thread.  Sorry about that.

Cool topic! Best of luck with finishing up your thesis.  I'm working on education and pedagogy of elites in Heian and Kamakura Japan.

We definitely should meet up. I'm sure there will be some events in Tokyo and other major areas for Fulbright, so there should be opportunites. And I'm hoping to travel quite a bit, so I'm sure we'll be in the same neck of the woods at some point. 

I lived in Yokohama from 2010-2011 (went to IUC), and did a few short stints in Tokyo for MA and PhD research. No JLPT for me though; I'm hoping to take N1 next summer as I figure a year abroad may help there. Haha, there are only a handful of threads on here about studying in Japan, and pretty sure I've read them all, so I understand the urge! Feel free to pm any questions if you don't wanna derail the thread.

[lsatings]

Just got accepted to the country/program I've applied to! I'm obviously pleased, but my brain seems to be taking its time accepting this information. I'm sure my brain will adjust to this news eventually. Good luck to everyone else! 

[Guest]

Congratulations! 

Can you share which country & program you've been accepted to? 

[sat0ri]

2 hours ago, lsatings said:

Just got accepted to the country/program I've applied to! I'm obviously pleased, but my brain seems to be taking its time accepting this information. I'm sure my brain will adjust to this news eventually. Good luck to everyone else! 

Yes as @NikkiC asked, can you please share what country and program? You know, for the benefit of other, future applicants. Also, I didn't see you list yourself in the spreadsheet (listed below); I could even add the info for you

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AlU2xDiiVhQjK3quPy6qXJuhgXYghzzG8L4YNT0unX0/edit?pli=1#gid=1893879233

[awayfromhere]

Was just awarded a Austria combined Fulbright. AHHHHH!! It was totally bizarre. I was getting onto a plane and I remembered reading about somebody else's Fulbright acceptance story of how she got on a plane and when she landed she had an email from Fulbright in her inbox. I thought to myself, "how weird would it be if the same thing happened to me". And then when I landed in DC I had an email from Fulbright telling me I got it! I whispered "oh my god oh my god" so loudly that the woman next to me asked if I was alright. Good luck to everyone else!!

[sat0ri]

For those of you accepted/alternates/rejected, could you discern from the subject line of the email whether or not you were accepted? My stomach is turning just thinking about receiving that email

Edited March 9, 2016 by sat0ri