kyjin Posted March 22, 2010 Posted March 22, 2010 Wow, what a 360 turn of emotions for me. After finding out about my alternate status for Japan at noon today and spending the afternoon mopey in depressed, at five I got an email from my back-up program at Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies in Japan. So no matter what, I'll be in Japan this fall! For any other alternates: I read through last year's thread, and over twenty people posted about getting through after being put on alternate status, especially in mid-April. So there is still hope for us! Good luck everyone!
between Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 True. Although, isn't cost of living a bit less in Spain than in Germany? The stipend for full grant recipients in Spain is 1345 euros per month. For ETA's its 1541. Hi all, Two questions: 1) where have you all learned the stipend amounts? From letters or a webpage? 2) I find it curious that the full grant would be less than the ETA stipend, since the full grants also often support grad students doing research etc., generally a bit further along in their academic careers - any thoughts on why this might be, or whether it seems to hold for other countries/years?
Billy Zane Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 One clinic said the physical (poking and prodding) would run me $150; x-rays and blood tests are additional. Here is some advice I wish I would have received (back at the end of January) regarding the physical: if you are an uninsured student then as soon as you find out you are a finalist call a local clinic and schedule an appointment for a physical. Here are a couple of reasons why: i) sometimes you can qualify for low-cost or free services, but the processing time for that takes around 5 weeks, ii) sometimes just getting an appointment for a physical can be daunting (either there are no appointments available within the next few weeks or you start going down the list of local clinics and soon realize most of them can't see you soon enough for various reasons), iii) if you find out you are not a FB recipient you can always just call and cancel your appointment (seems like there is no cancellation fee if you cancel with a 24 hour notice). As a full grant recipient for Germany I only have 3 weeks to return my physical. I was not able to find anything within my area soon enough––I now have to travel a couple of hours back to my home town to have the physical done. And the earliest available appointment they had was for two weeks after I received my notification and physical eval forms––two weeks in feels like I'm cutting it close. Hope this helps future candidates. Best, jim the zymurgist hi jim, thanks for all your help! rachel emailed me this afternoon with some info with the questions on the back of the med form: If you refer to the directions for each of these questions, it indicates that you only need to complete them if you are over the age of 40. looks like we're clear of the stool test and the mammograms etc. and will likely just need bloodwork and the tuberculosis thing...i can't imagine it being that bad after all!
AndreasTangen Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 hi jim, thanks for all your help! rachel emailed me this afternoon with some info with the questions on the back of the med form: If you refer to the directions for each of these questions, it indicates that you only need to complete them if you are over the age of 40. looks like we're clear of the stool test and the mammograms etc. and will likely just need bloodwork and the tuberculosis thing...i can't imagine it being that bad after all! Should be no problem, but the three week deadline is a little short (especially when spring break is next week). Are we supposed to contact them in anyway before we submit the med info, you think? Or once they get that they send us more info?
Melissa Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 I just found out that I got and ETA for Germany! Does anyone know when we'll find out our town, in order to start looking for housing?
klärchen Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) I just found out that I got and ETA for Germany! Does anyone know when we'll find out our town, in order to start looking for housing? Congrats! Last year's forum thread makes it look like May... but I think at first we only find out which state, not the exact town or school, that will take longer, maybe until June or July. However, I'm wondering if we might possibly find out sooner this year because we have already heard this much, and it's about 2 weeks earlier than I was expecting..... Which Bundesländer did you request? I chose Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saarland and Baden-Württemberg. Also: Does anyone know how long it typically takes to get results for the blood tests (hematology; blood glucose, cholesterol, creatinine; etc.) on the last page of the medical form? I live about 2 hours away from my doctor... so getting this form filled out in the throws of my last semester is going to be tough. Are people going to skip the "optional" tests, like urinalysis and sickle hemoglobin? Or does that look suspicious to skip them? How do we find out whether or not Germany requires the syphilis or HIV test? Thank you so much in advance! Edited March 23, 2010 by klärchen
cremebrulee Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Hi all! The medical forms say that if you can't get them filled out within the three weeks that you are supposed to contact them immediately-->anyone know whom to call? My school can't get me in for four weeks.. Thanks!
Intaglio6 Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Update for Latvia finalists: According to Rachel Holskin, the Fulbright people (I don't know what officially to call them) are still waiting on approval from the FSB and approximated that around mid-April they will be issuing letters. Question... What is the FSB? Is this in the US? Thanks in advance!! wow, that's terrible news. Mid-April? Looks like Latvia will be one of the last countries to find out. I believe FSB = Fulbright Scholarship Board. They determine the number of scholarships allocated to each country. My guess is that the number of scholarships allocated to Latvia changed at some point and they're waiting to see if any scholarship money becomes available before making a determination. Either way, this wait is becoming annoying.
mcgov36 Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Does anyone know how long it typically takes to get results for the blood tests (hematology; blood glucose, cholesterol, creatinine; etc.) on the last page of the medical form? I live about 2 hours away from my doctor... so getting this form filled out in the throws of my last semester is going to be tough. 24 hours or so for the blood test. The TB test requires you to come back in 2-3 days to have it 'read', though that takes all of two seconds. Your school doesn't have a clinic? You're going to need an initial appointment then a return trip two or three days later to have your TB test looked at and to get your blood test results, so two hours there and back would be annoying. My doctor just wrote 'not needed' next to the optional tests like urinalysis. I don't think there's anything suspicious about it; the urinalysis isn't a drug test (what it does test mostly overlaps with the blood tests) and unless you're anemic the sickle test are unnecessary. For what it's worth, if you have insurance and are still in school, most school clinics have walk-in hours everyday for emergency illnesses. Try then, they'll understand.
Sally Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) Hi all, Two questions: 1) where have you all learned the stipend amounts? From letters or a webpage? 2) I find it curious that the full grant would be less than the ETA stipend, since the full grants also often support grad students doing research etc., generally a bit further along in their academic careers - any thoughts on why this might be, or whether it seems to hold for other countries/years? I got the Spain information from the Spanish Fulbright Commission's Web site: Fulbright.es I have no idea why ETAs would get a higher stipend. It could be a special situation in Spain. The country has its own ETA program run by the Spanish government: http://www.educacion...s/default.shtml I think the Fulbright ETAs for Spain take part in the same program. So, it could be that the Spanish Fulbright ETAs receive part of the stipend through Fulbright, and part through the government program... which would allow them to be paid more. That is my guess, anyway. Non-Fulbright ETAs (known as "language assistants" or "auxilaries") in Spain get paid between 700 and 1000 euros depending on the cost of living in the area they are placed in. (They also don't get the travel and tuition benefits that Fulbrighters do.) Edited March 23, 2010 by Sally
GauxGaux Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 For all those who have applied to Spain, I received this email from Rachel Holskin this morning regarding the date of our notification: "As of this point, we haven’t yet received the selections from the Commission in Spain, nor do we have the FSB approval for the recommended candidates. Based on this, my estimate would be mid-late April." So, it's looking like our notification date will no longer be April 1st
edie Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 wow, that's terrible news. Mid-April? Looks like Latvia will be one of the last countries to find out. I believe FSB = Fulbright Scholarship Board. They determine the number of scholarships allocated to each country. My guess is that the number of scholarships allocated to Latvia changed at some point and they're waiting to see if any scholarship money becomes available before making a determination. Either way, this wait is becoming annoying. Totally agree. I was writhing on the floor when Rachel e-mailed me back. Do you think this means they have more scholarships than 4 avaliable or less? Ughhhh. I am too impatient for this.
Pooja_2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Hey guys, As I am waiting in pain to find out whether I got the grant, I did some research on successful proposals (I know, completely wasting my time). Anyway, most websites seemed to emphasize the importance of "promoting mutual understanding" in the proposal. I don't think I really addressed this in my application.... How did you guys "promote mutual understanding" in your proposals? Thanks guys and good luck to everyone who hasn't found out yet!
Intaglio6 Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Totally agree. I was writhing on the floor when Rachel e-mailed me back. Do you think this means they have more scholarships than 4 avaliable or less? Ughhhh. I am too impatient for this. I'm inclined to say 'less' because if it was more they could just make anyone past the original number an alternate.
edie Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 I'm inclined to say 'less' because if it was more they could just make anyone past the original number an alternate. Sigh. Your inclination is most likely right.
Sally Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 For all those who have applied to Spain, I received this email from Rachel Holskin this morning regarding the date of our notification: "As of this point, we haven’t yet received the selections from the Commission in Spain, nor do we have the FSB approval for the recommended candidates. Based on this, my estimate would be mid-late April." So, it's looking like our notification date will no longer be April 1st hmm, maybe "April 1" is the just the date that the Spanish Commision expects to decide by. It was unclear on the Web site. That is a bummer.
GauxGaux Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 hmm, maybe "April 1" is the just the date that the Spanish Commision expects to decide by. It was unclear on the Web site. That is a bummer. Yeah. MAJOR bummer.
Sally Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Yeah. MAJOR bummer. GauxGaux, did you apply to the Spanish auxilary program as well? http://www.educacion.es/exterior/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml My boyfriend applied to that program, and is hoping to get placed in Madrid, which is where I would be with the Fulbright.
Sally Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Question... What is the FSB? Is this in the US? Sidewalkchalk, Let me Google that for you... http://fulbright.state.gov/root/resources-for/fsb The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board was established by Congress for the purpose of supervising the Fulbright Program and certain programs authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act and for the purpose of selecting students, scholars, teachers, trainees, and other persons to participate in the educational exchange programs. Appointed by the President of the United States, the 12-member Board meets quarterly in Washington, D.C. The Board establishes worldwide policies and procedures for the Program and issues an annual report on the state of the Program. The Board maintains a close relationship with both the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the executive directors of all the binational Fulbright Commissions. ------------- Anyway, to answer your question more directly, I think that after the foreign commissions make their decisions, those are then formally approved by the FSB back here in the US.
Ben34 Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Just heard back from Fulbright and they took me off the alternate list already for the UK! So to all the alternates, there is still hope!
BMCGirl10 Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) Congrats Ben34 that's amazing!! Edited March 23, 2010 by BMCGirl10
edie Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Sidewalkchalk, Let me Google that for you... http://fulbright.sta...sources-for/fsb The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board was established by Congress for the purpose of supervising the Fulbright Program and certain programs authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act and for the purpose of selecting students, scholars, teachers, trainees, and other persons to participate in the educational exchange programs. Appointed by the President of the United States, the 12-member Board meets quarterly in Washington, D.C. The Board establishes worldwide policies and procedures for the Program and issues an annual report on the state of the Program. The Board maintains a close relationship with both the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the executive directors of all the binational Fulbright Commissions. ------------- Anyway, to answer your question more directly, I think that after the foreign commissions make their decisions, those are then formally approved by the FSB back here in the US. Thank you so much! Would that application process in the US be confirming what the host country wants or reviewing the entire applicant pool again? I apologize if these questions have been answered elsewhere... this whole process confuses me.
GauxGaux Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 GauxGaux, did you apply to the Spanish auxilary program as well? http://www.educacion...s/default.shtml My boyfriend applied to that program, and is hoping to get placed in Madrid, which is where I would be with the Fulbright. Yeah I applied to that program as my backup plan. I chose Valencia as my first choice though. But regardless, Fulbright (hopefully) or no Fulbright, I'll be teaching in Spain next year
edie Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 Sigh. Your inclination is most likely right. I e-mailed Rachel to see if she could provide anymore information. She said it doesn't necessarily mean there will be fewer grants, it could be the same, fewer, or more.
Sally Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) Thank you so much! Would that application process in the US be confirming what the host country wants or reviewing the entire applicant pool again? I apologize if these questions have been answered elsewhere... this whole process confuses me. I believe that, like most federal boards, their job is to rubber stamp things I think once you get chosen by the foreign Fulbright Committee you're as good as in, it's just a matter of waiting until the next meeting of this board in order to get final approval. Of course there is no way to know what the foreign Fulbright Committee decides, anyway, so this is all kind of mute! Edited March 23, 2010 by Sally
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