Fulbright 2010-2011

[knownothing]

who is the person who got the nepal Fulbright???? sorry. Freaking out here. Just didn't see it coming...Whoever you are though CONGRATULATIONSSSSS

[Pooja_2010]

got a letter from fulbright. been rejected for a full grant to india. so this year was marked by complete rejections across the board. fantastic.

best of luck to everyone else. if you get it enjoy the experience for me

Hi there,

I am so sorry to hear that you didn't get the Fulbright. Please don't be hard on yourself and realize that you have a lot of potential, considering that you have come so far in this Fulbright cycle. (Finalist is a big deal!) If you really want to pursue research in India, you will surely find a way to do it! Remember, "believe in your work and your dreams may come true, believe in yourself and your dreams will come true..." I know cheesy, but always makes me feel better (BTW, I haven't heard back from Fulbright yet, but preparing myself for the worst...)

Good luck on all your future endeavors!

Pooja~

[Pooja_2010]

Question for people who received the Fulbright award this year:

I know most people mentioned that their letter came in a large manila envelope. Was this inside of a USPS flat rate envelope?

Thanks guys!

Pooja~

[Jeremiah2911]

I just found out I got the Fulbright to the Philippines!!!! I'm unbelievably excited!!! I know I have to get a visa and medical clearance, but does anyone else know how the exact departure date works? Do you arrange it with the host institution, does Fulbright arrange it, or do you just go as soon as you get all necessary clearance?

Any other Fulbrighters to the Philippines out there?

Congrats to all who have heard, and best of luck to those still waiting!

[papa]

Question for people who received the Fulbright award this year:

I know most people mentioned that their letter came in a large manila envelope. Was this inside of a USPS flat rate envelope?

Thanks guys!

Pooja~

No, it was simply a manila envelope for me.

[papa]

To all that are rejected, waiting and in purgatory:

Fulbright is not the end. Surely it is prestigious, it is nice to have the structure and it is nice to have the funding.

You can reproduce your own Fulbright. You need about $10,000. You can teach English in most corners of the world and get similar benefits required to sustain yourself.

For pure research, things may be more complicated but not impossible.

Ultimately, for those that were not accepted, think positively; Be independent, it is easier to do your projects with a Fulbright, but you can certainly do the same projects (if not more) on your own. It will be harder, it will be riskier, but you can do it.

Why have someone hold your hand though a year abroad? It is not the end, it is just the more difficult road.

[ChinaGrad]

To all that are rejected, waiting and in purgatory:

Fulbright is not the end. Surely it is prestigious, it is nice to have the structure and it is nice to have the funding.

You can reproduce your own Fulbright. You need about $10,000. You can teach English in most corners of the world and get similar benefits required to sustain yourself.

For pure research, things may be more complicated but not impossible.

Ultimately, for those that were not accepted, think positively; Be independent, it is easier to do your projects with a Fulbright, but you can certainly do the same projects (if not more) on your own. It will be harder, it will be riskier, but you can do it.

Why have someone hold your hand though a year abroad? It is not the end, it is just the more difficult road.

Yes and no. I've spent years abroad on my dime. I need to finish my PhD program. The Fulbright is not just another "year abroad" or "study abroad" for me. I fall into that whole "pure research" and must finish my dissertation deal. Funding is slim this year; worse than in the previous years by far (not like this surprises you, I'm sure). But I took loans out to study Chinese and live abroad before. Without money to do my research, I'm likely moving abroad and/or indefinitely taking a leave of absence from my PhD program and will re-apply in the following years while I work another job. I'm too old for this nonsense, I want my PhD and I want to teach. But I refuse to take out loans and fund my own dissertation research when the job market is worse than it's been in at least 20-30 years and I'm likely to not pay those loans off for a long time.

Also, having lived abroad and worked while learning Chinese, I don't think it's feasible to hold more than a minor part-time job and do research. I learned my lesson before tutoring English on the side and China is no longer as cheap as it used to be (as my adviser lamented earlier)--at least, not in Beijing where ALL of my primary source material is located.

Sorry, needed to vent...

[BMCGirl10]

I found this article about people who turn down the Fulbright grant: http://ow.ly/177j27. It was a pretty relevant and interesting read.

First paragraph -

"A friend of mine recently turned down the prestigious Fulbright grant because it became clear in the period between her initial application and the award of the grant that her family obligations in the United States would not allow her to fulfill Fulbright’s requirement that she spend the entirety of the one year term of the grant abroad. In part her receipt of a more flexible grant that would still allow her to undertake her dissertation research took some of the sting away from this wrenching decision, but it still raises the question of whether grants like the Fulbright should require such an extended period of residency. I do not deny that there are advantages to spending an long period of time in the country of one has chosen to research. Potential benefits include a deeper understanding of culture and perhaps language that comes only through time and the building of local relationships, which can be particularly crucial for oral history projects. However, the reality is that archival research no longer requires the kind of long term residence that it might have in the days before digital photography and online searchable catalogues."

[Sally]

Two UC PhD students, with full dissertation proposals, fluent in Chinese, and verified affiliations in Beijing both marked as "alternates" to China. Can someone who does get one please let us know your backgrounds and status? Our advisers are baffled. Thanks.

It could have to do with the "experience abroad" factor. Fulbright supposedly favors candidates that have spent less time in the country they're applying to. On the other hand, they prefer people with high competency in the language. Those two things do kind of seem to contradict one another

[TheMole]

I found this article about people who turn down the Fulbright grant: http://ow.ly/177j27. It was a pretty relevant and interesting read.

First paragraph -

"A friend of mine recently turned down the prestigious Fulbright grant because it became clear in the period between her initial application and the award of the grant that her family obligations in the United States would not allow her to fulfill Fulbright’s requirement that she spend the entirety of the one year term of the grant abroad. In part her receipt of a more flexible grant that would still allow her to undertake her dissertation research took some of the sting away from this wrenching decision, but it still raises the question of whether grants like the Fulbright should require such an extended period of residency. I do not deny that there are advantages to spending an long period of time in the country of one has chosen to research. Potential benefits include a deeper understanding of culture and perhaps language that comes only through time and the building of local relationships, which can be particularly crucial for oral history projects. However, the reality is that archival research no longer requires the kind of long term residence that it might have in the days before digital photography and online searchable catalogues."

Respectfully, I'm not sure if I entirely agree with that, at least inasmuch as my own discipline - History - is concerned. It is certainly true that the volume of information that one can gather during a year's time has increased exponentially thanks to new technology and that, conversely, the amount of time required to gather a specific amount of information (say, the amount necessary in 1959 to produce a dissertation) has decreased.

However, standards within the discipline have not remained static either. Over the last few decades, there has been a clearly demonstrable increase in the "burden of proof" on the historian, in great part caused by recognition on the part of graduate committees, degree-granting institutions, and the field as a whole, that what a scholar can realistically accomplish in the course of researching and writing a dissertation has grown. The rise of Cultural History in the last few decades has only exacerbated this trend, as the enormously important and useful sub-discipline (I myself am a culturalist) nevertheless requires a density of evidence that elite political history and intellectual history have not, as a rule, demanded.

Certainly, the only cases I know of involving individuals not in need of something resembling a year (9 months or so, if not more) to accomplish their research generally involve circumstances not related to technology: they are either Americanists working on subjects local to them, or, as in the case of one acquaintance, their sources are largely published accounts. It is absolutely true that for some folk, digitization can reduce the burden to travel; however, I don't think it the case, at least in History, that this is sufficiently generalizable to merit alteration of the Fulbright grant.

Edited April 20, 2010 by TheMole

[Sally]

I found this article about people who turn down the Fulbright grant: http://ow.ly/177j27. It was a pretty relevant and interesting read.

First paragraph -

"A friend of mine recently turned down the prestigious Fulbright grant because it became clear in the period between her initial application and the award of the grant that her family obligations in the United States would not allow her to fulfill Fulbright’s requirement that she spend the entirety of the one year term of the grant abroad. In part her receipt of a more flexible grant that would still allow her to undertake her dissertation research took some of the sting away from this wrenching decision, but it still raises the question of whether grants like the Fulbright should require such an extended period of residency. I do not deny that there are advantages to spending an long period of time in the country of one has chosen to research. Potential benefits include a deeper understanding of culture and perhaps language that comes only through time and the building of local relationships, which can be particularly crucial for oral history projects. However, the reality is that archival research no longer requires the kind of long term residence that it might have in the days before digital photography and online searchable catalogues."

That argument would make sense if the Fulbright were merely a funding source for research. But I don't think that's the main goal of the program. The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." A year is barely enough time to do that!

[here's hoping]

What field are you in? The Fulbright program is also a cultural exchange and if your research is mostly archival, for instance, it might put you at a disadvantage.

Two UC PhD students, with full dissertation proposals, fluent in Chinese, and verified affiliations in Beijing both marked as "alternates" to China. Can someone who does get one please let us know your backgrounds and status? Our advisers are baffled. Thanks.

[Wagwan]

Does anyone know of any status updates for Turkey ETAs?

[Sally]

Anybody else dreaming about their Fulbright notification?

I keep dreaming that my Fulbright letter has arrived but I'm not at my mailbox to get it. Someone else picks it up for me, but for some reason they are unable to open it for me. In one dream I remember trying to get a description from them; I'm like: Is it a manilla envelope? And they're like "yes". Then I'm like, is it big or small? And they're like "kind of medium." And I'm like "oh no what does that mean?!"

Hahaha... man, I need to chill out

Edited April 20, 2010 by Sally

[Jessica1]

Good luck to everyone still waiting! I just got accepted to China and applied for CLEA award. Does anyone know when we hear about those, and if it's via snail mail or email? I've already paid the deposit for my program and all, but I'm anxious to hear if I'm actually going to be able to enroll!

[The Wandering Raven]

Hey Sally,

I can totally relate. I had a dream they sent me to the wrong country! I was so confused and kept asking people "Why am I in Bulgaria?" I wanted to be in Turkey so badly! I woke up and finally had proof that this waiting is getting to me. I take solace in the fact I am not the only one...

Anybody else dreaming about their Fulbright notification?

I keep dreaming that my Fulbright letter has arrived but I'm not at my mailbox to get it. Someone else picks it up for me, but for some reason they are unable to open it for me. In one dream I remember trying to get a description from them; I'm like: Is it a manilla envelope? And they're like "yes". Then I'm like, is it big or small? And they're like "kind of medium." And I'm like "oh no what does that mean?!"

Hahaha... man, I need to chill out

[Sally]

Spain udpate:

Here's the information we have right now for Spain:

ETAs: The letters have been printed, they're just waiting to get the final OK on funding. Could go out any day, but might not be until early next week.

Full grants: Waiting on decisions from the Spanish Commission (not sure if before they only had decisions for ETAs). Rachel says they expect the decisions on Monday, April 26. I assume that means letters will go out within a couple days after that.

Check the spreadsheet for details: https://spreadsheets...rowsperpage=250

That link is in "list view"! You can use the tabs at the top to view by different categories.

Edited April 20, 2010 by Sally

[ChinaGrad]

What field are you in? The Fulbright program is also a cultural exchange and if your research is mostly archival, for instance, it might put you at a disadvantage.

I study the cultural and social history of the People's Republic of China (which, by the way, is almost non-existent in the period 1949-1980). A large part of my specific project involves anthropological or ethnographic research, including interviews with people who have memories from the 1950s-1980s. I'm not exactly sure what they didn't like, but perhaps they felt it was uninteresting or too political. It's hard to tell.

[Sally]

Hey Sally,

I can totally relate. I had a dream they sent me to the wrong country! I was so confused and kept asking people "Why am I in Bulgaria?" I wanted to be in Turkey so badly! I woke up and finally had proof that this waiting is getting to me. I take solace in the fact I am not the only one...

Haha that's a good one Raven! Are you an ETA? If so, your dream might not be so far off! They say some ETAs might get offered spots in countries other than where they applied because of new ETA programs popping up:P

Anyway, I feel your pain. I think Turkey, Spain and Italy are the few left in Europe who have yet to hear!

[narak]

Taiwan ETA applicants,

Did any of you guys apply for a CLEA? Do you know if we need to find a host university or anything like that before finding out our status?

Congrats to everyone who has been accepted and good luck to those still waiting!! Hang in there!

-M

[STXNZ]

Found out yesterday that I was rejected from New Zealand. Extremely frustrated. I had THREE letters of affiliation and terrific letters of rec. I am also fairly established in the field in which I applied. I called Fulbright to see if I might be able to get some information on why I was rejected, but apparently that is just not possible. At this point, I think I might be willing to apply again next year, but it's frustrating if I can't find out what I did "wrong." I certainly don't want to make the same mistake(s) -- and maybe go through this rejection again! Any others in the same boat?

Good luck to those still waiting!

[STXNZ]

hey, were you the other journalism student (as specified in the spreadsheet)?

I got appointed as an alternate -- thinking journalism might not be the right target for New Zealand!

By the way, Krisi, I am the other journalism person! Good luck with your application. I hope you get it! What do you plan to study/write about?

[eejjh]

My fiance got his acceptance to India today, and his best friend to China!!!! Soo excited

[StarFish21]

I just got my Taiwan ETA!! STOKED! I'd love to meet everyone else!

[sfiftyfive]

Awarded full grant to Lithuania !!! ESTONIA / LITHUANIA / LATVIA CANDIDATES: please contact me!!! see you in DC!