ZebraFinch Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Yes, it's a standard interview, plus last year we had to give a presentation. Then there's a written exam on the same day, which is really just to show your persuasive writing skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Yes, I am finished with the interview! I am feeling really good about it. There were three parts (for the Payne, anyways): writing, group exercise, and structured interview with three panels. It lasted from around 8:00AM to 3:00PM with quite a bit of waiting in between, but you always have a chance to talk to the other finalists so it wasn't bad. We will hear back about results next Monday! *prays fervently* mrs12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrdnmadrid Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 On 3/18/2016 at 7:14 AM, kbui said: Yes, I am finished with the interview! I am feeling really good about it. There were three parts (for the Payne, anyways): writing, group exercise, and structured interview with three panels. It lasted from around 8:00AM to 3:00PM with quite a bit of waiting in between, but you always have a chance to talk to the other finalists so it wasn't bad. We will hear back about results next Monday! *prays fervently* AHHH!!! I am rooting for you @kbui! Please do keep us updated with the results. On pins and needles as well for Pickering:) Sorry I couldn't join the Google chat, I have been really busy with work. kbui 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 20, 2016 Author Share Posted March 20, 2016 21 hours ago, jrdnmadrid said: AHHH!!! I am rooting for you @kbui! Please do keep us updated with the results. On pins and needles as well for Pickering:) Sorry I couldn't join the Google chat, I have been really busy with work. You should start preparing for your interview now. Before I heard about the Payne I thought that I was just not going to get an interview so I didn't prepare as much, but then when I did hear back I was fervently reading and trying to remember things and it was a bit overwhelming. And no matter what the result, it won't go to waste! I understand the being busy with work also. Working 40 hours a week was really tough for me while spending another 20 hours preparing. And I work in 5+ different locations and I take the bus too so it's physically exhausting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs12 Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Tomorrow you might hear, right? Woooo~~~~ Yay! I am so excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 I am so nervous! I am thinking that I shouldn't check my email until 5PM today just to make sure I am mentally prepared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs12 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Ohhhhh. I just am so happy for you. I have such a good feeling about today, but it's so nerve wracking! I'm sending all my positive thoughts and well-wishes your way, @kbui ZebraFinch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZebraFinch Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Any updates on Payne? I'm so hoping you got it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZebraFinch Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 What happened? kbui 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, ZebraFinch said: What happened? Super fail. I was trying to rile up some confusion on the Grad Cafe so that I could sweep in dramatically and say that... I got the congratulatory email yesterday at 6:18PM CST! AHH! ? ?? Edited March 22, 2016 by kbui ZebraFinch, kafcat and mrs12 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZebraFinch Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Agh don't do that! but congrats!!!! kbui 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Haha, sorry! Thank you so much @ZebraFinch for guiding me through the process. You've helped me achieve one of my biggest dreams! I am entirely grateful for your advice and support here on the Grad Cafe! Have you decided on which school to go to yet? I know you were leveraging your Pickering for some more funding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZebraFinch Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 (edited) I'm still very undecided! SAIS seems to have more choices of courses but I'm not thrilled about taking Econ again. Georgetown was originally my top choice and I feel like I'll be happier there overall but my advisors say SAIS has a better program. However, multiple FSOs have told me to go where I'll be happy as it doesn't matter where I went once I'm in the FS. Both have given me essentially the same amount of funding although I still have to speak with Georgetown about possibly getting more money. I'm very happy for you and happy that I could help you in any way. I'm open to helping out anyone else who reads or might read this thread! There's nothing quite as satisfying personally as seeing people achieve their dreams. Edited March 22, 2016 by ZebraFinch kbui 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srbf Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Congrats on acceptance to Payne! I am now wondering if that means we'll hear from Pickering soon. I'm getting nervous (probably unnecessarily) about if interviews and decisions will be out before schools' funding decision deadlines on April 15. I'm not even sure I'm a very competitive applicant for Pickering but I feel like it would help my decision making/ stress to know if it's a possibility or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 2 hours ago, ZebraFinch said: I'm still very undecided! SAIS seems to have more choices of courses but I'm not thrilled about taking Econ again. Georgetown was originally my top choice and I feel like I'll be happier there overall but my advisors say SAIS has a better program. However, multiple FSOs have told me to go where I'll be happy as it doesn't matter where I went once I'm in the FS. Both have given me essentially the same amount of funding although I still have to speak with Georgetown about possibly getting more money. I'm very happy for you and happy that I could help you in any way. I'm open to helping out anyone else who reads or might read this thread! There's nothing quite as satisfying personally as seeing people achieve their dreams. I was talking to the other finalists and it seems like everyone is really into Georgetown and not very many people prioritized SAIS. Also, the Georgetown buildings in D.C. are gorgeous. You should do a site and class visit to both of them and ask current and alumni to ask what their experience was like, and ask what they would want to change about their experience to make it better. Also, have you looked over the course offerings to see if they're what you want? And I second that. If there are applicants who want tips on their essays or interviews, feel free to contact me. I am more than happy to return all the help that I've gotten from previous fellows to future applicants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs12 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Oh my gosh. I HATE you, @kbui I saw that yesterday and was so upset! I couldn't think of anything to say because I was so upset myself so I decided to take a night to try and find something encouraging. BUT THEN THIS! I just can't believe it! I mean, I truly did have a really good feeling about it, and I tried to put out a lot of positive thoughts and talked you up to everyone I saw, but still it's so incredibly amazing! I'm so so so happy for you! It's funny, thinking back to when it was just you and I chatting, I just had the feeling back then that you had a chance. And look at you now? Congratulations, really, really! You deserve this! Now I just gotta freak out about the Pickering and see if the rest of us on this topic can't produce a clean sweep~ kbui 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 @mrs12 Yes! It seems like most people on this topic have been hearing back good news upon good news, even the seemingly impossible news like @ZebraFinch's Pickering. I am crossing all my fingers and toes for you! As I said before, they have an internal deadline of the 25th, and will be sending results next week. Take a deep breath, go work out, or eat some chocolate cake, and enjoy the rest of the week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chethedoctor Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 On 3/22/2016 at 2:34 PM, kbui said: Super fail. I was trying to rile up some confusion on the Grad Cafe so that I could sweep in dramatically and say that... I got the congratulatory email yesterday at 6:18PM CST! AHH! ? ?? Congratulations @kbui I think you will make one hell of a fellow and USAID foreign service officer. If I don't get a research grant that makes it possible for me to do research in the Middle East, it is more than likely I will head back home and apply for the Payne fellowship and a couple other scholarships. If I do, could I get in touch to pick your brains? Once again congrats!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 41 minutes ago, chethedoctor said: Congratulations @kbui I think you will make one hell of a fellow and USAID foreign service officer. If I don't get a research grant that makes it possible for me to do research in the Middle East, it is more than likely I will head back home and apply for the Payne fellowship and a couple other scholarships. If I do, could I get in touch to pick your brains? Once again congrats!!! Thank you so much! I hope that you hear good news back from the research grant soon. Is it Fulbright? And you know, I love Fulbright, don't get me wrong, but Boren gives you much more money and are slightly less competitive in some countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chethedoctor Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 29 minutes ago, kbui said: Thank you so much! I hope that you hear good news back from the research grant soon. Is it Fulbright? And you know, I love Fulbright, don't get me wrong, but Boren gives you much more money and are slightly less competitive in some countries. I am a current recipient of the Fulbright (UK). Applying to a super competitive research scholarship offered by the Qatar Foundation. Given the profile of the current and past scholars, I am not really expecting much. Thus the interest in the Payne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 @chethedoctor Wow, you must be amazing if you got the Fulbright to the UK! I just checked and the acceptance rate is 3.4%! That's lower than Harvard University's! You're going to be a great candidate and Payne Fellow, for sure. The Qatar Foundation sounds like a very competitive research scholarship, but I believe that they will have a very, very difficult time not selecting you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chethedoctor Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 14 hours ago, kbui said: @chethedoctor Wow, you must be amazing if you got the Fulbright to the UK! I just checked and the acceptance rate is 3.4%! That's lower than Harvard University's! You're going to be a great candidate and Payne Fellow, for sure. The Qatar Foundation sounds like a very competitive research scholarship, but I believe that they will have a very, very difficult time not selecting you. @kbui more lucky than amazing but thank you very much for your kind words. I will let you know if I apply for the Payne. Will you be attending the Kennedy School? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbui Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 I'm going to visit the campus on April 7th, 8th, and 9th to get a feel for it. But at this moment I am 95% sure I am going. The enrollment fee is $750 (not as steep as SIPA's $2,000) and I definitely cannot just pay that on a whim, so I emailed the financial services office and the director of admissions to see if they can waive it for Payne Fellows. They said not at this time, so I just asked MaRaina (the Payne's Program Admin) to give them a call. It's worth a shot! This year I only applied to two schools (actually, when I applied to public health programs I also applied to two schools) and I was blessed enough to get accepted into both of them. I was comparing the two, so I called SIPA to ask about a couple questions I had regarding their program. I asked if there are services for multi-cultural/disadvantaged students, if they have a travel stipend for students to come visit for Admitted Students' Day, and what advantages does SIPA have over HKS. And essentially they said, "[no, no, and we have great students and staff]." To be fair, Columbia SIPA does have a high international student population so the first and second question may not apply to them as much. HKS was so sweet also to send me a letter with a handwritten note on the bottom, so that definitely helped seal the deal for me. Haha, I have a soft spot for personalized handwritten notes. @chethedoctor What programs would you be applying for with Payne? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chethedoctor Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 2 hours ago, kbui said: I'm going to visit the campus on April 7th, 8th, and 9th to get a feel for it. But at this moment I am 95% sure I am going. The enrollment fee is $750 (not as steep as SIPA's $2,000) and I definitely cannot just pay that on a whim, so I emailed the financial services office and the director of admissions to see if they can waive it for Payne Fellows. They said not at this time, so I just asked MaRaina (the Payne's Program Admin) to give them a call. It's worth a shot! This year I only applied to two schools (actually, when I applied to public health programs I also applied to two schools) and I was blessed enough to get accepted into both of them. I was comparing the two, so I called SIPA to ask about a couple questions I had regarding their program. I asked if there are services for multi-cultural/disadvantaged students, if they have a travel stipend for students to come visit for Admitted Students' Day, and what advantages does SIPA have over HKS. And essentially they said, "[no, no, and we have great students and staff]." To be fair, Columbia SIPA does have a high international student population so the first and second question may not apply to them as much. HKS was so sweet also to send me a letter with a handwritten note on the bottom, so that definitely helped seal the deal for me. Haha, I have a soft spot for personalized handwritten notes. @chethedoctor What programs would you be applying for with Payne? @kbui Most likely Georgetown SFS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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