Rangel & Pickering Fellowship

[Srbf]

I checked the website and it now says we'll be notified by April 1 about selection.  But @kbui you said possibly starting today? 

Edited March 25, 2016 by Srbf

[mrs12]

I think it could be any time from Monday to Friday (April 1).

Edited March 25, 2016 by mrs12

[kbui]

14 hours ago, Srbf said:

I checked the website and it now says we'll be notified by April 1 about selection.  But @kbui you said possibly starting today? 

One of the staffers said they have an internal deadline around March 23rd to the 25th, and will notify people shortly after. I think they may say April 1st to give them some breathing room in case it takes slower.

[kbui]

Tomorrow may be the day for Pickering! *fingers crossed* for @mrs12 and everyone else who's applying this round.

[mrs12]

I'm so keyed up... I have a feeling it won't be tomorrow, but I don't know how I'll stand it if it isn't tomorrow... Haha.

To those who won in the past/recent awards, all of the fellowships seem to offer some sort of mentorship but I was wondering how good/involved that was? Especially as an undergraduate applicant, I'm curious if there would be help in looking at and choosing grad programs. 

@kbui Did you ask or did anyone give you advice on which school to pick? Or anything else like that about grad school?

[srahsrah]

52 minutes ago, mrs12 said:

I'm so keyed up... I have a feeling it won't be tomorrow, but I don't know how I'll stand it if it isn't tomorrow... Haha.

To those who won in the past/recent awards, all of the fellowships seem to offer some sort of mentorship but I was wondering how good/involved that was? Especially as an undergraduate applicant, I'm curious if there would be help in looking at and choosing grad programs. 

@kbui Did you ask or did anyone give you advice on which school to pick? Or anything else like that about grad school?

What are you asking? I received it in 2013-2014, applying as a 2nd-year, and am now in my 4th. As such, I had a mentor, etc. already, and the NSF was just means of bringing in my own funding, and getting more flexibility in my research. 

[kbui]

30 minutes ago, srahsrah said:

What are you asking? I received it in 2013-2014, applying as a 2nd-year, and am now in my 4th. As such, I had a mentor, etc. already, and the NSF was just means of bringing in my own funding, and getting more flexibility in my research. 

@mrs12 I actually didn't tell anyone I was applying to graduate school, and didn't really get any mentorship/help on choosing programs. I just looked on the U.S. News rankings (I know, that's not the best way, but it was a good starting point) and then researched more about the top ranking programs. I don't think any program would serve me badly, so I gave it a go by myself mostly. However, I did ask for a lot of help from previous fellows, some mentors, and the writing center at my school.

And I think @srahsrah response may have been for another topic? Since looking in their basic biography on the left side they're in a Psych PhD program which is different, and I'm not sure if NSF funding would play into Rangel/Pickering.

[mrs12]

Mhmm. It's a bit difficult at my current school because there's no one in my field of study, so they can't give me any specific advice on grad school. There's also no real rankings for what I'm interested in studying in grad school.

Lately, I've been looking at generic degrees, like the MPP, etc, or Middle Eastern Studies degrees, but there's just so much out there and it would be nice to talk to someone about what if anything it all really impacts in this field of work.

[kbui]

Nothing yet. Maybe it won't be today.

[mrs12]

Maybe tomorrow~~~~

[Srbf]

I just got my notification for Pickering. I was unfortunately not selected. I wish everyone else well!

I will still plan to go to school in the fall- right now it's between SAIS and AU SIS both for conflict management/ international peace and conflict. I *can* do it with loans though it makes me wince (probably one of the reasons I wasn't as good of a candidate for Pickering). But I'm glad to know since this will add some clarity to the decision. And I do hope to connect with some of you at grad school open houses next week. 

[ZebraFinch]

I forgot to withdraw and was selected as a finalist. Whoops. I'll withdraw and give someone else the spot.

Edited March 29, 2016 by ZebraFinch

[mrs12]

Hey everyone,

I was not selected this time around. I'm sad, but I won't give up.  Thank you all for all the help and advice and story-sharing during this journey! I'll be sure to apply again next year and I hope that we can stay in touch so I can hear all about your wonderful experiences!

[pubpol101]

I'm a finalist! I can't believe this...

Any tips from Rangel/Payne fellows for the interview and written exam?

Edited March 29, 2016 by AAAAAAAA

[kbui]

@mrs12 I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm disappointed that you're not able to interview for something that you're deeply passionate about this year. :\ And your optimism is in the right place! You're a very young and so far accomplished person, and you'll go far beyond this moment. For sure.

[mrs12]

I'm not surprised I didn't make it. But I am disappointed.

It's okay! This is just a chance to hone my focus and work on improving myself for another year.  Also, it means that I will have the chance to apply to things like the Fulbright next year, as well as the Rangel and the Pickering. It's not precisely a bad thing for me to have to have to wait another year because it gives me time to breathe and think about my future more broadly. I know I want to apply again, but in the meantime, I'll see what academia holds for me in my last year of undergrad. 

@kbui , thank you soooo much for everything! Seriously, you've helped me so much on this journey. I am really happy you were chosen for the Payne and I think you will be an amazing USAID officer. All of your grad school options sound great, and beyond just being smart you're so kind and thoughtful, I'm certain you'll do really well at school. From my brief time with my internship with the state department I was really struck by how important it is for officers to be good people -- It's one thing to be skilled at what you do, but it's another to make an office environment better by your presence. I think you'll do both, which is really exceptional! 

@ZebraFinch Thank you too for all of your advice and help and encouragement! I'm really excited for your journey and you certainly deserve it! <3

And thanks to everyone else for making this thread so wonderful and supportive. 

I'll continue lurking on this thread because I want to give people like @AAAAAAAA my congratulations and encouragement! (Good job! And good luck!)

[chethedoctor]

4 hours ago, kbui said:

@mrs12 I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm disappointed that you're not able to interview for something that you're deeply passionate about this year. :\ And your optimism is in the right place! You're a very young and so far accomplished person, and you'll go far beyond this moment. For sure.

@mrs12 I echo the sentiments of @kbui. @kbui and the rest: I think I will also give the Pickering and especially the Rangel a shot. Having applied for these scholarships, could you please paint a picture of the application process? I am mostly interested in the mental state, what needs to be prioritized in the essays/statements and if there are things the people administering these fellowships are 'looking for'. How should I approach these fellowships? Thanks! 

[mrs12]

@chethedoctor We'll both be applying next year then, right? We can brainstorm!

[GlobalUp]

Hey everyone, I’ve been avoiding this thread for the sake of my sanity since I didn’t think I could handle the rejection if I got too invested, but now I just found out that I’m a graduate finalist for the Pickering! Mind. Blown. Echoing @AAAAAAAA, I’d really appreciate any advice about going through the selection process from anyone who’s been down that road or through the Rangel/Payne wringer. I’ll take all the help I can get! O.O

Also, I’ve got to make a choice in the next day or two about whether to go to DC for the interview, etc. I live in South Korea, so I have the option to do it via Skype, but I’m a bit worried that that would hurt my chances. @ZebraFinch, do you know if anyone from your Pickering cohort got it after interviewing remotely? I’d really like to go in person, but it would mean spending a bunch of money on getting myself to the States and taking almost a week off of work, not to mention going through it completely jetlagged. Any thoughts on whether I should go or not? 

And @mrs12, I’m sad to hear you didn’t get it, but I’m impressed with your positivity and perseverance! I think you’ve got a great shot next time.  

[kbui]

Congratulations to the people who made the interview! And @ZebraFinch... AGAIN lol. You are a superstar and they couldn't resist selecting you again for an interview. This is when you know you're meant to be a Pickering Fellow. 

Edited March 30, 2016 by kbui

[ZebraFinch]

Aww thanks! It was still nice to get the email, and I'm talking to them on being there on interview day to talk to finalists, so maybe I'll meet some of you all

@GlobalUp, not sure if anyone in my cohort did, but I know two other Fellows who did Skype interviews and were successful. One of the Fellows in my cohort flew in the night before from Vienna, and she was very jet lagged but I think her flying there showed her commitment. In your position, I'd honestly try to go in person as I'm very sure they evaluate how you interact with other finalists.

@mrs12 Please do re-apply for next year! I'd be happy to help if you need. I think undergraduate fellowships are a tad more competitive from what I understand. I think with the CLS under your belt for next year you'd be an even more competitive candidate

 

Edited March 30, 2016 by ZebraFinch

[mrs12]

@ZebraFinch I certainly will reapply! I think you might be right. In that there were around the same amount of applicants for the undergrad and grad levels of the Pickering, but only around 20 undergraduates were invited to interview because only ten will be selected in the end. I honestly thought I would be more devastated by this result, but it helped a lot talking to you all for the past few months. I've realized that my denial doesn't reflect on me as a candidate necessarily. It's made me even more dedicated, and excited for the future too. I really want this, and so it's not the end of the world being denied once. Your story in particular, and those of people who applied several times inspire me to keep trying.

Plus this means I won't have to worry about any CLS overlap with the Pickering orientation this summer. Haha. I'm super excited for the CLS program because it looks like I will be placed into Advanced Turkish now, the level I really really wanted to get to! (It's hard to study at that level in the US. Very few schools offer anything even close to fourth-year Turkish.)

[GlobalUp]

@ZebraFinch Thanks for the tip! I hope it works out for us both to be there since I'd love to meet you. Being a finalist twice must make you some kind of Pickering Super Fellow! 

[ennkay]

@GlobalUp I'm also in the same position. I was selected as a finalist (definitely did not expect that to happen after being rejected from Rangel) but I'm currently living abroad in the Middle East. I'm really tempted to go back for the interview but I can't afford it, so I think I'm going to opt for the Skype interview. Let me know what you end up doing!

Edited March 31, 2016 by ennkay

[kbui]

There are so many great finalists this year!

As for the Skype interviews, for the Rangel and Payne I think you have to be there in person. But if I had the option to do Skype and I was abroad, I would still fly (take out a credit card) because this is such a high stakes interview and like @ZebraFinch said, they will definitely look at the way you interact with other finalists and that would play into consideration. For the Payne there were people flying from parts of Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, and they spent a week in the U.S. with some days to rest before the interview and then to relax afterwards. I would highly recommend that.

If you truly can't afford it and can't take out a credit card (this would count as an investment in yourself), then I would look at alternatives like crowd sourcing like a GoFundMe. I did one a couple years ago and it was highly successful if you know how to market it right.