Fulbright 2017-2018

[theterrapin]

Hi Yall!

I have been looking at this blog for months and it has been a great help to get through this process both logistically and emotionally! I am currently a semi-finalist for the Poland ETA, but I have not received any email for an interview... From what I have been reading through past posts, this is not good news, but I was wondering if anyone could give insight into why they would not interview a semi-finalist. Thank you all for being a great community of great people!

[Dash123]

I hate not having a date for when we get the final decision. It seems like Czech ETA notifications arrive around late March or early April but it's unnerving knowing it could show up randomly in my inbox at any time in the next two months or so!

[shaynes007]

HI everyone,

 

New to this entire process, this is my first time applying for a Fulbright? Anyone here apply to partner awards in the UK? Scotland, specificially?

 

Thanks and best of luck to everyone here!

 

Shauna 

[medievalist86]

1 hour ago, shaynes007 said:

HI everyone,

 

New to this entire process, this is my first time applying for a Fulbright? Anyone here apply to partner awards in the UK? Scotland, specificially?

 

Thanks and best of luck to everyone here!

 

Shauna 

Hello Shauna, and welcome to the forum!!

I'm applying to the U.K. (England) for the third time, and there are quite a few others applying for a U.K. Award also, so you're not alone. Making it to this stage of the application as a first-time applicant is really incredible, so congrats to you! Wishing you the best of luck!! Which university are you wanting to attend? I studied abroad in the U.K. when I was in college, and I absolutely loved it!  Feel free to message me, if you want. Have a great day!

[Promixmagus]

Hey everyone! Apparently I am coming to this forum a little late. I am a semi-finalist for ETA in Taiwan, so just waiting to hear back. I am also applying for teaching jobs locally just in case. I saw on the Google Doc that Taiwan notifies early April ... gah!

Good luck everyone!

[daj2116]

Hi! Just wanted to say that I've been checking in on this forum occasionally and it's been such a great resource. Really thankful for everyone who has shared their experiences so far. 

I'm new to the discussion but thought I'd share some coping mechanisms I learned for getting through this oh so painful waiting period. The anxiety around Fulbright is, for me, completely tied to this opportunity being my top choice for a pretty major career switch back to my passion. Linking the career switch to this competitive process, in hindsight, can drive anyone to the brink of insanity.  

So I did some late night googling and found two really great techniques for shaking the anxiety: 

1) Have contingency plans that you are just as excited about. Having backup options that will push you toward the goal that you'd like to accomplish with the grant is important and will help to disconnect the unhealthy mental connection between Fulbright and success in achieving your goals. For me Plan A is Fulbright. Plan B is having an international travel adventure for 2 months and then returning to NYC to work with a nonprofit in the field that I enjoy. Plan C is moving to a new city in the US and finding work related to my dream field. Regardless of how things shake out, I will be accomplishing the goal of quitting my corporate worker bee life in New York and transitioning to work that actually matters to me. 

2) Have things you can look forward to in the immediate future. I was having trouble actually looking forward because the next step is so uncertain. So I'm planning a solo weekend trip closeby and putting it on the calendar so that I have something to get excited about while I'm enduring the wait. I've always wanted to travel alone so this is a good way to get my feet wet. 

This has helped me tremendously, even just over the last few days. Hope it helps some of you as well!

PS I'm a semi-finalist for Spain Research. Seems like in the most recent years, Spain has announced in Mid-March. Hopefully no delays  

[indexes]

On February 27, 2017 at 9:39 AM, inkstainedarm said:

They were late to call me for my interview and I nearly had a heart attack!!

@Dilemma1 and any other UK applicants yet to interview: they've been having tech problems with their Skype, so there's a chance they'll have to call you instead--have your phones handy when it's your time, just in case!

Different country, but same thing happened to me! ? it's so unnerving! 

Hope it it went well! ?

[indexes]

21 hours ago, theterrapin said:

Hi Yall!

I have been looking at this blog for months and it has been a great help to get through this process both logistically and emotionally! I am currently a semi-finalist for the Poland ETA, but I have not received any email for an interview... From what I have been reading through past posts, this is not good news, but I was wondering if anyone could give insight into why they would not interview a semi-finalist. Thank you all for being a great community of great people!

First in the brainstorming, the dreaded: "did you check your spam folder?" They sent out interview requests Jan 23, with confirmation needing to be in within two days, I believe.

There is no way any sort of selection was made between our notification date and the request to interview, so it could come down to an oversight on their end, too. 

It it could also be like the UK, where only some of the applicants are interviewed. 

Edited March 3, 2017 by indexes

[inkstainedarm]

4 minutes ago, indexes said:

Different country, but same thing happened to me! ? it's so unnerving! 

Hope it it went well! ?

It's the worst! I was sitting there panicking that I'd somehow added the wrong Skype username, or miscalculated the time difference...nope, they just started the call 6 minutes late.

What country did you apply to? Hope your interview went well too!

[artlesspredilection]

Got an email from Fulbright and thought it was an acceptance. But twas only the Save the Date email for PDO. :/ 

[CoolOwl]

10 minutes ago, artlesspredilection said:

Got an email from Fulbright and thought it was an acceptance. But twas only the Save the Date email for PDO. :/ 

This email had no chill!

[ibette]

Not sure if this would affect some Fulbright projects in Europe, especially those that involved multiple sites: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/world/europe/eu-visas-parliament-united-states.html?_r=0 

[jakem1023]

From the new e-mail that made me think I had an early March miracle:

" The costs associated with travel and accommodations for the duration of the PDO (and ETA Workshop if applicable) will be covered by the U.S. Department of State."

How much will the U.S. Department of State pay for my travel to PDO if selected? Currently in Benin where a round trip cost to DC is likely over $1000. Forgot where I saw this, but I believe they will pay up to $1000. 

Can anybody confirm?

 

[bjoshi]

2 hours ago, artlesspredilection said:

Got an email from Fulbright and thought it was an acceptance. But twas only the Save the Date email for PDO. :/ 

Same! Was there no other reason for that email? I noticed that the first email said "recommended as a semi-finalist" while this new email says "named a semi-finalist." Am I reading too much into the email or is that the next stage from the first? I noticed from the excel sheet that my country has had interviews every year in the past, but I still haven't received a notification for an interview. Should I be worried?

[Sarah1812]

I got an email reminding me to send transcripts which I realized I forgot to send, haha. I actually just had to accept a competing offer for Fulbright at a law firm (I'm planning to go to law school and it just made more sense), and had wondered if I made a mistake. It's somewhat fitting that I received the email right now, haha.

[Sarah1812]

On 2/28/2017 at 11:24 AM, maelia8 said:

They specifically said in the email I got that they won't notify you if they do receive the transcripts, only if you get chosen and they didn't receive them (they'll tell you they still need them).

So wait... does this mean I got it?

[minswho]

4 minutes ago, Sarah1812 said:

So wait... does this mean I got it?

"only if you get chosen (as a semi-finalist)"

[Sarah1812]

2 minutes ago, minswho said:

"only if you get chosen (as a semi-finalist)"

Ohhh. OK. So this just means I screwed up, lol. So that person was merely referring to the general applicant status?

Edited March 3, 2017 by Sarah1812

[Sarah1812]

But (and this is just a thought because if this IS news, then I can call back my job on Monday and ask to defer.) why would they bother to ask for the transcripts of people who didn't receive the award?

[minswho]

29 minutes ago, Sarah1812 said:

But (and this is just a thought because if this IS news, then I can call back my job on Monday and ask to defer.) why would they bother to ask for the transcripts of people who didn't receive the award?

Probably because they need the transcript to decide who receives the award..?

It even stated in the semi-finalist email that you'd be contacted if they don't receive the transcript by the deadline so I'm not sure why you're taking that email as an acceptance decision..

[Sarah1812]

5 minutes ago, minswho said:

Probably because they need the transcript to decide who receives the award..?

It even stated in the semi-finalist email that you'd be contacted if they don't receive the transcript by the deadline so I'm not sure why you're taking that email as an acceptance decision..

I thought they were technically required to have submitted their final decisions by March 1st? If that's not the case, then my mistake! That's partly why I was wondering. I know I'm probably grasping for straws here, and the USC office will probably confirm that. I'm really just asking!

The reason why I'm looking into it is because it could have a really big impact on my life  I wasn't willing to defer a two-year commitment to my job for a year for anything except a Fulbright, and the firm couldn't wait for another 3-4 weeks, so I told them I would start working this June. That being said, if I called them back on Monday and said I had received the award, then they would probably still be able to defer the position. Hope that clarifies my position!

Edited March 3, 2017 by Sarah1812

[Vegan Burrito]

Does anyone have the link to that Fulbright page that said that countries would have to file their decisions with the committee in New York by March 3rd?

[Photogeographic]

5 hours ago, Vegan Burrito said:

Does anyone have the link to that Fulbright page that said that countries would have to file their decisions with the committee in New York by March 3rd?

I believe that page is now password protected

[indexes]

19 hours ago, inkstainedarm said:

It's the worst! I was sitting there panicking that I'd somehow added the wrong Skype username, or miscalculated the time difference...nope, they just started the call 6 minutes late.

What country did you apply to? Hope your interview went well too!

Mine was 15 minutes. I was close to sending an email to confirm it after quadruple checking the time and date. They called just before I hit sent. That was a relief! ? 

It's for Poland! I was nervous, could have done a lot better but I didn't blank and the interview lasted the estimated amount of time so that is a plus! Hopefully said things on topic, can't for the life of me remember now what I said! ??

[legato]

On 2/10/2017 at 1:35 PM, McGhee said:

@inkstainedarm and @jlking9 I am in the same boat as you two! I applied for partnership with UCL and I still haven't heard either. We could all be rejected, they could be taking longer this year (not surprising with some of the issues going on in our country) or perhaps they aren't doing as many interviews as before. Who knows . Unfortunately, there are just too many variables which mean we have to continue the nerve-racking process of waiting it out for more results  Hopefully it's good odds that so few of us UK partnerships have heard anything and it means a delay not rejection. Best of luck to you two!!

Hey there!

I am also a UCL Fulbright semi-finalist (I'm going for the UCL - Institute of Education award) and I have yet to hear back about a phone interview. Have you head from anyone yet? Are they still delayed? I just want to know if I should keep waiting to hear from someone...

Either way, best of luck!!