Fulbright 2017-2018

[wonkyscholar]

Thanks so much everyone for the support and optimism! It seems like this group is much more vibrant than past year's activity, and there's a lot I've learned from reading.

It's been rough to wait for hearing about Japan research, and receive either rejections from all of the East Asian studies programs at US grad schools I applied to or offers to programs with no funding, which are essentially impossible for me to attend. Fulbright is the last chance out of my 7 applications for the upcoming academic year. It's increasingly frustrating the extent to which funding matters when poorer students try to advance their careers academically right after graduating with a bachelors degree.

BTW, my FPA said quite a lot of the FPAs are coordinating the results and data of their students in a similar fashion to how this spreadsheet is working - it's helpful to have their support and know they're excited and waiting just as much and long as we all are for positive results!

[Photogeographic]

7 hours ago, chemteachersrule said:

for real!!! im waiting for Indonesia...last year they notified on the 22nd so i was being extra hopeful today 

still have some time left tho

 

I'm thinking it will be tomorrow! I think Indo is announcing on a Friday based on their patterns (although this year patterns don't seem to hold much weight) and well just kinda gotta feeling.

Good luck to everyone still waiting! 

[chemteachersrule]

19 minutes ago, Photogeographic said:

I'm thinking it will be tomorrow! I think Indo is announcing on a Friday based on their patterns (although this year patterns don't seem to hold much weight) and well just kinda gotta feeling.

Good luck to everyone still waiting! 

I hope!! Fingers crossed we are both awarded and meet each other at PDO!!!

[Herbie]

May I gently request if we could slow down about the "what to do next" phases, so as to patiently allow the season to roll out for everyone? Those notified far earlier would have made my heart skip too many beats. It's 9AM on my side, daumen gedruckt on my side, and doubling everyone's message to persist through the pain if it occurs!

[Meliglwssos]

7 hours ago, AnnMarie said:

Question for people here. So I got an alternate status but I'm already touching up my application to resubmit next year since I strongly believe in my research. I had an interview and the panel that spoke to me seemed perplexed about my community outreach part of my application. (I don't know if ETA applicants have to do that). But I love nature and I spend most if my time out in it while not in work. So I contacted a nature park in warsaw to volunteer for. 

The people that interviewed me didn't seem impressed by it and said my skills would be better used for volunteering in a local immigration NGO because my project was on immigration to Poland. This threw me off because I was under the impression my community outreach could be geared toward anything. 

I guess my question is this: what was your community outreach idea and was it in the same field as your project proposal?

I've already contacted an NGO in warsaw to see if I can volunteer with them for next year.

I applied for ETA but since you don't apply to a specific area for that and Indonesia is a very diverse country especially in respect to what resources you can expect to find I was vague. I said I wanted to work with groups that keep girls in school and listed groups I knew of. I also said I was interested especially if placed rurally to help stock up libraries. 

I have seen other applications be more or less related to the program they applied for. The main thing my advisor said was showing integration into the community.

Maybe you could find something similar to what you had but dealing more with people, or find a way to stress the communal aspect of the nature park.

[kyjin]

12 hours ago, theanine said:

thank you for the info! How do you know this?? I wish I had an informant lol 

I asked at the Japan-Fulbright commission last week during an event for current Fulbrighters  

[kyjin]

12 hours ago, m1087 said:

@kyjin I know there's no way to know for certain, but do you think Japan will announce tomorrow? It would be great to hear before next week.

No idea I'm afraid. Sorry I can't be of more help!

[lightaheadi]

Good morning everyone! And good luck today!!

[mrhappy895]

Had a string of 3 fellowship rejections this week and going back to school from spring break having yet to start my damn thesis; could really use a pick-me-up! Come on Malaysia... I could use some motivation haha 

[jarp729]

10 hours ago, AnnMarie said:

Question for people here. So I got an alternate status but I'm already touching up my application to resubmit next year since I strongly believe in my research. I had an interview and the panel that spoke to me seemed perplexed about my community outreach part of my application. (I don't know if ETA applicants have to do that). But I love nature and I spend most if my time out in it while not in work. So I contacted a nature park in warsaw to volunteer for. 

The people that interviewed me didn't seem impressed by it and said my skills would be better used for volunteering in a local immigration NGO because my project was on immigration to Poland. This threw me off because I was under the impression my community outreach could be geared toward anything. 

I guess my question is this: what was your community outreach idea and was it in the same field as your project proposal?

I've already contacted an NGO in warsaw to see if I can volunteer with them for next year.

Hi AnnMarie!

I'm a Research Finalist for Peru. I study bioarchaeology (i.e. human skeletal analysis, think the TV show bones). In a nutshell, my proposed project is to do skeletal analysis in the Moche Valley on individuals excavated from Moche and Chimu culture archaeological sites. There's a lot more to this, but the idea is baseline my work requires nothing but me and a bunch of dead people... so cultural engagement was going to be a tricky one.

The community outreach aspect of my project still incorporates my skill set and research directly. Peru has recently (past generation or so) increased their commitment to cultural heritage and conservation efforts. With this, many Peruvian students are interested in pursuing archaeology in order to help with conservation and preservation of sites.

My proposed cultural engagement was two fold - first, the project I am working on tied to a non-profit. This non-profit partners with "villages" (so impoverished that the government sometimes doesn't recognize them) near to the sites they want to excavate. In exchange for "projecting" the Moche sites (i.e. not looting from them), this NGO funds a community-identified service project. In the past, they've built a school, and water filtration system. I noted specifically in my application that my schedule is flexible enough that I am able to participate in any construction efforts by this NGO. 

Second, there is a field school that excavates at these sites during the summer months. For the first time, this field school will include Peruvian students. Their Archaeological education does not include bioarchaeology. My job during this field school is to train people in bioarchaeology, and effectively contribute to a new generation of individuals that can do this research on their own instead of relying on international researchers.

More generally, I stressed the importance of archaeology/anthropology. Specifically its ability to allow a group of individuals to learn more about where they come from, reclaim identity, and form a sense of communal pride.

 

I hope this helps!

 

[mrhappy895]

Also, was wondering if anyone who has been awarded is slated to start January 2018? Obviously this is forward-thinking, but if things go well I wouldn't start until then; curious if anyone has grand plans or great ideas for how to spend a brief fall term post-grad and pre-FB

[theanine]

2 hours ago, kyjin said:

I asked at the Japan-Fulbright commission last week during an event for current Fulbrighters  

They had them selected already last week? Makes me more hopeful about hearing back about East Asia today or next week... Though I suppose we have no idea if the other countries made their selections as early as Japan. sigh

[lightaheadi]

@theanine @Tera @pengpolaruin @gorilla_queen (Or anyone else in East-Asia), what country and what program did you apply to? If it is Research, what is your project? I'm interested to hear!

 

 

[theanine]

1 minute ago, lightaheadi said:

@theanine @Tera @pengpolaruin @gorilla_queen (Or anyone else in East-Asia), what country and what program did you apply to? If it is Research, what is your project? I'm interested to hear!

 

 

Korea ETA. Last year I applied for Korea research, but didn't get it. Thinking my chances are better for ETA since I'm not in grad school yet, but who knows! After a year that's been full of rejection, one more wouldn't faze me at all. I'm going to Korea regardless so it's just a matter of how at this point. I just need a resolution to the uncertainty so I can finally ACT and nail my plans down for this year. 

What about you? 

[lightaheadi]

2 minutes ago, theanine said:

Korea ETA. Last year I applied for Korea research, but didn't get it. Thinking my chances are better for ETA since I'm not in grad school yet, but who knows! After a year that's been full of rejection, one more wouldn't faze me at all. I'm going to Korea regardless so it's just a matter of how at this point. I just need a resolution to the uncertainty so I can finally ACT and nail my plans down for this year. 

What about you? 

I applied for the Korean Studies Graduate Degree program.  I'm hoping to pair it with an International Education degree in the future and help Korean students when they study abroad here in America.  Also, there's not a lot of International Education opportunities in Maine, so I'm hoping to start some programs in my lifetime to change that.

This is kind of a one shot for me..if I don't get it I most likely wont be going due to $$$.

[theanine]

3 minutes ago, lightaheadi said:

I applied for the Korean Studies Graduate Degree program.  I'm hoping to pair it with an International Education degree in the future and help Korean students when they study abroad here in America.  Also, there's not a lot of International Education opportunities in Maine, so I'm hoping to start some programs in my lifetime to change that.

This is kind of a one shot for me..if I don't get it I most likely wont be going due to $$$.

That's awesome! Have you heard of the NIIED scholarship? If Fulbright doesn't work out, you should really look at applying to that program. 

[theanine]

@lightaheadi here's a link describing it https://www.topikguide.com/niied-kgsp-2017-korean-government-scholarship-program/

[Horb]

14 hours ago, Dash123 said:

Congrats, m8! You so deserve it - knock their socks off and rep the States well <3

Thanks so much!

[pengpolaruin]

13 minutes ago, lightaheadi said:

@theanine @Tera @pengpolaruin @gorilla_queen (Or anyone else in East-Asia), what country and what program did you apply to? If it is Research, what is your project? I'm interested to hear!

 

 

I applied for Korea ETA. I'm also pursuing an opportunity to volunteer with the Community Chest of Korea and other nonprofits hoping to learn and study more about Autism Spectrum Disorder in Korea.  

I have a brother with ASD and have spent a lot of time tutoring ASD children and worked with nonprofit groups in my state to write policy for ASD initiatives, so I would really love a chance to learn more about what the country with the highest ASD prevalence but also one of the highest stigmas against ASD and mental health disorders are doing for their citizens. 

If I don't get the Fulbright, I will probably apply to teach with EPIK, but my side project might be totally lost. 

I studied abroad in Korea in 2014, and I just really really need to go back ㅠㅠ

[lightaheadi]

15 minutes ago, theanine said:

That's awesome! Have you heard of the NIIED scholarship? If Fulbright doesn't work out, you should really look at applying to that program. 

@theanine I have! I actually got it for the one semester I was in Korea 3 years ago.

My concern is that 1) I received it before, will they let me have it again? 2) I was under the understanding that I need to be enrolled into a university in order to be eligible for the scholarship.  If I need to apply to the school beforehand I have everything in my application EXCEPT the $20,000 in my bank account.  I'm not sure if a Korean University will accept me or not because I do not have the funds. So I feel like I'm in a rut...

Someone told me before that they usually don't give out the NIIED scholarship to 1st world countries, and my chances are low. Not sure if that is true or not

If my fact are wrong PLEASE correct me!

Edited March 24, 2017 by lightaheadi

[pengpolaruin]

18 minutes ago, lightaheadi said:

I applied for the Korean Studies Graduate Degree program.  I'm hoping to pair it with an International Education degree in the future and help Korean students when they study abroad here in America.  Also, there's not a lot of International Education opportunities in Maine, so I'm hoping to start some programs in my lifetime to change that.

This is kind of a one shot for me..if I don't get it I most likely wont be going due to $$$.

That sounds so amazing! Did you study Korean studies in undergrad?? 

 

I'm crossing my fingers for you and hoping that you get it - would be awesome to see someone so passionate get this degree and put it to use!

[lightaheadi]

13 minutes ago, pengpolaruin said:

That sounds so amazing! Did you study Korean studies in undergrad?? 

 

I'm crossing my fingers for you and hoping that you get it - would be awesome to see someone so passionate get this degree and put it to use!

@pengpolaruin  Thank you so much! That means a lot! Your project sounds incredible, and I'm very interested to hear your findings on ASD in Korea.  Although my degree was not in Korean studies (Web technology..doing quite the career jump!) I worked and ran several international programs in my university throughout my undergrad. I usually take the time to ask them what the biggest culture shock for them was.  I was surprised when someone answered with "how caring America is with the disabled" (more specifically with how buses are wheelchair accessible). It wasn't until I finally travel to Korea did I understand what she meant.

It seems like you and I were in Korea at the same time! I was in Seoul, though.

Edited March 24, 2017 by lightaheadi

[Tera]

43 minutes ago, lightaheadi said:

@theanine @Tera @pengpolaruin @gorilla_queen (Or anyone else in East-Asia), what country and what program did you apply to? If it is Research, what is your project? I'm interested to hear!

 

 

South Korea ETA! ?

[Tera]

41 minutes ago, theanine said:

Korea ETA. Last year I applied for Korea research, but didn't get it. Thinking my chances are better for ETA since I'm not in grad school yet, but who knows! After a year that's been full of rejection, one more wouldn't faze me at all. I'm going to Korea regardless so it's just a matter of how at this point. I just need a resolution to the uncertainty so I can finally ACT and nail my plans down for this year. 

What about you? 

I'm gonna (try to) go to Korea regardless as well! Either through GEPIK or EPIK~ 

Also my community project is fairly simple: I want to offer music lessons to the community to highlight the importance of the arts inside and outside academia. I feel like music/art is highly underappreciated nowadays

 

[pengpolaruin]

@theanine @lightaheadi @Tera all of you guys seem so amazing ?? here's to hoping our dreams come true and we all get to go to Korea!!