Fulbright 2017-2018

[littlegate]

2 hours ago, chemteachersrule said:

Did anyone receive notice about PDO? Are we supposed to book our own flights to DC? 

I emailed the MENA contact about PDOs and he said that we could expect information late last week (I guess not) or early this coming week.

[jakem1023]

On 4/22/2017 at 7:23 PM, chemteachersrule said:

Did anyone receive notice about PDO? Are we supposed to book our own flights to DC? 

Got this from an email 3 days ago from East Asia Pacific Program:

"PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION:  Grantees to non-Commission countries (aka Post grantees) are required to attend a Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) in Washington, D.C.  See the Resources page for the dates of the PDO for your Region.  The Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs and IIE will provide a range of Pre-Departure Resources including websites with information and country contacts and live Webinars on Grant Administration and in-country issues, such as visas and arrival.   The official PDO invitation emails should be sent out within the next 2 weeks and will provide information on how to register for the event and make travel/hotel arrangements.  Travel and hotel expenses will be covered by the Fulbright Program.

 

Your prompt attention to all requests for information, whether from this office or from the U.S. Embassy, will insure that you receive your grant payments on time."

 

Email had other frequently asked questions, but sounds like PDO will be solidified by May 5th

[hj2012]

Is anyone else still waiting to hear back?

[Nirerin]

It's been two weeks since I got notification of being accepted but I still haven't gotten the email from my country commission with the details! It's coming up so soon and I would really like to know whether they help with flight or housing so I can plan. 

 

Im also confused because everyone talked about their medical clearance taking forever, but I just got word mine is done and it's been less than a week since I turned it in!

 

Has everyone who got accepted already heard from their commission? When should I reach back out if I haven't heard?

[Magsthepolyglot]

By any chance does anyone know who to contact regarding booking our PDO flights? It appears that if we're flying we have to book through concur and have to fly to DC Reagan. I don't live in America and to fly to DC would cost more than the $1,000 they provide/cap us with, which means I would have to pay the additional costs. In addition, I would have to make too many connecting flights to get to DC and it'll be painfully longer. I'm originally from NY and would prefer to fly to NY then take a bus to DC. This is the cheapest and quickest method and I seriously don't want to travel 40+ hours to DC when I can do that in half the time by flying to NY instead. I'm a MENA ETA btw if that helps. Thanks  

[mdct123]

11 hours ago, Nirerin said:

It's been two weeks since I got notification of being accepted but I still haven't gotten the email from my country commission with the details! It's coming up so soon and I would really like to know whether they help with flight or housing so I can plan. 

 

Im also confused because everyone talked about their medical clearance taking forever, but I just got word mine is done and it's been less than a week since I turned it in!

 

Has everyone who got accepted already heard from their commission? When should I reach back out if I haven't heard?

I received notification over a month ago and have yet to be contacted by the commission. Apparently they have until May to contact us. Where are you going?

[Nirerin]

1 hour ago, mdct123 said:

I received notification over a month ago and have yet to be contacted by the commission. Apparently they have until May to contact us. Where are you going?

Yikes that's a long time! Though at least May is soon, right?

Im going to Ireland. How about you?

[HBAGN]

14 hours ago, Magsthepolyglot said:

By any chance does anyone know who to contact regarding booking our PDO flights? It appears that if we're flying we have to book through concur and have to fly to DC Reagan. I don't live in America and to fly to DC would cost more than the $1,000 they provide/cap us with, which means I would have to pay the additional costs. In addition, I would have to make too many connecting flights to get to DC and it'll be painfully longer. I'm originally from NY and would prefer to fly to NY then take a bus to DC. This is the cheapest and quickest method and I seriously don't want to travel 40+ hours to DC when I can do that in half the time by flying to NY instead. I'm a MENA ETA btw if that helps. Thanks  

Hey, Mags!

You can email Fulbrightorientation@iie.org to ask about travel to the PDO.

I think you can fly to wherever you want - when you select the flights on the HRG/Concur site, there is a place to add a note if your proposed itinerary doesn't comply with all the Fulbright rules. I think you could just mention that the cost of flying to NY is substantially lower and that you will take a train at your own expense. However, if you plan to spend time in NY before (or after) the PDO, I think you will need special permission.

 

Here's the information from the PDO website:

"For current grantees, if you will be abroad during PDO, your international flight itinerary will be reviewed for approval prior to booking. You must submit your proposed itinerary through the HRG/Concur travel site for approval. Please note that IIE will only cover the cost of a flight up to $1,000, and any additional cost beyond $1,000 will be the responsibility of the grantee and is not eligible for reimbursement. If your flight is over $1,000 and it is approved, you will be required to call HRG/Concur to provide a credit card for the balance of the flight cost over $1,000. International flights that are under $1,000, and approved by IIE, will not require calling HRG/Concur.

Reimbursement forms will be available at the orientation. Flights must be Fly America Act compliant to be eligible for reimbursement. Please note:
 

• Travelers must fly into and out of the United States on U.S.-flag carriers; a foreign carrier may be used for travel between two points abroad;
• A code-share flight qualifies as a U.S.-flag carrier provided the ticket identifies the U.S. carrier’s code and flight number;
• International itineraries are subject to approval by IIE."

[ibette]

17 hours ago, Nirerin said:

It's been two weeks since I got notification of being accepted but I still haven't gotten the email from my country commission with the details! It's coming up so soon and I would really like to know whether they help with flight or housing so I can plan. 

 

Im also confused because everyone talked about their medical clearance taking forever, but I just got word mine is done and it's been less than a week since I turned it in!

 

Has everyone who got accepted already heard from their commission? When should I reach back out if I haven't heard?

I haven't received my grant terms either from the commission and I got notified March 22nd :l I reached out to them two weeks ago and they e-mailed me on Friday of last week letting me know that I should hear about the terms this week (fingers crossed). ETAs in my country got their terms relatively more quickly than the research one. 

[pengpolaruin]

Hey guys! Any Korea ETA's here who I haven't yet talked to?? We made a KakaoTalk group so we can all chat - send me your KakaoID so I can add you! 

 

[Airliepanda]

Hello hello! Congratulations to those lucky ones who have been accepted! And good luck to those still waiting! I just wanted to repost the link to our Facebook group! It's a great place to find support, get free essay editors, get your questions answered, or just make the wait a little easier. Come join our active and growing community of almost 500 applicants, grantees, and alumni <3

facebook.com/fulbrightgrantapplicants

 

[Horb]

GUYS GUYS GUYS: Brazil just released news that they have additional funding for 76 more grants (ETA) and are holding a special competition for them. If you did not get them this cycle, you can apply again!!! Read more here: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/component/news/?view=news&news_type_id=4

[chemteachersrule]

On 4/29/2017 at 8:00 AM, Horb said:

GUYS GUYS GUYS: Brazil just released news that they have additional funding for 76 more grants (ETA) and are holding a special competition for them. If you did not get them this cycle, you can apply again!!! Read more here: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/component/news/?view=news&news_type_id=4

Wow! This is really cool and neat for Brazil to do this. 

[akshali2000]

First time poster. Was named an Alternate to Denmark, still no word , but I've updated the spreadsheet with my status. A huge congrats to everyone who got accepted into Fulbright!!

[chemteachersrule]

2 hours ago, akshali2000 said:

First time poster. Was named an Alternate to Denmark, still no word , but I've updated the spreadsheet with my status. A huge congrats to everyone who got accepted into Fulbright!!

Congrats on being name Alternate! This is a huge achievement in itself.

I have faith and hope that youll be a finalist! 

[dbookworm]

Hi, I have a question--so I'm an alternate for an ETA to Tajikistan, and just received a job offer that I'd like to accept, but I'm trying to get in touch with the Fulbright people to see if they can give me any more information. I was notified about a month ago, so this week would be the most likely week to hear back, so I've sort of been waiting for that, but also trying to call Fulbright office/the person in charge of South/Central Asia to see if they might be able to confirm/deny that all principal candidates have accepted their award. I don't know that they'll be able to give me that info, but I'm hoping! However I haven't been able to get in touch with the person in charge of South/Central Asia and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for how I might contact them. I've called several times Monday and today and left one voicemail, but don't want to leave more...email is my next route, but that will take a long time and I really want to let my job offer know soon. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? Frustrated

[akshali2000]

17 hours ago, chemteachersrule said:

Congrats on being name Alternate! This is a huge achievement in itself.

I have faith and hope that youll be a finalist! 

Many thanks!! Same to you on whatever semifinalist/finalist status you got as well

Edited May 2, 2017 by akshali2000

[ag2017]

On 4/25/2017 at 0:53 PM, ibette said:

I haven't received my grant terms either from the commission and I got notified March 22nd :l I reached out to them two weeks ago and they e-mailed me on Friday of last week letting me know that I should hear about the terms this week (fingers crossed). ETAs in my country got their terms relatively more quickly than the research one. 

Have you gotten notified? I still haven't been notified :/. 

 

[HBAGN]

Have any MENA Fulbrighters received grant details? I'm on tenterhooks waiting to hear where I'll be placed!

 

 

[screel45]

3 hours ago, HBAGN said:

Have any MENA Fulbrighters received grant details? I'm on tenterhooks waiting to hear where I'll be placed!

 

 

No  I was notified March 29th for Bahrain ETA and no grant authorization form yet...

[HBAGN]

4 hours ago, screel45 said:

No  I was notified March 29th for Bahrain ETA and no grant authorization form yet...

Congratulations, screel45!!!

I was notified a bit later (April 6), and when I emailed the US commission's MENA coordinator, he said grant details could arrive as late as June 12th (the first day of the Pre-Departure Orientation). ?

Hopefully we'll hear something sooner than that...

Best,

Hodna

[Dilemma1]

On 5/2/2017 at 1:28 PM, dbookworm said:

Hi, I have a question--so I'm an alternate for an ETA to Tajikistan, and just received a job offer that I'd like to accept, but I'm trying to get in touch with the Fulbright people to see if they can give me any more information. I was notified about a month ago, so this week would be the most likely week to hear back, so I've sort of been waiting for that, but also trying to call Fulbright office/the person in charge of South/Central Asia to see if they might be able to confirm/deny that all principal candidates have accepted their award. I don't know that they'll be able to give me that info, but I'm hoping! However I haven't been able to get in touch with the person in charge of South/Central Asia and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for how I might contact them. I've called several times Monday and today and left one voicemail, but don't want to leave more...email is my next route, but that will take a long time and I really want to let my job offer know soon. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? Frustrated

Calling doesn't hurt anything but I'm not sure if they will know anythings since being moved from alternate to principal depends on a lot of factors that can't be accurately predicted.  Honestly the job would be the safer bet since that is a sure thing, but you should do what you think is best for yourself.  You could try talking with your potential job about how late you can accept their offer but remember there is no certainty with the Fulbright.  I wish I had more concrete info to give you.  Good luck!

[screel45]

10 hours ago, HBAGN said:

Congratulations, screel45!!!

I was notified a bit later (April 6), and when I emailed the US commission's MENA coordinator, he said grant details could arrive as late as June 12th (the first day of the Pre-Departure Orientation). ?

Hopefully we'll hear something sooner than that...

Best,

Hodna

Thank you!!  Congratulations to you too!!  Where are you going?? And now that I remember, I talked to a previous Bahrain ETA grantee and she said she didn't find out details until the orientation. I think she said placement details, but how could it be possible that they don't tell us the grant amount and exact dates until then? That's crazy...ughhhhh!!! 

[blank001]

I have a general question about the medical form. Does anyone have an idea of what grounds you can be disqualified on?

In particular I am a little worried that I might not receive medical clearance because I mention in the form that I have suffered from/received treatment for depression and anxiety in the past. I'm assuming it's not a big deal, but I'm starting to stress about it just because of how much of a loss it would be now that I've put so much time into the application process.

I've never been seriously mentally ill or hospitalized, just a somewhat sad and nervous person who has been to a few psychotherapists in the past to try to help address it. If anyone has any suggestions about ways of effectively contextualizing this in the form, please let me know.

Is it worth worrying about this, or is it something they would consider negligible? Has anyone ever heard of someone being disqualified on similar grounds?

Thanks a lot

[Coco Rosenberg]

Hi everyone! I just heard back yesterday that I have been moved from an Alternate and now have been offered an ETA position in Benin for this upcoming year! I am overwhelmed and very excited that more funding was made available! I would love to connect with anyone who has previously served in Benin, with Fulbright or any other organizations, or with those who will also be there this upcoming year! (Particularly because you all probably have a better idea of all the steps and everything at this point!) I'm very excited to meet everyone at Orientation as well!