Fulbright 2017-2018

[Horb]

8 hours ago, hugheswf said:

Hi all! I recently met with my university's fulbright advisor and I have a few questions. I want to do it on civic engagement among people with disabilities. They recommended against this as it could be 'too political.' It makes sense to an extent, but our school has not received a research grant since this advisor has been here so I am not too confident in their say on the matter. Is their input reliable? Thanks! I would love to go more in depth with someone who might be able to shine some light on this!

I just want to say that my school had about 32 semifinalists this year and we only had about 6 people get the grant. Other years, we'd have 20 semifinalists and 14 receive offers. This is all to say that it is a very weird selection process and so your school not getting a research grant may have nothing to do with the FPA. I work in my school's scholarship office and I cannot tell you how many students do not listen to solid advice or just can't seem to incorporate it the right way.

If you don't mind me asking, what country are you going to? Certain countries may view it as a political issue and others may not. It will also depend on how you word it and if you can find an already established organization to volunteer at, that certainly helps, especially if you are in contact with them. 

[hugheswf]

2 hours ago, Horb said:

I just want to say that my school had about 32 semifinalists this year and we only had about 6 people get the grant. Other years, we'd have 20 semifinalists and 14 receive offers. This is all to say that it is a very weird selection process and so your school not getting a research grant may have nothing to do with the FPA. I work in my school's scholarship office and I cannot tell you how many students do not listen to solid advice or just can't seem to incorporate it the right way.

If you don't mind me asking, what country are you going to? Certain countries may view it as a political issue and others may not. It will also depend on how you word it and if you can find an already established organization to volunteer at, that certainly helps, especially if you are in contact with them. 

Thanks for your input! I am looking at New Zealand or Austrailia in particular due to their higher levels of civic engagement, but arguably 'worse' disability related services. Aus is interesting because they have mandatory voting, but it doesn't apply to the disabled.

She made the good point of saying that not every country may want their people more civicly engaged. I do not recall if I had mentioned these two countries in general, but she seemed against my research idea in general. Any additional thoughts would be very appreciated!

[Horb]

7 minutes ago, hugheswf said:

Thanks for your input! I am looking at New Zealand or Austrailia in particular due to their higher levels of civic engagement, but arguably 'worse' disability related services. Aus is interesting because they have mandatory voting, but it doesn't apply to the disabled.

She made the good point of saying that not every country may want their people more civicly engaged. I do not recall if I had mentioned these two countries in general, but she seemed against my research idea in general. Any additional thoughts would be very appreciated!

If you want to PM me your research idea, I'm happy to you my thoughts on it. Is your research going to focus on civic engagement with disabled people or was your host country engagement going to be that?

[ibette]

I got my grant authorization forms on May 2nd for Western Hemisphere, so I think some countries are still going through them (I was first notified March 22nd). I am hoping Germany applicants get to hear from your commissions before the end of this month!

[Rivai]

Has anyone here tried to apply to a country that they have already visited for a limited amount of time (3-5 months)?

[gogotime]

2 hours ago, Rivai said:

Has anyone here tried to apply to a country that they have already visited for a limited amount of time (3-5 months)?

I have a few friends who studied abroad in Russia for a semester and then got Fulbright to Russia

[inkstainedarm]

On 5/17/2017 at 7:45 AM, hugheswf said:

Thanks for your input! I am looking at New Zealand or Austrailia in particular due to their higher levels of civic engagement, but arguably 'worse' disability related services. Aus is interesting because they have mandatory voting, but it doesn't apply to the disabled.

She made the good point of saying that not every country may want their people more civicly engaged. I do not recall if I had mentioned these two countries in general, but she seemed against my research idea in general. Any additional thoughts would be very appreciated!

Hi hugheswf! I did my proposal on researching medieval disability, and while my project itself was obviously historical in nature, I explicitly connected the medieval to modern-day issues for people with disabilities in both the US and the UK (I'm disabled myself) in my personal statement, statement of grant purpose, and interview question, and my answers were apparently not too political for the UK, because I was selected for the grant (!!). My project wasn't on civic engagement, of course, and I was applying to the UK rather than NZ or AUS, but I would say that in general they're not against studying potentially political topics so long as the way you present your project is objective enough, and doesn't seem to carry a one-sided agenda. (to give you an idea of how political some of my interview answers were, I talked about learning about how disability activists in the UK approach fighting for rights/benefits in the UK vs how disability activists in the US approach fighting for rights)

[taymsmi]

On 4/12/2016 at 8:19 PM, NepalBound said:

Hi everyone- congrats on your decision to apply. I recently received an ETA Fulbright to Nepal. I would love to answer any questions or help if anyone needs anything!

Hi NepalBound,

I am in the midst of applying to the Nepal ETA Fulbright for the 2018-2019 term (which will actually commence in 2019...) and saw your post on here! I haven't been able to find many other people who have been a part of the Nepal ETA program so I wanted to reach out and see if you have any advice for the application process. I am nervous about not being a competitive enough candidate and am just seeking any inside knowledge about the process from someone who has gone through it themselves. 

Let me know if you have any words of advice!
Thank you

[mo5817]

On 3/31/2016 at 5:41 AM, TylerJohnStrohl said:

Hello Everyone,

I am interested in applying for an ETA in either Germany or India for next cycle. I've done pretty extensive research and utilized my campus' Fulbright Liaison, but I am really interested in any information regarding stipends/salaries for different countries. Does anyone know where this information is?

As far as I know, the ETA's in Germany this year received about 700 EUR/month, with a small assistance for paying rents above 30% of your income. There is a new director, so there is no telling if that amount will remain the same.

[taymsmi]

On 3/26/2017 at 0:30 PM, bjoshi said:

I was awarded the Nepal ETA, and I wouldn't be starting till March 2018! It's FOREVER waiting.

I applied to a few graduate schools just in case Fulbright didn't work out. Once I was awarded the Fulbright, I contacted my department advisors at the two schools where I was admitted and interested in going (Vanderbilt and Columbia), and they both were willing to work with me. I'll be doing a semester of school (Fall 2017), taking off 2018, and then coming right back to my Master's program in Spring 2019! My program advisor at Vandy told me that they were more than willing to work with Fulbright grantees on taking leaves of absence! So if grad school is something you're interested in, definitely ask your advisor to work with you! I didn't think they would let me take a year off in the middle of the program, so I was pleasantly surprised.

If that hadn't worked out, I would've just worked locally for a few months! Something to keep busy and pay bills

Hi bjoshi,

I am in the midst of applying to the Nepal ETA Fulbright for the 2018-2019 term (which will actually commence in 2019...) and saw your post on here! I haven't been able to find many other people who have been a part of the Nepal ETA program so I wanted to reach out and see if you have any advice for the application process. I am nervous about not being a competitive enough candidate and am just seeking any inside knowledge about the process from someone who has gone through it themselves. Anything about what they look for in candidates, or how the application process goes, would be great!

Let me know if you have any words of advice!
Thank you

[ibette]

I hope all of you have written to your congressional representative about getting the award. If you haven't done so, please do, especially after reading this: http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/what-trumps-proposed-2018-budget-would-mean-for-higher-ed/118577

"It would also cut spending in half on Federal Work-Study programs, slash the budget of the National Institutes of Health by a fifth, eliminate programs that foster foreign-language study, and reduce spending that supports international-education programs and exchanges, such as the Fulbright Scholar program, by 55 percent."

[Dash123]

Still clinging to a vestige of hope that some Czech finalist will get an amazing opportunity and I'll get bumped up from alternate :'(  But because that seems extremely unlikely, I will say: I applied three years in a row for three different Fulbright awards (in retrospect, the first one was not well-suited to my current trajectory), the second two were ETAs. I thought my credentials were decent, essays strong, excellent undergrad GPA from a well-reputed college. The first two times I didn't make it past the first round. This time I was chosen as an alternate. One of my good friends was chosen for a different ETA with a pretty lousy undergrad record from a small little-known school in the midwest. From my experience it seems like Fulbright really doesn't value academic work or prestige the same way that a lot of other grants do, which is great for a lot of people! But for people like me who want it so badly to have an opportunity to travel abroad, it's so hard to know how to improve my applications/experiences from year to year. I guess I should give up at this point and just acknowledge that I don't have a certain quality they're looking for but ugh it stings when you want something so badly and feel like you worked your butt off for it. A twisted part of me keeps thinking "you were so close this time - do it again!" but I don't think my app would be any different at this point. Sorry had to get that off my chest because being an alternate sucks in so many ways   

[Dilemma1]

On 5/29/2017 at 0:42 AM, Dash123 said:

Still clinging to a vestige of hope that some Czech finalist will get an amazing opportunity and I'll get bumped up from alternate :'(  But because that seems extremely unlikely, I will say: I applied three years in a row for three different Fulbright awards (in retrospect, the first one was not well-suited to my current trajectory), the second two were ETAs. I thought my credentials were decent, essays strong, excellent undergrad GPA from a well-reputed college. The first two times I didn't make it past the first round. This time I was chosen as an alternate. One of my good friends was chosen for a different ETA with a pretty lousy undergrad record from a small little-known school in the midwest. From my experience it seems like Fulbright really doesn't value academic work or prestige the same way that a lot of other grants do, which is great for a lot of people! But for people like me who want it so badly to have an opportunity to travel abroad, it's so hard to know how to improve my applications/experiences from year to year. I guess I should give up at this point and just acknowledge that I don't have a certain quality they're looking for but ugh it stings when you want something so badly and feel like you worked your butt off for it. A twisted part of me keeps thinking "you were so close this time - do it again!" but I don't think my app would be any different at this point. Sorry had to get that off my chest because being an alternate sucks in so many ways   

Dash if you can apply again I would say go for it. It's free to apply and you already have your essays, as well as, letters of recommendation.  You could reach out to the current finalist or last years and get their input but like you said Fulbright is fickle and it's impossible to predict what exactly they are looking for.  If you're not going to be losing any opportunity by applying once more (like postponing grad school or turning down a job) I would say go for it.  You have nothing to lose except the time it takes to start an application and get all of your papers in order.  I do understand what you're going through though.  Being an alternate leaves us with a lot of "what ifs" and it's hard to get those out of your head.  I wish you the best of luck no matter what you decide to do!  

[ibette]

On 5/29/2017 at 0:42 AM, Dash123 said:

Still clinging to a vestige of hope that some Czech finalist will get an amazing opportunity and I'll get bumped up from alternate :'(  But because that seems extremely unlikely, I will say: I applied three years in a row for three different Fulbright awards (in retrospect, the first one was not well-suited to my current trajectory), the second two were ETAs. I thought my credentials were decent, essays strong, excellent undergrad GPA from a well-reputed college. The first two times I didn't make it past the first round. This time I was chosen as an alternate. One of my good friends was chosen for a different ETA with a pretty lousy undergrad record from a small little-known school in the midwest. From my experience it seems like Fulbright really doesn't value academic work or prestige the same way that a lot of other grants do, which is great for a lot of people! But for people like me who want it so badly to have an opportunity to travel abroad, it's so hard to know how to improve my applications/experiences from year to year. I guess I should give up at this point and just acknowledge that I don't have a certain quality they're looking for but ugh it stings when you want something so badly and feel like you worked your butt off for it. A twisted part of me keeps thinking "you were so close this time - do it again!" but I don't think my app would be any different at this point. Sorry had to get that off my chest because being an alternate sucks in so many ways   

Echoing @Dilemma1 here. Also, the selection process gets tricky, especially after it leaves the US hands to go to the host country's. It seems like you got past the US stage without an issue, I don't see why you shouldn't try again (I also applied twice in a span of three years, and applied to several other grants in between with no luck). 

[bjoshi]

On 5/22/2017 at 11:59 PM, taymsmi said:

Hi bjoshi,

I am in the midst of applying to the Nepal ETA Fulbright for the 2018-2019 term (which will actually commence in 2019...) and saw your post on here! I haven't been able to find many other people who have been a part of the Nepal ETA program so I wanted to reach out and see if you have any advice for the application process. I am nervous about not being a competitive enough candidate and am just seeking any inside knowledge about the process from someone who has gone through it themselves. Anything about what they look for in candidates, or how the application process goes, would be great!

Let me know if you have any words of advice!
Thank you

Hey!! Feel free to message me, and we can talk about the application process and stuff! I'm not leaving for the grant till March, so I don't have any idea about the actual Fulbright part yet, but I can definitely help you out with the application process 

[bjoshi]

What's the dress code for the PDO? I'm certain I read "business casual" in some email, but I want to make sure it's not business professional or (on the other end) jeans/tshirt!

[srhkdr]

On 5/29/2017 at 1:42 AM, Dash123 said:

Still clinging to a vestige of hope that some Czech finalist will get an amazing opportunity and I'll get bumped up from alternate :'(  But because that seems extremely unlikely, I will say: I applied three years in a row for three different Fulbright awards (in retrospect, the first one was not well-suited to my current trajectory), the second two were ETAs. I thought my credentials were decent, essays strong, excellent undergrad GPA from a well-reputed college. The first two times I didn't make it past the first round. This time I was chosen as an alternate. One of my good friends was chosen for a different ETA with a pretty lousy undergrad record from a small little-known school in the midwest. From my experience it seems like Fulbright really doesn't value academic work or prestige the same way that a lot of other grants do, which is great for a lot of people! But for people like me who want it so badly to have an opportunity to travel abroad, it's so hard to know how to improve my applications/experiences from year to year. I guess I should give up at this point and just acknowledge that I don't have a certain quality they're looking for but ugh it stings when you want something so badly and feel like you worked your butt off for it. A twisted part of me keeps thinking "you were so close this time - do it again!" but I don't think my app would be any different at this point. Sorry had to get that off my chest because being an alternate sucks in so many ways   

Hi Dash, 

If you do decide to apply again, I can definitely look over your statements! I am by no means an expert but maybe I can provide some insight into at least the Czech Republic ETA program. Just let me know! Good luck with all your future endeavors ?  

 

[Embee]

On 5/30/2017 at 8:04 PM, bjoshi said:

What's the dress code for the PDO? I'm certain I read "business casual" in some email, but I want to make sure it's not business professional or (on the other end) jeans/tshirt!

I remember seeing business casual as well. I'm probably going to wear cargo pants/collared shirt and shorts/polo combinations. I'm sort of lacking in the more "business" end of business casual. :-(

[ag2017]

Question: Can we go to the country we're paired with earlier than what the grant date specifies? If so, how much earlier? Say my grant date starts on August 10, 2017, can the Fulbright commission office purchase my ticket for June 25, 2017? I graduated early in December, 2016, and I've been itching to go on this journey for some time now. I definitely want to make the most of it. Any answers/comments is appreciated! 

Edited June 3, 2017 by ag2017

[chemteachersrule]

5 hours ago, ag2017 said:

Question: Can we go to the country we're paired with earlier than what the grant date specifies? If so, how much earlier? Say my grant date starts on August 10, 2017, can the Fulbright commission office purchase my ticket for June 25, 2017? I graduated early in December, 2016, and I've been itching to go on this journey for some time now. I definitely want to make the most of it. Any answers/comments is appreciated! 

Good question because I wouldnt mind going to my nation (Indonesia) a week earlier to explore!

[SrtaOrozco]

I have a question, I mentioned it on the Fulbright Grant Applicants group on Facebook, and I think it's worthwhile to ask here.  

"Hola, I don't know if any of you have experienced this, but I think it's worth a shot to ask here on this group! I studied abroad for eight months in Spain my junior year, do I need to request a police background check from Spain for my visa application? I read on the Fulbright visa guide that if I do mention that I lived abroad I would have to request a background check and then get it legalized with the Apostille of The Hague. Have any of you gone through this process? Just wondering, I'll email the people at Fulbright too, just to make sure!:)"

[Horb]

On 6/2/2017 at 8:25 PM, ag2017 said:

Question: Can we go to the country we're paired with earlier than what the grant date specifies? If so, how much earlier? Say my grant date starts on August 10, 2017, can the Fulbright commission office purchase my ticket for June 25, 2017? I graduated early in December, 2016, and I've been itching to go on this journey for some time now. I definitely want to make the most of it. Any answers/comments is appreciated! 

My friend went a month or two earlier. I think Fulbright will pay for the ticket if it is up to a month earlier. However, at least with most of Europe, you need to get a visa within 90 days and you won't be able to get it right away, because you'll need stuff from Fulbright, and it will take a while to get. So plan accordingly.

[Embee]

On 6/3/2017 at 2:00 AM, chemteachersrule said:

Good question because I wouldnt mind going to my nation (Indonesia) a week earlier to explore!

 

On 6/2/2017 at 8:25 PM, ag2017 said:

Question: Can we go to the country we're paired with earlier than what the grant date specifies? If so, how much earlier? Say my grant date starts on August 10, 2017, can the Fulbright commission office purchase my ticket for June 25, 2017? I graduated early in December, 2016, and I've been itching to go on this journey for some time now. I definitely want to make the most of it. Any answers/comments is appreciated! 

Maybe it is just my country or region (Kenya) but we were explicitly told we could not travel early. They said we could stay later than our grant but not before. I think it has something to do with the security etc.

[Coco Rosenberg]

Hey everyone- my apologies if this has already been discussed- I have looked through the thread and couldn't find anything, but if it's there, please direct me! I received my grant authorization document and have turned in all of my forms but still have not recieved anything that gives even a vague estimate of departure date. Any idea when/ how I will receive that information? I want to figured out my plans sooner than later 

 

Additionally, do folks know what the policy is on staying after your grant is finished, not returning to the US/ going to another country? I may find this all out at my PDO next week but I'm really hopefully y'all will have insight on departure date Q's!

 

Cheers

Coco

[colsryan]

Hi everyone, just popping in to post this Facebook group that a few of us made for incoming Fulbright grantees to the UK. Please join if you'll be in the UK 2017-2018!