Fulbright 2017-2018

[Dash123]

@Jess2323 That's really great! I'm kind of interested in the same actually - unfortunately my interest in international relations and global politics is newer so I didn't have the chance to capitalize on the interest as an undergrad (I was an English major). I spent my junior year abroad in England and loved interacting with new people/ideologies. I'm hoping if I win the Fulbright, I'll be able to explore some international interests more.

Good luck with Bulgaria - it sounds like it would be a really enriching experience!

[Jess2323]

2 minutes ago, Dash123 said:

@Jess2323 That's really great! I'm kind of interested in the same actually - unfortunately my interest in international relations and global politics is newer so I didn't have the chance to capitalize on the interest as an undergrad (I was an English major). I spent my junior year abroad in England and loved interacting with new people/ideologies. I'm hoping if I win the Fulbright, I'll be able to explore some international interests more.

Good luck with Bulgaria - it sounds like it would be a really enriching experience!

I'm a bit of a late bloomer too (community college transfer after a few years off) but it is never too late! Ha, if Fulbright doesn't work out I am seriously considering EPIK in Korea, or going through a recruiter to teach english in Asia!

[LibbyCreek]

4 hours ago, Dash123 said:

@Jess2323 That's really great! I'm kind of interested in the same actually - unfortunately my interest in international relations and global politics is newer so I didn't have the chance to capitalize on the interest as an undergrad (I was an English major). I spent my junior year abroad in England and loved interacting with new people/ideologies. I'm hoping if I win the Fulbright, I'll be able to explore some international interests more.

Good luck with Bulgaria - it sounds like it would be a really enriching experience!

With your interest in international relations and global politics you may check out the Mundus Public Policy program http://www.mundusmapp.org/ ... and the deadline is coming up soon! 

I'm applying for the Erasmus Mundus Comparative Local Development program, which is similar. Honestly, I don't know which I'd choose the Fulbright or the CoDe... hopefully I'll HAVE to make that choice

[BenWLol]

Hi all,

I applied for Research in the UK. I had somehow managed to push the notification dates away from my mind until I remembered the other day lol. Now I've been checking every hour or so.

Best of luck to y'all!

[abrakazam]

19 hours ago, Horb said:

Denmark is so amazing! I went there for a few days when visiting my partner's family. Are you applying for research or study?   

I am applying for research! It's absolutely beautiful there - I had the opportunity to do a month of research at University of Copenhagen last summer, and it's my hope to go back and work in the same lab.

[Photogeographic]

Anyone else apply to Indonesia ?? ? 

[ryanwinston]

I applied for ETA in Germany and by the looks of it we should be hearing first responses next week for many of our programs. It's my understanding that when we're notified it's either for rejection or an interview, correct?

[Horb]

14 minutes ago, ryanwinston said:

I applied for ETA in Germany and by the looks of it we should be hearing first responses next week for many of our programs. It's my understanding that when we're notified it's either for rejection or an interview, correct?

Not quite. We learn if we made it to round 2, but only a handful of countries do interviews (Germany isn't one of them).

[theanine]

It looks like we may be hearing as soon as tomorrow. I just checked and the last two years, initial notification has been on Friday Jan 16, then Friday Jan 15, so wondering if it'll be Friday Jan 13 tomorrow... Friday the 13th! 

Otherwise we may be waiting till the 20th. Or who knows, they could just send it on a random day of the week because circumstances have changed this year. It's useless trying to predict these things, and still, I try!

You can check the past years' notification dates here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AlU2xDiiVhQjK3quPy6qXJuhgXYghzzG8L4YNT0unX0/edit

Edited January 12, 2017 by theanine

[Horb]

15 minutes ago, theanine said:

It looks like we may be hearing as soon as tomorrow. I just checked and the last two years, initial notification has been on Friday Jan 16, then Friday Jan 15, so wondering if it'll be Friday Jan 13 tomorrow... Friday the 13th! 

Otherwise we may be waiting till the 20th. Or who knows, they could just send it on a random day of the week because circumstances have changed this year. It's useless trying to predict these things, and still, I try!

You can check the past years' notification dates here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AlU2xDiiVhQjK3quPy6qXJuhgXYghzzG8L4YNT0unX0/edit

Wow. They really do enjoy fridays, huh?

[Mossy.artist]

Hi everyone!

This is my first time applying to the Fulbright. I have applied to Poland to research the ecology of endangered mosses. Does anyone have any intel on how Fulbright usually goes for Polish applicants? There are so few scientific applications to there even though the country encourages STEM applicants. Does Poland conduct interviews? I haven't heard about this anywhere else but saw some dates listed on the spreadsheet you guys have been passing around from previous years. I am worried that there will be complications with all the political unrest going on in Poland lately (specifically concerning the budget for the new year, that means Fulbright!)

I'd love to chat with some other scientific research applicants. It seems like there are so few of us out there. Or anyone with experience with Fulbright Poland.

Good Luck everyone!

[LibbyCreek]

9 minutes ago, Mossy.artist said:

Hi everyone!

This is my first time applying to the Fulbright. I have applied to Poland to research the ecology of endangered mosses. Does anyone have any intel on how Fulbright usually goes for Polish applicants? There are so few scientific applications to there even though the country encourages STEM applicants. Does Poland conduct interviews? I haven't heard about this anywhere else but saw some dates listed on the spreadsheet you guys have been passing around from previous years. I am worried that there will be complications with all the political unrest going on in Poland lately (specifically concerning the budget for the new year, that means Fulbright!)

I'd love to chat with some other scientific research applicants. It seems like there are so few of us out there. Or anyone with experience with Fulbright Poland.

Good Luck everyone!

I can't speak to the scientific research aspect of your application, but as far as unrest and political movements go I am right there with you. The Prime Minister of Hungary wants to build a wall to stem the migration and has begun looking for skilled horseback riders to patrol the borders... I think most citizens will still behave normally, for the most part, but try telling that to my extended family!

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Sarah 

[Mossy.artist]

4 minutes ago, LibbyCreek said:

I can't speak to the scientific research aspect of your application, but as far as unrest and political movements go I am right there with you. The Prime Minister of Hungary wants to build a wall to stem the migration and has begun looking for skilled horseback riders to patrol the borders... I think most citizens will still behave normally, for the most part, but try telling that to my extended family!

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Sarah 

Wow, horseback riders XD I wonder when Fulbright decides to cancel a season, how much is too much for them? Is it the US or the host country that makes the decision?

 In Turkey last year there was an actual coup with weapons and all so I guess that makes sense..but with all the bombings that have been around Europe, I am surprised countries like France are open for this year (and that people still want to go!). As for your relative safety if you do go to Turkey, it must depend on what you are doing. My research will have me out in the woods most of the time so I probably don't have anything to worry about, I'm also Polish so I won't attract any unwanted attention. I am worried about my husband who will be coming with me. He is clearly not Polish as he is a hispanic mix and I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to him. (Poland is pretty anti-immigration right now)

What are you proposing to do in Hungary? Why apply to that country specifically?

[LibbyCreek]

3 minutes ago, Mossy.artist said:

Wow, horseback riders XD I wonder when Fulbright decides to cancel a season, how much is too much for them? Is it the US or the host country that makes the decision?

 In Turkey last year there was an actual coup with weapons and all so I guess that makes sense..but with all the bombings that have been around Europe, I am surprised countries like France are open for this year (and that people still want to go!). As for your relative safety if you do go to Turkey, it must depend on what you are doing. My research will have me out in the woods most of the time so I probably don't have anything to worry about, I'm also Polish so I won't attract any unwanted attention. I am worried about my husband who will be coming with me. He is clearly not Polish as he is a hispanic mix and I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to him. (Poland is pretty anti-immigration right now)

What are you proposing to do in Hungary? Why apply to that country specifically?

My research will be around local social capital development in rural areas. I would similarly be in a small village most of the time and do not fear the politics too much.

As far as why Hungary, I had several factors: I wanted to study how EU support affects rural areas (vs here in my tiny town in WA), didn't need to have the language, there is dependent support, and... the possibility of a one-year extension! Also, Hungary sits between major powers, which is how rural Eastern Washington is situated as well, between the West Coast and more powerful inland cities, and I felt it would give me a bigger toolkit to use in my community efforts when I return home. Nearly any community can try to increase tourism, but really increasing the capacity of the citizenry to be innovative and collaborative will enhance the politics and economy of any region for a lot longer than the fickle tourist dollar (my two cents of course!). Thanks for asking!

You must have some great field gear! I can't even imagine what the Polish woods are like! Dry? Wet? Is it mostly farmed or are there designated wild areas? European  forestry is another beast altogether!

Sarah

[Vegan Burrito]

4 hours ago, theanine said:

It looks like we may be hearing as soon as tomorrow. I just checked and the last two years, initial notification has been on Friday Jan 16, then Friday Jan 15, so wondering if it'll be Friday Jan 13 tomorrow... Friday the 13th! 

Otherwise we may be waiting till the 20th. Or who knows, they could just send it on a random day of the week because circumstances have changed this year. It's useless trying to predict these things, and still, I try!

You can check the past years' notification dates here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AlU2xDiiVhQjK3quPy6qXJuhgXYghzzG8L4YNT0unX0/edit

Good point, it looks like 7 of the 8 previous notification dates were on Fridays, usually the 3rd of 4th Friday of the month.  I'm putting my money on Friday the 20th.... 

[iDance]

4 hours ago, theanine said:

It looks like we may be hearing as soon as tomorrow. I just checked and the last two years, initial notification has been on Friday Jan 16, then Friday Jan 15, so wondering if it'll be Friday Jan 13 tomorrow... Friday the 13th! 

Otherwise we may be waiting till the 20th. Or who knows, they could just send it on a random day of the week because circumstances have changed this year. It's useless trying to predict these things, and still, I try!

You can check the past years' notification dates here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AlU2xDiiVhQjK3quPy6qXJuhgXYghzzG8L4YNT0unX0/edit

I am both thankful and stressed because you pointed this out lol. It would be awesome if it were tomorrow just to end the waiting no matter the answer, but, at the same time, the 20th isn't too far away. 

I have so much nervous energy I feel like exercising for DAYS. Instead... class.

[Mossy.artist]

1 hour ago, LibbyCreek said:

My research will be around local social capital development in rural areas. I would similarly be in a small village most of the time and do not fear the politics too much.

As far as why Hungary, I had several factors: I wanted to study how EU support affects rural areas (vs here in my tiny town in WA), didn't need to have the language, there is dependent support, and... the possibility of a one-year extension! Also, Hungary sits between major powers, which is how rural Eastern Washington is situated as well, between the West Coast and more powerful inland cities, and I felt it would give me a bigger toolkit to use in my community efforts when I return home. Nearly any community can try to increase tourism, but really increasing the capacity of the citizenry to be innovative and collaborative will enhance the politics and economy of any region for a lot longer than the fickle tourist dollar (my two cents of course!). Thanks for asking!

You must have some great field gear! I can't even imagine what the Polish woods are like! Dry? Wet? Is it mostly farmed or are there designated wild areas? European  forestry is another beast altogether!

Sarah

Have you picked a specific town? Will you be associated with some sort of University? So you're going to see how a small town increases tourism? Isn't there a scenario where a community wouldn't necessarily want to increase tourism? And can't it be said that not all places actually have something special to offer? I understand that financially this could be a good thing, but you also hear so many stories of how the real "spirit" of a place is lost with globalization if you will. How will you be looking into this matter?

I have certainly accumulated a good amount of gear at this point, lol. But you don't really need more than something to offer some comfort from the elements. If I get the Fulbright I will definitely have an interesting experience. I'll basically be driving around the country in a rental car (maybe) and just camping in the woods all the time. Hopefully I don't run into any ruffians. There is a good amount of diversity in Polish environments, I plan to sample a little bit of everything to try and capture all the species in a particular group of mosses. I'm most excited to work in the mountains and in the Bialowieza national park which is one of the only remaining patches of virgin forest left in Europe. Prime moss habitat! 

I hate not knowing what my near future will look like! Moving across the ocean takes a lot of planning but if I get a yes in the next few days I still won't be finding out anything definite for awhile. ><

[BenWLol]

2 hours ago, Mossy.artist said:

 

I hate not knowing what my near future will look like! Moving across the ocean takes a lot of planning but if I get a yes in the next few days I still won't be finding out anything definite for awhile. ><

I definitely feel this. If it's a yes on the first round I still can't really commit to a plan B or anything until March lol

[Mossy.artist]

1 minute ago, BenWLol said:

I definitely feel this. If it's a yes on the first round I still can't really commit to a plan B or anything until March lol

Yeah. I haven't really applied to anything else...about to soon but my heart isn't really in it. I just put so much work into the Fulbright application! Not to mention, I feel bad applying to things that I might end up turning down, hate to cause all that trouble.

From what I've been reading it seems like quite a lot of people get a "yes" at first only to get a "no" down the line. The wait time is pretty ridiculous considering we put in our apps in October!

Where are you applying to?

[BenWLol]

52 minutes ago, Mossy.artist said:

From what I've been reading it seems like quite a lot of people get a "yes" at first only to get a "no" down the line. The wait time is pretty ridiculous considering we put in our apps in October!

Where are you applying to?

For sure, but I'll just roll with the punches. I conveniently have a professional conference lined up at the end of March so my back up plan is just to find a job there 

 

I applied to a university in Scotland for research. I work closely with the international department on my current campus to mitigate communication barriers between nonnative speakers of English and student support staff, so I've been communicating with some faculty that do similar work over there. Where did you?

[Mossy.artist]

4 minutes ago, BenWLol said:

I applied to a university in Scotland for research. I work closely with the international department on my current campus to mitigate communication barriers between nonnative speakers of English and student support staff, so I've been communicating with some faculty that do similar work over there. Where did you?

Sounds good. I get the idea that the stronger affiliation you have in your host country, the better your chances are. 

I applied to Poland to research endangered mosses. I'm hoping that if I get selected I'll get to do some travel around Europe in any free time. I've always wanted to go to Scotland!

[sat0ri]

11 hours ago, Photogeographic said:

Anyone else apply to Indonesia ?? ? 

Hey, IIRC you applied to Africa last year (and ended up getting funding with Nat Geo?). How'd you decide on Indonesia this round? I'm just curious

[AnnMarie]

6 hours ago, Mossy.artist said:

Hi everyone!

This is my first time applying to the Fulbright. I have applied to Poland to research the ecology of endangered mosses. Does anyone have any intel on how Fulbright usually goes for Polish applicants? There are so few scientific applications to there even though the country encourages STEM applicants. Does Poland conduct interviews? I haven't heard about this anywhere else but saw some dates listed on the spreadsheet you guys have been passing around from previous years. I am worried that there will be complications with all the political unrest going on in Poland lately (specifically concerning the budget for the new year, that means Fulbright!)

I'd love to chat with some other scientific research applicants. It seems like there are so few of us out there. Or anyone with experience with Fulbright Poland.

Good Luck everyone!

This is my first time applying for Poland to do research as well. I'm hoping to do research on migration into Poland, specifically looking at the potential for return migration and what factors impact return migration the most. There is a high amount of Vietnamese migrants in Poland with waves dating back to the 50's. There are also many Ukrainian migrants/refugees residing in Poland who are more likely to return home at later dates. 

 

Looking at prior years, Poland does seem to conduct an interview if you make it past the first round. I searched the fulbright page and the sites linked to Poland but found no information about the interviews being given. So I am confused about that as well. I guess we will have to wait and see!

Good luck to you!

[Mossy.artist]

5 minutes ago, AnnMarie said:

This is my first time applying for Poland to do research as well. I'm hoping to do research on migration into Poland, specifically looking at the potential for return migration and what factors impact return migration the most. There is a high amount of Vietnamese migrants in Poland with waves dating back to the 50's. There are also many Ukrainian migrants/refugees residing in Poland who are more likely to return home at later dates. 

With which institution do you have affiliation? What was the process of gaining this affiliation like for you? 

That is an interesting topic. I don't think I've ever noticed any number of Asian migrants in Poland. Are these Vietnamese migrants focused mainly in one part of the country? From lurking on expat forums I've gotten the impression that there are a lot of Indian migrants in Poland for some reason. Will you be tying in the current migrant crisis into your research?  

Do you have any Polish background or have you been to Poland before?

[AnnMarie]

9 minutes ago, Mossy.artist said:

With which institution do you have affiliation? What was the process of gaining this affiliation like for you? 

That is an interesting topic. I don't think I've ever noticed any number of Asian migrants in Poland. Are these Vietnamese migrants focused mainly in one part of the country? From lurking on expat forums I've gotten the impression that there are a lot of Indian migrants in Poland for some reason. Will you be tying in the current migrant crisis into your research?  

Do you have any Polish background or have you been to Poland before?

My affiliation is actually a professor at Lazarski University in Warsaw who is a consultant to the Polish government on immigration issues. The process was really easy for me and I believe I got very lucky. My affiliation was the first person I reached out to and she was excited to write me the letter. I also found out she was a fulbright fellow herself to the US. That solidified my decision that I wanted her as my affiliation.

The Vietnamese are actually the largest migrant community in Poland and the mainly reside in Warsaw. The relationship between Poland and Vietnam dates back to the Cold War Era. There was a large cultural exchange program that began between both countries. I do wish I could expand my research to the current migrant crisis and that was my original intent. Sadly, though, there just isn't enough Middle Eastern refugees in Poland to conduct a thorough research project.

As for my background, I am Polish and I grew up speaking the language in my home. My mother and grandparents moved to the States in 1988. I've lived with them the majority of my life. I've also been to Poland and have family there.

How about you? How do you think the process of finding and affiliation went and do you have and Polish background/ experience?