Fulbright 2017-2018

[hank.img]

As we get ready for this upcoming week (hopefully it will be full of congratulations and very little to no need for condolences), I am interested to know what you guys are planning on doing once you get the notification email? Are you guys going to open it immediately, go home and lock yourself in your room before opening it, or hike up a mountain so you can open it at the top? I need some suggestions to reduce my built-up anxiety.  

[catsbloom]

1 minute ago, hank.img said:

As we get ready for this upcoming week (hopefully it will be full of congratulations and very little to no need for condolences), I am interested to know what you guys are planning on doing once you get the notification email? Are you guys going to open it immediately, go home and lock yourself in your room before opening it, or hike up a mountain so you can open it at the top? I need some suggestions to reduce my built-up anxiety.  

I'm going to open it immediately, like ripping a band-aid off. 

[hank.img]

3 minutes ago, catsbloom said:

I'm going to open it immediately, like ripping a band-aid off. 

I can already feel how amazing that is going to be like. That's a perfect analogy haha. Could you open my notification email for me and then let me know?

[minswho]

7 minutes ago, hank.img said:

As we get ready for this upcoming week (hopefully it will be full of congratulations and very little to no need for condolences), I am interested to know what you guys are planning on doing once you get the notification email? Are you guys going to open it immediately, go home and lock yourself in your room before opening it, or hike up a mountain so you can open it at the top? I need some suggestions to reduce my built-up anxiety.  

From what I've gathered in the forum, it seems like decision will be in the subject line.

P for principal, A for alternate, and NS for non-select.

[Promixmagus]

On 3/11/2017 at 4:39 PM, Stormtrooper1138 said:

Where is everyone a semi-finalist to?

ETA Taiwan

[Photogeographic]

19 minutes ago, hank.img said:

As we get ready for this upcoming week (hopefully it will be full of congratulations and very little to no need for condolences), I am interested to know what you guys are planning on doing once you get the notification email? Are you guys going to open it immediately, go home and lock yourself in your room before opening it, or hike up a mountain so you can open it at the top? I need some suggestions to reduce my built-up anxiety.  

I think I'm going to hike up a mountain so I can open it at the top....okay it's more a rock than a mountain but still... Not even joking. Ha!!! At least that way if it doesn't work out I can try to ground myself a bit in a nice place. 

[hank.img]

13 minutes ago, minswho said:

From what I've gathered in the forum, it seems like decision will be in the subject line.

P for principal, A for alternate, and NS for non-select.

Oh... I thought the title would include all of them like " Final Notification: P/A/NS" and you would have to open it to find out what you got?

[King Sahl Sociology]

28 minutes ago, hank.img said:

As we get ready for this upcoming week (hopefully it will be full of congratulations and very little to no need for condolences), I am interested to know what you guys are planning on doing once you get the notification email? Are you guys going to open it immediately, go home and lock yourself in your room before opening it, or hike up a mountain so you can open it at the top? I need some suggestions to reduce my built-up anxiety.  

im going to open it and either have a drink of celebration or have a drink of sorrow

[hank.img]

2 minutes ago, Photogeographic said:

I think I'm going to hike up a mountain so I can open it at the top....okay it's more a rock than a mountain but still... Not even joking. Ha!!! At least that way if it doesn't work out I can try to ground myself a bit in a nice place. 

I'm actually thinking about hiking a small mountain too. It'd be a long painful way down if I wasn't selected as a finalist. It would be kind of ironic actually because I have been put on a pedestal by my friends and family for making the semi-finalist cut. Little do they know other semi-finalists are as qualified as myself if not more. @Photogeographic I really hope you get it this time! I applaud you for your persistance! 

[hank.img]

13 minutes ago, Stormtrooper1138 said:

im going to open it and either have a drink of celebration or have a drink of sorrow

@Stormtrooper1138 Skype me in and we can celebrate/mourn together. 

Edited March 12, 2017 by hank.img

[Horb]

2 hours ago, maelia8 said:

Yeah, ETA for sure is not as good as a research grant in terms of prestige, especially for Germany since so many ETAships are awarded. However, on top of an undergrad degree only, I think it can give a big leg up on getting into a humanities PhD especially. 

I'm in the humanities And it wouldn't have for me according to multiple professors. Just to give my experience.

[tommec]

1 hour ago, hank.img said:

As we get ready for this upcoming week (hopefully it will be full of congratulations and very little to no need for condolences), I am interested to know what you guys are planning on doing once you get the notification email? Are you guys going to open it immediately, go home and lock yourself in your room before opening it, or hike up a mountain so you can open it at the top? I need some suggestions to reduce my built-up anxiety.  

 

I am definitely going to the beach once I get the email. I am working on a set tomorrow in Oceanside, so I am hoping I can see the email while working... go down to the water... listen to the waves of the ocean and to the seagulls... and then open up the email. Regardless of the outcome, I will have the vast expanse of the ocean in front of me. The ocean helps to put things into perspective. 

[Dilemma1]

1 hour ago, hank.img said:

Oh... I thought the title would include all of them like " Final Notification: P/A/NS" and you would have to open it to find out what you got?

 

Nope, unfortunately it's right there in the subject line if you got it or not...which leaves no time for emotional preparation!  Last year the email I received had the subject line: Fulbright Application Status (A).

Edited March 13, 2017 by Dilemma1

[maelia8]

23 minutes ago, Horb said:

I'm in the humanities And it wouldn't have for me according to multiple professors. Just to give my experience.

I was told the opposite - but who knows, YMMV.

[mckenna81]

6 hours ago, LibbyCreek said:

I would love to hear thoughts about taking the Fulbright vs. a fully funded master's program. Is the Fulbright prestigious enough that the master's should be turned down and taken the next year? Do you think it is easier to get a master's funded once you have a Fulbright on your resume? More thoughts?

Fully funded masters. Getting a degree with no debt should, in my opinion, trump all other options.

EDIT: Well, having read other people's posts, I can see the benefit of waiting. Still, though, having worked in higher ed for over a decade now (and having gotten my PhD with less than $10k of debt), I would prioritize the option that leaves the most flexibility in the end, ESPECIALLY if you're in the humanities.

Edited March 13, 2017 by mckenna81

[hank.img]

41 minutes ago, Dilemma1 said:

Nope, unfortunately it's right there in the subject line if you got it or not...which leaves no time for emotional preparation!  Last year the email I received had the subject line: Fulbright Application Status (A).

Ok now, that's just too cruel... Not to mention they send out the email unannounced...

 

43 minutes ago, tommec said:

I am definitely going to the beach once I get the email. I am working on a set tomorrow in Oceanside, so I am hoping I can see the email while working... go down to the water... listen to the waves of the ocean and to the seagulls... and then open up the email. Regardless of the outcome, I will have the vast expanse of the ocean in front of me. The ocean helps to put things into perspective. 

I envy you for the beach. So much I can do since I live in Arizona. Just cacti, succulents, and rocks... Where do I go?

[hj2012]

Been doing my best not to think about my Fulbright application, but the anxiety brought me back to gradcafe... did anyone apply to Mexico? What did you think about the interview? Hoping we hear back soon!

[hj2012]

45 minutes ago, maelia8 said:

I was told the opposite - but who knows, YMMV.

I think this is a case-by-case thing, but the ETA was helpful to me when I was applying to grad school. POIs at multiple schools mentioned that they were impressed by my participation in Fulbright when I was weighing options. However, I think the ETA is only as helpful as you make it. I could convincingly say, for example, that I was familiar with a language that was crucial to my project and that I had spent years living abroad making important connections with future interlocutors and academic collaborators. I also chose to do an independent research project (and received a small grant from the country's Fulbright Commission) during the second year of my ETA . If you can use the ETA to cultivate some of the skills necessary to your proposed project (e.g. language, cultural immersion, networking, etc) I think it's definitely worth it.

Where I think the ETA is particularly useful is if you're applying to MPP/MPA/professional IR programs or education (especially international ed/TEFL) down the road. Totally anecdotal but there seems to be more "recognition" there, and my Fulbright cohort has done quite well in these fields.

Anyway, I still think back to my ETAship as some of the best years of my life, so I think it's worth pursuing just for the experience! 

[Horb]

50 minutes ago, mckenna81 said:

Fully funded masters. Getting a degree with no debt should, in my opinion, trump all other options.

EDIT: Well, having read other people's posts, I can see the benefit of waiting. Still, though, having worked in higher ed for over a decade now (and having gotten my PhD with less than $10k of debt), I would prioritize the option that leaves the most flexibility in the end, ESPECIALLY if you're in the humanities.

You're more likely to get into a better program with a Fulbright though

[Dash123]

Just to weigh in on this discussion of the relative value of an ETA as someone completely unqualified to offer insight into such value:

I'm one of those lost souls who doesn't know enough of what I want in the world to commit to graduate school or a career path right now. But I know that I'm interested in gathering more experience internationally. I might end up going for an MPP/MPA program or a master's in education or to law school or directly into an entry level job somewhere. I don't think an ETA would count against me in any of those possible trajectories. But I'm also not expecting it to give me a leg up, more like a year of clarifying my goals. I'm confident I could spin it in my favor for a lot of things, more about the skills I'd be able to develop abroad. 

But then, I'm not the five-year plan kind of person. I'm just kind of rolling with what interests me right now while I'm untethered by responsibilities in my early 20s. 

[mckenna81]

46 minutes ago, Horb said:

You're more likely to get into a better program with a Fulbright though

"Better" is relative. It really all depends on a. what you want to do with the degree and b. what field you're in. I'm in a field where it's very unlikely that I'll get a tenure track faculty job, even with my PhD - there simply aren't enough jobs, and those in "better" programs really don't have much of a leg up at all. I'm better off with my second tier PhD with very little debt than with a first tier degree and $100k in loans. 

I say this having already gotten my PhD and having worked in admissions for a first tier graduate program in the sciences. The "name" school is not necessarily always the best option, nor does it correlate to long-term success. And though a Fulbright might help you get a first year fellowship to attract you to the school, no award is going to guarantee you full funding throughout your entire degree, especially given the current higher ed climate in the US. In my experience, people who have yet to go to grad school tend to be not so great at understanding or predicting the realities of grad school, particularly when it comes to finances. 

Edited March 13, 2017 by mckenna81

[Horb]

14 minutes ago, mckenna81 said:

"Better" is relative. It really all depends on a. what you want to do with the degree and b. what field you're in. I'm in a field where it's very unlikely that I'll get a tenure track faculty job, even with my PhD - there simply aren't enough jobs, and those in "better" programs really don't have much of a leg up at all. I'm better off with my second tier PhD with very little debt than with a first tier degree and $100k in loans. 

I say this having already gotten my PhD and having worked in admissions for a first tier graduate program in the sciences. The "name" school is not necessarily always the best option, nor does it correlate to long-term success. And though a Fulbright might help you get a first year fellowship to attract you to the school, no award is going to guarantee you full funding throughout your entire degree, especially given the current higher ed climate in the US. In my experience, people who have yet to go to grad school tend to be not so great at understanding or predicting the realities of grad school, particularly when it comes to finances. 

I said more likely, not guaranteed, and of course it depends on the program. There's almost no field where tenure track isn't insanely hard to get, but I certainly know a Fulbright would have helped me get into a better program than the one I'm in now. Patrially because of the prestige, but more likely because of how the experience would have shaped me. As you said, it all depends on the field. If weighing the two options, one should see if deferment of the program is possible for the Fulbright or if a Fulbright would benefit them in reapplying if needed.

[bizoudeskimo]

On 3/10/2017 at 0:46 PM, gogotime said:

Any peepz that have applied to Ukraine?

Me! c:

just joined all this chaos waiting game I dont know if it was such a good idea..

[gogotime]

1 hour ago, bizoudeskimo said:

Me! c:

just joined all this chaos waiting game I dont know if it was such a good idea..

Yeah I'm pretty terrified myself.  I don't even know what I'm supposed to feel anymore   My interview was pretty chill, although I was a little put-off by the questions regarding my personal project.  How did you feel it went?

[bizoudeskimo]

1 hour ago, gogotime said:

Yeah I'm pretty terrified myself.  I don't even know what I'm supposed to feel anymore   My interview was pretty chill, although I was a little put-off by the questions regarding my personal project.  How did you feel it went?

Ahaha right I'm at the point where whatever happens, happens

Yeah my interview was interesting to say the least :,D I am currently in Thailand, so you can imagine trying to have a group skype from US and Ukraine and Thailand. not sure how much each heard and how much I heard but maybe that lack of stress conducting the interview is a good sign? I can only hope ahaha

Edited March 13, 2017 by bizoudeskimo