Boren 2017-2018

[kbui]

23 hours ago, SwissMister said:

Thanks, @UnawareInGeneral. I've been trying to get in touch with one of the other Boren recipients who went through ACICIS – no response yet. I'm going to go along with the passport and visa documents, but try to buy a few weeks time on the application fees, which are pretty significant ($~450 USD). I can only imagine that they would understand my plight, lol. 

What did ACICIS say when you said that you're waiting for Boren results and that your participation is entirely contingent on you getting it? They must be somewhat understanding if they know you're waiting for a prestigious fellowship for funding.

[SwissMister]

9 hours ago, kbui said:

What did ACICIS say when you said that you're waiting for Boren results and that your participation is entirely contingent on you getting it? They must be somewhat understanding if they know you're waiting for a prestigious fellowship for funding.

I think because ACICIS' sole source of revenue lies in study abroad programs to Indonesia, they are still trying to push me along the application process in hopes that I use their services, whether I get the Boren award or find some other source of funding. They might be low on applicants, actually. I set my calendar to remind me about ACICIS' application due date, and somehow totally missed the date. They emailed me the next day saying that they didn't receive my application but would be willing to accept a late application if I was still interested. I turned it in that next day. ACICIS mentioned that it would take a few weeks to notify applicants if they were accepted into the program, but I received my acceptance email two days after submitting my application – the email mentioned that I would need to have a valid passport, visa application, and application fees submitted by April 7. 

As of today, ACICIS mentioned that I could wait to pay application fees until hearing back from Boren, but I still need to have the passport and visa documents submitted. A lot of work considering that the entire program is contingent on receiving the Fellowship award. 

Edited March 28, 2017 by SwissMister

[UnawareInGeneral]

17 hours ago, kbui said:

As the day gets closer, I'm getting more and more nervous. I keep on thinking about how amazing it would be to be in Thailand next year. Anybody have the same experience?

I am thinking about it regularly, some of that is due to my having online language classes every week at the same school I studied at last fall and where I applied to return to on the Boren. Just constantly reminded of it that way I suppose. I've given real thought the last month or so to whether I should accept it even if I'm offered this one. CLS gives me the chance I wanted to go back, and it fits in perfectly with what is going on in my life and the field I'm trying to go to work in. Boren, which would give me the chance to get my language level to a point close to what is a life goal for me, genuine fluency in Mandarin, would also be a 9 month program after two months of CLS. A whole year back just doing the language..... I could learn a lot more, but I am not well.... "young" anymore. I have been leaning heavily heavily toward turning down Boren (I declined my interview for a Blakemore Asian language fellowship not too long ago for this same reason). I'm still.... 10% or so considering accepting it if offered... but having the chance to go back already, even just for two months then going back to work, is looking preferable to starting my second career a full year later than I already am. 

Just changing perspective with being 6 weeks from finishing my masters as opposed to 8 months, when I started my Boren application I suppose. 

[MA2020]

Slightly off topic...but if anyone is wondering, I talked to Boren and decisions are coming out the week of April 17th!

[SwissMister]

1 hour ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

I am thinking about it regularly, some of that is due to my having online language classes every week at the same school I studied at last fall and where I applied to return to on the Boren. Just constantly reminded of it that way I suppose. I've given real thought the last month or so to whether I should accept it even if I'm offered this one. CLS gives me the chance I wanted to go back, and it fits in perfectly with what is going on in my life and the field I'm trying to go to work in. Boren, which would give me the chance to get my language level to a point close to what is a life goal for me, genuine fluency in Mandarin, would also be a 9 month program after two months of CLS. A whole year back just doing the language..... I could learn a lot more, but I am not well.... "young" anymore. I have been leaning heavily heavily toward turning down Boren (I declined my interview for a Blakemore Asian language fellowship not too long ago for this same reason). I'm still.... 10% or so considering accepting it if offered... but having the chance to go back already, even just for two months then going back to work, is looking preferable to starting my second career a full year later than I already am. 

Just changing perspective with being 6 weeks from finishing my masters as opposed to 8 months, when I started my Boren application I suppose. 

Same here. I have a lot on my plate with my graduate program, personal life, and federal job applications this year, particularly if my job candidacy continues as it has been. I'll be going through a security clearance process that will restrict me from leaving the country while it is ongoing.

Weird question, but if we are awarded the Boren Fellowship and turn it down, can we still say that we received it? 

[SwissMister]

27 minutes ago, boren1718 said:

Slightly off topic...but if anyone is wondering, I talked to Boren and decisions are coming out the week of April 17th!

Definitely not off topic. Thanks for the update! 

[kbui]

6 hours ago, boren1718 said:

Slightly off topic...but if anyone is wondering, I talked to Boren and decisions are coming out the week of April 17th!

This is amazing! At least I know now which week to have the most anxiety. How did you manage to get them to tell you this?

[kbui]

And it seems like the Fellowship applicants (from the people on this forum) have very different life circumstances than the Scholars have, and that so much of it depends on what else is going on in their life (especially current family and career situations).

[kbui]

5 hours ago, SwissMister said:

Same here. I have a lot on my plate with my graduate program, personal life, and federal job applications this year, particularly if my job candidacy continues as it has been. I'll be going through a security clearance process that will restrict me from leaving the country while it is ongoing.

Weird question, but if we are awarded the Boren Fellowship and turn it down, can we still say that we received it? 

If you receive the job would you not take the Boren? And security clearances, in my experience, takes maximum about 8-12 months, with most of them being approved 4-8 months after submission and 1-4 months after the interview. Perhaps you'll get something soon.

[MA2020]

2 hours ago, kbui said:

This is amazing! At least I know now which week to have the most anxiety. How did you manage to get them to tell you this?

I just emailed and asked them...they're usually pretty responsive.

[SwissMister]

6 hours ago, kbui said:

If you receive the job would you not take the Boren? And security clearances, in my experience, takes maximum about 8-12 months, with most of them being approved 4-8 months after submission and 1-4 months after the interview. Perhaps you'll get something soon.

Yes, if I receive the job then I wouldn't accept the Boren. The job would have me in training for 7 months, then a couple years in D.C., then in the field. Part of the reason I was interested in Boren was because it would prepare and position me so well with the career path that I'm pursuing. Just so happens that one of the organization and positions that I had my eye on was interested. If I don't make it to the clearance phase, then I will likely accept the Boren. 

[kbui]

26 minutes ago, SwissMister said:

Yes, if I receive the job then I wouldn't accept the Boren. The job would have me in training for 7 months, then a couple years in D.C., then in the field. Part of the reason I was interested in Boren was because it would prepare and position me so well with the career path that I'm pursuing. Just so happens that one of the organization and positions that I had my eye on was interested. If I don't make it to the clearance phase, then I will likely accept the Boren. 

I wish you the best of luck! Sounds like a great opportunity.

[SwissMister]

11 hours ago, kbui said:

I wish you the best of luck! Sounds like a great opportunity.

Thanks @kbui. Wishing us all luck, Boren or otherwise. 

[mastersbound]

https://www.borenawards.org/boren-awards-award-announcements-will-be-made-may-0

 

decisions moved back to first week of May

[kbui]

49 minutes ago, mastersbound said:

https://www.borenawards.org/boren-awards-award-announcements-will-be-made-may-0

 

decisions moved back to first week of May

When was this posted?

[mastersbound]

Hmmmm not sure. A friend linked it to me a few hours ago...

[jclark12]

I can't find a date anywhere? And it hasn't been posted on the Facebook page. 

[mastersbound]

6 hours ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

Well I think I got my answer to the question, did the hiring freeze this year drive more or fewer people to try to secure a Boren than previous years. 500 fellowship applications, must be a lot of unemployed soon to be graduates throwing their hat in the ring this year. 

Early May, fantastic. Probably won't be accepting this one if I am offered it, though I guess the odds dropped a shade if there are 150 more applicants this year than last year so maybe that decision just became academic. 

Strongly suspected the freeze announcement 10 days before Boren deadline would make the numbers this year much higher. 

Edit: Although, looking at some of the numbers from 2007-2014 it looks like the low number of applicants in 2015 and 2016 was the bottom of a decline in applications. This year is more a return to normalcy.... so now I'm super curious as to what drives motivations to apply/not apply each year. 

doubt the freeze made a big effect. It takes more than 10 days to get a Boren app together. Recs etc. I think scholarship deadlines were before the freeze too?

[gabiwankenobi]

May, really? Tbh, as time goes on and I keep thinking more about Boren and my plan B if I don't get it, I keep getting more excited about Plan B rather than Boren when I put it into perspective. Mainly because of the Boren travel restrictions, I guess being excited about Plan B is also very healthy and it helps me not obsess about Boren. Anyone else like this?

By the way: one of us could just ask to see if the May date is true or not, seems weird they answered April 17th and now it's on May.

Edited March 31, 2017 by ladyben-kenobi

[SwissMister]

16 hours ago, mastersbound said:

https://www.borenawards.org/boren-awards-award-announcements-will-be-made-may-0

 

decisions moved back to first week of May

I was a little dubious about the announcement when I didn't see it at the front of Boren's News Feed. Used a Google trick to check the date, and found that it was posted in 2009. Went to the end of Boren's News feed and found it. Looks like this announcement is about 8 years old. See attached image. 

 

[UnawareInGeneral]

2 hours ago, mastersbound said:

doubt the freeze made a big effect. It takes more than 10 days to get a Boren app together. Recs etc. I think scholarship deadlines were before the freeze too?

I know two borens from 2016 who did their entire package in under 5 days and won the fellowship, I don't think 10 days is too short. Hiring freeze was announced 20th or so of January, deadline was 30th or 31st for fellowship and a week later for scholarship. Both were after the announcement. 

I called Boren this morning and asked and they said they still expected to let us know before the end of April so this announcement is probably not from 2016. 

I compared 499 with the numbers Boren released inside of the last 7 or so years, didn't go back as far as 2009. Interesting that they've managed to have their website look exactly the same for that long. 

Edited March 31, 2017 by UnawareInGeneral

[gabiwankenobi]

@SwissMister

You've got some pro-research skills going for you 10/10. I also don't trust the website, I remember while applying I read something about physically sending materials and when I contacted Boren they told me not to trust the site and that it was not properly updated.

[SwissMister]

1 hour ago, UnawareInGeneral said:

I compared 499 with the numbers Boren released inside of the last 7 or so years, didn't go back as far as 2009. Interesting that they've managed to have their website look exactly the same for that long. 

So, their website has actually changed over the last 8 years. However, each time they update the theme, it automatically takes the old content and gives it a makeover using the new theme's fonts, colors, layout, etc. I imagine that the News and Events sections are built on a blog framework, so they should be able to enable time-stamps pretty easily. Not sure why they don't this. 

[kbui]

3 hours ago, ladyben-kenobi said:

May, really? Tbh, as time goes on and I keep thinking more about Boren and my plan B if I don't get it, I keep getting more excited about Plan B rather than Boren when I put it into perspective. Mainly because of the Boren travel restrictions, I guess being excited about Plan B is also very healthy and it helps me not obsess about Boren. Anyone else like this?

By the way: one of us could just ask to see if the May date is true or not, seems weird they answered April 17th and now it's on May.

I have a Plan B brewing at the moment also (which helps take my mind off of thinking exclusively about going to Thailand), but would still highly, highly prefer Boren and if offered both opportunities I would take Boren in a heartbeat.

[UnawareInGeneral]

20 minutes ago, SwissMister said:

So, their website has actually changed over the last 8 years. However, each time they update the theme, it automatically takes the old content and gives it a makeover using the new theme's fonts, colors, layout, etc. I imagine that the News and Events sections are built on a blog framework, so they should be able to enable time-stamps pretty easily. Not sure why they don't this. 

So many changes that are retroactively not obvious.... functionally the same thing.