Rangel Fellowship 2018

[BNichole]

I've been searching for this thread forever, but congrats to everyone!! I've also been selected as a finalist for Rangel and I'm super nervous for this interview! 

[mrs12]

@BrittOrange, welcome and congratulations!

To those of you who are finalists, if you haven't already some of the previous topics on the Rangel/Pickering have more advice/details on the finalist process and the interviews if you want to peruse back that far. Seriously congratulations on all your hard work! You can do this!

@ayasofaya I get that, too. If you would enjoy the Fulbright, isn't that also something to consider? It's not time lost if you "take that year", because you're enhancing your application but also doing something really interesting that you're passionate about. Who knows what could come from it?

[ayasofaya]

2 hours ago, mrs12 said:

I get that, too. If you would enjoy the Fulbright, isn't that also something to consider? It's not time lost if you "take that year", because you're enhancing your application but also doing something really interesting that you're passionate about. Who knows what could come from it?

Exactly. Big picture, there is no real drawback at all to taking another year before applying. Superficially you could say "Pickering always picks different people, so you never know!" but that's a $700 gamble that I will take next year, not this year haha.

[Karakoy]

I wanted to give personal statement advice for those who continue to Pickering.

To note: I was rejected by Pickering last year and their decision made me do a lot of self-reflection. I started the process by looking back at my application and noticed many little mistakes and that I came off as unfocused. While working on my Rangel app, I had many drafts over 20 each with a different intro. It was a difficult process because most of the feedback I was receiving was to be personal and that's not much to go off of.

 

So here's my advice based off of the process I put myself through this time around and things people told. 

 

1. Completely throw out your personal statement. 

2. Start from scratch. I did not look at what I had written for Pickering when I wrote my PS for Rangel. (It was obviously unsuccessful, so it made no sense to revisit)

3. The intro is so important and it's your chance to grab the readers attention and be personal with them. (Like I said I had over 20 intros I had drafted)

4. Be personal with your essay. Make it about you and the things you did. 

5. Don't sound like you're reading your resume. 

6. The personal statement is your opportunity to speak directly to the review community and explain why you want to dedicate yourself to public service. 

7. Think of the application and fellowship as a whole. Not just the one component like the FS. There are many gears at work.

8. Be concise. Don't come off like you're all over the place. 

9. If you mention grad school, talk about one school, not 6.

10. Don't be afraid to ask others for help throughout the process. Have many people read your app.

11. Don't think you are a shoe in because you meet the basic requirements. 

12. Really think about who can write you a recommendation, make sure they know the program. Don't get hung up on titles, university rankings, or the person's position within a university. Be strategic, yet mindful (added). 

13. Lastly, a lot of people applying to these programs have similar academic and career exploits. This is why you have to be personal and really explain your intentions. 

 

I hope this helps and that you apply to Pickering and other fellowships. 

Edited October 27, 2017 by Karakoy

[ayasofaya]

@mrs12 @Karakoy

I just got an email that says if I attend an info session in my city (which I was going to attend anyway even if just for info for next year's app cycle) I get an application fee waiver for all five of the top schools there WHICH MEANS as long as I apply to those particular schools this just became free WHICH MEANS the $700 investment from above just turned into a $200 GRE retake which I can totally pay WHICH MEANS I take back everything I just said. Pickering Fellowship just got un-cancelled for me. I can suddenly afford this so now it's just the work (at a faster rate since I had put it aside). The work I can do. Let's go.

[Karakoy]

On 11/6/2017 at 1:22 PM, ayasofaya said:

@mrs12 @Karakoy

I just got an email that says if I attend an info session in my city (which I was going to attend anyway even if just for info for next year's app cycle) I get an application fee waiver for all five of the top schools there WHICH MEANS as long as I apply to those particular schools this just became free WHICH MEANS the $700 investment from above just turned into a $200 GRE retake which I can totally pay WHICH MEANS I take back everything I just said. Pickering Fellowship just got un-cancelled for me. I can suddenly afford this so now it's just the work (at a faster rate since I had put it aside). The work I can do. Let's go.

That's awesome! Keep going! 

[mrs12]

@Karakoy and everyone else, how's it going with preparing for the Rangel? Are you nervous? I remember previous applicants saying that they wished they hadn't been so obsessed with studying foreign affairs in the interim and had worked more on preparing for the interview itself, but that's anecdotal advice at best. 

[mrs12]

Has anyone else heard about the IT Fellowship? It's for IMS, so it's a switch from FSO to a specialist, but it looks really interesting. I'm considering applying along with the Pickering. I know it's a big shift, but the more I look at what IMS do the more I see how important that job is. And strangely enough I've been able to keep up my tech studies alongside the rest during undergraduate so I think I would be a strong candidate. I know it would mean a lot of things, like not getting language training, and less work with the host-country, but at the same time it's really a very vital job... And a lot of the job is about working with FSO's and other embassy staff, through trainings and trouble-shooting, which I really like. That's one of the things I loved about tech, the opportunity to help people and make information easily accessible. 

[ayasofaya]

I'm dying to know how your interviews went and the final results if you're ok with/allowed to share with us.

[johnwfoster12]

Happy to share what I can. I completed the writing assignment and interview via Skype. Results came out on Friday, happy to say I was selected as a fellow! 

Congrats to all! 

[BNichole]

Congrats @johnwfoster12 ! I was also selected as a fellow. Where are you thinking about applying for grad school?

[johnwfoster12]

22 hours ago, BrittOrange said:

Congrats @johnwfoster12 ! I was also selected as a fellow. Where are you thinking about applying for grad school?

Thanks @BrittOrange! Congrats to you as well! I've selected Fletcher as my grad program! Fletcher has a program called Map Your Future, where you work for two years before beginning grad school. I graduated in 2016 and have been working with the State Department the past year and a half. 

How about yourself? 

[ayasofaya]

Congratulations @johnwfoster12 and@BrittOrange!!! 

Do you have any hints as to what set you guys apart from the competition? I read up on MYF briefly while researching Tufts (Fletcher is on my list of applications) and it seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity for those fresh out of undergrad.

[BNichole]

@johnwfoster12 Oh ok, thats great you already know! I sent my application in to the Fletcher School a few days ago. I'm also looking at HKS, and all of the DC area top schools. 

@ayasofaya thank you feel free to email me as well! bnorange@gmail.com 

[ayasofaya]

@johnwfoster12 @BrittOrange I've taken your emails down so you can go ahead and delete them off the internet if you would like.

@ John I'm a few years out of undergrad. I was just noting to myself at the time what a great program it was for Fletcher to have. I want to say I would have applied but I was in a very different place at that point.

[mrs12]

We're getting so close to the Pickering deadline! How's everyone doing?

And congratulations to @BrittOrange and @johnwfoster12 for being selected!!! You're both amazing and you should be extremely proud of yourselves! It sure sounds like you're all on the right track and doing some really interesting things right now. I hope the clearance process and all the rest goes smoothly for you!

Edited November 27, 2017 by mrs12

[jbrieo]

Best of luck to the those going up for the Pickering! I can't wait to be in the mix applying for the Rangel and Pickering Fellowships next year. I was a Pickering finalist my junior year and a Rangel scholar (not fellow). I'm looking forward to getting ready!

[mrs12]

How are everyone's grad school applications going? I assume most were due recently or will be due soon. 

I just finished up my FAIT Fellowship application, so now I'm settling down to fine-tune my grad school apps. The SOP should be so simple but I just keep scrapping mine and starting over again because it never feels right.

[ayasofaya]

I'm trucking. I wasted a lot of time studying for my GRE retake for a 2 point increase and not on the section that I needed to improve on lol. My verbal score is in the 90th percentile now and the other two scores didn't go down, just stayed the same, so at least it wasn't a total bust, but now I have to make up my lost time for the other parts of my application. I think I'll be ok though.

[mrs12]

That is so relatable, @ayasofaya! I was freaking out about the GRE and had a similar experience. At this point, I've just got to throw up my hands and try to focus on the fact that it is what it is. Or if I'm being optimistic, the GRE isn't the be-all-end-all for the Pickering, more a gauge, and thus there's more leeway with scores than say some grad school committees. 

Did everyone catch the deadline today? (Well, technically in 4 and a half hours.) I sat on my application for over a week now just debating wording, which probably wasn't too smart. But it's all in. Now it's out of our hands. 

The wait from here to semi-finalist notifications is the worst. I'm glad this year I have grad school applications to distract me for part of it. 

[ayasofaya]

I had submitted all of my grad apps this week and I just submitted the Pickering. 

I am free.

You know what happens next.

[ayasofaya]

"We are pleased to inform you.......that your application is under review!"

Thanks for that lol

[mrs12]

@ayasofaya Wait! When did you get that, Friday? What email did it come under? I haven't received anything other than the first alert that the application was submitted...

Gosh, I hate wait like this. XP

[ayasofaya]

10 hours ago, mrs12 said:

@ayasofaya Wait! When did you get that, Friday? What email did it come under? I haven't received anything other than the first alert that the application was submitted...

Gosh, I hate wait like this. XP

The subject line was "Thank you for submitting a 2018 Pickering application!" from the generic email address. It was Friday morning. I know of at least one person who got it.

[mrs12]

@ayasofaya My gosh, that took forever to find. It got lost in a random folder somewhere on my gmail, which isn't usually my main email. Thanks!

Also, I have good news!!! The results went out today for the Foreign Affairs IT Fellowship Finalists, and I'm one of them! I'll be going to DC in April for the interviews/written test! The odds are still pretty slim, only 5 people will be selected in the end (out of 10 finalists). But I'm trying to let myself be excited today before I devolve into worrying. 

Somehow I thought it'd take longer for the results to come out, so now my patience is shot and I want to hear back from the Pickering already...