Boren 2018-2019

[Sarahpennies]

8 hours ago, Cheshirecaitt said:

I found this for the 2017 year. The info about the change in program length is on the 11th page. I suggest we read it all, though, it’s quite interesting. They say no journalism—freelance or anything else—which makes me wonder if can’t also blog while there?

I had a friend who went to Dubai on Boren and wrote on her travel blog while she was over there, so I assume blogs are okay! Although she wasn't writing anything political - mostly tourist spots and the like. 

[InGrad]

Update: received a budget clarification email yesterday afternoon for my SAFLI fellowship application!

[Borenthrowaway]

I also received a budget "Acknowledgement" email today

Edited March 29, 2018 by SecretP

[InGrad]

28 minutes ago, SecretP said:

I also received a budget "Acknowledgement" email today

lol a " Budget Acknowledgement" email?! oh is that an email response you received after you submitted your updated budget to them? Are you a Flagship fellow applicant?

[Ariy]

I haven't received any kind of update.  Could be bad news.  IFLI is, of course, a new program but you'd kind of think that something would be out.

[InGrad]

7 minutes ago, Arianna827 said:

I haven't received any kind of update.  Could be bad news.  IFLI is, of course, a new program but you'd kind of think that something would be out.

My email wasn't from Boren, it was from SALFI specifically. It might just be that each one of the different flagships will send out emails at their own times. You'll probably receive yours in the next few days when IFLI starts sending theirs out...

[Ariy]

5 minutes ago, InGrad said:

My email wasn't from Boren, it was from SALFI specifically. It might just be that each one of the different flagships will send out emails at their own times. You'll probably receive yours in the next few days when IFLI starts sending theirs out...

Cross your fingers and toes and I'll do the same for everyone here lol.

Edited March 29, 2018 by Arianna827

[sleepyficteer]

Dang, I was just thinking about the budget email today. Turns out one of the scholarships I thought I would have to turn down will let me use it for the same program I put down for Boren (yay!). I was going to report having more aid, but since the deadline has passed and lowballing has bitten people in the butt, maybe it's a sign...

I lost CLS in the first round though, so here's to hoping I and everyone in this thread make it!!

Anyone know if there's a set number of summer STEM initiative people they pick out? I looked at the NSEP report to see a depressing 5 students on summer programs...hope that doesn't count against me!

[Borenthrowaway]

3 hours ago, InGrad said:

lol a " Budget Acknowledgement" email?! oh is that an email response you received after you submitted your updated budget to them? Are you a Flagship fellow applicant?

lol no, I am a scholar applicant. I had just asked them a question. Looks like theyre replying to whomever's emails today.

[Sarahpennies]

4 hours ago, sleepyficteer said:

Dang, I was just thinking about the budget email today. Turns out one of the scholarships I thought I would have to turn down will let me use it for the same program I put down for Boren (yay!). I was going to report having more aid, but since the deadline has passed and lowballing has bitten people in the butt, maybe it's a sign...

I lost CLS in the first round though, so here's to hoping I and everyone in this thread make it!!

Anyone know if there's a set number of summer STEM initiative people they pick out? I looked at the NSEP report to see a depressing 5 students on summer programs...hope that doesn't count against me!

My first guess is that there aren't too many STEM applicants since they are less likely to study abroad compared to humanities and social sciences - maybe it will work in your favor ?

[lposmanick]

It's almost April, and I find myself checking this site daily for updates.  I can't handle the anticipation! 

[Borenthrowaway]

2 hours ago, lposmanick said:

It's almost April, and I find myself checking this site daily for updates.  I can't handle the anticipation! 

And no one is posting

[Cheshirecaitt]

These next two weeks will be difficult, but if I don't get Boren then I know I need to go ahead and start applying for loans (which I was prepared to do at the beginning of my study abroad opportunity). I just head about a small scholarship I received from my school--which is great! I still have two more scholarships I need to finish up applying for. Also, does anyone here have any advice for a first-time flyer (especially since it'll be a 12+ hour long flight lol).

[Sarahpennies]

2 hours ago, Cheshirecaitt said:

These next two weeks will be difficult, but if I don't get Boren then I know I need to go ahead and start applying for loans (which I was prepared to do at the beginning of my study abroad opportunity). I just head about a small scholarship I received from my school--which is great! I still have two more scholarships I need to finish up applying for. Also, does anyone here have any advice for a first-time flyer (especially since it'll be a 12+ hour long flight lol).

Woo! Great job on the school scholarship! I know any little bit helps ( :

For flying, I would definitely bring gum! Your ears will pop when the plane takes off and for some reason chewing gum helps with that. If you have a hard time falling asleep sitting up I would also bring along some sleeping pills - you can really only watch so many movies for 12 hours. Take it after you go through security and hopefully you'll zonk right right out. When you land you want to follow a normal sleep schedule as best as possible, so if you land at 9am try not to take a nap and wait until a reasonable bedtime to fall asleep. This should make acclimating to jetlag a little easier. For international flights they should supply passengers with blankets and pillows and at least 1 meal, although that might've changed as airlines try to cut costs. 

Even though I fly a couple times of year I still get freaked out by turbulence! Someone once compared airplane turbulence to a car hitting a bump in the road - 99.9% of the time nothing bad is going to happen and turbulence is just like bumps in the air. That thought has always helped me when we go through a rough patch on an airplane. 

[Cheshirecaitt]

32 minutes ago, Sarahpennies said:

Woo! Great job on the school scholarship! I know any little bit helps ( :

For flying, I would definitely bring gum! Your ears will pop when the plane takes off and for some reason chewing gum helps with that. If you have a hard time falling asleep sitting up I would also bring along some sleeping pills - you can really only watch so many movies for 12 hours. Take it after you go through security and hopefully you'll zonk right right out. When you land you want to follow a normal sleep schedule as best as possible, so if you land at 9am try not to take a nap and wait until a reasonable bedtime to fall asleep. This should make acclimating to jetlag a little easier. For international flights they should supply passengers with blankets and pillows and at least 1 meal, although that might've changed as airlines try to cut costs. 

Even though I fly a couple times of year I still get freaked out by turbulence! Someone once compared airplane turbulence to a car hitting a bump in the road - 99.9% of the time nothing bad is going to happen and turbulence is just like bumps in the air. That thought has always helped me when we go through a rough patch on an airplane. 

Thank you so much! I’ve asked a few people I know but they never really go into detail much on flying. They just say something along the lines of “It might be a bit rough but you’ll be fine.”

This helps a lot, thank you!

[Borenthrowaway]

Has anyone heard of any Boren Awardees that have run out of their finances while abroad?

[Cheshirecaitt]

22 hours ago, SecretP said:

Has anyone heard of any Boren Awardees that have run out of their finances while abroad?

No idea. Boren spaces out the payments into 3 installments (probably to avoid that) but if you run short before payment periods I have no clue. Maybe ask for the payment to be early? Or try to scrape by? I feel like that’s a question to ask an official. I also just feel you’d have to work real damn hard to use all the money up as well (depending on where you’re at).

[lposmanick]

On 4/1/2018 at 11:54 AM, Sarahpennies said:

Woo! Great job on the school scholarship! I know any little bit helps ( :

For flying, I would definitely bring gum! Your ears will pop when the plane takes off and for some reason chewing gum helps with that. If you have a hard time falling asleep sitting up I would also bring along some sleeping pills - you can really only watch so many movies for 12 hours. Take it after you go through security and hopefully you'll zonk right right out. When you land you want to follow a normal sleep schedule as best as possible, so if you land at 9am try not to take a nap and wait until a reasonable bedtime to fall asleep. This should make acclimating to jetlag a little easier. For international flights they should supply passengers with blankets and pillows and at least 1 meal, although that might've changed as airlines try to cut costs. 

Even though I fly a couple times of year I still get freaked out by turbulence! Someone once compared airplane turbulence to a car hitting a bump in the road - 99.9% of the time nothing bad is going to happen and turbulence is just like bumps in the air. That thought has always helped me when we go through a rough patch on an airplane. 

I've done a lot of long flights.  My least favorite was over 15 hours.   A few recommendations for security: Follow TSA guidelines before you leave.  I recommend planning slip off shoes (with socks because touching airport floors are gross).  Also have your laptop and clear plastic bag in an easy to grab place so you can wiz through. Be sure to bring all your valuables in your personal carry on. If you are flying United (or another major airliner) download their airline app.  You can download your tickets to your smartphone which makes life easy for keeping track of your ticket and any flight changes that may happen (gate changes, flight delays, early boarding, etc.)  A lot of airliners now will not have TVs in the seats but instead require you to download their app, log into their wifi, and surf that way.  Be sure to bring headphones because you never want to be the jerk who listens to their videos with the sound on for everyone else to hear. Speaking of being a respectful flyer: if you have to pee a lot, request an aisle seat to reduce the number of times your seat mates have to get up.  I like this spot personally because it feels less claustrophobic.  However, if you prefer more personal space the window is a great choice.  Also, when you get up during your flight please don't grab the seat in front of you.  Trust me, there is nothing worst than the person who does this!  

Other suggestions, look up on youtube how to pack smart.  There are ways to save a lot of room in your bags!  Plan to drink tons of water before, during, and after your flight.  My legs swell a lot so I drink tons of fluids and do calf raises while flying to reduce swelling.  Another expert international move is to request a kosher meal.  (you must do this at least 24 hours before your flight).  You will get to eat before anyone, and won't get stuck with some weird fish and rice option.  Trust me, the kosher meals are on point.  I also recommend bringing an eye mask for sleep, ear plugs to cut out the sound of screaming children, a toothbrush and tooth paste, and an extra sweater (flights can be either extremely hot or extremely cold).  

Make sure to bring a pen with you and information about where you will be staying as you will need it when you fill out your customs form.  The flight attendants will not lend you a writing utensil, and the vast majority of people forget about it... so you will get further ahead in the line.  Also don't bring fresh fruit, taxidermy, or anything that can get you flagged during customs.  Read everything carefully.  If you have a layover, try to pick one with at least two hours in between flights so if there is a delay you're not worried about missing your connection.  Also, make sure to arrive at least 3 hours early for an international flight.  I have seen too many people miss a flight because they ignored the 3 hour rule.

Wow, that's a lot of information.  Hope it helps! 

[Sarahpennies]

Oooh I definitely agree with lposmanick about alternative meals! I used to be vegetarian and the vegetarian meals always looked more edible than what everyone else got. 

[Ariy]

I'm the broken record of this forum lol. I apologize in advance.  I still haven't received a budget update email for the Indonesian Flagship (I had added a spring component).  I love this program but I'm starting to apply to Plan B stuff because I'm not totally clear about what is going on.  Again, it's a new program this year but we're barreling towards the notification date.  

[Sarahpennies]

33 minutes ago, Arianna827 said:

I'm the broken record of this forum lol. I apologize in advance.  I still haven't received a budget update email for the Indonesian Flagship (I had added a spring component).  I love this program but I'm starting to apply to Plan B stuff because I'm not totally clear about what is going on.  Again, it's a new program this year but we're barreling towards the notification date.  

Hmmm, I was under the assumption most Flagship students didn't get the budget e-mail. Did last year's flagship students get a budget request? Here's what my budget e-mail said:

"We are emailing all 2018 Boren Scholarship applicants (with the exception of AFLI French/Swahili/Portuguese, IFLI, and SAFLI applicants) to offer an opportunity to update your scholarship budget, if necessary"

Edited April 3, 2018 by Sarahpennies

[Cheshirecaitt]

35 minutes ago, Arianna827 said:

I'm the broken record of this forum lol. I apologize in advance.  I still haven't received a budget update email for the Indonesian Flagship (I had added a spring component).  I love this program but I'm starting to apply to Plan B stuff because I'm not totally clear about what is going on.  Again, it's a new program this year but we're barreling towards the notification date.  

I was talking to my school's fellowship office advisor about the forum (and my conspiracy theories in general) but she informed me that the advisors also get email updates. She said the flagships haven't gotten a budget update email yet because it's too early for the flagships to finalize a budget---or something along those lines. She mentioned it in passing to calm down my nerves (and to tell me to stop re-reading the old forums lol). She said it as if none of the flagship programs got an email, and I also believe the email I received made it out to sound like the flagships wouldn't receive an email about the budget. 

[Cheshirecaitt]

3 hours ago, lposmanick said:

I've done a lot of long flights.  My least favorite was over 15 hours.   A few recommendations for security: Follow TSA guidelines before you leave.  I recommend planning slip off shoes (with socks because touching airport floors are gross).  Also have your laptop and clear plastic bag in an easy to grab place so you can wiz through. Be sure to bring all your valuables in your personal carry on. If you are flying United (or another major airliner) download their airline app.  You can download your tickets to your smartphone which makes life easy for keeping track of your ticket and any flight changes that may happen (gate changes, flight delays, early boarding, etc.)  A lot of airliners now will not have TVs in the seats but instead require you to download their app, log into their wifi, and surf that way.  Be sure to bring headphones because you never want to be the jerk who listens to their videos with the sound on for everyone else to hear. Speaking of being a respectful flyer: if you have to pee a lot, request an aisle seat to reduce the number of times your seat mates have to get up.  I like this spot personally because it feels less claustrophobic.  However, if you prefer more personal space the window is a great choice.  Also, when you get up during your flight please don't grab the seat in front of you.  Trust me, there is nothing worst than the person who does this!  

Other suggestions, look up on youtube how to pack smart.  There are ways to save a lot of room in your bags!  Plan to drink tons of water before, during, and after your flight.  My legs swell a lot so I drink tons of fluids and do calf raises while flying to reduce swelling.  Another expert international move is to request a kosher meal.  (you must do this at least 24 hours before your flight).  You will get to eat before anyone, and won't get stuck with some weird fish and rice option.  Trust me, the kosher meals are on point.  I also recommend bringing an eye mask for sleep, ear plugs to cut out the sound of screaming children, a toothbrush and tooth paste, and an extra sweater (flights can be either extremely hot or extremely cold).  

Make sure to bring a pen with you and information about where you will be staying as you will need it when you fill out your customs form.  The flight attendants will not lend you a writing utensil, and the vast majority of people forget about it... so you will get further ahead in the line.  Also don't bring fresh fruit, taxidermy, or anything that can get you flagged during customs.  Read everything carefully.  If you have a layover, try to pick one with at least two hours in between flights so if there is a delay you're not worried about missing your connection.  Also, make sure to arrive at least 3 hours early for an international flight.  I have seen too many people miss a flight because they ignored the 3 hour rule.

Wow, that's a lot of information.  Hope it helps! 

It's a lot but it is extremely helpful!!! It really calms my nerves. I have little to no travel experience so hearing from others is the best for me.

[Borenthrowaway]

27 minutes ago, Cheshirecaitt said:

I was talking to my school's fellowship office advisor about the forum (and my conspiracy theories in general) but she informed me that the advisors also get email updates. She said the flagships haven't gotten a budget update email yet because it's too early for the flagships to finalize a budget---or something along those lines. She mentioned it in passing to calm down my nerves (and to tell me to stop re-reading the old forums lol). She said it as if none of the flagship programs got an email, and I also believe the email I received made it out to sound like the flagships wouldn't receive an email about the budget. 

Did you advisor mention anything to confirm what people have been stating about the correlation of the budget email to acceptances?

[Cheshirecaitt]

14 minutes ago, SecretP said:

Did you advisor mention anything to confirm what people have been stating about the correlation of the budget email to acceptances?

She wouldn't tell me a yes or a no, basically, it was "Don't worry yourself about the forums and the theories. It will just stress you out." Which even if it used to be true the 2017-2018 year didn't follow the budget email=finalist correlation.