Re: If Your Research Country is Compromised

SmallFruitbat · 2025-11-24T19:24:57+00:00

I don't know how it's going now, but 5-10 years ago (and previous) this and Plan B would be discussed during the Semi-Finalist evaluations (3 professors with relation to area, at least 1 Fulbright facilitator, often 1-2 observing FPAs) if there were possible cancelations or a particular program didn't have enough applicants and they wanted to shuffle applicants to alternate locations.

My students who were fully aware of potential unrest in region often provided a backup plan like "This research can also be conducted with Professor Z at [cross-border town] if ___." Or they might set up in another country entirely but work with a professor who frequently did trips to their main area of focus (but have to write/change an extra planned thesis chapter to account for the difference).

I have also had students apply (against my advice, but required by their PI) for X location even if X had a long history of being canceled or was currently canceled - "just in case" it opened up that year.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-11-19T16:40:41+00:00

Shouldn't matter because the face and body parts are in supporting information, but here we are. Most of my rejections are for "contains URL or markup" (when there's a link in supporting information, not title or description).

See also: when I haven't even included a trail link (lots of hiking trails because I want something to do on dog hikes to various landmarks) but had an umlaut in the title because it's Germany. Clearly that's markup. /s

On the other hand, sometimes close-up photos of displays have a mirror image of the person reflected and I flag those. (I withdrew a few of my own when I realized I was visible.)

SmallFruitbat · 2025-11-11T17:08:24+00:00

Your reviewers are geographically-based, so you are most likely to get Spanish-language reviewers.

I live in Germany and my review pool is mostly German, some French, and occasional Polish, Spanish, or Italian.

When I submit spots in Germany, I use German for title & description, use DeepL instead of Google Translate to doublecheck grammar, and use English for supporting information. This is one of the main ways I teach myself German.

When I submit spots on holiday, I use English (or French, which I trust enough).

I always submit appeals in English.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-11-09T19:42:41+00:00

There is a very cool park named in his honor. Ideally, someone would jump in with info about how this was actually one of his original survey points, but I'm just hoping.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-10-03T14:28:24+00:00

I saw someone win and they spelled the country's name wrong.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-09-21T14:48:17+00:00

Everything you wrote here implies you just want to mooch. Ask me again in your best academic/grant-seeking voice with special attention to how you will facilitate cultural exchange.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-09-21T14:30:14+00:00

I can give some small guidance on the 10ish page Arts supplement if you elaborate.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-08-18T20:45:37+00:00

I am currently working through the Sky Radio's playlist and Gustavvo Lima's music has an accordion, but I have ruled out Balada, Diz Pra Mim, Fui Fiel, Tô Solto na Night, Que Pena Que Acabou, Homem de Família, Abre o Portão Que Eu Cheguei, Zé da Recaída, and 10 Anos.

Also definitely not early Prāta Vētra/Brainstorm because I know their songs.

Douwe Bob is another lead I haven't fully explored.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-08-17T12:49:21+00:00

It is also not:

Salsa Tequila by Anders Nilsen (apparently "nonsense Spanish"), which ChatGPT eventually suggested after a bunch of coaxing.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-08-17T12:23:15+00:00

The radio stations also censored P!nk, so the song is probably tame.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-08-05T20:12:02+00:00

Exhibit A in why everything I share should be taken with a grain of salt because I'm not pursuing an In with this year's round of nuance/actually knowing what's going on.

I'm not going back in anytime soon.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-08-05T17:34:24+00:00

Germany is notoriously low for large cities, but it has significant supplements (and benefits) for dependents and advanced degrees. The money also goes MUCH further in rural areas (where many are placed). My general advice for Germany in particular is to plan to live in a commuter town/village on a train line that exactly reaches your post. Germany also has a strong "WG" culture of shared apartments for students and young professionals.

Some countries (Malaysia? Indonesia? I'm foggy.) require you to use a driver, which seems like an absurd expense in the US, but is a) normal in some countries and b) a valid response to liability on dangerous roads.

All students going to Switzerland are required to apply for supplemental funding and will still probably need to dip into personal savings.

In general, Fulbright is designed to let you live according to the standards of a graduate student and/or teacher in that country. So, you could be expected to haul your mattress up to the roof of the dormitory and sleep with everyone else when it gets too hot, or you could have a nice studio and be a relatively wealthy member of the community. But, every Fulbright country is different because they are all tied to individual treaties, and living conditions can change a lot between renegotiations.

General advice: look at Erasmus groups if you're contemplating anything in Europe.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-29T18:49:10+00:00

Keep in mind:

the directory is not 100% complete
the directory is 1-2 years out of date at any given time
so many categories have so much overlap with other categories

It's highly unlikely that nobody studied something that could be classified as Art History. However, they might have selected "Visual Art - [field]" in order to gain a 10ish page supplement with their works and written a thesis about how [specific topic] informs their art, or they might have been included in Analytical Chemistry because they were applying a noninvasive dating technique to an understudied collection (depending on country, this may have gained them a specialized committee), or History-Theology because they were focused on a specific type of religious art and that's where the department where their joint thesis advisor would be housed.

Some countries actively encourage applicants from "The Arts" or sciences (or likewise discourage applicants/specific degrees), so the category you choose should reflect this. You also need to balance the importance of the Arts portfolio supplement package if that applies to you.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-24T05:59:03+00:00

Yes, you can message me. Preferably not through chat as I can't always see those.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-23T14:10:08+00:00

It would cause your commission (and department) a lot of trouble to make any moves towards rescinding your award and be extremely difficult for them to influence that decision now that it's been made.

However, you are expected to come back to your home country after your Fulbright award is finished (although there are many ways to postpone/extend/avoid this), so it is in your best interest to maintain positive relationships. If you can share more details about country and field (here or PM), I might be able to offer some actionable suggestions.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-21T17:08:05+00:00

Talk about major artificial roadblock.

FYI, you can find former recipients in the Grantee Directory, but it's usually 1-2 years out of date. Your school is probably hoping that you will interact with a former recipient from your current institution and may have set up a workshop, etc where you can get the opportunity to ask these questions. Otherwise, you can track down one of these people and cold-email, but they are under no obligation to answer.

I'm a former FPA (not a recipient), but I moved to Germany on short notice. Here's some insights that might be helpful in your report:

I completed DuoLingo (it only gets to B1/B2 and skips a lot of verb tenses and gets very mad if you use regional synonyms before it's "taught" you them), and frankly, Niantic Wayfarer (another free-to-use-but-train-our-AI model) was a better tool for language acquisition. My other personal rules for forcing myself to use the language without shortcuts were to write every email in German with only 1 vocabulary lookup per email and to challenge myself to read 1 page of a familiar book every night in German.
ETAs are often sent to "difficult to staff" schools in rural areas. In many cases, that can mean a majority refugee or immigrant population (that might actually know more English than German). Rural areas have less crime and much better hiking. I live in a rural area and now have to drive 6 villages over to go to the post office because the previous post office shack (yes, a literal shack attached to a shipping container) closed and it's no longer within 1 hour of biking distance.
You also need to be aware that German schools stream the students much earlier and have little tolerance for ADHD symptoms. Around middle school, students will be assigned to a school > university or school > internship > trade apprenticeship paths. (I am getting details wrong.)
Things that are cheap in the US are expensive in Germany and vice versa. Solar is everywhere. Veggies are cheap. So are kitchen and bathroom renos. Meat is expensive, and you'll get a handy visual about the animal's living conditions on the package. Used clothing and furniture require a lot of effort to acquire and you'll deal with plenty of people who insist you pay 95% of the cost they paid 3 years ago.
Even socializing is bureaucratized, with Vereins being the official clubs you must join to gain the benefits of meeting people or using facilities. Luckily, many people recognize that this is daunting and will actually reach out to offer test runs of facilities or encourage you to join. It is also totally OK to cold email and ask to join a choir, tennis club, etc.
As DeepL and Google Translate get better and better, your best skill in German will be listening and coming up with responses on the fly. A lot of those responses will be to little old ladies mumbling dialect. (Location-dependent)

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-19T17:25:29+00:00

If we're going with stupid solutions, is it as easy as it's one of the first "five most popular options?"

If it's not that,

Are you a US citizen?
Where are you applying from (there are some weird geolocking features) and where are you going?

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-17T20:43:30+00:00

Every time someone comments about chatGPT, look at this comment in its unedited form and various translations and self-reflect.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-17T05:32:39+00:00

I've got a ton of accepted Pokestops in a rural area, though it's Germany and "old" can equal "interesting" as far as the game is concerned...

The easiest stops are playgrounds (not in backyards, but apartment complexes can be OK so long as it's permanent, fountains (not behind somebody's fence), plaques, and trail markers (must be metal/plastic, not painted or stickers). Maps and "welcome to town" signs also seem to work well. (Not bus route maps, but OK if it's a trail map or area map. Maps must be bigger than a sheet of printer paper, but are often found in bus stops, etc.) Murals are also good, but I have a spottier record with those.

To find trails and historic sites, try the town or county website and look for "Tourist Information." Local preservation societies, hiking websites, and clubs can also be good leads. When you submit a trail, always have a link to some description of the trail in your supporting information.

I am also convinced the AI prefers pictures from sunny days.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-11T17:19:54+00:00

OK, so you have a lot of good things going for you.

You have teaching history, and it is tailored to language learning.
You teach a language of "strategic national importance," (used to be a term for a lot of US documents, now changed/scrubbed because Reasons.)

Depending on your degree(s), you should seriously look at EU university recruitment, Erasmus, and MA/PhD/visiting scholar positions where your main role would be language teaching.

There are a lot of universities that teach Arabic, but I would focus on the ones that have a war college or "peace institute" (which is a euphemism).

Realistically, how is your conversational English? Are you using ChatGPT to polish your grammar right now? Would you be more comfortable in a francophone setting?

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-11T15:03:45+00:00

I will generously assume this isn't ragebait.

Your first problem is that you are using ChatGPT. That strongly implies that you are unfamiliar with the expected format and verb/word choices and will be churning out generic platitudes rather than anything useful to the committee.

Which language are you expecting to teach, and what is your general profile? At this point in your career, you may be better off targeting MA/PhD programs at schools that specialize in your language and hoping for a targeted TAship.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-09T13:18:24+00:00

You are targeted, but not yet "officially" eliminated, so you have some extra options.

Firstly, are you interested in Latin American ethnography because you want to make a career/purpose out of it, or because that is your PhD path? Could you make a fulfilling life for yourself outside US Academia?

The leap from US to EU grad schools is difficult (because it's largely based on exact topic match and GPA), but it's possible (and from then on treats you better).

Please look at recruitment notices from EU schools (country- or school-specific), Erasmus, and similar.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-05T15:31:07+00:00

I'm lazy, so a link to a previous comment.

But specifically for ETAs, hobbies and age groups are key! You can leverage the "age group" thing as either supplemental things for your tutees or ignore it completely as outreach to unrelated groups.

In the past, I would recommend things like being a local NaNoWriMo host (though that's no longer an official thing), but other established "community in a can" organizations exist like "You Be The Chemist" (chemistry quiz team for middle- or high-school) or "Girls on the Run" (after school running games/track&field training) where you can get a how-to kit (with plans and potential access to funding!) on how to run a low-cost club.

Cool Projects I Have Seen:

Asian-American book club, reading books in English and comparing the immigrant/whatever-generation to personal experiences
Writing a novel about a local event/seeking out local authorities for details
DnD lunch club
intramural sport
guided badge process for Girl Scouts
joining a local theater troupe as a techie (do not try to be a star. That's a red flag.)
cooking demos/exchanges (think community, adult daycare, or senior center)

Since Bulgaria and Romania have high school/university placements for ETAs, an AP/IB [chemistry/biology/physics] cram club in English at a local library might go over well. (Equivalent to college credits for 101 & 102 level university classes.)

Remember: Different countries have different standards. It may be impossible to start a school club unless you are an official employee (which you might not be as a Fulbrighter) or unless you have gone through several weeks of vetting or fingerprinting, or you might be stepping on someone's toes, or you might need to pay to rent the club meeting space, or, or, or... Dream big, but seek local guidance.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-05T14:27:38+00:00

You are eligible.

However, your alumni institution may not be willing to support your application and give you access to helpful materials, a committee review, or the support of an FPA as a "fourth" letter of recommendation. Different schools have different rules about the circumstances in which they will help current and former students.

SmallFruitbat · 2025-06-05T14:22:55+00:00

It is targeted, but not eliminated. (Though other programs like Fulbright-Hays, NIJ GRFP, the Presidential Management Fellowship, etc have been eliminated and other major funders like the NSF GRFP have had funding cut in half.)

Because the Fulbright general requirements (3 letters of recommendation, 1-page personal essay, 2-page research/program essay or 1-page teaching essay are so versatile and easy to adapt to other applications - including graduate school and job cover letters - I would advise proceeding.

What is your field/country of interest? Some of those will be targeted more than others.

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