Fulbright Indonesia (AMINEF): What's Next After Principal Candidacy? (Tips for Safeguard)

People's articles about Fulbright mostly focusing on how to get it and not on what's next after you get it? I would say getting to be a Fulbright Candidate is really about yourself and your vision, but the next things after you hold that status of Principal Candidate (or less lucky, waiting list) are all about strategy.

Don't forget that Fulbright is no different with corporations (all donors are basically corporations, aren't they?) and they have rules and policies (and good lawyers!). You must understand every line and consequences of it in order to safeguard yourself from worst possibilities. If you just go with the flow without knowing the possible scenarios of what might happen with your application, you'll screw yourself.

Some things you should consider when you're applying a Fulbright: 

One, Fulbright will handle your application on your behalf. It's my favorite part because I am allowed to be so lazy!

• Benefit: They will negotiate you to the school, they rank you and if you're on their favorite (however you can't know it) then it's a plus consideration from the school for you! They also will negotiate tuition waiver from the school for you and sometimes it's great! 

• Cautions: There are some consequences, including deadline, ownership of LoA, and funding. 

• Deadline: If your preferred school's deadline is earlier than Fulbright submission plan, don't wait! Apply directly and be confident. You can do it with or without Fulbright! (i.e. Harvard, Berkeley, Yale, NYU which deadlines is usually in end November or early December, while the submission plan takes place on end of December);
• Ownership of LoA: If Fulbright apply for you, it means your LoA is theirs. You can't speak directly to the school. You are bound with the candidacy and if you withdraw, they will cancel all offer for you;
• Right to deferral: You don't have the right for deferral as well (while actually you have). Fulbright's policy won't give you any chance for that if your application is made by IIE;
• Bank Statement requirement: Fulbright will require you to demonstrate sufficiency of funds with a Bank Statement if you want to accept a LoA, which is non-negotiable. Actually, if you don't do it through Fulbright, by the time you're accepting LoA, every school only require small amount (about 1,000 USD) of deposit;
• Funding and school scholarship: Also, if your school doesn't typically offer much cost sharing, don't rely on Fulbright. Apply directly and make sure you also apply for the specific scholarships offered by the school (i.e. Global Hauser Scholarship for NYU, etc). Some schools do it very early so move quickly!  

Two, You have the right to apply directly to the school. It's called Direct Application (DA). I have mentioned the situation above esp. in the part of 'Cautions'. All you need is cautions and you can request a Letter from Fulbright explaining that you are their candidate. Some of my fellows who are succeed to go through Harvard, NYU, and other top-tiers do it with DA and safeguard the school's scholarship. It should be in your consideration if you're aiming at Top-Tiers. Anyway, for DA, cancellation of Fulbright candidacy after you obtain the LoA might not cause significant harm to your LoA, but I don't know if they demand certain amount of remedy from you. Well, they have that right anyway.

  

Three, Shortfall. It means the amount of money that you must cover from other sources of funding after your school offer you a Letter of Admission (LoA). Fulbright's grant is 32,500 USD and you have to think about the rest.

• You cannot apply for LPDP or Presidental Scholarship! Come on, you're not qualified and deadlocked by each policy of theirs. LPDP require its candidate not to receive other sources of funding aside from LPDP and you have to sign a statement saying so. The only effort you can do is to demand discretion from LPDP / PS, well, I'm trying to do it!
• Mostly, the shortfall for Top-Tier is huge, but reasonable for great-schools-but-not-so-top-tier. For example, most of this year's Fulbrighter suffer 4,000 - 7,000 USD shortfall. Think about Foundations and other partial grants to cover for this. Just go on before the decision of your admission.
• Do the 'greedy strategy'! Apply for both scholarship (Fulbright and LPDP), do your favorite school (which doesn't typically offer cost sharing) through DA. Well, you can actually ask for Fulbright's acknowledgement when you do your DA. If your shortfall is too big, you know which one you should drop;

For, How long do you have between LoA offer and deadline to answer it? In other words, how long do you have to prepare a Bank Statement demonstrating sufficiency of funds?

• Cautions: Top-tier school such as Berkeley and Harvard gives you very short time! Harvard will give about 12 days, and Berkeley 16 days. 
• Other schools will give about 1.5 months.

Well, I hope this article can enlighten the dark side of Fulbright a little more. Maybe I sound like a person who's not grateful, but I do this to make everyone have a more solid ground for advocating themselves. Also, if you want to add stories to declining.toptier@gmail.com, I am very welcome!

approaching the saddest decision in my life

I don't really recognize failure. Especially failure which are forced by financial matter - when you are actually succeed. Now I finally know how it feels to be smart but poor. I'm still superior, top-tier law school. But at the same time I'm inferior. Locked. Screwed. Poor NGO worker trapped amongst bureaucratic shit.

Although I've secured thousands of dollars from a scholarship, the shortfall is still too far. And I don't want to use daddy's money for the amount that huge. It's too worthless. Yes they say fight with your head for a change, and I do, but I have to be realistic and I can't pretend I don't feel the sad air is approaching. I know this is a war that I'll finally lose but someone in myself still insist me to do something.

If you know someone, who has by any chance offered a LoA from a Top 50 Universities around the world and finally had to drop it, share it to me. Printscreen your LoA and explain the university and your major, how much your shortfall, and what your recommendation for the future grant-seekers. Mention the name of your grant. Mention their safeguards and important policies. Mention your feeling. Mention how you get through it. But don't do it in more than 300 words. Send it to declining.toptier@gmail.com.

I wish it can trigger a change in the future, a reform, or make somebody get through this more easily. Wish my 14 days ahead many luck!

Suatu hari di Surya Kencana saya melihat ada dua pelangi.

Sore itu, seisi lembah tertimpa matahari berwarna emas, dan hujan gerimis berpadu dengan panas. Punggungan gunung-gunung membingkai rerumputan luas dan tenda-tenda beratapkan langit yang bersih. Pelangi tampak beda di tempat ini dibandingkan dari balik jendela pencakar langit di kota - sekalipun rumah-rumah juga tertimpa matahari emas.

Dan jauh di sana, para ilmuwan bertanya-tanya mencoba menjelaskan ikatan batin manusia dengan alam. Berada di alam memicu rasa syukur. Ada yang berbeda ketika melihat kebesaran alam dengan ketika melihat kebesaran bangunan. Dan saya bertanya-tanya, jika memang keterikatan itu sedemikian kuatnya, mengapa bukti-bukti justru menunjukkan pengkhianatan? Bukankah menikmati sekaligus mencemari tak ada bedanya dengan perkosaan? Atau jangan-jangan naluri keterikatan dengan alam itu hanya segelintir yang merasakan? Mungkin, naluri tidak cukup - manusia butuh terbiasa kembali merasakan alam.

[Q] Ceritakan pengalaman Anda yang paling berkesan dalam hal pendidikan.

[A] Saat KKN, saya mendapatkan kesempatan mengajar anak-anak berkebutuhan khusus selama satu bulan di pedalaman NTT, yaitu Pulau Palu'e, Sikka, NTT. Pendidikan selalu merupakan hal mudah bagi saya. Saya pintar, selalu bersekolah di sekolah unggulan, tidak pernah kekurangan sarana dan prasarana. 180 derajat berbeda dengan keadaan mereka. Disinilah saya sadar bahwa ketidaksetaraan terjadi sejak prasyarat yang paling dasar dari terbentuknya sebuah bangsa yang cerdas, yaitu pendidikan. Saya langsung terbanting ke ekstrim anak berkebutuhan khusus di pulau terpencil, yang tidak dianggap sebagai makhluk rasional yang berhak mendapatkan pendidikan oleh warga sekitar. Di tengah-tengah itu ada angka yang begitu besar yang menjaraki 'pendidikan elit' dengan 'pendidikan rakyat'. Mewah versus seadanya. Olimpiade ilmiah versus nol persen kelulusan.

Namun, saat itu, ketika murid saya berhasil menggambar garis lurus setelah bersesi-sesi latihan motorik, saya merasa sebagai manusia paling bahagia sedunia.