FULBRIGHT - keep it or decline?

[Marco30]

Hey IVO I did get nothing on my private messages box. Send it again please

[Ivo]

Originally Posted by Marco30

Hey IVO I did get nothing on my private messages box. Send it again please

wow, that's so strange Marco. I did send you a PM. Okay never mind, I will send another one. pls. could you confirm that you got it.

[europeean]

Hi Ivo,

actually I do not believe that the immigration office will have the Fulbright data.

It is just expected from you to respect the rules. You know Americans are really serious about honesty, or how they prefer to call it integrity. You know that story about Bob Kennedy once cheating at Yale?

Fulbright is sth. honourful as you represent your country. Thus to 'cheat' on your contract would be looked upon really badly. So it does not matter if the immigration office has the data or not, because if they would ever find out afterwards you would have a lot of trouble.

That does not mean there can be no exceptions - but those would have to be granted by Fulbright.

[Ivo]

European, thank you for your answer, it makes sense as always.

Originally Posted by europeean

Hi Ivo,

actually I do not believe that the immigration office will have the Fulbright data.
It is just expected from you to respect the rules. You know Americans are really serious about honesty, or how they prefer to call it integrity. You know that story about Bob Kennedy once cheating at Yale?

no, I don't know the story (gosh do I really study PolSci?.
let me know.

Fulbright is sth. honourful as you represent your country. Thus to 'cheat' on your contract would be looked upon really badly. So it does not matter if the immigration office has the data or not, because if they would ever find out afterwards you would have a lot of trouble.

I think you misunderstood my intentions. If I was to cheat on them, i wouldn't be thinking of giving it up. What's troublesome is the communication with FC in my country and IIE in NY. In other words, they really never tell me how the whole thing works, what the regulations are etc. I know other Fulbright scholars with similar experiences. Actually only after the whole application process was over I learned that I could have applied to other schools while mentioning in the applications that I got Fulbright funding. Initially I thought I was only allowed to do so for the first 3 schools of my choice. This thing could have made a huge differnce when it comes to admission results. I can't understand why the people at Fulbright didn't make this clear or why they didn't want to make it clear? Again, I know some people from other countries who have had exactly the same problems with them.
So it's not cheating which is on my mind. It's rather figuring out how the scheme works as to know how I can behave. For as you say:

That does not mean there can be no exceptions - but those would have to be granted by Fulbright.

there are exceptions and one can talk with people at Fulbright. But honestly no one will ever tell me this now at the Fulbright Commission.
So Fulbright might sound as a very respectable scholarship scheme, but in reality the integrity of whole administration process could be questioned.

sorry for this elaboration, but I needed to make it clear.

[hace]

keep fulbright scholarship just because of its prestige i have fulbright also from Turkey they really help alot in any case and their support dont end after going to us. you will always have some to ask for help if you are a fulbrighter... good luck