Tag Archives: gap year

Fulbright Part 1: How I Chose Bulgaria

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It’s hard to believe that it was exactly one year ago that I was starting my last year at Scripps and frantically preparing my Fulbright application. It’s even harder to believe that the “Dancing of the Balkans” class I took junior year to fulfill my fine arts requirement is about to become a practical life skill here in Bulgaria. Some of you may be considering a Fulbright application yourself. Here’s how I chose this little-known Balkan country for my English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) application.

Credit: Google Maps

But first I am obligated to tell you that my ideas and opinions are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any affiliated agencies.

It actually took me two years to settle on a particular country, because I’m a neurotic planner (an INFJ, heavy on the J, in Myers-Briggs terms). There are over 60 countries with ETA programs. I started with an open-mind, and narrowed down my list from there. I started by crossing out those countries for which I was ineligible, or much less preferred (e.g. those countries requiring language proficiency, prior teaching experience, or strongly preferring masters students). I took 3 years of French in high school, 2 years of Italian in college, but I didn’t actually speak either language, so I nixed countries where my level of language ability would be a detriment to my application.

Next, I followed the advice of then Associate Dean of Faculty Thierry Boucquey and focused on countries that had ~30% acceptance rate or better. Statistics regarding the number of grants available and the number of applicants from the previous year are available on the Fulbright website (here). Applying to Bulgaria, a country that has historically drawn fewer ETA applicants than its fellow EU nations, allowed my application to stand out. I also noticed during my research phase that the size of the Bulgaria program was growing; Bulgaria only offered 2 ETA placements in 2008, and offers 25 for the upcoming year. You can see how many ETAs a country has hosted over the years by browsing the Fulbright grantee directory.

By this time, my list was a manageable size and spanned Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Southeast Asia. Then I began thinking about my own preferences. A classroom full of 7-year-olds is my worst nightmare, so I narrowed it down to programs teaching high school and above. I don’t function well in hot weather, so I researched the climates of my remaining countries and crossed out the hottest and most humid of the lot. From what I had left, the Balkans interested me the most, but I knew I had no “demonstrated interest” in the region.

At this point, two years ago, I searched the word “Balkan” in the 5-C class schedule and came up with two possibilities. “Dancing in the Balkans” with Pomona Professor Anthony Shay later inspired my European Studies minor. I took a class in Comparative European Politics. I read the blogs of previous ETA grantees. I read articles about Balkan countries on travel sites, like the Matador Network. I researched the unique Fulbright summer institute opportunity for ETAs to Bulgaria. Everything I read appealed to me more and more.

Pravets, Bulgaria, the site of the 2012 Fulbright International Summer Institute and ETA training.

Now, Fulbright in hand, I’m heading to a town in the mountains where folk dance is still a popular form of entertainment. I’m learning a language that will, most likely, be of little utility in my future endeavors, but hey—I never thought I’d dance the horo again either.

Did you have a different strategy or alternative criteria for choosing a Fulbright destination? Share your process in the comments below!

Post-Thesis Reading

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When thinking about what it would be like to turn in my thesis, I always imagined It would be a complete relief and reawakening into the world outside of the Steele computer lab. While it has been in many ways, little did I know of the “thesis let down”. Don’t get me wrong – I’m very proud to have completed such a time-consuming project, but now there’s this sort of void, and a lot more free time to think (and freak out) about graduation and beyond. All of my friends agree – once you complete thesis, that part of your brain once burdened is left asking, “so…what do I do now?” To help quell those thoughts and feel more prepared for life after graduation, I’ve made… (dun dun dun) a summer reading list for myself.

I filled my list with books that will help prepare me for the job search,  decide what I want to study in grad school, and ones that offer real-life examples of what people go through after college. Here are some titles that I have found helpful these past four years, as well as ones I am currently reading (many of which I’m sure you can find at the CP&R library!).

1)   Dean’s List: Eleven Habits of Highly Successful College Students. This book goes over issues you will face as a freshman up through planning for life post-college. I highly recommend it for any stage of college, including study abroad.

2)   Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. This book teaches you how to play to your strengths, get a deeper understanding of what you want to do, and flourish in what you choose to do. I’m very interested in Positive Psych, so hopefully this book will give me a better understanding of the field.

3)   501+ Great Interview Questions For Employers and the Best Answers for Prospective Employees. (Available at CP&R)

4)   Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov). Because the Scrippsie in me loves to read a well-written biography about an inspirational woman!

Does anyone have any suggestions for helpful books and/or resources?

Gap-Year is a Go

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As a break from thesis (and running around the Inland Empire trying to have my hardrive transferred to another computer – long story short, my motherboard fried!) I have been planning and getting very excited for my ever-approaching gap-year before grad school.

I have decided to participate in BUNAC’s 6-month internship program in London, where I will be set up with a paid internship and work visa starting in October. They allow you to choose your three top areas of interest. Mine will be in psychology, arts management, or public relations. I decided this program is a great way to get hands-on experience in a field I’m interested in, earn some money, apply to grad schools, and TRAVEL the UK as far and wide as I’ve always wanted to. For the second half of my gap-year I hope to be in another country, but if I’m really inspired by my internship, I’ll take some preliminary courses in psychology before grad school.

Before making the decision to go with a liaison for a work-visa, always call the organization before handing in your application. I was comfortable using BUNAC because they have an excellent reputation, and are non-profit. They allow you to find your own paid internship, or you can use their services for a relatively small fee. From what I’ve heard, they make the visa-process a breeze for those who want to ensure that they can stay in a country for a prolonged period of time, and offer support throughout your stay. One of my favorite features of the program I discovered is that they organize meet-ups throughout the six months at various locations in the city for you to connect to other program participants and expats.

A dream internship I’ve been eyeing for the second half of my gap-year is in Tuscany, working on an estate in exchange for room, board (dinner and wine tasting every night with the guests of the estate), Italian lessons, cooking lessons with Tuscan chefs, and weekend trips in the area. Not sure if it’s in the cards for next year’s adventure, but a girl can dream, right?

On a side note to rising seniors – always back up your thesis!

Help In Unexpected Places

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My gap-year plan is a process “in the works” – I’m waiting to hear back from an internship I applied to in Copenhagen, and in the meantime, I’m into my other options. Because I don’t plan on getting myself into a formal job­–job next year, this puts some pressure on myself financially. Luckily, I had a stroke of good luck from an unexpected source.

Over the winter holidays, I had my violin teacher of 18 years over for dinner to catch up. She asked me what I was doing this summer, because she’d love to get some help teaching her (close to) 60 violin students. I told her I would love to take on some of her students this summer as their teacher, but because I need to save money for next year, I’d have to also have a steady job to stay in Ann Arbor. Within one day, she had called up every parent in her studio who owned any kind of business (restaurants, stores, etc.), and secured me a summer job as a waitress at one of the most reputable restaurants in Michigan. Did I ever think I’d graduate from college and become a waitress? Nope, but I realized saving money both as a waitress and violin instructor teacher for four months would open up my options when September rolls around. I decided I would take the summer to financially prepare for my “gap year,” and also strengthen my Danish using Rosetta Stone to widen my job-pool.

My hope for next year is to return to Denmark, where I studied abroad for 8 months. I have a Danish friend from when I studied abroad that is willing to live with me, but the tricky thing with being in Denmark, specifically, is finding a job. They do not have formal internships, and most jobs are for Masters graduates only who speak Danish. Their university system works so that they go for five years straight for a Bachelors and Masters degree, so almost no person looking for a job has only an undergraduate degree. They also will not issue anyone a work permit unless that person already have a job secured, and many times you can’t secure a job until you are in the country. This makes planning for my gap year in Denmark difficult, to say the least.

However, I decided to go straight to the source, and will be visiting Copenhagen for spring break to look into my options. I’m still crossing my fingers I get an interview with the formal internship I applied to, but also making my list of “places of inquiry” to email and look into while I’m in the country next week. Some things I’ll be looking into are various tour companies looking for English speaking tour guides, writing for the Copenhagen Post (an English newspaper), various museums, and even The Danish Royal Theater. Websites that have been very helpful are Jobs Bump, CBP Network and Expat in Denmark. Most of the jobs listed are not entirely feasible without speaking fluent Danish, but they’re a great source for places to look further into.

My advice to anyone looking for a job or internship internationally is to look into businesses that are international, send a lot of emails, and ask anyone you know (or may not know) for places to turn to who has a connection to your city of destination. Scripps’ Life Connections and LinkedIn are great way to do this, and even your friends and family may be valuable sources.

Now, if only my violin teacher had a Danish cousin….

 

Dr. 90210

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I received career guidance from an E! Network reality TV show about the lives of people in Beverly Hills?

About three weeks ago, I was browsing Netflix, looking for something mindless to watch for 30 minutes as a break from writing my thesis. I came across Dr. 90210, a show about plastic surgery in Beverly Hills, and thought “YES – something to counter the heaviness of Virginia Woolf”. Little did I know this show would spark an energy in me I hadn’t experienced before.

Yes, Dr. 90210 is superficial 90% of the time, but the 10% that is about reconstructive surgery and the miracles doctors can perform make it worthwhile to take a look.  The show sometimes focuses on genital reconstruction to complete gender transformation, cleft palate repair, eye repair, and even the separation of webbed hands and feet. One episode I was particularly heartened by was when one of the doctors went to a facility in a rural part of Mexico to perform pro-bono work. There were 70 children waiting in need of surgery to perform the necessary surgeries they could not afford. In that week, the doctors were able to operate on 40 of the 70 patients, but with primitive, or sometimes non-existent equipment. Living in various affluent bubbles from Ann Arbor to Claremont to Copenhagen, I have never seen such primitive medical facilities. Of course you hear every day about the need of better healthcare in various countries, but I’d never visualized what it would actually be like to be a patient in this position before ­– scared, desperate, and putting your life in the hands of anyone who can help.

Needless to say, the issue of health care really struck a chord with me. I feel not only should people be able to receive the health care necessary for their survival, but also reconstructive surgery should not be overlooked as “superficial” or “unnecessary” to people’s well being. Watching this show got me rethinking what it is I want to do with my gap-year. I do not plan on going to medical school, but would like to do something for a cause I’m passionate about, in any capacity, while I have the opportunity. I still would very much like to go back to Denmark, only now I am looking into various human services agencies I can join while working and/or studying abroad. As for the future, more and more I’m leaning towards going into positive psychology (one of the many career paths I listed in my first blog post) so I can help to improve the well-being of people’s lives. In a roundabout way, my procrastination from thesis gave me renewed motivation to keep up the work, so someday I can make a difference.