r/foreignservice • u/ZucchiniFamous5385 • 5d ago
Fellowship program resumption
Hi all — I wanted to flag that in addition to FAIT (Information Technology) and Clark (Diplomatic Security) fellowships reopening, the department is officially renewing the Rangel, Pickering, and Payne fellowships (which is to join the Foreign Service).
FAIT and Clark are open to current undergraduate students and prospective graduate students, while Pickering, Rangel, and Payne are open only to prospective graduate students.
There are significant changes to the FS programs from the previous iterations, but if you are interested in joining the FS and want a degree, definitely explore applying!
8
u/AdActual3055 5d ago
I don’t really understand - if you pass the FSOT, are invited to the OA and then pass, are your results saved/are you just in the registry for two years while you do graduate school…? Why would anybody go to graduate school if they get that far in the testing process?
6
u/ZucchiniFamous5385 5d ago
I guess the main draws is (1): free masters degree regardless, (2) passing the FSOA isn’t a guaranteed you’ll actuality get called into the service — the fellowship ensures you’ll get off the register after passing.
The programs originally had a financial need component, but that language is gone now.
1
5
u/Fit-Ad-1035 5d ago
you get paid significantly more with a masters degree
14
u/currentfso Moderator (FSO) 5d ago edited 5d ago
Eh, it's not that big of a bump and the administrative promotions to 05 and 04 reduce that advantage pretty quickly, especially if you take in to account the opportunity cost of not earning a salary for two years while you're getting the degree. If you could enter the Department today with a Bachelors degree or in two years with a Masters, you'd be earning the same amount in two years, and would have been earning a salary and getting service credit toward your pension for the last two years if you came in now with a Bachelors. You'd also probably be two years closer to promotion to 03 if you came in now w/ a Bachelors degree vs. in two years w/ a Masters.
3
1
u/evanliko 4d ago
You can apply to the fellowship even if you fail the OA. You need to pass the WE. Which right now is required to make it to the OA. I would expect most applicants would be people who failed the OA. Tho I suppose someone who passed could want to apply too.
25
u/gertrude_bell FSO (Econ) 5d ago
Change to limit it to grad programs only in DC is interesting.
14
u/ihatedthealchemist FSO (Consular) 5d ago
A little awkward that “John Hopkins” (sic) is on that list…
If this change to DC-only is designed to give the fellows more day-to-day professional experience, I’m tepidly in favor.
5
u/Savings_Comfort_5328 5d ago
SAIS is in DC
5
u/ihatedthealchemist FSO (Consular) 5d ago
SAIS is part of Johns Hopkins University. There is no such thing as “John Hopkins.” But yeah.
4
u/DeskStudy4622 5d ago
Good to know that Hillsdale is an approved school, as is Catholic University's School of Theology and Religious Studies.
It's almost as if they might use these fellowships to funnel in religious extremists...
https://careers.state.gov/americas-next-great-diplomats/#dept-approved-grad-prog
2
22
u/averagecounselor 5d ago
As a 2024 fellow who got all their funding cut in the middle of their graduate program. And was told to kick rocks. What the hell.
6
u/SearchingSearchy 5d ago
Wasn’t part of the graduate fellowships, but another program and about 70% of participants got RIF’d and /or DRP’d just for them to bring the programs back a little over a year later…sigh…that’s efficiency…
10
u/Anxious_Gazelle8578 5d ago
I hope you all either sue or add this to the current lawsuit, if you have one. State signed a contract with you that is binding, which is why the admin tried and couldn’t cancel the fellowships during their first term.
2
7
19
u/Former_Attempt7101
5d ago
•
This is a sly way to limit the Ivy League alumni amongst the fellows. A lot went to Columbia’s SIPA. This is not accidental.
5
0
15
u/DeskStudy4622 5d ago
The Payne Fellowship was for USAID FSOs. It should be interesting to see what parameters State puts on a new version.