@dawnbreaker9 my top 3 are DC, LA, and San Diego. I’m currently in the bay so thats just a preferred for me bc it’s really expensive lol. Maybe we’ll end up teaching together!
Congrats @dawnbreaker9 !!! 
A little over a week guys we’re almost there!!
Also I checked out that 2015 corps a couple weeks ago, it was sooo intense!!! They made a google spreadsheet with dates they applied, dates they got info back, who was accepted/rejected etc. It was too official I could barely handle it lol
@awesomebins I’ve been through every TFA forum that has ever existed, done Twitter searches using various TFA phrases as far back as 2013, stalked Instagram hashtags, read every post on tumblr, and found every blog ever written about TFA. The consensus has been (as you stated) that it’s a good sign if your documents are being reviewed because there’s no way they are going to waste time looking through every TF app if they’re not accepted. It makes clear sense of course, but I will not be satisfied until the 17th haha.
& actually, I had my interview on the very last day. Who knows what order they use to look over TF apps.
Transitional Funding- my page suddenly shows “YES” next to all three items! I know it technically means nothing, but it’s hard not to be excited seeing a change! I never received an email for additional items, and the top of my TF page still says “Under Review” and then under that “we have not yet reviewed your application or documents.” …
@TFA2016AJ @awesomebins I know your TF changed to incomplete when they emailed you, (and is supposed to say under review until the 17th), but does it still say that they have not reviewed your documents at the top of the page?
@TFA2016LD No. It now says “We have reviewed your application and supporting documents and will need more information before we are able to give you an award. Please see the table below for a list of the specific documents or information we need to complete your application.”
It seems to me that the generic message associated with the “under review” status says we have not reviewed your application. Don’t think too much into it. Obviously, they have reviewed your application if your documents have been verified by a “YES”. This seemed to be common in previous year’s threads as well.
It also seems that no one’s status changed to complete period & those that did went back to under review. Some still had “under review” on acceptance day even after being accepted.
The only TF indicator I would potentially read into is emails asking for additional documentation (incomplete) and/or “Yes” next to your documentation. I plan to ignore the status because like I said above, some people’s went complete then changed back to under review and they freaked out but ended up being accepted. I honestly don’t care when my TF is complete nor the status of it, them looking at it is giving me all the hope that I need.
***Reminder: A green complete on your initial applicant portal home page IS NOT an indicator of anything besides the fact that you submitted the TF App in the first place. People in previous threads seemed confused about that & were inaccurately relaying that their TF status was complete (thus, throwing off the data in the thread).
Awesome- Thanks @TFA2016AJ ! That makes sense why yours would say something different right now- it seems contradicting that “we have not reviewed your application” yet they have been verified. I guess I will ignore the status bar and stay hopeful with the “yes” word showing!
For any future applicants: I interviewed the second day, so there doesn’t seem to be any obvious order of verifying documents!
I want to add in that a lot of people were calling the whole TF rumor a “glitch” in the system, but I don’t think that’s a good term to describe it. People just caught on to the correlation between updates & acceptance but there’s not much TFA can do about that without leaving us completely in the dark about where our TF App stands- which is impossible considering we would never know when additional documentation is needed.
I will say that it seems in older threads, your TF status going to complete (on the ACTUAL TF page) absolutely meant you were in. TFA has seemed to try to control speculation by not putting anyone as complete until after acceptance (this is noted in last year’s thread). The only thing with that is, verified documents + asking for additional info is still kind of a hint.
At any rate, we won’t know until we know. I will continue to keep you guys updated.
Just to keep the thread lively & nerves down, what were some factors you guys considered when choosing regions?
For me, I have a special circumstance HOWEVER, this would still be my top region for other reasons. My reasons (ignoring special circumstance) are:
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Teacher shortage (I know TFA has a lot of controversy surrounding the fact that “inexperienced corps members” are stealing jobs from “vet/traditionally trained/career” teachers. It was important for me to be placed in a region that truly needed teachers. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes).
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Salary + Cost of living
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Certification requirements (Alt route, Masters cost, etc)
So there were plenty of folks who didn’t see a change in their TF but were ultimately accepted?
I chose, in order from my #1 through my #10: DC, Nashville, Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, Atlanta, Memphis, Oklahoma.
I chose these basically because they seemed like places I would enjoy living for 2+ years and with the exception of a few places, they offer me a chance to save money.
Does anyone know what TFA teachers do during the summer between their first and second years? It probably depends on the district you’re placed in, i’m guessing.
Lastly, I am still optimistic with my chances, but I like to play it safe and have alternatives on deck. Does anyone know of strong alternatives to TFA?
My main factor was looking at a place that I would actually be excited about living in for 2+ years. Like @TFA2016AJ a big theme I’ve seen in negative TFA is about corps members joining and then leaving after their commitment. I wanted to choose a place that I would likely want to stay in after my commitment was up so I can continue working in my school/district! I also want my masters in an education field, so places with that being more convenient were on my list!
@93Polarbear I’ve also been wondering about the summer! I haven’t heard about ongoing TFA summer trainings, I assume there would be district ones available, but I’ll keep looking into this as well!
@93Polarbear No. People that did see changes in TF were accepted 9/10. Not to say no change is automatically bad- some changes may not take place until the day of.
@TFA2016LD I’m still torn about the critism about the 2 year commitment. I can obviously see why more time in the classroom has a positive impact, but I don’t quite agree that the 2 years does more harm than good.
I can understand the feeling students get knowing their favorite teacher will be teaching in that classroom 10 years down the line. I realize that after 2 years, educators grow thus impacting more students in the future. I know veteran/traditionally trained/career teachers see TFA CMs as incompetent imbeciles that lower the value of the profession (I won’t get started on my thoughts about that). Even in knowing those 3 points, I’ve seen the impact that those who may not stay in the classroom have.
I was reading about a TFA Alum that went to med school after his 2 years. He realized (while teaching) that a lot of students in underserved communities do not have access to the resources necessary to begin their journey to med school. He started an org that preps students for med school. They shadow doctors, have seminars, have access to guidance, etc. No, he is not teaching, but he is definitely still impacting those very students in those classrooms we may (& hopefully will) be entering. He would not have been exposed to the lack of resources for med school in underserved communities had he not done TFA. He would have went to med school & minded his business.
Another med school story is where this TFA Alum decided to become an ER Doc because he realized a lot of his students only have access to a doctor when they end up in an emergency room.
I could go on and on about people who have decided to continue the fight towards closing the achievement gap (or zip code inequality period) outside of the classroom, but I’m sure you guys get the picture. I see the good in both staying past 2 years, and leaving. I guess I’m not fully grasping this extensive turmoil everyone claims exists because TFA CMs only have a 2 year commitment.
@TFA2016AJ I completely understand your point on the criticism and how some see a 2-year commitment as not long enough…but they are not seeing the whole picture (of what many corps members go onto doing to continue to help). I don’t believe the criticism is true either- I think that dedicated people going into the schools for two years, is more help then those who do nothing at all. I did go through the “traditional route” to being a teacher, and because of that I believe that dedication is one of the most important qualities a person can have in the classroom- being certified the traditional way or not. Dedication is not something we are taught in school- it’s not a quality that is learned. Obviously TFA has a very through process to find people that they believe will make the biggest impact; those who do not see this process that were going through or those who have never looked into TFA don’t see that.
I just meant that this criticism affected my decision, whether it is “true” or not. I have my bachelors in education and want to continue to be a teacher. I want to be a part of TFA, and then potentially continue being a teacher where I am placed. A student that has a calling for medical, it would make sense for them to see these areas of our world, and after their initial commitment, help in the best way that is possible for them.
I just believe remaining in my (hopefully!) new community, is the best way for me to help and make a difference.
@TFA2016AJ Thank you! I wont worry too much until next Thursday. Does anyone intend to pursue a graduate degree while in TFA?
I am still debating whether or not I would try to pursue a graduate degree if accepted to TFA. I have two little girls that will be 2 and 1 when the school year starts. I do not want to overwhelm myself.
Has anybody else seen any change on their transitional funding. Nothing for me yet. I am not too concerned just yet but I am sure if I do not see a change by Friday I will start to get nervous.
I think my interviewer cautioned me against attempting a graduate degree while in TFA. If i’m lucky enough to get in, i’ll be devoted to students for 60+ hours a week. Adding a graduate degree on top of it all seems like it would become overwhelming fairly quickly. Also, I want to enjoy the city and earning a significant paycheck for the first time in my life. I’v held odd jobs throughout my undergraduate career, but never anything that paid over $10/ hour. I want to explore and enjoy the city when I can, not be hulled up in my apartment writing papers and studying.
No change on my TF yet either. It does make me nervous that people are already seeing changes, but reading from past forums, there were people who didn’t see any change until the day of acceptance. I would like an early hint, but I want to stay calm and enjoy my spring break.
@TFA2016LD My status says under review and 2/4 documents have been verified. They asked for more info on two other ones and emailed me again today about my current income. Hoping its a good sign? Now I’m beginning to get excited which probably isn’t great since we don’t know for sure lol
New here - did anyone agree to join the conversation about other regional placements? I did.
Are you talking about the online events, @letsgotfauau ? I listened in to the Oklahoma event.
No, I’m talking about the survey that was sent out last week. At the end of the survey, they asked if we would be willing to participate in a small group about additional placements?