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Critical Language Scholarship 2015


alifbaarbie

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Hi alifbaarbie,

I participated in CLS Advanced Chinese this past summer and re-applied for Korean this summer. I heard back about being a semi-finalist on January 16, and a recipient on February 21. 

Good luck!

Edited by laowhy
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Hi laowhy!

That must have been such an amazing experience to travel to China, I would love to travel to Asia one day! I found it so difficult to figure out the ideal applicant for the scholarship. It seems like they look at so many different things; it is really hard to pinpoint a single one. What do you believe was one of the main reasons you were accepted (and your classmates as well) to the Chinese program?

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Savannah,

I think the essays are the most important part -- the committees are surely looking at not only an ability to write, but also ways to approach disparate cultures and experiences, how you will function in a different community, and how you plan to approach intensive language study and why such study is relevant to your career and future aspirations. I had studied abroad in Taiwan and Shanghai previously, so I spoke on some of the experiences I've had and how they shaped myself as a student and person, and why continued language study is crucial for my goals.

With that being said, having experience abroad is not something that the committee will find entirely important; many participants had never traveled abroad before. That is why I believe the narrative portrayed in your writing to be the most important.

Example, I applied for Korean this time around, I have no background in South Korea or its language, but I talked about how knowledge of the target language would be invaluable towards my aims in graduate school

Hope this helps!

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I applied to the Arabic program! 

 

I have been hoping someone would start one of these to quell some of my anxieties! Which language did you apply for? I applied for Bangla!

 

 

Laowhy-- Thank you for sharing your experience and for the advice !

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I applied for beginning! I am definitely jealous that you already know some Bangla. I really want to be fluent in it, but my college does not offer it, so I am hoping the program can be my starting point. It's my first time applying, so I am a little nervous, but I hope we both hear good newsas well! If not, there is always next year :)

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  • 1 month later...

I received an email this afternoon! I am a semifinalist for the Beginning Bangla program! I am so excited that I made it to the next round. I think I read in another forum that after the first round, applicants have an approx. 50% chance of being selected as a finalist!

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  • 1 month later...

Congrats DTY! I hope you hear good news! I am a semifinalist for Bangla, and I am getting pretty anxious as well. Since this is my first time applying I was not too sure what to expect, so I am thankful just to have made it this far. From browsing around past CLS forums, it looks like the latest date applicants have heard in past years was February 25, with the earliest being February 15. If they stick to this trend we should hear very soon! May the odds be ever in our favor :D

Edited by SavannahLMartinez
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DTY, I'm also a semifinalist for Turkish! What level did you apply for? I'm brand-new to Turkish, so I applied for beginning.

I've also been refreshing my email pretty frequently, but I saw a facebook post that said their offices are closed due to bad weather. If that's true, I hope it doesn't delay things too much!

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Hildewijch, from what I understand they would like you to respond back asap, as to whether you would like to accept the scholarship or not. However, I know that after you accept, you can decline at a later date if you can no longer attend. I have heard of people making it off of the waiting list as late as two weeks before the program begins.

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Thanks, SLM! I've been wondering what their decline-after-acceptance policy is (not to put the cart before the horse!) I remember I made it off the alternate list several years ago, but had already accepted another summer fellowship offer. I think I remember Fulbright people getting very late notifications and then having to turn CLS quite late in the game, so I assume there must be some provisions. 

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Also waiting on tenterhooks here! (for Advanced Hindi)

Does anyone know once the offers are sent how long recipients have to decline/accept? I'm also waiting on another summer grant info, and my nerves are doubly wracked

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Oops forgot to post a reply...

So when I got the CLS award 3 years ago, they gave me until March 15 to accept/decline, which was exactly a month after they sent out the final decisions. Don't know what date the awardees from the last few years had until to accept though...

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