mrs12

Hello, I feel like this is an obvious question but I can't make sense of all the program descriptions I've read online. If you had to explain the different between this grouping of graduate degrees, how would you do it? Feel free to add in descriptions of other similar degrees. I'm trying to get a sense for what they all lead to, and why there's just so many different program types for similar areas of study. Thanks!

@pickadiscipline Thanks for reminding me about ARIT! I had heard of it but had forgotten over time, the deadline is soon too so I'll be sure to take a more serious look now! Which location were you at, if you don't mind telling me? It seems like Ankara and Bursa are the popular spots for the CLS. I really hope things get better soon, I was supposed to go to Ankara over this winter break but then my program was cancelled due to safety concerns. But I do think that Bursa is a pretty safe place in general. (Though in the summer I can imagine it would be sweltering. XP) Could you tell me how the classes were structured for your language level? I've had so many different types of Turkish teachers, and that's my biggest worry. I've always heard that the CLS is the most comprehensive summer program, but at the same time, I've done summer programs where the teaching was just very poor and also others where it was amazing so you never know. Does the classroom work totally in immersion? Is it a lot of grammar and memorization? Or mostly just speaking? I'm hopeful to get both, ideally. Though I would imagine all that time with your tutor and host family would help your speaking abilities. Thanks for your information!

10 more days, if they follow the previous year's timeline! I wonder if things will be a little bit later this year though because of the issue at the beginning with submitting applications on their website. I'm getting nervous. This is the only funded summer program for my language, although I've been accepted into one other summer program I'm not sure yet if they'll offer the language level I need. (Plus summer language programs are super expensive!)

Is anyone else having trouble with the Washington Center website for the Pickering? Whenever I fill out sections that require written input it never gets saved between individual visits. I think when I submit later this week I'll just put everything in right then and there, because it keeps losing details on me.

I know this won't make me feel any better if I don't get chosen, but from those of you who did this program before, what exactly was it like? I've heard that you spend most of your day in classes, but is there extra learning that isn't just classroom experiences? What do you do in the afternoons? Do you ever have free time to be with your host family or practice out on the streets? And if you do spend most of your time in class, what sort of classes was it like? Was there a particular style of teaching that CLS favors? (I know that probably changes for each language, but I'm still curious.)

I thought when this application was first due that the wait would be so short, only two months really! But now I realize just how long that is when you're on winter break. Ahh, I'm pretty excited to hear back. Does anyone know if they tend to let people know about the first wave of acceptances earlier or later in January? They don't have a specific date online.

Wow, they're so generous with their funding. I did hear a rumor that they only covered the initial plane ticket from a certain airport destination so you need to pay to get there, but that seemed really unlikely. Does anyone know about that?

@awayfromhere I also haven't taken economics properly! We'll see how that pans out I guess!

Actually, that's a good point. Do any previous applicants know how they chose locations? With the Turkish program it seems to have been Bursa and Ankara the last few years, but before that it had also been a few other cities.

Would you mind doing that, @kbui? I'd love the feedback! And wow, that's important advice! I am never sure in those sorts of boxes if they want just titles and basic timelines or actual details!

Hey, @kbui, how's your application going so far? I've been thinking about submitting mine early because my school breaks for most of December and January so the last time I can get official writing help on my essay will be the next two weeks.

Is that about the number? They accept a bunch of people and half of them eventually get a full acceptance?

I hope everyone got things in on time! The website seems to be fixed for LOR and everything else now. I'm a little worried my last letter of recommendation will be rushed because of the site issues, but I can't control that so I'm just trying not to think about it.

I wonder about that too pdh12, I know a few other people applying for Turkish and I don't know if there's a limited number of overall slots or if it's slots per level? Do any past CLS recipients know about that?

I'm applying for Turkish! I've applied before but never been accepted. I hope that this year my application will be more competitive because there's no other program I could do for my current level of Turkish if I don't get into CLS.

Hey, @kbui, I just finished talking with someone who got into the Rangel and they gave me some advice that you might find useful. The interesting thing was they thought that making the essay more personal, instead of professional, was a big help for them. So focusing on what you've overcome and how you got to where you are and why you want to work for the FS.

Oh, wow, thanks! I ended up emailing the new program administrators and they had this to say:: "Thank you for your interest in the Pickering Fellowship. The good news is that, yes, much of advice that you would have received earlier about the Fellowship still applies! The Fellowship itself and what would make a good candidate has not changed; just the administration of the Fellowship has. We're still looking for applicants who want to be a member of the Foreign Service and can demonstrate that they would be a good fit, based on the 13 Dimensions of being a Foreign Service Officer. Hearing about your motivation for and what skills you would bring to such a career is paramount." Hope that helps you, @kbui !

@Yanders I think it's funny because it's really to each their own when it comes to picking a cone, despite how some people rank them in a hierarchy. ECON was a lot of reporting when I was there, which is what POL does too, and I like the more hands-on style of CON and the fact that you work more individually with people. But you're right, PD has all of the real fun without having to go to boring events they may or may not care about. Everything they do is fascinating! I see why it's so popular! (I only had to use charts once in my two months in ECON, and it was a chart that no one else understood either and was given to me because no one wanted to do the task, so I think you're completely right!)

@Yanders Do you get any fellows who want to go CON? I know it's kind of unusual, but that's where I really want to go! I did my internship in ECON and I certainly learned a lot there, I really appreciated getting that exposure early to what an embassy did. I felt like ECON and POL were really popular when I talked to people at the embassy, everyone felt that ECON was pretty fancy and prestigious. (And you certainly get to schmooze a lot.) Thanks for the input! Knowing that some people got in helps me stay positive! Haha. @kbui I have a rough draft! I kind of went at it from the perspective of why I want to be in the Foreign Service and then jumped back in time and talked about choosing my school and a few key things I did and what I learned at my internship and how all of those together helped reaffirm why I wanted to work in the Foreign Service. (And while I was talking about the past I tried to weave in several of the 13 dimensions.) Do you have a draft yet? Gosh, you're applying to so much! I'm already stressed about grad school and I have another semester to start deciding where I want to apply.

@kbui I would imagine with professional experience that you'll be able to write a compelling SOP and do well in the interview process! I've got some international experience. I also spent a semester as an intern at an embassy in Turkey. But I don't have a big background in international studies beyond my focus on Turkey. I do fit the criteria of underrepresented people in the foreign service, but I assume everyone applying will as well. So I'm going to put everything I have into my SOP. It's a bit difficult because my university has never heard of the Pickering and doesn't particularly like sending students off to government jobs so there's little to no advice or help here on any part of this process. Still, here goes nothing, right? Are you hedging your bets on this application? Do you have other sources of funding if you don't get it? I agree, we should team up! I found an older pdf that explains the SOP from the previous version of the application. It seems like it has just a bit more information on what they were looking for, but some of it would be outdated. Still, if you want to see it let me know. I also have been looking at the recommendations for writing the Rangel SOP which is pretty much the same prompt, so I think that's valid advice.

I'd still love to hear any advice you have, Yanders! Even just general information, do you enjoy the program? Are you getting lots of experience? Did you pick a cone yet? Thank you, StyLeD, sometimes you just need to hear the obvious for it to sink in. :D

I'm applying for the Pickering! I don't have much hope, but I heard that they look favorably on people who have applied several times so this is my trial run for next year. I'm an undergrad so I don't have to cross my fingers for this application process. That doesn't mean that this isn't incredibly nervewracking! Have you noticed that the Pickering is on a new website this year? The whole application seems to revolve around the statement of purpose, but they only give you two lines as a prompt! I looked up the information from last year and the statement of purpose was very different. They asked for a lot more and gave you two pages. I wonder if it's advisable to follow the older prompt because the current one is just so vague! Can I ask what your experience with this is? It sounds like you're applying for grad schools, right? What's your major? I go to an untraditional school so we don't have major's precisely, but I'm studying Turkish Studies and Geography. I feel pretty unprepared for something like this. It seems that all the people who've won before were so amazing. And the numbers are so small. But I think it's always great to reach as high as you can because you never know!

Mhm, Turkish is becoming more of a language now in college settings, though it is possible to teach it in High School if you go abroad to Turkey and look at some of the international student schools there. I'd be looking to teach either at University or in the government, both of which require a degree in Turkish Studies or Linguistics. Ideally I'd like to find a school that offers classes in Turkish linguistics and have my actual degree be something along the lines of NELC, Middle Eastern Studies, or Turkish Studies, depending on how they classify their majors.

Hello, I'm hoping one of you lovelies has a bit of advice or expertise for me! I'm currently studying Turkish Studies as a BA, and I'm considering all of my options for Grad School. I'm leaning towards wanting to teach Turkish as a foreign language, and thus I'm trying to figure out if any schools out there actually offer courses on Turkish Linguistics? I've looked at Chicago University, which claims that you can get a PhD in Turkish/Ottoman Language with a focus on linguistics, but then they don't seem to actually offer classes that you'd take for that focus. I know a few other schools do some dabbling in Turkic Linguistics, but I'm primarily interested in Turkish itself right now. Have any of you heard anything or seen anything? What do you think about studying Linguistics to get into teaching that language?