mrs12

My university does not have FLAS funding, but I've received it from another university in order to attend a summer program there. I was under the impression that the only way to receive FLAS funding from another university was if you were participating in a program with them for the duration of the FLAS. @Aplomb.Élan, are you saying you were encouraged to apply for FLAS funding from Berkeley to use at your home institution? That would totally change things!

I really want to receive the CLS now, mostly just to meet you all. I've done summer language intensives before, but I think that the applicant pool the CLS draws would make for a really interesting and dedicated cohort. Anyway, I'm sending out lots of positive thoughts today for all of you and our collective chances! I know it's stressful right now for a lot of us, but we just have to keep moving forward. All of you have to be pretty amazing to have gotten this far. Try to remember that, if you can, because this won't be your last opportunity, I'm sure. Remember to be kind to yourself, if you're able!

@susurrus me! It's really complicated and a long story -- to shorten it, I liked languages and wanted to major in one, so I ended up choosing Turkish because I was fascinated by Turkish history and because it was a critically needed language. That was the reason, but then I took Turkish and fell in love with the language itself. How about you? What level did you apply for?

Thanks @sofisramirez8, I figured it didn't, but I wanted to ask anyway!

@hobakie, what time did your notification go out in 2015? Mine came at around 4 PM EST last year. And also, has anyone else tried to log into the CLS portal? I'm getting some weird results on there, and I wonder if that means it's been updated for the latest finalists? Particularly when I look at the CLS Accepted Students Portal, which has always been there for me because I was previously accepted, the little blurb at the top has now changed.

This week is pretty likely. And I empathize with you, @UnawareInGeneral, these things always seem to be staggered unequally with other hugely important decisions and deadlines.

@babocheoreom I believe orientation schedules vary, because site times usually have a bit of variance too and that's what they're based off of. For instance if you're a finalist for Arabic your orientation is unlikely to be with all the other Arabic finalists -- just the ones with the same start times. It's why they languages, though from what I've gleaned you don't usually have a lot of chances to mingle with the other languages at orientation if they're there. As for the time, I feel like it will be next week, but that's just me trying to not expect anything.

Last year it was March 29th, if that helps any!

@Bbdubs Yes, I'm a semi-finalist. And I'm sorry to hear that you were rejected! I was rejected twice before ever making it to the semi-finals, so keep at it, don't give up! My number one recommendation is the program at Wisconsin-Madison - APTLII. It's full immersion and the teachers are the best I've ever had. There's FLAS funding through Wisconsin-Madison, but I believe if you're an undergraduate student you have to be applying for at least second year Turkish to be eligible. If you're a graduate student, though, you should certainly apply. The program might also have other funding available, and I'd recommend emailing the director. Honestly I cannot recommend this program enough for Turkish. The SWSEEL program at Indiana University is also very well known and regarded. It is not immersion. They have FLAS funding as well. IU-Bloomington is the site of the Turkish Flagship program so they have a lot of resources if you're considering continuing with Turkish or interested in its potential applications. I know that the Arizona State University's program has some funding as well, but I've never spoken with anyone who did their program. They're known for their summer language offerings, but I can't say to what quality the Turkish program is. There are a handful of other schools that offer summer programs, I'm thinking of Columbia/Pittsburg/Chicago and maybe Boston off the top of my head, but I don't recall them offering aid. (Please check though, you never know!) Once you get past Beginner/First Year Turkish, it's easier to find funding, but harder to find good programs that are running. Good luck though! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Hey other Turkish applicants~ First off, if anyone is reading this and didn't get into the semi-finals but still wants to do Turkish this summer, I can recommend a plethora of programs with various funding schemes. <3 Just let me know. But secondly, did you all get an email about the site change to Azerbaijan? It's expected, but I'm curious if that's going to change any minds, especially for beginner applicants? My accent is already atrocious, so I'm not really afraid of ruining anything there, but I'm curious how the rest of you feel.

Last year I received the email at 6:04 EST about the semi-finals. I remember the finals ended up being tiered by language, so for instance all of Arabic was sent emails a few minutes before all of Turkish, etc. But I'm pretty sure the semi-finals emails were done at the same time for everyone. I'd expect it to be around 4-6 EST honestly, and not earlier.

I think that a spreadsheet would be much more subjective with the CLS since most of it is about your essays and how successful you were at arguing that you'll continue with the language and will use it professionally/academically. A lot of those other statistics play a part, I'm sure, but I don't know if it'd be as helpful as the spreadsheets are for other programs/fellowships/scholarships.

@leeanneuh Thanks! I just realized that I wasn't feeling comfortable sending in grad school applications, and that if I wasn't comfortable with that, then there was really no reason to rush for the Pickering either. So it's a year off for me, which I'm feeling really good about right now -- of course who knows how I'll feel after I hear back from my top choices for where I'll go and what I'll be doing, etc. As far as EFC, I know anecdotally that the Rangel seems to care a lot more than the Pickering does about that 0 EFC. But I don't have any hard statistics on this, just people's comments from past attempts.

Oh no, not at all! Everyone comes at these applications from different angles. For many of the languages it's impossible to HAVE taken formal classes at university, and for others it's still not common, so that's not holding you back at all as long as you are doing something or can argue that you will be doing something with the language and that this isn't a one-off summer program for you.

Personally, I've always felt applying as a beginner can be tough because part of your application is showing dedication to the language, and taking classes is one of the easiest ways of showing that. But as Hobakie said, there really isn't a quota or anything, and they accept students first before organizing site placements, if that helps reassure you at all.

Hey everyone, I've decided not to apply to the Pickering this year, and instead focus on taking a year off after undergraduate to go abroad and gain some more experience. That being said, I'll stick around in this thread to cheer you all on. I really hope you all do well and that we get the chance to follow our dreams. <3 Good luck with applications!

Yes, I agree with @hobakie, though I know it's really hard. Obsessing doesn't help right now. But sometimes you just can't help it. I try to channel that obsession into useful ways if I can't set it aside. If I'm really worried about this summer, say, I'd try to do research on backup plans and funding and various internships or anything else that might be interesting. Finding other things that you like help take the edge of the need to get this one amazing change, etc. Right now I'm mostly focusing on next year for me, because I'm a senior I've got to plan on jobs or fellowships next year and that's consuming a lot of my time beyond just my thesis.

Since they no longer specify, I can't imagine that it could hurt you! Besides, in the past if you hadn't taken the language your language recommendation was about how well some other language professor viewed your aptitude and dedication -- something that I think can mostly be seen through grades and your transcript, etc. I think you'll be fine @I Think I can!

They used to request that one LOR was from a language professor in the language you were applying for who could attest to your skills, and/or a language professor in another language if you'd never taken the language before. Now it looks like they don't specify, but I still asked for one from my last Turkish teacher and one from my academic adviser who knows me well and knows why this program is necessary for me academically and professionally. If the status tracker in your application hasn't changed, I would presume the letters haven't been sent in. It's a tricky thing trying to get letters of recommendation, but since it's passed the deadline I think it's very valid to remind your people about that fact and check to make sure they're still willing to write letters. (Or if, by chance, there was an issue. Sometimes they think they submitted it but it wasn't actually fully submitted. I've had that happen before.)

I want to second what Hobakie said! I didn't get the CLS until my third try! So always keep trying if you don't get it, but I know of plenty of people who DO get it for Beginner or on their first/second attempts. <3

For those of you sticking around for the Pickering... Are you considering redoing your essay completely after the Rangel or using bits or it or most of it? I'm not sure what to do about that dilemma. On the one hand I felt really strong about my essay, but then again I was passed over for the Rangel... Those aren't inherently related though.

I'm not sure if you have seen this, but CLS created a youtube video about competitive applications:

Hey, is anyone else applying to CLS this year? I'm almost done with my application for Turkish. I think I have a pretty good application, but you never know. I was a recipient last year, but had to withdraw due to security concerns in Turkey. However, if anyone else is applying and would like some advice or my two-cents, just let me know! It might not be worth much, but I am pretty sure I know a bit more about the system having applied so many times now.

It just means they're saving us for the Pickering. :3

I guess I'm asking in two senses. The more theoretical: do people often take other classes after undergrad to change degrees, and if so how do they do that? Do you have to take normal university classes for however long until you catch up, or do programs exist to catch you up? And the personal: I've done a self-designed interdisciplinary program, somewhere between the two fields of Data Science and Eurasian Studies. If I wanted to do a Masters in Data Science though most programs require much more formal math classes than I ended up taking. Are there programs out there, summer or otherwise, to intensively catch up on something like two years of Calculus, etc?