archimon

Sorry - I just realized that I didn't respond to your question! No, I've never applied to CLS before, but hopefully some others can chime in with their experiences.

I'm currently still an undergrad - I'll finish my Junior year before the start of the program. My interests are nicely related to my language - I'm looking to pursue a Ph.D. in premodern Chinese history, so reading secondary research and, to a lesser extent, doing primary research each require Mandarin. You can actually check the list of alumni to see what prior applicants studied and which university they attend[ed] if you're curious - there seems to be a healthy mix of STEM and Humanities/Social Sciences, with a bit of a bias towards the latter two, at least for Chinese. Your research interests sound spot on though, and prior experience certainly can't hurt. Edit: Here's the link to the alumni page - just enter a search term such as language, university, subject of interest, etc. http://www.clscholarship.org/alumni

I agree, many of the questions did require somewhat abstract answers, but I think I made a fairly successful effort to provide concrete evidence for the abstract points I made - such as relating a story from my previous stay in China when responding to how I respond to different cultural environments. I imagine that good abstract AND concrete arguments, combined with a solid career track that demands the language you're applying for together make for a strong application, though I still worry slightly that my response to the question regarding the uniqueness of my background failed to really make a case for any true uniqueness. I kind of just flipped the question on its head and said that, at least as far as religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic background go, I'm fairly ordinary, but that that's a good thing! Can't have America without the white middle class. I tried to argue that I was intellectually open-minded and more than prepared to encounter new people and situations as well, so hopefully that will make for a solid attempt.

Best of luck to everyone that's applying - looks like they've extended the app deadline due to a technical glitch, just until tomorrow evening. To those who've applied unsuccessfully before: What do you think held your app back during previous attempts?

Thank you so much for taking the time to type all of this out! I'm really glad you thought the program was worth it! Special thanks for the answer to question 3 - I'm glad to hear that most followed the pledge and that you feel you improved substantially during the time you were there. I'm also right on the edge as far as the amount of class time required to apply for advanced, so this is all quite encouraging! Now all I have to do is get in!

Hey! I am going to be submitting my application for Advanced Chinese within the next few hours, and was wondering if you might answer a few questions - 1) What was the composition in terms of Undergrad/Grad of the group you were with? Did you have any trouble getting along with fellow students? Also, did most students keep the language pledge? Was there a great deal of variance in language ability at the outset? 2) Do you have any idea which essay is the most important, or what image most people tried to affect in their application essays? I don't want to sound like I'm trying to game the system or anything, but I'm interested in revising my essays to ensure my application is as strong as it can be! Feel free to ignore this question if you feel answering it might be an ethical violation. 3) What was the program like in your experience? How helpful was it as far as improving your Chinese is concerned? What did an average day look like for you and your classmates? I appreciate any feedback you can offer - thanks!