Umenohana

Just submitted my application!!! Good luck to all who apply!

Hi! How is everyone feeling? Submitted my application for Russian a few days ago - anyone else angling for that program?

I don't think anything official has been published yet, but yes, they said they may hold some or all of the 2021 CLS online. I would not expect anything to roll over to next year, they will just ask you to reapply, like it happened this year. 
Yeah, if you can't be in the country yourself, it does take away from the experience A LOT. I would not say it defeats the purpose though. They still work really hard to deliver the best instruction possible. And many people do CLS because there are no other options available for them. It would still be a summer of intense language lessons for free. I doubt they'll have any trouble filling up the spots with students, even if it is not what we are all hoping for.

You mean to say, no one else is prepping 3-4 months before the first deadline? ?

Selected as a Fellow for Japanese! Pretty excited about that!
For those who are alternates, here's something you might want to know: apparently, last year Boren ran out of alternates, so this year they likely chose a few extra. This means that 1) there is a larger pool of alternates and 2) lots of people decline their award, so your chances are still pretty good! Best of luck to everyone, don't lose hope and your passion no matter what your status is!

Okay guys, I made a Facebook group, it's called 2020-2021 Boren Scholars and Fellows. Feel free to join!
Couple things: I have never made a Facebook group before and have very limited activity on that site. So if anyone at all wants to either help or even take over the admin role, PLEASE let me know. Also, we are a group of people who are interested in national security and are about to study abroad, so we all need to be careful (like, we have no way to verify every member is actually a Boren, so don't post about your awesome CIA job or whatever in the group). And let me know if you have any suggestions, such as editing security questions, posting rules, etc. Invite any other Borens to the group!

Okay guys, I made a Facebook group, it's called 2020-2021 Boren Scholars and Fellows. Feel free to join!
Couple things: I have never made a Facebook group before and have very limited activity on that site. So if anyone at all wants to either help or even take over the admin role, PLEASE let me know. Also, we are a group of people who are interested in national security and are about to study abroad, so we all need to be careful (like, we have no way to verify every member is actually a Boren, so don't post about your awesome CIA job or whatever in the group). And let me know if you have any suggestions, such as editing security questions, posting rules, etc. Invite any other Borens to the group!

There's an official Boren Facebook page for current and past scholars and fellows. I think you will all have a chance to join after you accept the award. But if we want to have a separate group for our cohort, I'd be down for sure! It would be good to connect and see how things are going for everyone, share advice, find people going to the same places, etc.

There's an official Boren Facebook page for current and past scholars and fellows. I think you will all have a chance to join after you accept the award. But if we want to have a separate group for our cohort, I'd be down for sure! It would be good to connect and see how things are going for everyone, share advice, find people going to the same places, etc.

Selected as a Fellow for Japanese! Pretty excited about that!
For those who are alternates, here's something you might want to know: apparently, last year Boren ran out of alternates, so this year they likely chose a few extra. This means that 1) there is a larger pool of alternates and 2) lots of people decline their award, so your chances are still pretty good! Best of luck to everyone, don't lose hope and your passion no matter what your status is!

You know, I apparently go to an APSIA school now and I still don't see what it means for me as a student. Even our scholarship advisers never mentioned anything about it, so I doubt we are receiving anything that may put us at an advantage. My guess is that these schools tend to be pretty good in themselves and invest in helping their students compete for these types of scholarships. At my current school they push Boren, Fulbright, CLS all the time! (though they don't bother with getting FLAS...) At my last school, literally nobody tells students about those, nor offers any significant help. I was the only person to get Boren and CLS there, finding and applying to those opportunities myself. So while there is a benefit of going to "better" schools, your own merits are still the most important thing, so I wouldn't worry about that. I think they do also try to get a somewhat diverse group of scholars and fellows, including geographical and institutional diversity.
I was studying Criminal Justice when I got the scholarship and doing an MA in International Affairs right now. Both times applying to Japan.

Does APSIA matter in any way? I had no idea what it is until I looked it up just now. I got Boren Scholarship a few years back from a no-name public school, so I don't think it affects your chances in any way.
I didn't really explicitly define the level I plan to reach either time I applied. Just made sure to say in what ways my program is rigorous enough to make significant improvements. Boren does conduct pre and post assessments, but like you said, they are only for their own statistics (and OPI certification of your language for you). 

If we're getting a "probably this week," does not sound like it will be today. But considering this year's circumstances, they likely don't care so much about their pattern of sticking to Mondays. Really hoping to know soon!

If we're getting a "probably this week," does not sound like it will be today. But considering this year's circumstances, they likely don't care so much about their pattern of sticking to Mondays. Really hoping to know soon!

I am sorry to read this. This is my second time applying and was in your shoes the first time. At the time, I had also been a CLS and Boren alum. I'm glad that your attitude is that you'll try again next year! Definitely do that. ? 

I found this quote regarding alternates from 2017. Two people said this is how it works.
So the alternate selection process works in this manner. Since you are an alternate for Arabic, (and the level you applied for matters too), they basically chose you as an alternate and lined you up behind someone or someones who applied for both Arabic and at the same level as you. They also look to replace people of similar backgrounds. Diversity is the buzz word that sums it up best I suppose. Someone like you in certain ways. If one of those people drops out, the ones you are lined up behind, they'll reach out to the alternates. Also, apparently alternates may be notified in waves. At least the first round of those who get bumped up may be notified all together. That year in was over a week after the accept/decline deadline. I don't know if I should go crazy looking more into what to expect as an alternate or just forget about the whole thing and hopefully get some nice news within the next few months.

Alternate for Japanese here!
I know the chances are not too high for any language, but there are at least a few alternates who usually get moved up. Sometimes within a few weeks, but often as late as mid-April. What I'm more curious about is how many alternates there are compared to recipients/non-recipients. Some alternates will move up, but how large is that pool? Obviously its' different depending on language, but we can only guess.

Anyone else spends all day refreshing their email, the Facebook page, this forum, travel advisories, etc for updates?
Starting to really worry about delays or even cancellations. I'm sure nobody will be going to China this summer, so it may take time for them to keep making alternative plans in different regions for such a big program. This may make all of our notifications late. Korea and Japan are also getting much worse. My university is already pulling out people who are studying abroad in Korea. Japan is cancelling all sorts of events internally - not just in Tokyo and not just major ones. And you can't really place programs anywhere else for those two languages, so this is concerning.