Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships

[Jahiliyya]

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience in applying for or receiving FLAS fellowships for graduate study. Particularly, I'm wondering about the best way to approach the statement of purpose, which asks:

"How are language acquisition and area studies training integral to your degree program and long-term goals? How do your long-term academic and career plans relate to the goals of the FLAS Program?"

Since they are government grants (in part), to what degree should we be articulating a professional vision rather than an academic research agenda?

I'm grateful for any insight people who have gone through the application process--or who will be this year--may be able to offer.

[insideoutside]

I recently received the FLAS for my MA, and when applying I was advised against mentioning any professional goals simply to please the govt. In any case the people reading FLAS applications are professors (and not the govt) and they would know if you're not being entirely honest on that front. Instead, I focused on convincing them that my academic research in the area was vital. I contented myself by adding a sentence about my long term goals including wanting to teach the language (as also the literature).

Additionally, if you already do know the language in some measure (as I did) it is important to stress that you don't know it well enough and that knowing it better is integral to carrying out your research.

This may all vary from university to university though, so it definitely helps to talk to some professors who have served on the FLAS decision committee before.