Critical Language Scholarship 2016

[natrem]

I looked through past threads, and @yayj is right, 5-6 weeks seems to be the norm (although in 2013 it was 7 weeks!). Six weeks would put us at March 10.... let's just hope it's not seven weeks this year ;0)  

Also, several years noted delays in the second round, so ours is not necessarily related to the initial deadline extension and snowstorm like I originally thought.

[Sarah212]

19 hours ago, loveandlearn said:

Hey guys!

I am a Bangla semi-finalist and I know many of us are nervous waiting for the final decisions. I just wanted to share what my campus representative told me. One of her colleagues over at CLS has told her that the review has already been finished and the reviewer's final lists have been sent to the State Department for review and verification.The earliest we may hear back is this week so it is a definite possibility!

 

 

I asked my campus representative and he said "I don't know and I won't know before you anyways," with a smile. I smiled back but died a little bit inside. I sincerely hope this thread becomes a collection of happy 'I got in!' posts, but remember, we made it this far and we can reapply next year

[mrs12]

@emb Which site were you at last summer for Turkish? Ankara or Bursa? Also, did you end up not liking it? Or did you just change languages because of something totally unrelated?

[bilqeesd]

Hi guys, I too have been following this forum since late November/Early December, and have finally decided to join in. Although you guys don't know me, I feel familiar with some of you lol. 

Anyway, waiting for the final notification (Korean program) to be sent out gets old so I hope this helps pass some time! This and the facebook applicant group are really good ways to de-stress, and I think this is the longest CLS forum on this site ( ngl I read the other ones also).

I really am hoping that we know the results by the end of this week. I've never called or email CLS regarding when they'll be released, so I am also relieved to hear(read) an update provided by the applicants in the online groups.

My post is kind of pointless, but it's nice to meet you all and I'm hoping for the best! 

[pdh12]

Yea, and this thread also attests to the resourcefulness/analytical skills of this group--we've done everything from pool our knowledge and study trends across multiple years ....the power!!!!!!

[emb]

@mrs12 I actually liked the program and I was in Ankara. I can attest to the absolute nightmare that it feels like most days as I was constantly tired, irritable, and a lot of the time I would sit in class and around hour 3.5 ask myself, "What if I just didn't learn Turkish?" My family was also a source of frustration (marital problems) but my language partner was the bee's knees (we hung out on average 8 hours a week instead of the required 2). I applied for the Urdu program as a result of all the Pakistani friends I made in Istanbul and learning about the situation of women in uneducated communities in Pakistan. It was more of a drive to work with a second developing community as opposed to a dislike of the CLS Ankara program. I have heard tell of a guy who got it first for Turkish and then for Urdu, but who knows if this unicorn of a man exists... 

@pdh12 Crazy as this sounds, I have now been through this site for both the 2014 Boren and the 2015 CLS and I can give my opinion which is that many of the people on these forums do end up getting the scholarship. Really, a larger portion than you'd expect based on past stats and a random sample of applicants. I think it speaks to the level of neuroticism that everyone who obsesses over an award to this level obviously put a lot into that application (and really, just about everything in life). 

Fingers crossed for all of you! This process has given me a belly ache on the daily for about 2 weeks now. 

Edited March 8, 2016 by emb

[mrs12]

@emb Ohh, thank you so much! I really want to be in Ankara because I have friends there, if I were to get the CLS. Were you a beginner Turkish student? Even if the program was tiring, do you think it helped you improve? Were you at one of the TOMER schools for classes?

I've heard of people successfully switching languages if they can explain their conviction and a real use for the new language, so good luck!

[mrs12]

Guys! Results! Results are out!

[pdh12]

D=  !!!!!!!   I'M AN ALTERNATE 

[mrs12]

@pdh12, the CLS is a good program to be an alternate for. There are usually a lot of people taken off that list, and I'd expect this year to be even better than normal because of how many people had to commit to other programs who were semi-finalists and might have been chosen finalists or alternates. I wouldn't lose hope yet, I'd say this is a good sign!

[doremi]

Alternate. What a process, but still proud of the outcome. SF it is! Good luck to everyone with their summer, if you got it hope you enjoy a summer abroad!

[bilqeesd]

Omg I'm a finalist!!!! What are the odds  if any other Korea finalist are here, let's get to know each other!!!!! I don't use Facebook too often but if you want to kakao, let me know!

[pdh12]

I'm and GENUINELY SO HAPPY for those of you who made it!!!! CONGRATULATIONS YOU'VE SERIOUSLY EARNED IT

[snp]

Hi, first post!
I am an alternate for Urdu.

Is there anyone here who either is an Urdu finalist or an alternate?

Does anyone know when we find out about whether we made it out of the waitlist?

[mrs12]

@snp, from past years information it sounds like you could know up to a week or so before the actual program starts. I have no idea how many people are told earlier versus later, finalists don't have to confirm until March 21st so you can assume you won't know until at least a bit beyond that. 

[Haunted]

Wow, I am so thrilled I have made it this far: I am an alternate for Hindi. Who is a finalist, and how many other scholarships did you apply for, ha ha?

This so amazing!

 

[JTWU]

Finalist for Chinese!!

[peffect]

Chinese finalist too!!!! I noticed this year they have a site in Taiwan! Anyone know when we find out which site we're placed in?

[pdh12]

@Haunted , I'm an Alternate for Hindi, too!  Jee, I wonder how much hope we should respectively have..

Edited March 8, 2016 by pdh12

[kristinochka]

Alternate for Russian

[natrem]

I can't believe it, finalist for Indonesian!! Congratulations to everyone no matter what the outcome! Thank you so much for being here on this thread, helped me get through the stress and the anxiety just to have people understand what I was going through. Because I feel like we're all friends, I really hope all you alternates get to go!! Please keep us updated if a spot opens up for you!

[loveandlearn]

Finalist for Bangla! Congratulations to all the alternates and finalist  Hope to see all you guys in Washington DC!!

[emb]

I am a finalist for the Urdu program. I am absolutely speechless. Despite having my Pakistani friend tell me that he "had a feeling" and that his "feelings were never wrong", I had so many reservations! I cried a lot. I never expected it as a Turkish speaker. 

 

@mrs12 I assume you got it. Yay! Just to let you know the Ankara program had some amazing teachers. I was intermediate but I stayed behind the semester afterwards to keep studying in Turkey and I could completely see the difference pre and post program. 

[zephyri]

Made it for Arabic!   E-mail says they will announce program site placement in a few days.  All the dates for the institutes are online, except for Jordan, which is kind of wonky and says January 1-December 31st.  Must be a loooong summer institute!

Congrats to everyone who received positive news today!  A friend of mine was an alternate for Arabic a couple of years ago, and did end up accepting an award.  In my institute last time a few students there said they had been alternates. 

[mrs12]

@emb I did make it! And thanks so much for the reassurance. I need to improve my Turkish and finally break through to advanced, but no matter what I do at home I never get good enough. I'm hoping immersion and intense studies will help. 

I'm so happy for all of you! And alternates, don't lose hope. There's always several alternates who get taken off the list each year.