Critical Language Scholarship 2016

[pdh12]

Jee, then why have that process at all? 

[crysnap211]

Hi everyone!

I applied for Intermediate Chinese and I am excited for January. I really don't have any expectations, considering the volume of the applicant pool and the diversity of the candidates. My fingers are crossed, though. I've never been abroad (except to Nassau for the day during a family cruise), and the idea of an accelerated language-oriented program excites me!

Did anyone else apply for/participate in Intermediate Chinese? When are the locations typically released? Are more people usually accepted to the Chinese program compared to other languages? 

[mrs12]

Actually, that's a good point. Do any previous applicants know how they chose locations? With the Turkish program it seems to have been Bursa and Ankara the last few years, but before that it had also been a few other cities.

[diversepa]

Just found this forum and I'm glad I did! I applied for beginner Korean with my best friend so hopefully we both get in and can experience this together.

Edited December 8, 2015 by diversepa

[diversepa]

On Mon Nov 30 2015 17:41:13 GMT-0500, Yanders said:

Hey guys! I did CLS in Korea in 2011, and unless the program has changed, they go for overall number rather than students per level. @mrs12 the Turkish CLS had two locations last year, so I would assume you're better off numbers-wise than those applying for countries with one location. Although with the recent Ankara bombing and overall sketchiness of Turkey now, we'll have to see if they scale it back to just one place (especially since Ankara was one of the placements). Also if you're trying to apply for a Turkish Fulbright, having done CLS helps A LOT. In my cohort there were at least like 20 people who had done CLS. I'm not sure about the Hindi program though!

Hi @Yanders what do you mean they go for numbers?

[zephyri]

18 hours ago, mrs12 said:

Actually, that's a good point. Do any previous applicants know how they chose locations? With the Turkish program it seems to have been Bursa and Ankara the last few years, but before that it had also been a few other cities.

I'm sure it varies depending on the country, but for the Arabic institutes, I know that it depends on the local US organization's (in this case AMIDEAST) relationship with the local language center.  It seemed to me that the program evaluates countries based on security and the suitability of institutes for accommodating large groups of students.  CLS asked us for evaluations of our center during and after the program, which I think play a role. They won't continue to use a local institute if they're not having good results (overall- including language acquisition, but also student well-being).  I think the variability of security situations and also the fact that local language institutes are competing to host CLS cohorts, is most of the reason why institute locations change from year to year.  Obviously these contracts take time to work out, and that's why we don't know the locations and dates of the institutes until after the selection process. 

 

Any insights from other past participants on other languages/locations?

[Yanders]

@diversepa I think they select based on overall cohort size (20-30 in 2011.. I can't remember haha) rather than 2 people for beginner level, 4 for intermediate  etc. I was telling mrs12 that for placements with two locations (like Turkey) the number of spots is doubled rather than split.

[diversepa]

11 hours ago, Yanders said:

 

[diversepa]

Thank you for answering @Yanders. Also, and this goes for anyone, did the CLS Scholarship give you spending money  or should I start saving up now?

[Yanders]

You get a stipend

[mrs12]

Wow, they're so generous with their funding. I did hear a rumor that they only covered the initial plane ticket from a certain airport destination so you need to pay to get there, but that seemed really unlikely. Does anyone know about that?

[Yanders]

Lol Clearly I have nothing to do since my response times are super quick. Finals week procrastination haha. You actually get way more money than you need (at least in my experience). And they give it to you in dollars which increases the actual value of the stipend. You're in a homestay so all your boarding and meals are paid for, they pay for your flights to and from you destination (in Korea we had someone pick us all up from the airport and transfer us to school where our host parents picked us up), all the cultural excursions are free, and all your school books are free. You only have to pay for your meals at school (or if your host mom likes you, you can bring lunch lol), transportation to and from school (like buses and metro if you live further than walking distance), and leisure stuff. It's a really sweet gig.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Yanders

[diversepa]

Oh my gosh! I'm too excited but I might need to calm down. Haha. I cannot wait until we find out from the first and second rounds! I also was watching a video and someone said they have an interview with you in the language to place you. Does this interview determine if you can go or was it after you were accepted all the way through? @Yanders also, thanks a bunch for your help!

Edited December 12, 2015 by diversepa

[zephyri]

Yes you have an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) which is a test they use to place you in your language level once you get to the country.  The interview does not affect your scholarship at all.  I had one year of Arabic when I went in 2014, and the interview was pretty nerve-wracking because I didn't know what to expect.  You set up a time and they call you on the phone. They start with easy stuff like your name, where you're from, where you live/study etc.  Then they try to push your language level by asking you to participate in "scenarios" that mimic everyday experiences- like for instance, you're at a restaurant, or you see a car accident- what do you do, or you're late to work and your boss is upset with you.  I'm sure the scenarios get more complex as the language level increases.  Basically they push you to the limit of your skills, which can be uncomfortable, but is their way of seeing what your maximum abilities are.  You have the interview before and after the institute, to see how much progress you made.

[natrem]

Hello, to anyone who has completed the CLS: What happens after the first round of acceptance? Are there more essays, or an interview, or anything? Thanks!

[pdh12]

All of these posts have been so helpful/informative, and gloriously distracting. I think this is going to be a lifeline until decisions come out....Anyone with experience in India here?

[E.marina5]

 I believe I have India experience, I lived there for 5 months. @pdh12

[busybee]

@zephyri I did CLS Arabic in summer of 2014 as well! What was your placement site? 

[zephyri]

15 hours ago, busybee said:

@zephyri I did CLS Arabic in summer of 2014 as well! What was your placement site? 

Morocco, what was yours?

Edited December 15, 2015 by zephyri

[busybee]

44 minutes ago, zephyri said:

Morocco, what was yours?

Ah, I was in Oman. It was absolutely amazing. Good luck this year!

[FeelTheBern]

Hi @natrem! I was a CLS Bangla participant for 2015 and let me tell you, it was an amazing experience, yet so different than what I went in thinking it was going to be like! To answer your question, after the first round of acceptances, you just.....wait, and wait.....and it is very excruciating! There are no additional interviews or essays, but I have heard that if you make it past the first round, your application is reviewed by a panel in DC that was chosen for your specific language, so they know their stuff, about the country and about the language. Getting past the first round is a huge success in itself as only a bit over 30% of applicants make it that far.

Please feel free to ask me anything, even PM me if you would like, I am happy to answer any questions!

[jasminebrighten]

Hi everyone!

I am a first time applicant for beginning Korean! I have actually been studying independently for a year, but I didn't know we could apply to higher levels without any formal study. I am very excited for January, but trying not to get my hopes up too high because everyone's applications are so competitive. 

Does anyone know if the 2016 Korean program will have a homestay component? From my understanding, some years have had it and others have not, and I was just wondering if that followed any sort of pattern or not. 

Good luck everyone! 

[mrs12]

I thought when this application was first due that the wait would be so short, only two months really! But now I realize just how long that is when you're on winter break. 

Ahh, I'm pretty excited to hear back. Does anyone know if they tend to let people know about the first wave of acceptances earlier or later in January? They don't have a specific date online. 

[Yanders]

@jasminebrighten I'm really not sure if CLS Korea will have a homestay this year! I assume yes, but I actually didn't know that there were years they didn't have one lol

And in 2011 I heard back on Jan 10th, but I'm sure the date has shifted earlier or later since then

[zephyri]

For the 2014 institutes, the first notifications happened on January 15.  The gradcafe threads for previous years of CLS make for entertaining reading