FLAS 2017

[BeeKayCee]

Hello all,

I'm a prospective Masters student in Theology and Middle Eastern Studies, focusing on Islam and Arabic.

First of all, how many people are applying for the FLAS? What kind of information did you put in your statements? I felt that it was really difficult to fit everything I needed to say into 1 page.

Second, a question:

Does anyone know if FLAS committees have access to applications for individual schools? I asked two schools, Harvard said that their FLAS was a separate committee and therefore did not see apps, but Columbia hasn't responded yet. Does anyone know, is the process the same across the board in general or does each school have their own FLAS process?

Good luck everyone! 

B

[Guest]

Hi!

Ok, so after being away from this site for months, I decided to answer (well, contribute) to this question. I'm a second year Master's student, and I applied for the Summer FLAS scholarship for Arabic. I have somewhat high hopes of being selected. *Fingers crossed* 

My Credentials

-Completed a one-month Intensive Arabic program in the Middle East (Oman) this winter. It was my first time living in the Middle East. I'm also most interested in the Gulf region, and this gave a gist of cultural exposure within that part of the Middle East. I also included all of this in my Statement of Purpose.

-Recommendation letter from a Middle East Studies graduate professor/former government agent who works at the Institute that selects the FLAS awardees. 

-Having a study abroad experience (Non-Middle East) while in grad school

-Aiming to work for the government after graduation (FLAS at my school prioritizes this)

-Being a graduate student (FLAS at my school prioritizes this as well)

 

I don't know about your second question though, but my school selects its winners on March 17. I will hopefully post back on here if selected. Good luck to you, by the way.

 

Edited February 10, 2017 by Guest

[Guest]

My school requires that the Statement of Purpose to be 2 pages and 1.5 spaced. Here's how I somewhat formatted my letter:

Paragraph 1: Say my school classification (2nd year Master's student), my fields of specialization, then a statement about being interested in applying for their FLAS fellowship (2-4 sentences to be honest)

Paragraph 2: I focused on how the region needs motivated individuals to understand the languages, cultures, and societies of the Middle East, which will help address the issues and challenges in the region (keep in mind that I'm expressing this from a US policy/government perspective)

Paragraph 3: Explain how Arabic is integral to my degree program/academic interests and how an enhanced grasp of Arabic will help me in the future

Paragraph 4: Talk about my Winter experience in Oman/Middle East-Gulf region and the knowledge/experience that I gained

Paragraph 5: Provide 2-3 sentences about the program that I am trying to apply for. Include things such as the number of class hours per week and the core topics that the language proram focuses on (ie: conversation, listening, etc)

Paragraph 6: Talk about why I want to go back to Oman/Middle East-Gulf region...or just talk about why you chose to study in 'x' country in your case

Paragraph 7:Start off with my trademark promise statement that I use for all of my cover letters. I re-worded it in this case-  "I believe in learning and growing from any objective that I pursue, and I promise that this will be my top priority as I utilize FLAS Summer fellowship towards my academic interests and future career endeavors" .......................Explain what you aspire to do as a career then explain how Arabic is vital for this certain career

Concluding paragraph (I'll just paste the whole thing here): For more detail about my work history, academics, achievements, and qualifications, please see my CV and the rest of my application package. I am sure that summer language study in Oman will facilitate my capability to grasp additional concepts of the Arabic language. Thank you for taking the time to read my statement of purpose, and I look forward to your response.

 

 

Edited February 10, 2017 by Guest

[hobakie]

I never really understood how FLAS worked. Can you apply to FLAS programs even if you are not enrolled in that uni? For whole the programs in my school focuses on south asian languages but I am focused on east asian languages.....

[Horb]

1 hour ago, hobakie said:

I never really understood how FLAS worked. Can you apply to FLAS programs even if you are not enrolled in that uni? For whole the programs in my school focuses on south asian languages but I am focused on east asian languages.....

Yeah, I second this question. I know of people who won FLAS at other schools, but I have no idea how you find out which offer it to outside students and which don't short of having to look up each institution.

[farflung]

2 hours ago, Horb said:

Yeah, I second this question. I know of people who won FLAS at other schools, but I have no idea how you find out which offer it to outside students and which don't short of having to look up each institution.

My impression is that you can't apply for a FLAS unless you are at a FLAS-granting-institution. I am not at a FLAS-granting institution so thought I was ineligible. Could be wrong, however!

[BeeKayCee]

12 hours ago, OneLove21 said:

Hi!

Ok, so after being away from this site for months, I decided to answer (well, contribute) to this question. I'm a second year Master's student, and I applied for the Summer FLAS scholarship for Arabic. I have somewhat high hopes of being selected. *Fingers crossed* 

 

Wow! After all your credentials I would have high hopes too! Good luck and thanks for the detailed answer!

[Guest]

10 hours ago, BeeKayCee said:

Wow! After all your credentials I would have high hopes too! Good luck and thanks for the detailed answer!

No problem. And thanks as well.

[Horb]

18 hours ago, farflung said:

My impression is that you can't apply for a FLAS unless you are at a FLAS-granting-institution. I am not at a FLAS-granting institution so thought I was ineligible. Could be wrong, however!

You definitely can. My school didn't have FLAS, but someone won it for a school in California.

[LetsGetThisBread]

On 2/11/2017 at 4:29 AM, Horb said:

You definitely can. My school didn't have FLAS, but someone won it for a school in California.

Yea, you can definitely apply for another school's FLAS. 

The UC I'm at doesn't have FLAS funding for itself, but I was encouraged and able to apply through Berkeley. I think these institutions are just granted the money for a certain amount of fellowships, to distribute as they see fit. 

[mrs12]

My university does not have FLAS funding, but I've received it from another university in order to attend a summer program there. I was under the impression that the only way to receive FLAS funding from another university was if you were participating in a program with them for the duration of the FLAS. @Aplomb.Élan, are you saying you were encouraged to apply for FLAS funding from Berkeley to use at your home institution? That would totally change things!

[LetsGetThisBread]

Actually on that last part, I'm not sure. I was encouraged to apply for the funding, but I didn't really think about how where I planned to use it would affect the application. I proposed to use it at my program, which was okay according to the application.I feel like they'd prefer you to use it at the sponsoring institution, if not in the country you propose to study. But I have no inside indication.

[Guest]

I start my spring break next week and should know the results from my school after the break ends. Just a little over one more week left of waiting before we get notified about the outcome  =O.  I'm also only doing the Summer FLAS program, by the way. 

 

 

[Guest]

Well, looks like I've been selected for this summer!!!! Good luck to everyone else.

[KunstMachtFrei]

Regarding notification of summer fellowships: I've just received word from Columbia (alternate) and Florida International (accepted).  I applied to study Portuguese.  

[ilikefood]

I'm an undergrad at UW Seattle and made alternate for the FLAS academic year, does anyone know what my chances are of receiving the award?

[DevinMiles]

How does FLAS funding work? Is FLAS funding for 2017-2018 in doubt because of the administration's proposed budget that eliminates Title VI for the Department of Education?

Is there a strong chance that those who have been nominated for FLAS for the upcoming academic year will not receive it (which has never happened before)? Is it always dependent on the federal budget?