#nsli-y

[annasfeelings]

got my medical evaluation back!

it’s definitely.. humbling.. but, my doctor did put “yes, with reservations” so that’s a win regardless. i need to get my therapist to fill out some of the sections tho (because i have a history of mental health issues lol) as well as my dentist

she also printed it out instead of doing it electronically so idk how im gonna submit it

[adventuresofyifen]

Scholarship to Study Language Abroad

I’m here again to let you know that applications for the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program are open! If you or someone you know is a US citizen high school student who is passionate about language learning and interested in studying abroad, NSLI-Y is an excellent opportunity!

NSLI-Y is a full scholarship program sponsored by the US Department of State. Students study abroad for either a summer or academic year with an intensive focus on one of the following critical-need languages:

Arabic

Chinese (Mandarin)

Hindi

Indonesian

Korean

Persian (Tajik)

Russian

Turkish

Keep reading for more information about some frequently asked questions!

How do I apply for NSLI-Y? Just head over to the website and look for the “How to Apply” section! It’ll walk you through all of the steps and requirements. There is NO application fee, so if you’re interested, you have nothing to lose by giving it a shot! This year’s deadline is Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 4PM Eastern.

What if I’ve never studied any of these languages before? That’s fine! NSLI-Y does not have any language prerequisites! Apply for the language that calls to you!

Is one language easier to get accepted for than another? No! NSLI-Y rarely releases exact data, but the number of finalist spots for each language tends to be roughly proportional to the number of applicants for that language. Regardless, you should apply for what you’re most passionate about. That’s the best way to write honest, convincing essays. Also remember that studying abroad is a challenge, and you’ll be living that language and culture for an entire summer or year - You’ll want to be where you’ll be happy!

What costs does NSLI-Y cover? Once you’re accepted as a finalist, it covers everything! If you become a semi-finalist, the costs of your medical form and getting a passport (if you don’t already have one) will not be covered. But finalists have their visa fees, domestic and international travel, food, lodging, and medical insurance all covered!

If accepted, would I be traveling alone or with a group? You would be with a group. The size of the group may vary based on a number of factors, but you will be traveling and studying with other NSLI-Y students.

Is NSLI-Y a safe program? Safety is a huge priority for NSLI-Y. Students have at least one English-speaking adult on-call 24/7 and are issued local cell phones upon arrival in the host country. There is always a pre-departure orientation during which the program rules and expectations are clearly explained, and teachers and host families are very caring toward their students. If any sort of emergency situation arises (extreme weather, political unrest, disease outbreaks, etc.), program staff will monitor the situation closely to make sure they can implement a proper response. NSLI-Y students are super well taken care of!

What about COVID-19? I’ve asked NSLI-Y about this, and they say that they are keeping an eye on things and hoping that students will be able to travel by next summer. However, if this is not the case, they have the experience and infrastructure available to make the program virtual again as they did this year.

I’m interested in this program, but I’m already in college. Is there anything out there for me? There sure is! Check out the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) at https://clscholarship.org/.

[zhongwenstudieren]

Scholarship to Study Language Abroad

If you’re a high school student and United States citizen with an interest in foreign languages (or you know someone who fits that description), definitely take the time to look into the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)! (If you’re a US citizen with an interest in foreign language but you’re an undergrad or graduate student, check out CLS instead!) NSLI-Y is a State Department-sponsored scholarship program that sends high school students abroad for a summer or academic year to study a critical-need language. It is FULLY FUNDED, which means the scholarship covers all tuition, travel expenses, visa fees, accommodations, and even medical insurance. The languages offered for NSLI-Y’s 2019-20 programs are as follows:

Arabic (summer and academic year offered)

Chinese - Mandarin (summer and academic year offered)

Hindi (summer and academic year offered)

Indonesian (summer only)

Korean (summer and academic year offered)

Persian - Tajiki (summer only)

Russian (summer and academic year offered)

Turkish (summer only)

(If you’re a student of German, you might consider CBYX.)

NSLI-Y students participate in intensive language classes, as well as cultural classes/activities and excursions. They may live with host families, in dorms, or a combination of both. Participants are sent as part of a group of other accepted students to one of a number of pre-determined host locations, so NSLI-Y is also an amazing opportunity to meet peers from around the country who share your passion for languages! NO PREVIOUS LANGUAGE OR TRAVEL EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED! Applications opened today (August 22, 2018) and are due October 30, 2018 in order to be considered for the 2019 summer or 2019-20 academic year programs.

As an alumna of NSLI-Y’s Chinese summer program, I’m more than happy to try and answer any questions you might have! (You can send your questions to either of my blogs: @adventuresofyifen or @zhongwenstudieren.) You can also head over to my Wordpress blog for a compilation of past NSLI-Y blogs from all languages to get an idea of past program locations and participants’ experiences!

[sik-911]

NSLI-Y Interview

i just had my interview a few days ago and i’m making this post to hopefully help fellow NSLI-Y semi-finalist and future hopefuls! 

I received my semi-finalist notification on December 1 around 4:00 pm, a week later an email listing 3 interview events that were being held in my area, and January 6 (a week before the interview) the exact time and location of the event.

i wore a black sweater, a dark plaid skirt, sheer tights, and heeled booties. i never saw any other girls at my event, but i did notice most of the guys were wearing a button up, tie, blazer/jacket, khakis, and dress shoes. 

so! the actual event happened in the lobby of a hotel and there were only about 10 people being interviewed the entire day so it was only me and one other person during my scheduled time. a super sweet volunteer who was helping conduct the event explained to me that my interviewer was stuck in her home due to icy roads and my backup came down with the flu SO i was assigned the one interviewer already at the event lol. i wasn’t given a questionnaire or had my mom speak to the interview like i had read on other blogs, i just began the interview immediately. 

first, my interviewer introduced herself and told me a bit about her experience abroad with AFS. the interview began with some pretty basic questions like “Tell me a bit about yourself”, “What country and duration are you applying for?” and “What are your college and career goals?”. then, they got a bit deeper like: 

What are the advantages and disadvantages you foresee of this program?

What qualities do you possess that will help you while abroad?

Describe your ideal host family. How would you react if your host family was the opposite of your ideal?

What do you spend your free time doing? While living abroad, you might not be able to do everything you’re used to at home. How would you react?

What do you expect to learn about yourself during this program?

Describe a time that you disagreed with someone. How did you react?

How do you plan to use the experience you gain?

What kind of role do you play in your friend group?

Why do you want to participate?

Describe a time you were in a group that you completely felt out of place. How did you react?

most of the questions had multiple parts within them. also, none of these were based off of my application, she was reading from a sheet and choosing questions to ask. my interviewer was very patient with me and would try to give me some examples if i was having a hard time with one. with every question i would try to cover multiple topics in order to strengthen my overall point - telling stories and pulling from experience is a great way to do this!! i have a good bit of experience with working in tough environments abroad (mission work) so i believe this helped make my statements more concrete. the actual interview probably only lasted 25 minutes tops, but i had a lottt of questions for her. we talked for about another 30-40 minutes about her experience living in Thailand for a year, what she was studying in college, how gap years work, and a whole bunch more! i highly recommend talking to your interviewer after the interview portion because, for me, i really became more comfortable with her as we talked and my genuine personality began to shine - and she actually wrote down a lot of what i was saying!! i definitely believe this tremendously helped my overall interview since i was able to cover a lot more than just the basics. she even gave me some advice that i would have never even thought of!! i’m so thankful to have had her as my interviewer ❤️ 

overall, it was a pleasant, laid-back experience. i would say that my biggest tips would be: 

make sure to have a few stories up your sleeve 

be as nice and pleasant as possible - first impressions are important (i.e. shake their hand, smile, be/sound optimistic)

try to talk to others and your interviewer as much as possible (when else are you going to be surrounded by people who share the same passion or goals as you?)

try to have fun with it and don’t stress too much! being comfortable will come across in how you hold yourself and overall makes things more pleasant 

also, i applied for the summer program in South Korea! if you have any further questions feel free to DM me!! good luck to everyone! ~~ 

[teawithstress]

IM A NSLIY SEMIFINALIST!!!

This means I have like a 50/50 chance of going to study korean over the summer IN KOREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[linguistisch]

So exchange interviews are coming up?

Are any of y'all about to do them? I hope so!

And if you're looking for tips... just make sure you have a good reason for why you want to do exchange. Think about that question, get your answer almost memorized... but make sure you know what it means. It's important that you show your drive and purpose, they want to send someone who is going to get something out of exchange.

Before my interviews I didn't think of this question much, just like "oh umm culture language idk?", but luckily when I was first asked that question I was able to get an answer I still use today. The core reason I wanted to do exchange was because I love learning, and being abroad is a new learning moment every single second.

So if you can find an answer to that question for yourself, you shouldn't be worried. Everything else should come through if you know you wanna do this. Just make sure you look driven and open minded, they should be happy to bring you into their program.

I'm happy to answer any asks or messages about rotary youth exchange or exchange in general

[sariaghjik]

American high school-age language learners:

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) application portal is open as of Saturday, August 26, 2017! If you are:

an American citizen (even if you live abroad)

a high school student (grades 9-12, including home school)

between the ages of 15 and 18 (born between July 10, 1999 and June 10, 2003 for summer programs; between September 20, 1999 and June 30, 2003 for academic year programs)

enrolled in high school, with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent

not an immediate family member of an employee of the U.S. Department of State who works in the Youth Programs Division of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs or an employee at a NSLI-Y administering organization whose duties involve the NSLI-Y program

have not previously traveled outside the U.S. on a long-term (more than eight weeks) program sponsored by the Youth Programs Division of the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

and, most importantly, 

interested in the study of languages

you should consider applying!

NSLI-Y provides scholarships to students interested in learning “critical” languages--that is, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, and, as of summer 2018, Indonesian*. Students spend a summer (6-8 weeks) or an academic year** (8-10 months) intensively studying the language of their choice in a country where it is spoken. These countries include Morocco, Jordan, China, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Tajikistan, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Indonesia.

*Formerly, Turkish was a NSLI-Y language. Unfortunately, NSLI-Y has not implemented its usual programs in Turkey since summer 2015.

**Neither Persian (Tajiki) nor Indonesian scholarships are offered for the academic school year. 

NSLI-Y scholarships are full scholarships. If your application is successful, all expenses are covered by NSLI-Y: airfare, food, shelter, transportation, language classes, and cultural excursions/field trips, etc. 

In order to apply for NSLI-Y, you must submit an online application (click here for details about the application) by November 2, 2017, 4:00 pm EST, and submit your teacher letter of recommendation and parent statement by November 9, 2017, 4:00 pm EST. This is the first stage of the application process. If you become a semi-finalist, you will then schedule an interview, after which date you will learn if you are a NSLI-Y finalist (meaning that you were awarded the scholarship) (click here for details about the timeline). 

NSLI-Y is an amazing opportunity. As an alum of the NSLI-Y Turkish summer and Arabic academic year programs, I am more than willing to answer any questions you may have about the application process or about NSLI-Y programs! :) 

APPLY HERE

[phantaasmagorical]

y'all the Moscow metro is GORGEOUS