Hello. Welcome to this interest meeting about the Critical Language Scholarship Program. >> My name is Lisa Chieffo. >> I'm the Interim Director of the Institute for Global Studies at the University of Delaware. And I've also been involved in CLS for a while. >> I will say from the very beginning that this is the interest meeting that I presented in the Fall of 2019 for the summer 2020 program. The summer 2021 program has not yet been posted on CLS's website, but the information stays very similar from year to year. So we will talk about the 2020 program. >> But like I said, it should be pretty similar from year to year. >> What is CLS? >> Well, it is a summer study abroad program and it allows students to study certain languages. >> It doesn't matter what the student's background is, but they have to be interested in studying what are called lesser taught languages. >> And it is a fully-funded study abroad opportunity. >> So students who go don't have to pay anything. >> They just have to have a passport. >> So it's a great opportunity for students interested in learning, in studying lesser taught languages. And we'll see what those languages are in a moment. >> The way these languages are defined, are that there are languages that the U.S. government thinks are critical to U.S. national security. >> That is, it's important for more Americans to know these languages well. And so that's why the U.S. government is interested in funding opportunities to have more Americans become fluent speakers of these languages. >> So here are the languages, and I think you'll agree that they really can be classified as lesser taught. Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Indonesian, Persian, Punjabi, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu none of which are taught at the University of Delaware, most of which are not taught at most higher education institutions, colleges, universities in the United States. That's why it is so hard to become fluent in them unless you have family background and you're able to learn from your family. >> And then of course, there's Arabic, Korean, Portugese, and Russian, which are taught at some institutions. And UD offers Arabic, Russian, and Portuguese to a limited extent, and Chinese and Japanese are studied or offered at many universities including UD. >> And these also are CLS languages. For many of the languages as you see there in the brown box, you don't need any background. So you can apply for CLS scholarship and say >> I want to I want to study Bangla, I want to study Indonesian. >> That's really important to me because... and that's where you get to the application piece. >> I want to study Portuguese, I want to study Russian. >> But there you need some background. >> And you see you have to have had some background those languages. >> So your Critical Language Scholarship experience in the summer is not going to start at the beginning. They don't want beginners. And for Chinese and Japanese, you need to have a little bit more before you start the program. So they want people at a higher level so that you can progress further. In CLS, it's all about how far can you get in that summer study abroad experience. >> That's what the U.S. government wants to see, that you're going to be able to acquire this language quickly and then continue it. So I mentioned these are U.S. government scholarships. And so what does the government fund? >> Well, it's really a pretty good deal? >> It funds your domestic travel to Washington, D.C. where you have an orientation. You come together with everybody else in your cohort. It funds, your airfare. If there's a visa, which there probably is for a lot of the countries where these programs take place, covered. It covers all your housing, all your meals, all your instructional costs, and all the programs, the trips, all the things that the groups do. So like I said, it's a very good deal. >> You do need to get a passport. >> You can earn undergraduate credit, which you can then transfer to the University of Delaware if you want. >> There's no reason really not to, you might as well. The school of record, that is the school that actually transcripts the work, is Bryn Mawr College, which is an accredited college outside of Philadelphia. >> I'm sure UD accepts Bryn Mawr transfer credit. So you could actually transfer your credit, in for Bengali or Japanese or whatever it is that you're studying on the CLS scholarship. >> So how does this work? >> Well, you can't just apply to your own study abroad program. Doesn't work that way. ClS runs the programs because they want them very carefully scheduled and organized and structured in the way that they think is going to be optimal for your language and cultural acquisition. So CLS runs them, or CLS partners with organizations on the ground in various countries that run these programs. >> And there aren't many in a cohort, as you see, only up to 30. >> And some are even smaller with some of the lesser taught languages. And everybody kind of does the same thing. They're very intensive. >> So 20 hours of language classes a week, that's a lot. >> If it's a 5-day week, that's four hours in the classroom every day. And then there are mandatory excursions, activities, group trips, things like that. And most of these are homestay programs, again, for optimal language exposure. >> And you really have to take a language pledge. You have to say, I'm not going to speak English, which is very tricky if you don't know any Azerbaijani and you get there and you have to speak it. >> So I think they give a little break to the beginners at the beginning of their program, but you have to be very, very committed. >> That is the language policy that's noted here on the screen. You have a local person who's a host who is a native speaker to help you, your language partner. And I should mention that you apply for a language. So in some languages that are multiple locations, for example, Arabic. For example, >> there might be a program in Jordan and one in Oman. You might say, I want to go to Oman. I don't want to go to Jordan. It doesn't matter. You apply for Arabic and then they are going to place you. Maybe the advanced Arabic students are in Oman one year, and you're not advanced. So you're going to get to, to Jordan. So you apply for your language and they're going to place you where you will fit. >> That's how it works. >> It's very important for in the CLS program that you understand that you're part of a cohort, you're part of a group. >> And that's actually one of the questions >> in the application, is how you're going to fare as part of a group. >> So you have to be kind of a team player or at least be willing to go along with that >> while you're a part of the program. >> Because as you can imagine, it doesn't, >> It doesn't do well when somebody goes off on their own all the time. And these are often places where the culture is very different and it might not be appropriate. >> People don't know the language very well, >> and so it's really important that you kind of remain with the group and also practicing the language all the time. The diversity component is also extremely important. This is a federally funded program, and so the U.S. government is very interested in having diverse cohorts. I mean, they really want to brag about that, but just in general, they want the folks abroad to reflect the myriad diversity in all its ways, in all its forms in the United States and among U.S. students. So there are graduate and undergraduate students. And I should have said at the beginning that this program is open to graduate students, just like it is to undergrads with students. Various types of institutions, so UD is kind of a run-of-the-mill research institution. But there are students there from community colleges, small liberal arts colleges, all different kinds of schools, right? Students who have been abroad and students who have never been abroad are part of the program. >> Students who identify as students of color, students who are from rural areas, urban areas, all around the U.S., all those kinds of things. So diversity basically in all of it's, in all of its forms. >> And there's somebody there to kind of manage this group. So you're part of this cohort. >> Okay? So why would you want to do this, where >> you have to study four hours of the language a day, and you have to be part of this group? >> Sounds kind of stressful. >> And it can be very stressful. >> And in fact, one of the questions in the application asks you, how did you overcome ever, and what kind of challenges have you had in your life? >> And how did you overcome them? >> And what strategies did you develop to overcome them? >> Because I want to make sure you don't get on the next plane home after you've landed in Indonesia, right? >> They want to make sure that you can manage the stress. >> And so it's not an easy thing for hours of language study, the language pledge, living in a homestay family. But what do you get out of it? >> So you're going to come back, hopefully if you do what you're supposed to and you're a good language learner, as if you had two semesters worth of coursework and that in eight to ten weeks. >> So it's very intense, right? And you actually have a certification, the OPI, the oral proficiency interviews saying what level you are. And that's recognized certainly throughout the U.S. and potentially even internationally, to show what level you started at, that they test you at the beginning, and where you ended. >> And so you can see those advanced levels. And that means if you're taking that particular language at UD, let's say Arabic or Japanese or Chinese, You could then come back to UD, and, and start at a much higher level than you otherwise would have. So let's say you're finishing the 100 level >> of any of those languages here at UD, and you have a summer program and you might come back then already ready for the 300 level work. >> So it could really help you accelerate if you're a major or minor, or help you add a minor, for example, or a double-major, any of those things, ok? And it could hopefully advance your career. >> And that's one of the other arguments that you need to make in the many short answer questions that they ask you, >> you're asked on the application. >> Namely, how's this going to fit into your career plan, your further education? >> And that is sometimes a tough argument to make, particularly in a language where it's not so obvious. >> Why do you need to know Urdu, for example? How does Hindi fit in? It might be more difficult than Japanese or Chinese. Nevertheless, you need to make that argument and then this could advance your career, particularly for students interested in foreign service, >> for example. >> Again, this is a U.S. government funded program. >> The U.S. government wants to see people applying to Foreign Service who are fluent in the languages of the countries where the U.S. has an interest and where there are so few people who are both linguistically and culturally proficient. >> Okay? >> Other benefits, you're going to be able to build relationships. If you've traveled before or even if you haven't traveled before, and you've just been in college, living in the residence hall, >> you know that those shared experiences that can engender lots of good, really close relationships. If you've gone through a stressful time together, you've overcome a challenge together. >> Something like having four hours of language study a day and only being able to speak that language, that's really challenging. >> And if you've gone through that with a bunch of people, you can get very tight with them. >> So that's definitely a benefit. Okay? >> And you have all these alumni who have also done this. So this program has been going on for a number of years. >> I want to say at least 10 to 15 years. >> And so you have all these CLS alumni that you're linked with. Many of them work for the Department of State, have other government jobs and so CLS alumni will recognize each other. >> This is a pretty competitive award. >> So they know CLS alumni are good language learners. >> They're good students. >> They're going to be resilient people, the kind of people that any employer would want to see. And so, right there, you've built a professional network as well and you get some legs up on U.S. government jobs. Okay, so where do you find out more information? >> Well, here you see the CLS scholarship website. >> They have not yet posted the deadline for 2020, which is for the Summer '21 round. Last year, >> the deadline was November 19th. It changes a little bit, but it's usually around mid November every year. >> Okay. >> Usually they post the applications, >> they open it, in September. >> So some things to remember, you apply for one language. So you do have to decide, and it's not for a country. >> It's a language. I'm going to apply for Russian. And the application is really not long. You have to upload your unofficial transcript, which you can order in UDSIS. >> Two recommendations, that's very important to get folks who will recommend you and who can talk about your skill as a language learner, but also your resilience and adaptability. >> How you're going to fare in that group, the situation, in stressful situations, that's very important. >> And then you have some essays and a personal statement. >> And I've alluded to the content of some of those. They want to know how your right to adapt and fair, et cetera, in that stressful situation, >> what you know about the host country, why you've chosen that >> host language, I should say, and where you might be studying and what you know about it and why it's so dear to you. >> The eligibility, it's pretty straightforward. >> You must be a U.S. citizen. So you have to, you cannot be a non-citizen. >> You can't even be applying for naturalization. >> You must be a U.S. citizen when you apply, that's a non-negotiable and you must be a student in a degree program. >> Now it doesn't mean you have to be in degree program when you go. So you can apply for CLS in the fall of your senior year as an undergraduate. You can apply when you're finishing up your doctorate and then get the degree. >> But you have to be in a program when you apply, okay? >> And you have to be, you can't be a minor when you go. >> All right. >> And again, a large range of academic disciplines-- that is not going to hold you back. >> It doesn't really matter what your discipline is. >> Not a language major? Doesn't matter. >> Most students aren't. Okay? Background also does not matter. Again, CLS is looking for that breadth. Breadth, >> even in academic discipline, in graduate, undergraduate, all of those things. >> Ok? >> So when you apply, it's really important that you that you make yourself shine through. I was on the selection committee for CLS. >> I selected for Turkish one year and I had to read 70 applications about why people wanted to study Turkish. >> And after about ten of them, they all start to sound alike, I'm sorry to say. >> So you want to make yourself stand out to the people who are reading and making these decisions. >> Why are you going to percolate to the top of the pile and others are not? >> Okay? >> So you need to show that motivation. >> So for example, if you're so excited about learning Turkish, what are you doing now on our campus to acquire some Turkish, even though it's not offered? >> Do you know any people from Turkey? >>Have you started studying it on your own? What have you done? >> And so a student who doesn't mention that or hasn't done any of that, comes across is less motivated. >> Right. >> So anything that you can do now ahead of time. If you contacted UD's English Language Institute, for example, do you have a host partner program? >> Have you investigated this language? >> And are you practicing it on your own? >> Do you watch any films? >> What are you doing? >> And how is this language relevant to your future education and career? >> Why is it so important that you, that you know Urdu or Hindi or become super fluent in Arabic. >> What's the relevance of that? >> And that's an important argument to make. >> So be realistic as well >> and as specific as is reasonable. >> You don't have to have your whole life planned out, especially if you're a first year student. >> Probably if you're a doctoral student, you should have a pretty specific plan for why you need this language, but it's really commensurate with your level of education. But it has to be pretty specific. >>If you say, well, I'd like to work for the federal government, that's kind of vague. So in what aspect? You can go online and federal jobs, that's public information. >> What jobs might require this or that >> language or a particular language skill? >> And are you on the right path to pursue that job? >> You don't have to work for the federal government. It can be, you can argue something else. >> But it needs to be well-reasoned. And it can be multiple things. I might be interested in this or that, but this language is going to be crucial whichever one I choose. >> So it should be well-reasoned. >> The CLS website has videos of their webinars and tips >> that I would advise you to take a look at. Also, please have somebody review your essays before you submit them. >> I can do that. >> Or there's also Dr. Daniel Bottomley in my office in the Institute for Global Studies, who himself is a CLS alumnus. >> He received a scholarship to study Indonesian as doctoral student. >> And he is also a really good resource to get feedback about your essays. >> Okay, so the application, I think I mentioned, opens in September typically, and the deadline is mid November. Don't wait till the last minute. >> Don't want asked me the night before it's due to read your essays and give you feedback. >> Give me some time, give anyone some time to do that. >> Same with the recommenders, although they do have the recommendations be due a couple days after the actual application deadline. But still, you want to give people time to write the recommendation. Don't ask them the day or even the week before it's due. Give them at least a month, maybe even longer. And think about what those recommenders are going to say. >> What do they have to say about you? >> How much do they know about you, >> your resilience, your adaptability, flexibility, and the need for you to know this language for your future education and career? >> And how are you as a language learner? >> How are you, how tenacious are you? Then you find out in the spring usually, and then off you go in June. So it takes up most of your summer. >> So this is not a Summer you are really going to be really doing anything else. >> So this could be you. We have Ricky Egan, who is a graduate student at UD in Chemical Engineering, who was in Japan in the summer of 2018. >> And Rebecca King, who is graduating in the Spring of '20, received a CLS to be in Russia in the summer of 2019. >> Sadly, we did have two students win this award for Arabic to go away in the summer of 2020. >> And unfortunately, programs were cancelled due to the coronavirus, but we did have those students as well. >> So UD always gets a couple recipients of the award. We don't have a lot of applicants. >> So, given that we don't have a lot of applicants, we have a pretty good track record. >> We'd love to, of course, get more applicants and mentor them so we have even a more successful track record. >> So if you have any questions, you can call American Councils directly. That is the organization that actually manages the grant from the government, the the grant for the CLS. >> You can go to their website, which is very informative, but right on campus as I said in the Institute for Global Studies, you can contact me, >> Lisa Chieffo, or Daniel Daniel Bottomley, who's our Associate Director of Partnerships and Programs, who was the CLS alumnus I mentioned before. So thank you for your attention and we look forward to, I look forward to, getting your applications and reading your essays and I hope that you intend to apply for the program.

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Information Session

From Kaitlyn Laws May 07, 2020

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The CLS Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for U.S. citizen students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid gains in lesser-taught languages.The Critical Language Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by American Councils for International Education. Learn more during this UD Information Session.

Department Name: Institute for Global Studies
Department Division: Marketing
Date Established: May 07, 2020
Appears In: Institute for Global Studies

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