Listed below are several key application pitfalls to avoid on the CLS Program application:
- Spelling and grammatical errors/not following directions.
- Applying for a language without meeting the prerequisite.
- Weak letters of recommendation/letters of recommendation from high school instructors.
- Not articulating a direct correlation between the target language, current academic program, and future plans.
- Vague carer goals or lack of a clear path to career or language proficiency goals.
- Personal connection to the language rather than academic/professional.
So we shouldn't talk about our personal connection to the language/culture? Or is it okay as long as our academic/professional connection is highlighted as well?
ReplyDeleteHi Josh! It's fine to describe your personal connections to the language/culture (especially in the first essay) as long as you clearly describe your academic/professional goals in the third essay.
ReplyDeleteI have the following questions:
ReplyDelete1) The newsletter suggests that applicants applying as beginners seek professors for letter of recommendation. If I believe my previous Supervisor at school will provide me with a much stronger letter of recommendation, could I utilize this person for one letter and obtain one from a professor. Or is it strictly best for professors?
2)If I am applying as a beginner, should I leave the questions for previous course work blank and explain how my school doesn't offer my language in the essay?
3)For the transcript, do I have to transfer my grades onto the Transcript Form and upload that or can I upload my transcript directly?
Thank you.
If one is a freshman and won't be starting language courses until the second semester (after the application due date) would it be okay to use a reference from a high school teacher? Will this still be a weakness in the application?
ReplyDeleteHi Destined! In terms of your two general letters of recommendation, it is fine to have one letter from a professional reference, especially if the position you had was related to your professional goals and/or the language or region where you are applying to study). Your second general letter of reference should be from a professor who can describe your academic strengths and ability to succeed in a rigorous academic environment.
ReplyDeleteIf you are applying as a beginner, you should leave the questions about previous target language study blank. You can explain that your college/university does not offer the language that you are applying to study in your essay response. We encourage you to think creatively about how you would continue to study the language after completing the CLS Program.
For your unofficial transcript, you do not need to use the downloadable form. You are welcome to upload your unofficial transcript directly. Specific guidance on this is available in the Application Instructions.
Hi Olivia! Your language reference should be completed by your current or most recent target language instructor. In your case, because you are a freshman and will start your language course at the college-level in the spring semester, it would be ok to ask your most recent target language instructor from high school. If you are applying as a beginning-level applicant who has not studied the target language formally, you do not need a language reference form and you should submit two general letters of reference. If you have a specific question on letters of reference, please feel free to contact us directly at cls@caorc.org or by phone at 202-633-5005.
ReplyDeleteShould our responses to the questions be one concise essay or may we break it up into four separate short answer responses? Thanks
ReplyDeleteIf we do not have specific professional goals, but rather specific plans to continue learning the language and goals to incorporate the language into our future career once fluent, is this a weakness in our application? Learning the language is not a means to an end (a specific professional goal), but something I am passionate about and hope to continuing doing far into the future.
ReplyDeleteI mean specific plans to continue learning the language and GENERAL professional/career goals. Sorry if that wasn't clear in the initial question!
ReplyDeleteHi Mika! Your essays should be four separate responses, but all four essays should be in one document that you upload into your online application. Let us know if you have any further questions about the essay questions!
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie! We realize that career goals change and that you may not have formulated exactly what you hope to do in the future. We encourage you to describe your academic plans and how they may develop or influence your future career (exactly as you write above).
ReplyDeleteWhen submitting the four essay questions [in one document], should we include the questions followed by our responses? Or will including the question count toward our word limit?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
It's up to you whether you would like to include the questions, or whether you would just like to label the essay responses ("Essay One," "Essay Two," etc). The questions or labels will not count toward your word limit. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteHow specific should I be about how being apart of the CLS program will help with my Thesis/Capstone? I don't want to be too vague, but I also fear of being too specific in my responses. Is this something silly to be concerned about?
ReplyDeleteTo what extent should I discuss this program's opportunities in relation to my pursuits in research within my area of study? Surely the CLS will help foster my professional/career goals, but it might also be helpful to highlight the current and direct benefits from being apart of the program. Is this a valid logic stream?
Also, Just wanted to say having the opportunity to read postings has been really helpful in the application process!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am applying to the advanced chinese which requires you to have completed up to 3rd year chinese in college. However I started taking Chinese at 3rd year Chinese, can I still qualify for that category?
Hi Renee! It sounds like you have great ideas for how to incorporate both the benefits of participating in the program to your academic goals (perhaps more short term), and also how your language skills or regional knowledge will impact your professional career (longer term). It's great to be specific in your responses, but of course there is also the word limit to the essays that may restrict how much you can get into the details of your research. It's a fine balance, but try to use all four essays to divide up what you want to get across to the application reviewers within the amount of words allocated. Best of luck with the application process!
ReplyDeleteHi Esther! If you tested into third year of Chinese at your college, then you are eligible to apply for advanced Chinese as long as you will complete the third year of Chinese before the beginning of the summer institutes. If you have any questions about this or would like to discuss it further, please do not hesitate to contact us at www.clscholarship.org/contact.htm.
ReplyDeleteI am a little confused about the letters of recommendation. If I am currently enrolled in my target language's class and I already asked my teacher to write my recommendation for me. I have a tutor for that language who is not a college level teacher but a native speaker and she works for the government in her country. Would that be a good letter of reference? Because I am a freshman and all my classes are in big lecture halls, teachers do not really know me that well. Would it hurt my application to have my tutor write me a recommendation?
ReplyDeleteAlso for the transcript: As i said before, i am a freshman and I do not have a transcript yet. What should I do on that section of the application? and also for the GPA section, should I put my current grades since I do not officially have a GPA yet?
I have had a few years of experience studying and using my target language daily in a full-time volunteer capacity, however have had little experience studying academically. Any language instructors would have been years ago and wouldn't be familiar with my current language abilities. In this case would it be appropriate to provide two general letters of recommendation?
ReplyDeleteI will be graduating this spring (2012) from my university with my undergraduate degree. Since I am currently enrolled in an institution but won't be at the start of the program am I still eligible? Will this put me at a disadvantage? In answering the question about how I will further my knowledge of the program once it is over, I am applying for the program in Turkey and I plan on becoming a teaching assistant in Europe before continuing on to graduate school. Is living in Europe and immersing myself in the language enough of an answer to the question or do I need to be more specific?
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret! As long as you have your current instructor writing your language letter of reference, it is fine to have your general letter come from someone other than a professor at your university. We realize that freshman have only just started the fall semester! We recommend that you try to have at least one letter from your college or university, which you will fulfill with your language letter of reference! Your general letter of reference can come from the person you feel can write the strongest letter for the CLS Program experience.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of your unofficial transcript, you should upload a list of the courses that you are currently enrolled in, preferably from the online student record at your college/university. We understand that you won't have a GPA yet, and you can leave that question blank or enter N/A.
Hi Josh! If you are applying as a beginning-level student, you should submit two general letters of recommendation. If you are applying as an advanced beginner, intermediate or advanced level student, you will need to include a language letter of reference. If you cannot locate one of your previous instructors or if your main source of learning the language has been through living overseas, we recommend trying to locate an instructor of the language in your area who could meet with you to determine your current level of knowledge and complete the language letter of reference on your behalf. He or she would be able to compare your language level to other students at various levels of proficiency. If you would like to discuss this with the CLS Program, please feel free to contact us at www.CLScholarship.org/contact.htm.
ReplyDeleteHi "rlanger"! You are eligible to apply as long as you are currently enrolled at the time of application (this semester). It is fine if you are graduating before the beginning of the CLS institutes. Your plan for continuing to study the language by living in the country where the target language is spoken is a great example of how you might continue to study a language even if formal classes aren't available. You can be as specific as you can given the number of words allowed for the essay response. Best of luck with the application process!
ReplyDeleteI have a question regarding the
ReplyDelete"Employment/Volunteer Involvement/Campus Activities" section.
Should I include jobs where I worked in the target language country although the job itself did not further my professional goal?
For Example: I lived and worked in Russia for three months as a dishwasher. The fact that I was living in Russia familiarized me with the language and culture. However, my professional goal is to become a lawyer who assists Russian immigrants, not to become a dishwasher. Would I put my dishwasher job in this section?
I have a question about reference letters. I just started graduate school this semester. I am currently taking Indonesian as a language and am using my current Indonesian professor as a language reference. I am not sure who I should use as the general reference. The situation is this: I also took Indonesian three years ago when I was an undergraduate. My undergraduate Indonesian professor is the professor whom I knew the best and have stayed in contact with more than any other. She would undoubtedly write the best letter for me. Is it okay for her to write my general reference letter and my current Indonesian professor to write my language reference even though they both taught the Indonesian language? If not, is it alright if for my general letter I get my supervisor in an internship I did over the summer to write the letter since I've been out of school for three years and don't know my current professors very well yet? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWould it be better to have a high school business teacher who has known me four years and knows how I can take pressure and heavy coursework challenges? Or would it be better to ask the head of the target language department, whose known me for about a month and a half, but seen me volunteer and active in the target language? I have already asked my university language teacher for his recommendation, so that part is covered.
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI'd just like to specify something. Under the "Language Selection" portion of the application there is question about years of formal language study prior to summer 2012. This ONLY refers to the "target language"/language we applying to study, yes?
I just noticed there wasn't really a section for years of other language study and wanted to make sure.
Thank you!
Hi TaKeZo! You are welcome to include professional positions/experiences in the application that are relevant to your professional goals, or that have impacted your language learning (such as your experience in Russia). If you would prefer, you could include this experience in the Travel section of the application.
ReplyDeleteFor the student applying to the CLS Program for Indonesian- You are welcome to have your past Indonesian instructor complete your general letter of reference. We would recommend letting her know that you would like her to serve as your general reference so that she understands that her letter should cover the questions that we ask of general reference providers.
ReplyDeleteI am a freshman, and I am taking Arabic this semester. However, I also studied Arabic in high school. Can I have both of my language teachers do the recommendation as language references or does one of them need to be a general reference provider?
ReplyDeleteHi Sasha! You are welcome to have two letters of reference from Arabic instructors. However, one of your letters should serve as your general letter of reference, and the other should serve as your language letter of reference. In your case, both of your references may provide information on your Arabic language abilities, but you will want to speak to one of your references to ensure that he or she will also be able to comment on your overall qualifications and candidacy as a CLS Program applicant.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! Yes, under the Language Selection tab, the question refers only to your target language study. You can provide information on other languages that you have studied in the "Additional Language Information" section under "Other Formal Language/s Studied."
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of detail oriented questions about the application. Where it asks about any universities previously attended, should I include the one I took a single class at while i was still in high school. Second question, I have taken target language courses previously but am not currently. Should I include this in the number of hours studied on the Current Language Target Courses page or just mention those details on the Previous Study page? Sorry if these are nit-picky, just want to make sure I get it right.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Jill
Hello CLS, could use your advise on accurately completing the Word Docs for Target Language Course history. I am currently a doctoral student who took 9 courses/30 university credits in the target language 25 years ago and am currently enrolled in a refresher course. As per my course language history from 25 years ago I no longer have record of the books used, is that OK? Additionally, should I write out a Word Doc form for each of the 9 courses or could I summarized their progression an grades on a couple pages? Thank you, Todd
ReplyDeleteI'm considering apply to the Japanese scholarship, although I have previously studied abroad in Japan. Would my previous study abroad experience make me less competitive of a applicant?
ReplyDeleteHi Jill! It’s not necessary to list the institution that you attended in high school as you took a single course there. The “Current Target Language Course” section is only for target language courses that you are taking during the fall 2011 term. Please list all target language courses taken previously in the “Other/Previous Target Language Courses” section.
ReplyDeleteHello Todd! That’s ok – please complete the form to the best of your ability. Please complete the “Other/Previous Target Language Courses” form for each target language course you have completed. Copy and paste the blank form as needed, so that all of your information is in one Word document. For example, if you have completed three classes, you will have a three-page document to upload. Save the document to your computer, and then upload it to the system.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley! Previous study abroad will not negatively impact your application.
ReplyDeleteHow strict are you about the world limit? Is it more of a guideline or do you strongly encourage us to keep it under 200 words for the short answers?
ReplyDeleteFor instance is it OK if our short answer is 220 words.. or is that going to count against us?
Are applications submitted later/on the last day considered less highly than those submitted earlier? I'm trying to be as thorough as possible with my application, so it's taking me much longer than expected to finish and submit. Thanks for your help!
ReplyDeleteHello MB! Please keep your essay responses to the word limit. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello "serendipity.poyc" - Applications will not be reviewed until after the deadline, so don't worry. Just make sure that you get your application in before the deadline!
ReplyDeleteIf I do not meet the language requirements at the time of application, but will, with formal schooling and independent study, meet the requirements by the start of the program, can I still apply for that language or would it count heavily against me?
ReplyDeleteHi "Ailiahn"! You are welcome to apply if you will meet the language requirements by the beginning of the summer institutes! There are separate sections where you can indicate what you have previously studied and what you plan to study between now and the summer institutes. Best of luck with your application!
ReplyDeleteWhen the application asks about the "range of contact hours of formal language study" I've completed, does it mean the number of hours I've spent in the target language's classes? Or does it include also hours spent independently studying for the classes?
ReplyDeleteHi CLS,
ReplyDeleteI am concerned after reading your response to another commenter that my language reference will not qualify me. I asked for a letter from my beginning arabic instructor from the last arabic class I completed. I am currently continuing arabic, but I did not use this instructor as a reference because I felt my former instructor has known me longer as a student and person.
Will my reference be accepted?
Hi CLS,
ReplyDeleteJust because the word limit is 500, does that mean they expect a 500-word response, or would 300 suffice?
Hello “mharrah” - for “Formal Language Study” please indicate the number of hours you’ve spent in the target language classes. In the “Dedicated Time” section of the form, you can detail the numbers of hours spent in class, the length of the term, number of hours per week on homework, etc. If your “independent study” in the target language was separate from your formal class work, you could indicate this in the “Additional Language Information” section.
ReplyDeleteHello EmilyEudaly! The CLS Application Instructions state, “If you are currently enrolled in a language course, the language reference must be submitted by your current instructor of the target language.” Since you have already asked your former Arabic Instructor to submit a letter of recommendation for you, we would encourage you to meet with your reference and make sure that they are familiar with your current language ability.
ReplyDeleteHello 2da9e2ec-0eae-11e1-b375-000f20980440 - There is no minimum word requirement (but the word maximum for each essay is firm).
ReplyDeleteDear CLS, thank you so much for your help. I have already met with my reference, and she is up to date with my language studies. Is there anything more I can do to make up for my overlook?
ReplyDeleteDear EmilyEdaly - It's good that your language reference is up-to-date with your current language studies. Just make sure that you submit your application by the deadline!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello - I have submitted my application, but sadly, my undergraduate institution has been unsuccessful in solving a system issue which is preventing me from accessing unofficial transcripts, so I am lacking those. Will I still have an opportunity to submit this final missing document? (Current transcripts for my graduate degree were submitted along with all other required materials). Thank you
ReplyDeleteHi Obalisk! The most important thing is that you submitted the online application by the deadline. It's great that you have your current institution's unofficial transcript in your record. Please email cls@caorc.org to let us know about the undergraduate transcript issue.
ReplyDeleteThat was really useful to me. Thanks for the indepth explanation.
ReplyDeleteSocial Media Agencies
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have a question regarding the language instructor letter of recommendation. I spent two years abroad learning the target language through self-study, and am now enrolled in a Master's level course. However, on the language placement exam that I took, I passed into an advanced class that does not begin until next semester, far past the deadline. Thus, I currently have no Japanese instructor. What should I do in this situation?
Hi!
DeleteIf you placed into the third year of Japanese at your school (meaning that you have the equivalent of two years of study) then you should be eligible for the CLS Program in Japan.
Since you don't have a current professor of Japanese, we recommend that you schedule time to sit down with the Japanese Language faculty at your University, and request an language evaluation/reference letter from one of them.
If you have any other questions, feel free to email us or call us at 202-833-7522!
I have a clear professional connection to the language, but I also have a very strong personal interest. I explain my academic and professional connections in the 3rd paragraph, but don't mention them at all in the first. Instead, I only talk about my personal interests in that essay. Is this still okay?
ReplyDeleteDear JW:
DeleteAddress your qualifications in any order you like. Just be sure that somewhere in your application you sufficiently address your professional/academic goals and how they relate to the language you are applying for.
Hi CLS,
ReplyDeleteWhen writing the essays, are you strict on the style of writing, i.e. creative versus non-creative? In other words, will a more creative style of writing put me at a disadvantage?
Hello!
DeleteWe do not assess essays on the basis of creativity. As long as your essay addresses the prompt fully and in detail, we are happy :)
Can we still apply if we don't have a 3.5 GPA?
ReplyDeleteThere is no minimum GPA necessary to apply to CLS. Do apply!
DeleteWhat if you have never formally studied the language, but lived in one of the countries for a number of years and picked it up conversationally? I lived and taught in Indonesia for 4 years, but have not studied it at university, and therefore have no one to ask for a letter of reference.
ReplyDeleteDear Jenny:
DeleteIn this case, if you are applying at anything but the Beginning level (that is, if you have any knowledge of the language beforehand) I recommend that you reach out to faculty members at your university or in the area, who would be able to assess your language level and provide a reference.
Best wishes!