NSLI-Y Parents

[Anonymous]

Any former parents here who can speak on what the program was like for their kid? Did they opt for summer or the academic year? How effective was the program towards their language goals and have they continued studies thereafter?

[Anonymous]

My kid did NSLI-Y and loved it. Great bonding experience for the summer. Selective. (I think is it a 10% acceptance rate?) worth applying for and great experience.

[Anonymous]

Also, PP here, lots of improvement in the language. It was a lot of work/hard but kid returned to school and feels much improvement in language.

[Anonymous]

It was an amazing experience for my kid last summer.

[Anonymous]

My DS did both the summer and the year in the same language. Did the year as a gap year following HS. Both were fantastic. He is solidly intermediate in speaking and reading from his year program and has continued the language in college.

While our family has only positive things to say about the program, other families in other language programs had different opinions. When in their countries, the program goes to a contractor and the strength of the program is based on the strength and professionalism of that particular program. There is an alumni and parents FB group you can join and ask specifics about programs and country placement.

[Anonymous]

My kid did summer. Super rigorous and time cobsuming- both work and time. Host family was 1 5 hrs commute each way to school every day, longer than expected. Instruction was good, lots of memorization and homework. Program was exhausting because super hot temps, long days, and lots of homework. Work wasnt hard, but just lots of it to do. My kid already had strong language foundation and speaking did improve. They wished they had more time to explore outside of class. But overall good experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid did summer. Super rigorous and time cobsuming- both work and time. Host family was 1 5 hrs commute each way to school every day, longer than expected. Instruction was good, lots of memorization and homework. Program was exhausting because super hot temps, long days, and lots of homework. Work wasnt hard, but just lots of it to do. My kid already had strong language foundation and speaking did improve. They wished they had more time to explore outside of class. But overall good experience.

Edit: 1.5 hours. Not 15!

[Anonymous]

NP. Are there countries/languages that tend to offer a better or worse experience/outcome? If so, which ones?

I'd be interested in hearing about how the program seems to accommodate those with no experience in the language vs. those with experience.

My angle: my son is taking Chinese in high school and is doing very well at it. He'd like to do a summer program in China or Taiwan while in HS. (Chinese language for him is a side interest though. He's likely to chose STEM for college.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Edit: 1.5 hours. Not 15!

Do multiple kids stay with the same host family? I'm wondering whether the kids are completely on their own for such a long commute or whether they have a commute buddy.

(Before anyone pounces on me with helicopter parent accusations: my older kid did a summer study program in Amsterdam during high school, and while they stayed in a hostel, they were supposed to commute to/from classes with a buddy. And the younger kid I'm thinking might be a candidate for NSLI-Y regularly takes city buses around our non-DMV-area suburb (with terrible public transportation options).)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Are there countries/languages that tend to offer a better or worse experience/outcome? If so, which ones?

I'd be interested in hearing about how the program seems to accommodate those with no experience in the language vs. those with experience.

My angle: my son is taking Chinese in high school and is doing very well at it. He'd like to do a summer program in China or Taiwan while in HS. (Chinese language for him is a side interest though. He's likely to chose STEM for college.)

OP here and also wondering the same. My kid is interested in Korean which I've heard is the most popular offering. Like a PP, my kid was hoping to do the summer program and then possibly an academic year following HS graduation if they liked it.

I did not know about the FB group, so thanks for the mention.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for starting this thread, OP! I wonder if most of the applicants have some knowledge of the language going in. My daughter applied years ago and wasn’t accepted (good call- I don’t think it would have been right for her, looking back). My son just applied this fall for a different language/country that he thinks is cool. His interest in language learning is off the charts and I know he’d learn quickly. I wonder if he’ll make it past the first cut.

Also interested in whether kids live alone with host families and what the professionalism is that another PP mentioned.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

It seems like they select girls far more than boys and if boys are selected, certain personalities are paramount in the decision process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like they select girls far more than boys and if boys are selected, certain personalities are paramount in the decision process.

Could you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

PP-- Our family considered this when helping our DS decide about his applications:

Chart of average language gain (our DS made language gain that aligned with this chart):

https://www.nsliforyouth.org/impact/language-gains/

State Department evaluation report prepared by a consultant:

https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/ww_nsli_y_eval_report_sep_2020.pdf

In our DS's program, he was in a host family by himself but other host families and students were within easy walking/commuting distance

No clue what a PP meant by certain personalities of male students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Edit: 1.5 hours. Not 15!

Do multiple kids stay with the same host family? I'm wondering whether the kids are completely on their own for such a long commute or whether they have a commute buddy.

(Before anyone pounces on me with helicopter parent accusations: my older kid did a summer study program in Amsterdam during high school, and while they stayed in a hostel, they were supposed to commute to/from classes with a buddy. And the younger kid I'm thinking might be a candidate for NSLI-Y regularly takes city buses around our non-DMV-area suburb (with terrible public transportation options).)

Regarding homestay/commute: Only 1 kid per host family. Host parents accompanied them for first day to show how to use public transport, then my kid traveled each day on their own. My kid didn't complain about the commute itself, but they did complain about being tired, and about not having as much free time as they would have hoped. Commute was longer than expected but all the kids in the group had similar commute time.