NSLI-Y Parents

[Anonymous]

What's the difference between NSLI and CLS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the difference between NSLI and CLS?

CLS is for college students, NSLI-Y is high school.

[Anonymous]

Do we have any data on how many kids took Korean vs Chinese etc? I suspect, the total number would vary depending on the availability of host families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is all super helpful information.

I hear families saying it was a great experience - yay! I’m also sort of hearing that it wasn’t maybe *fun* for the kids? Lots and lots of work and commuting and not enough time to explore? The no handholding is fine for my son, but I would hope the experience would be fun!?

I can only speak for my kid's experience. There were some fun moments, but wouldn't describe the overall experience as fun. Language education is the primary objective and kids have tons of work. The days are long and it's intense. My kid is very independent, had prior language experience and usually petty easy-going. I think they would have had more 'fun' and would have enjoyed the host family experience more if they had less homework and had more free time to explore and learn organically. But this is not that type of program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ability of the kid to be VERY independent is a big criterion. Selection committee is looking for mature students who are unlikely to get homesick and can handle themselves on public transport without being fluent. Not for everyone. Snowflakes should not apply. There is very little handholding. Unfortunately, multiple contractors operate in the most popular countries (Korea, Taiwan). You have no control over what contractor you get. My kid had an absolutely amazing experience and people with that contractor in Korea also loved it. But other contractors not nearly as good. Some didn’t have home placements and were in dorms. It is luck of the draw.

Can you clarify what getting assigned to a contractor means? How does this differ from the typical home placement?

This means that the program is funded by the State department on the US side, but inside host countries it is managed by study abroad organizations that have offices there. My kid did YES Abroad (another state department program) And it has the same structure. State department offered the funding and provided the stateside orientation, then in her case AFS office handled homestays etc. If you look at the website for these programs, you’ll be able to see which organization is responsible for the kids in each country

[Anonymous]

PP here- Also would not describe the program as *fun* It's intense and his programs were well run. While he had fun and made lasting friends with his cohort, I think he would describe it more as rewarding than fun. It's a language program, not a travel program

[Anonymous]

Hmm. My kid was in Chinese and definitely had a ton of fun. But it was intense and hard work. Time to explore city with group and friends and family on most weekends. But week days were all language and commuting and time with family. Maybe a few hours studying in a cafe together. It is serious work but my kid didn’t want to leave!

[Anonymous]

This is helpful- thank you!!

[Anonymous]

And as for my question about whether knowing a little bit of the target language is helpful? Anyone know the answer?

[Anonymous]

My kid came in as a beginner, but there was a mandatory online language program he had to do after acceptance. They had to log a certain number of hours per week.

[Anonymous]

My kid applied this year to NSLI-Y as a sophomore - she really wants to do this program! Is it true that most students who are accepted are junior or even seniors when they apply?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid applied this year to NSLI-Y as a sophomore - she really wants to do this program! Is it true that most students who are accepted are junior or even seniors when they apply?

OP here and my kid is also a sophomore. I've heard that they prioritize older kids for both maturity and because younger applicants can always reapply. My kid wants Korean so I figure its a long shot this year.

[Anonymous]

My kid would love this. I have a couple questions.

How does this work with keeping kids on a path to graduate high school in 4 years. Do they get Math and English credits that transfer?

My kid is very insistent that he wants to do Peace Corps and then have a career related to international development. I know that Peace Corps doesn't want people with connections to the intelligence community, even something like a high school internship is disqualifying. I'm hoping that since this is State and not CIA it would be OK, but I thought I'd ask if anyone has experience.

[Anonymous]

What are the benefits of NSLI-Y other than "free" over a paid program, for the languages/countries where paid programs are available?

[Anonymous]

Since it’s selective, and shows a real motivation to learn a language, I imagine that it must help on college applications.