The CLS Program Let the audience know that the CLS Program is a government scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Department of stated, funded by taxpayer monies.

Welcome! My CLS Program Experience CLS Program Information Other Opportunities Questions!

CLS Program Experience I spent a summer in [country] learning [language] Here’s some of what I did! With photos! Here’s where you can go into detail about your experience on the CLS Program. Include your own pictures to really make your story come to life and share your enthusiasm for the program! Photos!

CLS Program Experience More information about my experience on the program! Topics could include Your language partner Your host family/local roommate Program excursions In-class experience Photos! Add as many slides as you’d like to show your experience on the program, but remember that you’re not giving a recap of every single activity you participated in. Try to stick to the highlights that show important parts of what made your CLS experience unique. Some topics could include: Your language partner Your host family or local roommate Program excursions In-class experiences Everyday occurrences that taught you interesting things about the host culture

Critical Language Scholarship Program Summer study abroad program For U.S. students in all fields to study critical languages Fully-funded – everything paid for except your passport Here’s where you can share some background information about what the CLS Program is. Remember, you don’t need to know all of the details or the answers to every question! You’re here to talk about your experience of the CLS Program and direct students to other resources if they have more specific questions. Things NOT to focus on: Why is [language] considered critical? Which language is the easiest for me to get accepted to? Do they have host families in [site]? How do they vet the host families? What will they feed me? Will there be wi-fi? If I’m enrolled in [language] and… and… and… am I eligible for the program? DO focus on: What is a critical language? Why should I want to learn one? Why did you choose [language]? Where can I find more information about eligibility?

Critical Language Scholarship Program Less-commonly taught and studied on U.S. campuses Critical to our engagement with the world, and to U.S. national security and economic prosperity Prepare U.S. students to compete in a globalized workforce You do NOT need to know: Why any language in particular is or is not considered to be a critical language The answer to every specific program question—you can direct them to program resources for those!

Critical Language Scholarship Program No Experience Required Azerbaijani Bangla Hindi Indonesian Persian Punjabi Swahili Turkish Urdu Some Prerequisites* Arabic Chinese Japanese Korean Portuguese Russian Don’t worry about needing to know all of the prerequisites for the languages! This can give students an overview, and they can find more detailed information about language levels on our website. *More information at: http://clscholarship.org

Critical Language Scholarship Program Fully-funded by the U.S. government Includes: Domestic travel to Washington, D.C. for an orientation Round-trip international airfare Applicable visa fees Housing and meals Classroom instruction Cultural programming and group trips Undergraduate academic credit (Bryn Mawr College)

Critical Language Scholarship Program Partner institutes each host up to 30 CLS students Everyone shares the same weekly schedule 20 hours of language classes Cultural activities and local excursions Weekend overnight group trips Designed for language gains and cultural immersion: Students apply for a language (not a country) Language policy Most students live with host families All students have a language partner Personalize this slide with information about your day-to-day experience on the program! How much time did you spend in class? What was the workload like? What kinds of cultural activities and excursions did you take part in? Did you take any overnight group trips? Talk about why you applied and studied the language What was your experience with the language policy? What was your living situation like? How was the language partner program structured for your group?

Program Benefits Make rapid gains in language skills Advance your career Many U.S. companies give advantage to candidates with language skills Studying abroad builds experience in problem solving, communication, and other employable skills Build international relationships Learn to effectively collaborate and communicate with people in cross-cultural settings Join a network of successful alumni Personalize this! What were your experiences of the benefits of the program? Your language gains? Any changes in your career or academic goals based on participation in the program? Any skills outside of language gains that you developed as a result of participation in the program? What has been your experience as an alumnx of the program? Any opportunities you’ve been able to take advantage of thanks to being an alumnx of the CLS Program? Any other alumni you’ve connected with throughout your time on the program or since?

Application Tips Ideal candidates: Come from ALL academic disciplines Come from ALL backgrounds, and are interested in representing the U.S. abroad Demonstrate that they understand the program and are prepared to succeed Show that they are excited and motivated to begin or continue learning a critical language Make a clear connection between the target language and their future career plans Visit the CLS website for our official application tips video, and more information about the selection process.

More Information? The CLS Website On Your Campus! Find information about eligibility criteria, language levels, and prerequisites Watch the CLS application tips video Find CLS Advisors on your campus On Your Campus! Find your campus advisor by visiting http://clscholarship.org/universities Seek advising from: Study Abroad and Fellowships Offices Language Faculty The CLS website has a wealth of information for applicants about: Eligibility criteria Language levels and prerequisites Selection criteria Application tips (official application tips video) Advisors on each university campus Reasons to apply for CLS The structure of the program

Additional Study Abroad Resources studyabroad.state.gov Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Fulbright U.S. Student Program The CLS Program may not be the right fit for everyone, and that’s ok! This is a good moment to share that there are a lot of other opportunities for students to go abroad. Students can visit studyabroad.state.gov to see other U.S. Department of State programs Visit their campus study abroad offices to find out about other study abroad opportunities available to them If you’ve participated in other programs, you are welcome to add those here.

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