The CLS deadline is Nov. 16, 2016.
UIC students interested in applying can apply directly online at http://www.clscholarship.org/
Students can receive assistance with their applications by email Beth Powers at ssp@uic.edu
WHAT IS THE CLS?
CLS offers a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate, professional and graduate students. “With the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries, CLS provides opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the United States at every level of language learning.”
CLS website: “Most languages offered by the CLS Program do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages. The CLS Program seeks participants with diverse interests, and from a wide range of fields of study and career paths, with the purpose of representing the full diversity of the United States. Participants are selected based on their commitment to language learning and plans to apply their language skills to their future academic or professional pursuits. Please note that CLS is an intensive group-based language and cultural enrichment program.”
LANGUAGES: The CLS Program offers instruction in fourteen critical languages:
No Previous Study Required
Azerbaijani
Bangla
Hindi
Indonesian
Korean
Punjabi
Swahili
Turkish
Urdu
One Year of Previous Study Required
Arabic
Persian
Two Years of Previous Study Required
Chinese
Japanese
Russian
PROGRAM BENEFITS
“The CLS Program is fully funded from start to finish. From the time you step foot out the door to the time you arrive home, the CLS Program covers many of the costs of participating in its overseas institutes, including:-Intensive overseas group based language courses (20+ hours per week)-Room and board, often with a host family-A full cultural program-Host community language partners-Domestic and international airfare
Participants receive a small stipend to cover incidental expenses and meals not provided by the program. Upon completion of the program, participants also receive a certified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) score.”
The CLS program offers a year’s worth of graded credit that you can apply to your college career.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
“CLS Program institutes cover approximately one academic year of university-level language coursework during an eight- to ten-week program and are designed to meet the needs of students from a variety of language levels and backgrounds. Formal classroom language instruction is provided for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Extracurricular activities are designed to supplement the formal curriculum, including regular one-on-one meetings with native speaker language partners for conversational practice, as well as cultural activities and excursions designed to expand students’ understanding of the history, politics, culture and daily life of their host country.”
Please direct any questions about applying for the CLS to Beth Powers at ssp@uic.edu
