UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Each year, the Critical Language Scholarship program gives U.S. students the chance to immerse themselves in a in different culture for eight to 10 weeks during the summer while they study one of 15 languages deemed critical to the U.S. State Department.
Students interested in competing for the CLS program should attend the upcoming talk on Oct. 16 or make plans soon to reach out to the University Fellowships Office for help in developing their application materials. The program’s deadline is Nov. 19, while the last day to submit materials to the office for feedback is Nov. 5. A link to the CLS program application page can be found here.
The CLS program is not just for students who have a proficiency in one of the State Department’s “critical languages.” For many languages, the CLS program doesn’t demand that applicants have any prior experience with the language, only that participants have a commitment to language learning in general and have career aspirations that involve the proposed language.
The program is fully funded by the U.S. government, covering domestic travel to Washington D.C., for orientation, round trip international airfare, visa fees, housing and meals, classroom instruction, cultural programming and group trips.
This past summer, Penn State sophomore Jocelyn Krieger studied Turkish in Baku, Azerbaijan, through the CLS program.
Krieger is majoring in history and economics and minoring in French and Francophone studies, as well as Middle East studies. In September, Krieger was named as one of 30 sophomores added to the ranks of the Presidential Leadership Academy and is a Paterno Fellow, among many other activities.
The University Fellowships Office is part of the Penn State Office of Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs and initiatives in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State. Learn more about Undergraduate Education at undergrad.psu.edu.