NSLI-Y Application Pt.1: Personal Information, Extracurriculars, Letters of Rec, Etc.!

So much to say...so limited word count!

Hello Adventurers! As you embark on NSLI-Y's lengthy Application Process, you will face dangerous waters: writing essays, crafting a letter to your host family, and boasting about your activities both inside and outside of school. (Well, boasting may not be the best word choice, but THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE. Don't be shy!)

Let's start with the Personal Information Section

Don't feel bad if you don't have cultural/international exchange experience. I have only been outside of the U.S. once on a spring break trip to New Zealand and Australia. There were no language barriers I faced, however, I explained the cultural barriers I tackled while staying there for 2 weeks in my essays. You'll read about that in Pt. 2.

Highlight your top hobbies/activities in the next section. Although I'm a Key Club member at school, I didn't include this on my application because I wasn't super passionate about the service projects we did. I did include volunteer work and art activities. Some people said to avoid mentioning Kpop if you're applying to the Korean program, but I plugged my Kpop dance team in this section because it was a really important activity for me. It also showcased my leadership skills as I was dance captain and founder of my team :)

Next, internships and paid jobs. I worked as a hostess/busser at a local restaurant during my junior and senior year, so I put that down.

For the awards and honors section, don't be shy! If you got recognized for a quirky project or accomplishment, mention it! My school is very anti-competition, so we do not rank and hardly give out awards. For this section I put my Distinguished Scholar Award (4.0 GPA), my Distinguished Young Women of Los Angeles Scholastic Finalist Award (more detail in essays), and a Collaboration Award (awarded to one member in the entire Musical Theatre Conservatory at CSArts, my high school).

Next: Letters of Recommendation

You don't need a recommendation from a language teacher! I had a distant relationship with my Spanish teacher, so I refrained from asking her to write my letter. Instead, I reached out to my chem teacher, who had taught me for 2 years and had seen me overcome challenges at my lowest of lows. (If you've taken AP Chem, you know what I mean by lowest of lows lol.)

I don't think the parent recommendation needs to be amazing. My Dad wrote it and sent it in one sitting. It gave me a mini heart-attack that he didn't run it through Grammarly first, but I guess it turned out well! I'm pretty sure they're just looking for parent support, not a perfect essay.

Program Preferences and Language Experience

Be honest and true with yourself. There is nothing wrong with entering NSLI-y as a beginner. In fact, I wrote that I was a beginner because at the time, I was!

I picked Korean AY as my first choice and Korean Summer as my second choice. I really, really wanted to study Korean.

Stay tuned for part two of the Online Application Adventure, where we discover the magic of CollegeVine for essay writing!!