Month: May 2019

The Past 2½ Years ~ Zackary

May 28, 2019

I started my NSLI-Y journey 2½ years ago.

December 2016: I discover NSLI-Y because I remember my brother applied to go to China for the summer, and I say, “wuh :0 i wanna do that.” Unfortunately I am about a month too late to apply, and I have to wait many more months before the next round.

January-August 2017: I spend a LOT of time checking the website, waiting for some updated news about the next application cycle to come out. I am obsessed with reading NSLI-Y blogs and watching NSLI-Y vlogs, especially ones about going to Korea (😉) because those were the most common ones I could find on YouTube.

September 2017: Eventually the 2018-2019 application cycle opens my Junior year, and I’m PUMPED that I finally get to apply.

October 2017: Obviously I wait until the last week before they’re due (that’s actually not too bad procrastination-wise for me), write my essays, fill out a few boxes, and send out my application for NSLI-Y CHINESE (oops) Summer.

November 2017: I spend every waking hour thinking about my application.

December 2017: I receive notification that I’m a semi-finalist, and I think, “:D” I join the semi-finalist Facebook chats and the Chinese applicant chat, meet some amazing people, and make some great friends (@Ciara (she’s got into to Chinese Summer and is going to Chengdu this year!!), @Herb Chair, and so many others that I can’t name them all 💃)

January 2018: I go to my interview, and I think it goes swimmingly (I watched my interviewer’s NSLI-Y Korean vlogs beforehand by coincidence, and I had done a lot of preparation and interview practice, so everything was best-case-scenario YOU WOULD THINK).

February 2018: I never stop thinking about NSLI-Y.

March 2018: My rejection letter comes. Alas, I was a fool 😦 I read over my essays and noticed some FATAL FLAWS (they were really bad) and I get kinda depressed 😥

April-September 2018: I have to get NSLI-Y off my mind, and c**lege appl******ns are right around the corner, so I decide to focus on other things. I ditch the NSLI-Y community that I was so attached to in order to write Common App essays and prepare for senior year.

October 2018: I have 2 days before my NSLI-Y app is due and I have 5 days before my early decision dReAm ScHoOl app is due. I eek, and I shriek. My NSLI-Y app is blank and I still have to write 4 essays for college, on top of a busy schedule for school, homework, orchestra rehearsals, a critical band concert, and about 3ish hours of sleep a night. I submit my applications to NSLI-Y (Korean Summer this time 😉) and college. I die.

November 2018-February 2019: I resurrect from the dead. I get into college. I get a NSLI-Y semi-finalist email. I have my interview (barely (the system forgot about me and the interview also goes very poorly because I was sick and very socially inept that day, plus I had the most important audition of my life thus far afterward AND an orch concert after that)). Unlike last time, I forget about my NSLI-Y application and prematurely accept defeat.

March 2019: The unthinkable. I’m at my friends house playing board games and eating chips when the Korean semi-finalist Kakaotalk starts blowing up. I see that people have received acceptance emails. My inbox is empty. I feel the same burning pang of sadness in my gut as I begin to accept defeat. My friends and I go on a walk in the rain along a train track in the woods, and the last piece of hope in me decides to refresh my inbox. I see an email from NSLI-Y.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHCKKKKFKENWJWBIDNXKALWLJFJCNDKWNKABCKDNFMSMWJWBJKZPKQUWKCIRLEJHSNZKSJNCKMWIWGYABCOELPQLWKXNUXBCHJAJEESDF

  • The road: bumpy :^/
  • The friends: made Ɛ>
  • The despair: occurred :^(
  • The hope: persisted :^)
  • The lessons: learned :^0
  • The future: bright :^D

Now I’m here talking with 49 of my new bestest chingus (if you don’t speak Korean that means friends :3) on Kakaotalk more excited than I’ve ever been. I’ve been studying so much vocab for the past months to prepare, and I simply cannot wait.

If you’re a NSLI-Y applicant reading this, I hope you learn that the path to NSLI-Y is a r d u o u s but so so much fun, and it will be a journey in and of itself before you even begin to think about going to another country 🙂

The Beginning~ Jay

May 22, 2019

I was always intrigued about the complexities of the world. From its languages to its cultures, the world seemed like a place with endless possibilities. These endless possibilities propelled me into the position that I am in now— a NSLI-Y finalist who is going to spend 7 weeks in Seoul, South Korea. I knew this would only be the beginning.

I found out about NSLI-Y through an internet friend that I had made. She was aware of how interested I was in Korean culture and the language itself so she recommended the program. My initial thought was that I would never get into a program with such a competitive reputation, but I was never one to completely let a challenge stop me in my tracks. With my head held high and the support of countless friends and family members( to which I will always be grateful for), I went to work on the application process. I wrote down deadlines on sticky notes; I placed reminders on my phone to remind teachers about recommendation letters; I read the various blogs from alumni who had gone through the same process for insight. It was an ongoing process that at times made me worry quite a lot. I’ve never been one to be outright confident in getting accepted into something since I always told myself that there was a chance I would not get accepted. I live by the motto, “Expect the best but prepare for the worst.”

Luckily, on December 3rd, at exactly 5 p.m., I got the semi-finalist notification. I was ecstatic to say the least. I continued to prepare myself for the next part of the process: the Interview. With the help of an alumni from last year’s program, I was able to better prepare for the interview. I was lucky enough to be interviewed by someone who was comforting in her questions and extremely approachable. To my interviewer, if you see this, thank you :). The waiting process was agonizingly long. It felt like every other week my friends or family would ask if I heard back from NSLI-Y. This span of time between December and March, I did not stop repeating the motto mentioned before. It was allowing me to accept that if I did get in, great, but if I didn’t get in, life will go on. As life would have it, it all worked out.

I didn’t know I received the finalist email until I got home from work. I was a bit stressed due to the week that had just passed. I walked into my house and my parents decided they had to talk to me. At the time, there was a little voice in my head that said it was about the NSLI-Y program but I didn’t pay much mind to it. It was not until I read my parents email that said, “Congratulations on your (or your students) acceptance as a finalist.” As soon as I read the word finalist, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Just recounting it right now makes me feel exactly what I felt— a tingle in my fingers and rapid beating of my heart. To be extremely honest, I cried in such a way that surprised me. With the stress from the previous week and the constant nagging voice that assumed I wouldn’t get in, the news had me hunched over trying to catch my breath; I couldn’t stop laughing and crying at the same time. I was relieved that all the waiting had paid off and all my work into the interview had paid off as well as the work I put into the essays. I will forever be grateful for getting in on my first try. For those who read this in the future, know that your hard work will pay off in one way or another; Believe in yourself.

I didn’t mean to make this as long as it came out lol whoops. So yeah, that was the beginning of what’s to come. I am currently counting the days down until I leave to Seattle with 49 other people that I am dying to meet. These are the people who I alluded to in my essays; The people that I hope to make connections with that will last a lifetime. Please enjoy our journey as we venture to Seoul. Thank you for reading.

🙂

oh hello there – sophie

May 21, 2019

Hey guys! I’m Sophie. I’m from the Dallas, TX area and as of right now, I’m a senior in high school (I graduate in three days wowow). I’m so excited to spend my summer in Seoul with my fellow NSLI-Yians! (idk if I spelled that right LOL)

A little bit about my application process: This is my first year applying for NSLI-Y, and by some miracle, I got in! I didn’t find out about the program until like maybe two weeks before the application deadline, when a girl in my Chinese class, who’s a China summer alumni, shared the program with us. Once I heard about it, I knew I needed to apply, even though it was super last minute. Of course, my NSLI-Y app had to coincide with college apps, but I managed to get everything done after a few (aka many) sleepless nights. In my essays, I mainly emphasized how much I enjoy learning languages and how NSLI-Y would be beneficial for my future career goals, since I’m planning to major in international business (hook ’em 🤪🧡🤘🏼), and I hope I can live and work abroad in East Asia in the future.

When I found out I was a finalist, I was so surprised but also so so so ecstatic; I actually started shaking hahaha. I was really nervous after my interview because I thought I didn’t do well, but I guess I doubted myself too much. I’m a little sad that I’m going to spend my last summer before I go off to college away from my friends and family, but I’m so thankful for this opportunity, and I’m definitely going to make the most out of it!

It still hasn’t really hit me that I’ll be spending seven weeks of my summer on the other side of the planet, but I’m so ready because I know it’s going to be amazing. I don’t know how often I’ll be posting, but I’ll try to update at least once a week once program starts. I’m hoping to make one of those “one second a day” videos and I’ll definitely share it with y’all once I finish it!

Thanks for reading my rambling and I hope you enjoy following us on our journey!

And so it begins- Daniel

May 21, 2019

It’s real right?

Honestly, I still can’t believe that I’m going to South Korea this summer. Its been a wild ride so far and I hope it keeps on going. I’m not too sure of what I’m even supposed to do to stay patient (lol).

I’m hoping that this journey will help me a lot in the long run. Especially since I want to teach in Korea after college. But hey you’re not here for me to keep rambling on like an old man (or are you?) I guess I’ll also drop what exactly happened on the day I got accepted.

It was honestly just like any other day, go to school, study, die a little inside from it, and come home. I remember seeing the email that said I was chosen as a finalist and I just sprawled out on my bed with a huge smile on my face… it would’ve probably creeped anyone one honesetly…

But after that moment I’ve been able to meet so many unique and interesting people in both the NSLI-Y Finalist Kakao chat and Semi- Finalist chat. Hopefully, I’ll make a couple of good friends too on program.

But until June 24th, I guess I’ll just be stuck here in good ol’ Virginia bored outta my mind eh? This is how it begins. Just like any other journey, with a single step.

You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation – Ava

May 20, 2019

“Wait so… Where are you going this summer? Ohhh, haha not North Korea though, right? Hahaha, get it? Ok, but why are you even going?”

That’s the reaction I get when I tell people about NSLI-Y. I have two uncles who are Korean adoptees and have been studying the language for four years, have spent a few birthdays away at Korean language immersion camp, and it’s become a huge part of my life. But never mind all that. I’ll tell you why else I’m going, and why I’m going with NSLI-Y.

I heard about NSLI-Y three years ago and knew I was going to apply. I had been looking to study abroad for two years before that, but every program was around $6,000, which definitely wasn’t happening. For two years, I timidly followed a large sum of Instagram accounts and blogs to keep an eye on the program, and decided that my prime time was summer after my junior year. When I applied, I told everyone. Teachers, family, classmates, my dentist; I was so thrilled to even apply for this program. But I didn’t bank on getting in. After all, it was extremely competitive. I spent a couple weeks on my application and sent it in, expecting nothing back. I went on with my life, and then was slapped in the face by my semi-finalist notification in December. Things were getting serious.

I had always dreamt of traveling the world. Minnesota is not exactly somewhere I’d consider thrilling, especially after 16 years of it. I had only been to the surrounding midwestern states, rural Georgia to visit family, and and Chicago, once. I love huge cities, airports are exciting, and I have always longed to venture further than the small terminal of MSP. But it was never in the budget. I never had a passport, because even if I did, the furthest I’d get to go was southern Canada, by terribly long road trip. Other study abroad programs were thousands of dollars. It didn’t help that my stepsisters, who have family in Spain, toured Europe every summer, and sometimes twice a year. I felt like my own family was living my dream and I was never able to. Admittedly, I still feel so jealous of them. I’m just glad that this summer, instead of watching them have the summer of their lives while working full time, I’ll be having the summer of my life a bit further east of them.

After making semi-finals, I went out and told literally everyone I could talk to, again. For some people this kind of thing was a vacation. For me, with big dreams of travel and language learning, applying for my first ever passport was a dream come true. I had been outside, observing the program for so long. Actually doing it, going through the motions, was absolutely insane to me. It was only during semi-finals that I realized so many other applicants were doing the exact same things as me. I joined Facebook groups, chats on Kakaotalk, the whole lot. I started to really anticipate spending time with these people, to finally meet a group of such like-minded people, to properly get to know them all.

Before, I had been set on not telling myself I’d get in. After all, I’d make the most of my summer either way! But after meeting and talking to these people for a few weeks, I wanted to spend my summer with them so bad. The people I’ve met through my journey learning Korean have been so impactful and irreplaceable. From camp to NSLI-Y to the 할머니 at the Korean market, I have been connected to amazing people with diverse experiences and made lifelong friends. It’s these people that have kept me studying hard, moving forward, and made all my efforts worth it.

The day finalist notifications came out, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was representing South Korea at a 3-day, statewide Model UN conference when it happened. I sat in my committee smiling like an absolute fool while everyone discussed heavy topics. I probably looked like a terrible person. I called my mom and told her right away. I told the group chat. I told my committee chair, who (surprise!) told me she spent last summer in Jeonju, and was in the runnings for Academic Year this year. (If you ever read this, congrats Sophie!) During evening activities, I mini-celebrated with all my friends; I was surrounded by people who were supportive and excited for me, and nothing felt better. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted NSLI-Y. There was a weight off my shoulders suddenly, an enormous one I hadn’t felt until I realized I didn’t feel it anymore. From then on, school got easier, I got happier, life moved on a little bit smoother. I had done the seemingly impossible.

I am so fortunate and very, very lucky to have made it my first year applying. It’s been my dream for a long time, but it was still my first time around. There’s no tricks, no strings you can pull. I just got lucky.

Here’s the version I tell my confused onlookers: I’ve been studying for a long time and I won an amazing scholarship, I would be an idiot not to take all of the amazing opportunities it presents me with.

As I gear up for this summer, I really hope things start feeling real. Because right now, with only 35 days left in Minnesota, they still don’t. I am filled with excitement, passion, and four years of built up anticipation, but am still struggling to process the amazing opportunity I’ve been handed. I have started writing on my own blog, and you can read more about my experience with Korean and overall language learning HERE.

This is going to be the best summer of my life. Of so many of our lives. So many dreams are coming true. Thanks for coming along.

My Journey to NSLI-Y – Aaron

May 12, 2019

I made it.

I realize that saying that seems a bit overdramatic, as if I just ran a marathon or hiked up a mountain, but this has been quite a journey for me. I am a NSLI-Y Seoul Summer Finalist and it feels amazing that I can finally say that.

My journey through NSLI-Y has been… a process. I initially applied on a whim my sophomore year of high school and was surprised when I got a notification back in December that I was a Semi-Finalist for the program. Looking back, this is very surprising considering how rushed my essays were and how nervous I was about applying, but I guess they saw some amount of potential at that point. Once I got my foot in the gate, I decided to actually let myself into the community a bit more. I joined into the semi-finalist group chat after finding out about it through a Facebook post and it was… a lot. There were over 70 people in there and as soon as I joined, I was readily greeted, which sounds reassuring, but in reality was nerve-wrecking and sent me into a panic attack over every word I said for the next 2 hours. But I grew to know the people and became more confident in chatting with these very nice strangers who happened to share my interests in learning languages. When I didn’t get in that year, I was sad but knew I had a good chance my junior year. So, when my notification in December came back negative that time, it hurt a lot more. I had previously made it through the gate, but now it felt like I was being denied entry, as if for some reason this was personally against me. This obviously isn’t true in retrospect, but what made me more comfortable with this setback was the friends I made through this process. A few of us made our own group chat and helped each other out with reassurances and memes and guarantees that when we made it in the next year, we would all go on a big picnic together. This reminder of how connected I felt in the community kept me applying for my senior year, what I knew to be my last chance for NSLI-Y, so I poured my heart into my essays. I started them earlier than previous years, asked alumni and fellow applicants to look over them, and tried to write and show more of why I was right for this scholarship more now than any previous year. When I made it to semifinals again, I was ecstatic that I had a chance again, but not all of the friends I made had a chance of coming with me.

I could go through my process of interviews or the strain that waiting took on me and my friends, but I feel like it is more important to say how thankful I am to receive this scholarship and for the people that have supported me this entire time. Some of the most encouraging and caring people I have ever had the chance of calling my friends I have met through just the application process of this program. I have gotten to know them, and we have chatted through late nights and shared what is happening in our lives, but the thing they have done that some of the friends I have had at school for years didn’t do was to be happy for me regardless of anything else. To be genuinely happy for me, and to not be upset that we can’t meet but instead to tell me to have a great time and experience it for them. So this trip I am dedicating myself to fully immersing myself into the language and culture of Korea, to live this trip to the fullest and work myself to the bone to prove that I have deserved it and make the people that have been cheering me on this entire time proud. They might not be there to join me, but I can still continue with them in mind.

So with that in mind, my advice to any future applicants is this: live and learn through the journey of the application, not just the potential scholarship. Join group chats and Facebook groups and make friends with the high schoolers across the country who understand your desire to learn and experience language and culture and to see the world, we are a rare breed of nerd. I haven’t met a single one of these people in person, yet I trust them. We have been there for each other for stressful months of waiting, I have made friends and started making plans with the people I am going to meet. This is all real, it can finally feel real, because of the people I have met along the way. So apply as often as you can, never give up on trying, even if it takes three times like me, or even if you never quite make it. But use the experience of the application and the process of taking chances like this to further yourself, to meet new people, and to broaden your view of the world vicariously through their experiences.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this process, and I cannot wait to make you proud as I venture out into the world. I will treasure every moment of it.

Aaron