I am a rising ninth-grader and am planning on applying to K-L YES abroad, NSLI-Y, and CBYX for my sophomore year of high school. I will be applying the fall of my freshman year, which raises the problem of obtaining teacher recommendations from teachers I barely know. The recs are due in early November, and I am worried that teachers will not write a recommendation for an unknown student, especially since I am not the shining star of the class (I have excellent grades, but I’m kind of awkward around teachers). Should I ask my freshman teachers, and if so when should I ask? Would asking my eighth-grade teachers be possible? (I highly doubt it). I would go later in high school, but I am planning on dual enrolling in junior/senior year (it is free so it is big savings for my family). These scholarships are highly competitive and I want to look as strong an applicant as possible. I would highly appreciate any advice on when, if and how I should ask my teachers for a rec.
Just so you’re aware, the odds of acceptance for a sophomore are very slim. Your odds are better as a junior, but you need to decide if you’d rather do that or doing DE.
At least for the last 2 on your list, you can use an 8th grade teacher recommendation.
@KnowerRower Hello! This is an older post, but I figured I’d shoot a reply your way because I was in a similar position this year as a freshman applying for NSLI-Y. Because the application opens in August and closes in November, I didn’t feel I had a strong enough connection with my new teachers after just two months of school. NSLI-Y allows freshmen applicants to request a recommendation from an eighth grade teacher, so I ultimately asked a teacher from my middle school that I knew very well. I asked fairly late in the game (a few days before the application was due and a week and a half before the teacher recommendation was due), but we were on good terms and he was fine with it. Ask your teacher earlier than I did!! That gives them time to write the best possible recommendation or enough time to decide that they don’t know you well enough and decline (giving you the opportunity to find a better candidate). I’m currently a semi finalist for a summer program (notifications come out soon).
During February, however, I had another application due and asked a current teacher to write it. I felt that five months was enough time for her to get to know me as a student and person. I know that YES applications are due in December, so if you feel your teachers can vouch for your maturity and ability to thrive abroad after three months, go for it! Two months for NSLI-Y applications is kind of on the edge in my opinion, but ask a teacher who knows you well, whether that’s a middle school or high school teacher.
To reiterate what the above poster said, these scholarships are highly competitive, especially for underclassmen. I don’t know of anyone who traveled abroad their sophomore year through a NSLI-Y year program, although I think it’s a bit more common for YES Abroad students. It sounds like you’re applying during your freshman year for a good reason, but don’t count on receiving a scholarship. Both organizations look for traits that are found more readily with experience, which upperclassmen typically have more of, through no fault of your own.
If you are not able to study abroad during junior or senior year, consider taking a gap year or applying for the NSLI-Y summer program. A higher percentage of finalists are typically underclassmen, and you’ll still be able to study abroad for a year later through NSLI-Y, CBYX, YES, etc. (If you study abroad for a year now, you won’t be eligible for a summer later.)
Funding for NSLIY is unconfirmed for next year, which could potentially limit your options.
In order to make yourself as competitive an applicant as possible, I would recommend looking into the STARTALK programs. They’re mostly free language programs for students across the US. It shows NSLI-Y that you are passionate and commited towards learning your language.
https://startalk.umd.edu/public/find-a-summer-program
(Take all of this with a grain of salt because I am not an alumni of the program nor a confirmed finalist. Above all, good luck!!)