<p>@jjtell11 @lovinglife01 Thank you guys <3 Hoping for good news tomorrow…I worked really, really hard on my app so I’m keeping up hope. </p>
<p>@kgoyal05 <a href=“https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fy14_nsli-y_pogi.pdf”>https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fy14_nsli-y_pogi.pdf</a>
I’m Kate and I’m a freshman. I applied for Arabic Year, followed by Chinese and Russian years. Fun fact: My birthday falls between the last day of summer eligibility(june 10th) and the last day of year eligibility(june 30th) so I’m only eligible for year!
I’m a semi-finalist and from the Twin Cities Metro Area. </p>
<p>@EmmaPotts and @katewithak </p>
<p>GO FRESHIES!!! 
We can do it!</p>
<p>@Elevey1 @chu411 congrats! Tomorrow there will be more notifications do not worry! </p>
<p>@evan241 I think I found you on FB! haha! 
Don’t loose hope! I have faith in you!</p>
<p>Also, IMPORTANT INFO: PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE POSTING!
SEMIFINALIST FAQ!
Q: What order do they come out in? State? First choice? When we applied?
A: Definitely not by any of these! As long as you applied before the deadline, you’re fine. People from all over hear at all different times, and you applied to NSLI-Y and just ranked language/duration preferences, so that is not considered at all right now. Don’t worry if people from your area hear before you.
Q: When will I hear from them?
A: Nobody here knows exactly. It could be days or even weeks. Try to be patient!
Q: Will they tell me if I didn’t make it?
A: Yes.
Q: How many people will make it to semis?
A: Depends on the number of applicants. Again, don’t worry about it!
Q: I can’t take it! How do I wait?
A: Try not to think about it. Stop refreshing your email, turn off notifications for this group, turn off your phone, etc. Stay busy. If you’re seriously stressing, assume you didn’t get in. Convince yourself that you didn’t make it, so then if you <em>do</em> happen to make it, it’s a nice surprise.
Q: If we’re selected, what next?
A: Congrats! You’ll be interviewed by a local AFS volunteer sometime in December or January. It may be a group or individual interview. Skype/phone interviews will only be done in extremely rare circumstances. Interviews are not especially formal, but be professional and honest. Specific questions will vary from interview to interview. Finalists and alternates will be notified in the spring. Finalist results are generally released by program. Estimates of the number of scholarships available for each language are available on page 2 of this document: <a href=“https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fy14_nsli-y_pogi.pdf”>https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fy14_nsli-y_pogi.pdf</a>
Q: If we’re not selected, what next?
A: You should consider applying for other exchanges through AFS, YFU, Rotary, or another organization; or looking into other language programs or camps like STARTALK and Concordia Language Villages, or if you’re old enough, those run through colleges like Middlebury and Beloit. If you’re young enough, apply again next year! Good luck with your other options!</p>
<p>@USA2Russia & @katewithak
Totally! We may be small but we are MIGHTY~ </p>
<p>Also, here are the /approximate/ number of scholarships available for anyone who can’t open the document:
Summer:
Arabic- 100
Chinese- 200
Hindi- 30
Korean- 65
Persian- 15
Russian- 90
Turkish- 35</p>
<p>Year:
Arabic- 20
Chinese- 30
Hindi- 5
Korean- 15
Russian- 20
Turkish- 5</p>
<p>^ From an awesome person on FB who posted on the FB group!
Here is the link with all the info + more:
<a href=“https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fy14_nsli-y_pogi.pdf”>https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fy14_nsli-y_pogi.pdf</a></p>
<p>@EmmaPotts Dynamite comes in small packages! </p>
<p>I’ve posted this before but I am a senior from Kentucky, going for Korea summer only. </p>
<p>And congrats to everybody else again! </p>
<p>Has anyone on here from Wisconsin gotten a notification? Still nothing…</p>
<p>@dory0814<br>
Please don’t worry because they would never give out all semi notifications in one day. As long as you haven’t received a rejection letter, you have a chance!!</p>
<p>@rainedkissedLove<br>
Hopefully, I will see you in Korea ^^ </p>
<p>@emmapotts You’re right. But still…AHHHH! </p>
<p>Well I never fully introduced myself, so here goes. I’m a sophomore from upstate NY and I went for Korean summer and Arabic summer. I would be absolutely amazed if I got into either, but I really hope I do. Also, I’m a semifinalist :D/ </p>
<p>@jjtell11<br>
It is nice to meet you and congrats!!~ </p>
<p>Hello! Congrats to everyone who made it to the semi-finals! I am a senior in high school from Alabama, and I applied for the Chinese year!</p>
<p>@EmmaPotts that would be very exciting!! :)</p>
<p>I didn’t received a response today and I’m 50% sure I was rejected (haha get it? 
). But I’ve been reading up about NSLI-Y application tips in the past few days and realized I did a lot of things wrong on my application. I wish I had the chance to read these earlier but I was in the Philippines for my grandfather’s funeral when I finished up my application… and I realize now I was really depressing and cynical in my host family letter. :x</p>
<p>Anyways I’m trying to look for alternate programs so I’m not completely devastated if I get rejected. </p>
<p>Ahhh I still haven’t gotten it yet either! Your post was a super downer haha don’t give up hope! I’m sure there are some nsli y alumni who received their semi finalist a little later then usual (though I would like to know how they pick out the waves since there groups from each time zone)</p>
<p>Ooh also, on Facebook a girl posted that she received her semi finalist notification later than everyone else and she ended up as a finalist </p>
<p>Aw sweetea you’re so sweet Thanks for the optimism.
This application process has really been a personal learning experience for me and I realize now that my cynicism may have gotten me in trouble this time and my negative outlook on things is definitely something I can improve on.</p>
<p>A message I think may help all of us!~ </p>
<p>Max Segal NSLI-Y Alumni</p>
<p>Alright, real talk. I’ll make this brief and palatable. The more you think about the notifications, the more metaphysical power you give to the notification gnomes who will magically change your fate. The less you think about them, the better. These are notifications that were rendered within the course of 20 minutes - at best - by an individual who might’ve been having the best day of their lives or the worst. They could be neurotic and been put off by the number of consonants in your name, or they could’ve loved that and put the checkmark without reading your app. In essence, the factors that be are so extraneous and superficial that using this notification as an ego booster or deflator would be downright supercilious. It’s very nice if you proceed, it’s a bit of a bummer if you don’t. You have the right to be sad for a while, no one expects that you won’t be. What you shouldn’t, however, is let one individual with an unknown number of quirks and kinks judge yourself as a whole within the span it takes for Rick Perry to misspell “cow.” You’re great, conventionally or un-conventionally, and if you’re applying to NSLI-Y, you know that. So take it and run with it, no matter what happens this frosty winter month.</p>