<p>If you're interested in adventure, I'd definitely urge you to apply to NSLIY. It's a full scholarship from the State Dept. to study language abroad for the summer or a semester/year. They offer Turkish, Korean, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Farsi, and Hindu. I went to Turkey summer before last and had the time of my life. Pretty much everything: (airfare, orientations, host family/hotel stays, school tuition, transportation, and lunch) is paid for.</p>
<p>Wow that sounds awesome :3 can you do something like that without having studied the language before?</p>
<p>For sure! I spoke not a word of Turkish before I went. These languages definitely aren't common, so they're not expecting prior knowledge. The want people who are passionate toward learning a new language and living in a new culture. </p>
<p>Here's the website: Home</a> Page</p>
<p>The app is out now.</p>
<p>bump, I'm also interested in such programs. especially those that include recent high school grads (i'm in the class of 2012)</p>
<p>@watchmesoar, how hard is it to get into that program?</p>
<p>Stanford Summer Educational Programs for Gifted Youth - International Relations</p>
<p>If you're an IB student, look into the IB World Student Conferences, there's two this year, one in Vancouver, BC and one in Spain.</p>
<p>quick question, did your host family speak any English? That is what kind of worries me that I won't be able to communicate with them if i'm accepted.</p>
<p>I just went for NSLI-Y in the summer and it was aweeeesome and free and the best summer of my life. I didn't know a word of the language I went for, but now I'm... at beginner's haha. My host family spoke English quite well.</p>
<p>The South Korea Scholarship Program through CIEE is amazing!! I did it in 2010 and it was a fabulous experience and it only costs $150. Lodging, classes, food and homestay is all included. We learned a lot about Korean culture, toured the country and got to visit the DMZ.</p>
<p>Hey I've done two NSLI-Y summers in Russia so if you have any questions about the program, the application process, or Russia feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>If you are currently a college student, I'd check out American University in DC. They have various programs for a couple weeks, a month, a summer or a semester, and they provide on-campus housing near a Metro stop.</p>
<p>Also, the "Washington Center" organizes internships for students from other colleges who stay in DC for a semester or another period of time. It is affiliated with many colleges. They also connect you with housing. I would imagine some of their programs would stress international relations.</p>
<p>@charlieshn thanks for the suggestion but I'm a sophomore in high school, and I live right outside of dc :) thanks so much though.</p>
<p>As to how hard NSLI-Y is to get into, here's a post from a couple of years ago with some stats: </p>
<p>Cultures</a> Shocked forum - View Single Post - NSLI for youth? </p>
<p>600 finalists / 1977 apps = 30% acceptance rate. Keep in mind the number of apps has been increasing year over year for the same number (or fewer) spots.</p>
<p>That said, don't let those numbers scare you. Apply!</p>
<p>My three of the four members of most host family spoke great English. This doesn't hold true for all of the host fams, though.</p>
<p>I would also endorse the CIEE South Korea Scholarship, which I did this past summer. I saw the entire country and had some unforgettable experiences (going to the DMZ and being stared down by a North Korean solider, for one.)</p>
<p>The NSLI-Y program is becoming more and more selective as it gains prominence. There is no set formula for getting in, I've heard stories of 4.0/33 ACT kids getting rejected but then a kid in my group said he has 2.9 GPA so NSLI-Y does accept candidates from all walks of life (academically, socio-economically, etc.)</p>
<p>Just curious, is there a program like NSLI-Y in Canada/for Canadians? It's seems really amazing and I'd love to do it!</p>
<p>I'm not aware of one, but I can't say I've ever looked into that topic. I would do some sleuthing around the internet...that's how I found NSLI-Y in the first place.</p>
<p>Are there any similar programs that anyone is aware of? With convincing my parents there's no way I'd be able to meet the November deadline unfortunately.</p>
<p>The app for the CIEE South Korea scholarship isn't out until April. So there's plenty of time there. That program is two weeks with a weekend long home stay. The rest of the time you'll live in dorms with other participants. They pick 100 finalists.</p>