<p>@JuliaG1234, yes they have facebook pages ^^ one group, the most popular and frequently used, is titled NSLIY 2012-2013 even though it is for current applicants and alumni alike. This is the best group to use for advice, questions, expectations, etc.
There are also individual groups for seperate languages- I am a part of the Korean group (2014-2015). There is one other one for just 2014-2015 applicants that I use, too, titled NSLIY applicants 2014-2015. I’m sure you can find one for your language if you search it 
@poshspice I am in the DC area too and I got my notification the first day they went out and I still haven’t heard about interview details… panicking! Lol. I hope they do another one soon because my nerves are all over the place haha</p>
<p>@babyexotice+poshspice</p>
<p>There were like 8 people with my interview time, and 4 time slots that day. The interviews are individual, so they are limited by the number of volunteers they get. I bet you guys will interview soon after the break. Everyone there was from either DC or Arlington. I wonder if the interview dates are based off of location.</p>
<p>@firefly12345 thank you, that reassures me xD
I wonder how many semi finalists there are. I heard that they basically just cut the number of applicants in half, and then in half again. But then I also heard they only accept like 10% of applicants… Idek.
Anyway, I hope all of us get in, it would be so fun</p>
<p>Hey guys! I’m from Illinois and got notified as being a semi-finalist on the 11th. I’m just wondering when I’ll get my interview date? I know a few kids from my school applied and only three of us got in, however, are there more kids from Illinois? I really want to have an in person interview. And do you guys know what they’ll ask my parents?</p>
<p>Hey guys! Sadly, lots of rejections came out today, which makes me sad:( I’m a semifinalist and my first choice is Russia year. The NSLI-Y Facebook page that was aforementioned is very helpful and it allows you to make many new friends. I’m from Oregon!</p>
<p>Hajibaji1:
I haven’t received my interview date either 
I think you’ll probably have an in person interview since there seem to be a lot of semifinalists in Illinois (You can check the Facebook group :P). I also really want an in person interview because it seems like there are more advantages and a better chance for your interviewer to really get to know you face to face. But, I have heard of people who’ve gotten in that’ve had Skype and phone interviews ^^
As for parents, I think it’s just solidifying what they wrote in their rec about us and, of course, allowing them to ask questions about the program.</p>
<p>So I saw someone’s rejection letter on the fb group, and it said there were over 3500 applicants! And on an AFS thingy from early November I saw they expected to have about 1400 semi finalists, and then there’s about 650 spots.</p>
<p>Using these numbers, the odds of becoming a finalist from semi are better than the first cut! (Except everyone is a strong candidate, so the competition is tighter…but psshh)</p>
<p>Dizzyworld, I wouldn’t assume that the people who didn’t make the first cut weren’t strong candidates, they may have just not been in the category of “diverse”. Someone pointed out either this year or last on this forum that white middle class girls are the predominant applicants so, for example, if you are a white middle class girl you may not have made the first cut due to that fact rather than not being a strong candidate. I am sure that msot applicants were very strong candidates!</p>
<p>@ Outdoorgirl–</p>
<p>I meant ‘strong in the eyes of NSLIY’, as in now NSLIY has all people who they think are strong candidates. I did not mean to discredit the others, I personally know several people who I felt were sure to get at least to semi and did not. Sorry for the bad phrasing!</p>
<p>Also, on no place on the application is it mandatory to put your race/ethnicity/income. And where it does give you the option, it explicitly states–direct quote–</p>
<p>“Providing this information is voluntary
The information requested here will be used for statistical analysis of NSLI-Y. It will have no bearing on the evaluation of your application. It will not be included in the materials reviewed by the selection committee.”</p>
<p>I, at least, like to believe the State Department would stick to their word. (I’m also a white middle class girl, and my application included my race, my gender and that I do not qualify for the National School Lunch Program).</p>
<p>I am sure that the state department wants to have a representative group so if there is a preponderance of white middle class girl applicants than the competition will be tight. (or a preponderance of black african american girls or a preponderance of New Yorkers or a preponderance of any group) I just think that the decisions as to who was chosen and who wasn’t may have had little to do with how strong a candidate is and to assume that because you were chosen you therefor were a stronger candidate may not be true, you may have been from a state with fewer applicants, may be a from a less represented group, may be a kid with no access to language traing -who knows. I’d like to think ALL who applied were strong , those who were chosen were strong AND lucky! I hope everyone who applied and did not get in re-apply again next year!</p>
<p>I completely agree with your last two points! :)</p>
<p>However, I’m genuinely curious as to where you think the State Department acquires data other than gender and location from the application, given that giving any info about race/background/income is completely optional and not shown to the admissions board.</p>
<p>Also, as the state department is choosing people to spend thousands of dollars on, I’d like to think they try to select people they feel would succeed and take the most out of the experience (although obviously many people who would are not chosen).</p>
<p>Well, if you go to a private school or if you live in Westchester county NY or if you have had access to phenomenal courses/extracurriculars at your school or if you have had amazing summer opportunities these all may point to a kid tht already has had lots of advantages. And there are the photos we uploaded! I know that the state department chose each person because they, for a multitude of reasons, have the potential to be a great representative and someone who is motivated to use this opportunity to do good things- not to beat a dead horse but I am sure that there were hundreds and hundreds of very qualified candidates and none of us can assume that someone else wasn’t chosen solely because they weren’t extremely strong candidates - I am a strong candidate and I was lucky , there were surely many many other strong candidates who weren’t so lucky but strong nonetheless.</p>
<p>Sorry to kind of butt in the conversation but, this really hit a nerve with me since, I’ve been involved in a conversation such as this one before. I am not a middle class white girl and have had someone say to me that I only was accepted into NSLI-Y because I was a minority whose family didn’t make a lot of money. </p>
<p>What the State Department is looking for is people who will utilize their languge skills in their future CAREER. They’re less keen on picking someone who only wants to go on exchange because they see it as a free vacation and will never really speak the language again after that. </p>
<p>Think about it. </p>
<p>The government is investing money in American Youth, doesn’t it make sense to pick the one who wants to make a career out of international relations? They judge your application by how well you’re able to convey career plans in your essays, some people may have trouble expressing their passions in such a small essay (I know I had problems sticking to the limit).</p>
<p>I want to be a linguist specializing in East Asian Languages and I know a lot of people who applied want to someday work for the government or be a linguist as well. I can’t tell you for sure if they choose people based on their ethnicity or income (I’d hope not) but, I think they choose people they believe will be able to thrive when put in a different environment. I think if they happen to be a minority, the diversity would be a plus for their progrm but, not completely necessary ;)</p>
<p>They also had a set number of people they were allowed to accept as semifinalists. There may have been HUNDREDS of people who were MORE than qualified but, there are only so many spots… That’s why the emailing took so long, because they had a difficult time narrowing it down. I also kind of think age MIGHT play a factor because, someone who’s a qualified sophmore will be able to apply again and have more time to mature while an equally qualified senior can only apply now.
But, that’s just how I see it.</p>
<p>Again, sorry for butting in, but I always see this kind of tension in a competitive scholarship and I don’t think it’s fair to say that the people who made it past the first round were just “lucky”. We all worked really hard and I think we should all be proud of ourselves for just applying in the first place. We all have a common dream and to act on that dream takes a lot of guts. :P</p>
<p>@Julia–</p>
<p>Thank you for providing a new perspective, and I completely agree with everything you say.</p>
<p>I have to respond to Julia because if her explanation were correct, i believe things may have turned out differently for our family. My child was not selected as a semi-finalist. We are not a minority and are middle-class. My child is a senior in high school, so this is the only year to apply. My child plans to double major in International Studies and Chinese, has already done a Summer Chinese StarTalk Program, and continues with tutoring in Chinese. My child did not apply to this program for just a “free” vacation, but to truly learn more about Chinese culture and to improve in language skills. The only program applied for was the summer in China. My child also had excellent grades (4.0), is fluent in two other languages, and participates in extracurriculars. As you can see, they did not seem to care whether the students are seniors, or that they are planning careers in the country they chose or some type of foreign relations.</p>
<p>I have to agree with Dizzyworld and Julia. Usually those stats are asked for the sake of Demographics. We don’t really know how they pick candidates, but I trust the state department not to lie. </p>
<p>@Weski
Your daughter was might have been a victim of bad luck. Maybe a grumpy examiner read her application. Maybe it was not read diligently enough. Maybe they wanted to approve your daughter, but they had already picked too many semifinalists. It sounds like your daughter is really interested in Chinese, and I’m sorry she didn’t get in. However it is not her last chance! Okay, technically it is for NSLI-Y, but there are plenty of other programs run by the State department, You guys should check out CLS. It’s like NSLI-Y, but for college students. It’s free and the website has an other opportunities page that has lots of great programs. Good luck!</p>
<p>Firefly, thanks for the suggestion. She doesn’t yet qualify for CLS since it isn’t for HS students, and this year’s deadline has already passed. NSLI-Y suggested other programs also (Congress Bundestag, etc), however at this point in her education she is focusing on Chinese and has already made plans for college next year. They even suggested StarTalk, which my D has already done. She does aspire to some day learn Arabic, but would rather become more fluent in Chinese before taking on that challenge.
We aren’t upset, as she will have other opportunities to study abroad throughout her college career, I was just trying to point out that for us, Julia’s theory of being selected because you intend to utilize your language skills in your future CAREER was not the case.</p>
<p>Weski2, I share with your frustration. MY son, like your daughter, is strong in every aspect (4.0 gpa, award winning pianist, varsity basketball). He has been studying his target language for several years and just needs the opportunity to take it up a notch. He is over it and will apply again next year as a senior. I don’t understand what they mean when they say it’s a merit based scholarship.</p>
<p>Hey guys~ I’m a Korean sophomore from California and I got accepted as a semifinalist! (Chinese is my first choice <3)
Just wondering, but is there a chance that NSLI-Y might email me about the interview date AFTER December? And can interviews happen after December too? So far I didn’t receive any emails. 
Congrats to everyone who made the first cut~!</p>
<p>@Weski, just because, for whatever reason your child (who to me seems very deserving of the scholarship!) was rejected, I do not think you can make a generalization about a program with over 3500 applicants. Just like college admissions, many qualified people are rejected, simply because there were too many qualified applicants. If you look at the application questions, and what NSLIY says it’s looking for:</p>
<p>“The selection of NSLI-Y finalists is based on the applicant’s enthusiasm for learning, strong sense of character, and will to succeed. Maturity and readiness for a challenging academic and international experience are very important factors. Applicants are also encouraged to clearly articulate how the study of their chosen NSLI-Y language is linked to future academic or professional goals.”</p>
<p>it all points to having deep, real interest and commitment to the language and international/cross cultural relations, as well as being ready for the intense, difficult, often frustrating experience that is studying abroad and immersing oneself in a new culture (and I say this as someone who is studying abroad currently). </p>
<p>From everything I’ve read, NSLIY cares far less about statistics like GPA and awards and more about drive, maturity self awareness etc.</p>