<p>Does anyone know how the two programs compare? If you had to pick one, which would you go to, and why? Is one more prestigious than the other? What is the acceptance rate for CIEE?</p>
<p>Yay, this is right up my alley. I went to Turkey during the summer of 2010 with NSLI-Y and did the CIEE program this past August. </p>
<p>The two programs are <em>very</em> <em>very</em> different.</p>
<p>NSLIY is longer (6 weeks). CIEE is 2 weeks. NSLI-Y is full immersion. You stay with a host family for the majority of your stay in country and attend language school five days a week. The purpose of the program is to gain proficiency in your target language. CIEE is a cultural program that is designed to expose students to Korean culture. You stay in a dorm, surrounded by 99 other American high school students. The home stay is a weekend long. You spend most of your time touring the country: going to museums, temples, etc. NSLIY is not really about sight seeing, though you should have plenty of time to do that. Also, NSLI-Y is totally free. CIEE has a $150 participation fee (which isn’t bad considering that everything else is paid for.)</p>
<p>In terms of prestige, I would give the edge to NSLI-Y, but both are great programs in their own way. </p>
<p>If I could do one again, I would pick NSLI-Y because I felt more fully immersed in my home country. There’s more independence to explore and do whatever.</p>
<p>Hey, watchmesoar, how selective would you say ciee is/how hard would it be to get in/what kind of stats are they looking for? Thanks(:</p>
<p>It’s hard to say because they don’t publish numbers (as far as I know). So we can only make conjectures. It is selective. The probably get around a few hundred apps (I have heard one person say they got a thousand apps, but I wouldn’t believe that figure). They take 100 students. Getting in really depends on who you are, not just academically, but in terms of how much passion you show toward the purpose of the program.</p>
<p>Cool, thanks. I’m really excited about this program and think it would be an awesome experience!</p>
<p>I am applying to NSLIY for Arabic, which is June and July. I was wondering when the CIEE program is and whether it overlaps with the NSLIY program. Also, is the only scholarship program South Korea?</p>
<p>Last year, the CIEE program was from August 8 to August 22. Are you sure that your NSLI-Y program ends in July? From what I recall, most ended in early August.</p>
<p>Hmmm that is a good question :D. I hope that the two do not overlap, but I was told from a friend who went on a NSLIY trip that it ended August 1st or 2nd
thoughts?</p>
<p>Well, mine ended on August 8 (I went to Turkey in 2010). It varies.</p>
<p>Well I will hear from NSLIY before the application process for CIEE starts. So in the case that they overlap, I will just not apply for ciee</p>
<p>I went on CIEE, which is the only scholarship program during the summer that I know of in South Korea. The Korea Foundation does fund other trips but they are not during the summer. I haven’t done NSILY, but I have heard that it is a lot more language intensive and culturally immersive. I think it really depends on how much time you have. The Korea program will only take up 2 weeks of your summer, and I honestly think you experience A LOT for just 14 days of travel. I went in 2010 and I didn’t hear from the Korea program until mid june.</p>
<p>For those of you who had done NSLI-Y summer prior to getting the CIEE South Korea scholarship, did you mention your NSLI-Y experience on your CIEE application? Did you think the experience helped you get the CIEE scholarship?</p>
<p>@4beardolls - I did mention my NSLI-Y experience on my application, and I believe it helped. It demonstrates international experience, maturity, and validates that you are a deserving candidate.</p>
<p>^ I concur.</p>
<p>About NSLI-Y, I really want to do the summer program for it because it seems really interesting and I would love to learn another foreign language…but I’m very nervous about staying with a host family. Isn’t a bit…awkward? I’m not sure how well I would adjust to that type of situation, especially considering that all the countries offered as foreign-stays have languages that I have absolutely no experience with whatsoever. Isn’t there a great deal of difficulty overcoming the language barrier?</p>
<p>Overall, what I’m asking is, how did you adjust to staying with a host family? What was it like?</p>
<p>The host family is a really interesting experience. It is likely that a member of your host family will have some knowledge of English. My host parents didn’t speak English so there was a lot of translating by my host sibling as well as some pictionary and hand motions. </p>
<p>Host families choose to host you and tend to be very accommodating. They want you to have a comfortable and enjoyable experience.</p>
<p>Just letting everyone know that CIEE South Korea will only accept 50 students for Summer 2013 instead of 100. My son went last summer and had a blast! Make sure you apply. It is well worth it.</p>