Opportunities for Korean Language Students

To: Korean Language Students

From: Anne Ciechanowski
Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research
714 21st Street, NW
fellcent@gwu.edu
www.gwu.edu/~fellcent

Congratulations on choosing to study Korean! You’re studying a language that is becoming increasingly valuable as Korea continues gaining strength as an economic and educational powerhouse. Through gaining competency, or eventually advanced proficiency, in Korean, you will find that a lot of doors will open to you – personally, culturally, and in your career.

As you may know, the Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research helps GW undergrads through supporting the application process for dozens of national fellowship programs. We publicize fellowships and research opportunities, meet with students to discuss goals and advise students on the application process for these awards.

Your experience with Korean can often serve as a great springboard to these other opportunities. If you haven't done so already, please visit our website at www.gwu.edu/~fellcent to learn about some recent winners and about the many fellowship opportunities we administer. Also, if you would like to subscribe to our listserv, please email fellcent@gwu.edu.

Scholarships to Korea are especially numerous if you are interested in a career with the U.S. government and/or if you are interested in teaching English in Korea after graduation. Below, I’ve highlighted some opportunities that may be of special interest to you, and programs that are especially eager for students of Korean, including the following, which are described in more detail below:

If you’re interested in any of this opportunities, please contact the Center and we will be happy to discuss them with you. Fulbright Teaching Assistantships are an especially great way for recent graduates to spend time in Korea, and interested juniors and seniors should contact our office soon about applying!

Fulbright Teaching Assistantships – contact our office soon if you are interested!

Fulbright Research Grants – contact our office soon if you are interested!

Critical Language Scholarships for summer language study abroad

Freeman-Asia Study Abroad Scholarships

Gilman Study Abroad Scholarships

National Security Education Program Boren Undergraduate Scholarships for Study Abroad

National Security Education Program Boren Graduate Fellowships

Princeton in Asia

Rotary Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarships for Language Learning

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships for Post-BA Graduate Study

Fulbright Teaching Assistantships

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers graduating seniors and recent graduates 80 twelve-month Teaching Assistantship grants to Korea. Teaching assistants may apply to teach in primary or secondary schools across Korea. This is a wonderfully opportunity to be immersed in Korean culture and language while also teaching Koreans about your home. Teaching assistantships can be personally and professionally rewarding experiences that allow unparalleled insight into a country through its educational system.

GW Deadline: September 5, 2008 – Get in touch with our office soon if you are an interested junior or senior!

Fulbright Research Grants

The U.S. Fulbright program offers graduating seniors and recent graduates over 1000 9- to 12-month research grants to over 140 countries around the world. Applicants may propose library or field research, university course work, independent projects – read the Program Overview to learn more. Ten research grants are available to Korea for the 2009-2010 academic year.

GW Deadline: September 5, 2008 – Get in touch with our office soon if you are an interested junior or senior!

Critical Language Scholarships

Sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, the Critical Language Scholarships Program offers intensive overseas study in the critical need foreign languages of Arabic, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu. The Program is part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), a U.S. government interagency effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Scholarship recipients receive full funding to participate in beginning, intermediate and advanced level summer language programs at American Overseas Research Centers and affiliated partners. Recipients are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period and later apply their critical language skills in their professional careers.

Deadline: January 2009

Freeman-Asia Study Abroad Scholarships

The primary goal of the Freeman-Asia Program is to increase the number of American undergraduates who study in East and Southeast Asia, by providing students with the information and financial assistance they will need. You must have applied or have been accepted to a country-based study abroad program from among the following countries/regions: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. Awardees are expected to share their experiences with their home campus to encourage study abroad by others and to spread understanding of Asia in their home communities. Awards range from $3000 to $7000, depending on the length of study. Awards total up to $5,000-7,000 per semester/year.

Deadline: October 15, 2008 for study abroad during the Spring 2009 semester

Gilman Scholarship Program for Study Abroad

The Gilman Scholarship Program broadens the student population that studies abroad by supporting undergraduates who have been traditionally underrepresented in US study abroad and those with high financial need. A student must be a Federal Pell Grant recipient at the time of the term abroad to qualify for the award. The program aims to encourage students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe and Australia. The program seeks to assist students from a diverse range and type of two-year and four-year public and private institutions from all 50 states. Additional Critical Language Stipends are available for students studying Critical Needs Languages, such as Korean. Awards are for up to $5,000 with an additional $3,000 Critical Language Stipend possible.

Deadline: October 7, 2008 for study abroad during the Spring 2009 semester

National Language Flagship Fellowship

Through an innovative partnership between the federal government, education, and business, The Language Flagship seeks to graduate students who will take their place among the next generation of global professionals, commanding a superior level of fluency in a language critical to U.S. competitiveness and security. NSEP offers a limited number of full fellowships to qualified American students to participate in one of the Flagship Programs, which are comprised of two year-long domestic and overseas components. The domestic phase for Korean takes place through the University of Hawaii, Manoa Korean Flagship Program . In the second year, students enroll in a program at Korea University in Seoul, Korea, which is administered by the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Service requirement: Recipients incur a service requirement – to serve in a paid position of the recipient’s choice in a national security-related government field – no shorter than the length of their award

Deadline: Mid-January 2009

National Security Education Program David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarship for Study Abroad

The NSEP David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships
offer a unique opportunity for U.S. undergraduates to study abroad in regions critical to U.S. interests - including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and the Middle East. (The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.) NSEP defines national security broadly, recognizing that its scope has expanded to include not only traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including: sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness. NSEP emphasizes the importance of language study as a major component of your study abroad program. Awards total up to $8,000 per summer and $10,000 per semester of study.
Service requirement: Recipients incur a service requirement – to serve in a paid position of the recipient’s choice in a national security-related government field – no shorter than the length of their award

Deadline: Mid-January 2009

National Security Education Program David L. Boren Graduate Fellowship

The National Security Education Program's (NSEP) David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships enable U.S. graduate students to add an important international and language component to their graduate education through specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency. NSEP supports students studying languages, cultures, and world regions other than Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Boren Fellowships are intended to support U.S. graduate students who will pursue the study of languages and cultures deemed critical to U.S. national security, and who are highly motivated by the opportunity to work in the federal government. Fellowships enable students representing a broad range of disciplines to add a significant language and international dimension to their curricula. Students already enrolled in internationally oriented programs are encouraged to intensify their study of areas, languages, and cultures through overseas study and domestic tuition support.

Service requirement: Recipients incur a service requirement – to serve in a paid position of the recipient’s choice in a national security-related government field – no shorter than the length of their award

Deadline: Late January 2009

Princeton in Asia

Princeton in Asia provides approximately 80 seniors or recent graduates with a year-long teaching or workplace fellowship with partner schools and organizations in the following countries: Cambodia, P. R. China, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Deadline: Early December 2008

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships


Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarships provide funding for one academic year of study in another country for recent graduates. This award is intended to help cover round-trip transportation, tuition, fees, room and board expenses, and some educational supplies up to US$25,000 or its equivalent. Academic-Year Scholarships are the most common type of scholarship offered.

Deadline: Varies by Rotary Club; March-June 2009

Rotary Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarships

Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarships are for either three or six months of intensive language study and cultural immersion in another country and provide funds to cover round-trip transportation, language training expenses, and homestay living arrangements up to US$12,000 and US$19,000, respectively. Applications are considered for candidates interested in studying Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Swedish.

Deadline: Varies by Rotary Club; March-June 2009

Anne Ciechanowski
Coordinating Advisor
Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research
714 21st Street NW
202-994-0517
ciech@gwu.edu
www.gwu.edu/~fellcent