And they also ask about academics/extracurriculars.

What it is: Six (?) essays, and a host family letter. Although certain procedures are done quite similarly in the other regions, not everything I say will be applicable to people of all regions. My experiences come from the perspective of an AFS applicant, obviously. AFS is second in competitiveness, followed by ASSE, FLAG, and YFU (probably, but not necessarily, in that order). CIEE, the most competitive region, for example, apparently has acceptance rates <10%. Because each region draws a different number of applicants, but each region selects fifty students regardless of how many applications they receive, as you can imagine, their competitiveness also varies quite a bit. The five companies that run the regions are AFS (Northeast), CIEE (Southeast), YFU (Midwest), FLAG (Southwest), and ASSE (Northwest + Alaska, Hawaii).ДЄlthough their written applications are similar, their selection timelines and processes vary to a significant degree. CBYX is a government scholarship program that is outsourced to private companies that operate in five different regions of the U.S. IвЂ™ll describe each in detail and then provide some tips on how to do well.Д«ut first, some background information. IвЂ™ll break my application process into two chunks: the written application, and the interview. вЂњWould it make your day any betterвЂќ, she says, вЂњif I told you that you were selected as a finalist for CB?вЂќ Screaming, screaming, screaming. I get a call from our selection committee chair. Medical forms, academic forms, blah blah. Just lots of technical paperwork that I have to get in. Meet lots of other awesome candidates from across NJ. IвЂ™m fortunate to live so close to my interview location.

Preliminary celebratory dancing.Д®arly February 2017. CBYX is due, mid-December.Д®nd of December 2016. HeadachesВ and ibuprofen around the clock.Дecember 2016. I start my CBYX application, along with my NSLI-Y (another study abroad) application, and my dozen or so college apps. To my dark, unmoved soul (jk), this is like falling in love.ДЇall 2016. I fantasize about living and learning abroad. I learn about government sponsored study abroad programs. IвЂ™m on spring break now, so IвЂ™ve got some time to write about my application process.ДЄugust 2016. (This wonвЂ™t be useful for most people whoвЂ™ll end up reading my blog, but IвЂ™ll leave it here just in case, for future applicants.)

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