Application Advice

Application Advice

Additional information and resources are provided here to assist applicants with the Light Fellowship application process.

Language Evaluation Form

Letter(s) of Recommendation

Personal Statement

Resume

Transcripts

The Language Evaluation

Purpose
Your language instructors will use the Language Evaluation to record your language ability and performance in the classroom. This evaluation is a key component of your application, so do well in class!

Requirements
All applicants must submit one Language Evaluation per language for which they are applying to study. The Language Evaluation may be downloaded from your MyCIE account.

The Language Evaluation must be completed by your current language instructor. All of the Yale language instructors are familiar with this form. If you are not currently taking a language course, have your most recent language instructor complete the form. If you have never taken a language course at Yale, you will need to contact the Language Director to determine if you are eligible to apply for a Light Fellowship. The Language Directors for 2009-2010 are Wei Su (Chinese), Yoshiko Maruyama (Japanese), and Angela Lee-Smith (Korean).

Language instructors will return your Language Evaluation directly to the Light Fellowship. Once we receive it, we will notify you through your MyCIE account of its receipt.

Additional Information
The Chinese language summer programs in Beijing, except for the Duke program, accept the Light Fellowship Language Evaluation as a substitute for a letter of recommendation. This relieves instructors of the burden of writing a separate letter. Moreover, the programs that accept the Language Evaluation actually find greater value in our form than in a standard letter.

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Letter(s) of Recommendation

Purpose
The Letter of Recommendation offers the perspective of a teacher outside of the language classroom who can comment on the applicant generally and on the proposal in the context of the applicant’s academic major and career interests. The letter addresses the student’s fit for a Light Fellowship.

Requirements
The amount and types of required letters of recommendation for the Light Fellowship application vary depending on your student status. Please read the following carefully. We offer advice on whom to ask and getting the strongest letter following the requirement section.

A. Freshmen and Transfer Students
Freshmen and transfer students must submit one Letter of Recommendation from a Yale faculty member. This letter may not be written by your current or past language instructor.

Freshmen and transfer students may submit a second Letter of Recommendation from someone outside of Yale. This second letter is optional. We allow this letter because some freshmen and transfer students have not had enough opportunities at Yale to build relationships with professors or demonstrate their abilities and character in depth.

B. All Other Undergraduate Students
All other undergraduate students must submit one Letter of Recommendation from a Yale faculty member. This letter may not be written by any current or past language instructor.

C. Graduate and Professional School Students
These students must submit two Letters of Recommendation. The first letter must be written by a Yale faculty member. The second letter should also come from a Yale faculty member, but it may be written by someone outside of Yale.

Procedure for Requesting Letter(s) - Request through your MyCIE Account
Recommendation letter requests must be made through your MyCIE account. Please follow the instructions there to send the formal request for a recommendation. However, prior to sending that, students should talk to their recommenders and explain why they are applying for the fellowship and add relevant details for the recommender to consider.

Speak to your recommender early...DO NOT ask for letters shortly before or during winter break!

Choosing a Recommender
The easy answer is "A member of the Yale faculty who knows you best." However, often a Teacher's Assistant (T.A.) knows you better than a tenured faculty member, so it may be better to go with a strong letter from a less senior person rather than a generic letter from a well-known academic. In many cases, the senior faculty member will agree to co-sign the T.A.'s letter. Please suggest this to your TA if you plan to ask a T.A. for a letter.

If you're resourceful, you'll find a way to spend some time with that senior faculty person talking about the Light Fellowship and your passion for language study in East Asia. Remember: Faculty also get excited when they encounter bright, young Yalies setting off on such academic / cross-cultural adventures. A letter from a T.A. will suffice, but it should be your backup plan only.

We strongly discourage you from asking your Residential College Dean to write your letter of recommendation. They should write your letter only if they know you very well and can write substantially on your fit for the fellowship. Residential College Deans have been told that a letter from them is not required by the Light Fellowship.

For some good advice on asking for and getting strong letters of recommendation, see: http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/academics/fellowships/application/writing.html

Letters of Recommendation for Your Language Program Applications
Become familiar with the application requirements of your programs abroad before asking for any letters of recommendation. If you need additional copies of your letter(s) of recommendation for the program applications, make the process easier for yourself and your recommender(s) by requesting the necessary number of program copies at the same time that you request the letter for the Light application. Your writer(s) can give each copy to you in a signed, sealed envelope to include in your program application packet.

Ideally, the letter for the Light Fellowship should address the student's fit for the fellowship and the letter for the program should address the student's fit for the program. This means that your recommender should tweak your letter so it properly addresses each selection committee.

Finally, the Chinese language summer programs in Beijing, except the Duke program, accept the Light Fellowship Language Evaluation as a substitute for a letter of recommendation. This relieves instructors of the burden of writing a separate letter. Moreover, the programs that accept the Language Evaluation actually find greater value in our form than in a standard letter.

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Personal Statement

The Personal Statement (or essay) is divided into 6 sections, with a few questions per section. You may submit a maximum of three pages, which will include the instructions and questions. Any additional pages will be discarded. Please submit 2 copies. The personal essay form may be downloaded from your MyCIE account.

Purpose
The personal statement is a critical part of your Light Fellowship application. This is your chance to address language background and ability, your interest in East Asia, your choice of program, term, and timing, and your short- and long-term plans. The personal statement is your chance to explain why you should be awarded a Light Fellowship.

Additional Information

NOTE: Ensure that the answers you provide in your personal statement address each term for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for summer + fall, the "first choice program" answer should provide a first choice program preference for each of those terms separately and clearly.

Students often worry about what to write in their personal statement. Hopefully the following advice is helpful.

Don't focus too much on your cultural interests or passion for seeing the country. You may touch on these points, but remember that the Light Fellowship is not for a travel or research experience. It is to help you get much, much better at the language(s) in order to make practical use of it in your careers. The essay should always have that in mind.

The essay is ultimately your personal space to share what you feel is most important for the committee to know about you. Focus on giving the straight facts. Sure, you can be a bit creative if you like, but our readers are not looking for it and won't count it. Simply put, they are looking for direct answers to the questions listed within each section. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The Writing Center
There is a great writing resource right here on campus for undergraduate students: http://www.yale.edu/writing. The Writing Center can help you with your writing of all kinds of work, including fellowship essays.

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Résumé

Purpose
The résumé provides background information and an opportunity to highlight any skills or activities that the student may not be able to address in the Personal Statement. It serves as a snapshot of your credentials and experiences.

Students must submit a one-page résumé as part of their Light Fellowship application. Any pages after the first page will be discarded. Please submit 2 copies.

Additional Information
View a sample résumé. While this sample should be enough to guide you, you may want to download the following resource for more information on writing a résumé:
  YALE Undergraduate Career Services Guide

What is the difference between a résumé and a curriculum vitae (CV)?
A CV displays your academic credentials and accomplishments in greater detail than does a resume. A CV is appropriate for positions in academia, research, or government. It includes information about papers, publications, presentations, and memberships that would not appear on a resume.

May I submit a CV instead of a résumé?
No.

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Transcripts/Internal Academic Record

Purpose
The Light Fellowship does not select students solely on the basis of their grades. However, academic performance, particularly in the language classes, will be considered when evaluating students.

Undergraduates
The Light Fellowship office will copy your Yale undergraduate transcript to include in your application. No action is required on your part (transfer students see the next paragraph).

Transfer Students
The Light Fellowship office will pull your Yale transcript and make the requisite copies for you. You must submit two copies of your transcript from your former undergraduate institution to the Light Fellowship office.

Graduate and Professional School Students
Please purchase one official (sealed, "released to student"), most recent graduate transcript and submit it unopened to the Light Fellowship office. For the Late Fall Competition, please obtain the transcript after the fall grades have been posted. We will make the necessary copies. You must also submit 2 copies of your undergraduate transcript; unofficial undergraduate transcripts are acceptable.

Former Light Fellows
If you are a former Light Fellow, we will make copies of the language program transcripts you previously submitted. We will contact you if, for some reason, we do not have your transcript(s) in our records.

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