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The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an initiative by the U.S. State Department that offers American university students the opportunity to study abroad in various parts of the world. The program provides a fully funded summer study abroad experience, covering food, housing, and program excursions. The primary goal is to offer intensive foreign language training and to immerse participants in an incredible new cultural environment. The languages offered are less commonly taught in the U.S. but are of significant importance to the U.S. government and economy. For more information, you can visit the program's website.
The truth is, I began studying Turkish because I wanted to study a critical language and happened to find classes just 20 minutes from my apartment in New York. However, this journey has led me in incredible new directions.
Turkey is an impressive country that should not be underestimated. With a population of around 100 million people, it is the most populous country in Europe after Russia. Turkey straddles both East and West, literally stretching from Europe to the Middle East, with a cultural mix that is distinctively European yet strongly influenced by Arab traditions. Moreover, Turkey plays a crucial role in migration to the European Union, as President Erdoğan’s administration can either encourage or hinder the flow of refugees to Greece.
Turkey also holds a significant place in world history. While its population is over 90% Muslim, Turkey has played an enormously important role in Christianity as well. The Apostle Paul, whose letters constitute much of the New Testament, established the first churches in Turkey, including in Ancyra (modern Ankara), the capital of Turkey.
In 2022, the CLS Program took place at Ankara University in Ankara, Turkey, specifically at the Tömer Institute. Twenty-four participants arrived in Ankara, most of us together on the same plane after orientation in Washington, D.C. with American Councils, the organizer of the program. Two participants, both experienced travelers, arrived from international destinations after completing semesters abroad.
The program lasted eight weeks, during which we had four hours a day of intensive language training in small groups of 4-5 students. In addition, we met with language partners for at least eight hours each week, during which we practiced speaking Turkish. Daily life primarily occurred in Turkish on the streets of Ankara. Based on what I heard from participants with friends in other locations, our experience was typical, and several friends who won the award again in 2023 said the structure of the program was the same.
The first two episodes of the Travel Podcast discuss the CLS program in Turkey. Visit PassionClass.co/travel-podcast to tune in.
Life in Ankara revolved primarily around the program. In the heat of summer, Ankara was often very hot—over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius)—and without air conditioning. After five hours of Turkish lessons, coupled with another 10 hours of one-on-one lessons with our teachers and language partners, plus an hour of homework each night and two excursions a month, the program remained the central focus of our daily lives.
Although safety was emphasized during orientation, Ankara felt very safe, and the program allowed us considerable flexibility to travel throughout Turkey on our rare free weekends. While some participants did experience illness, to my knowledge, there were no major safety incidents during the program.
Practice your Turkish speaking skills in interactive sessions designed to boost your fluency and confidence.
Practice your Turkish speaking skills in interactive sessions designed to boost your fluency and confidence.
A recurring theme among program participants was how best to represent the United States. Coming from a small town and a public school background, my approach was to show friendliness and genuine interest in the host culture while also representing my country in a positive light. Some participants, particularly those from elite universities, believed that a better use of the scholarship dollars was to spread the bad news about the USA.
Tensions over how to represent America abroad caused some internal conflicts among participants, which remained unresolved by the end of the program. However, relations among participants were overwhelmingly friendly, and the group has maintained a surprising cohesiveness since the program ended. I remain grateful for my connections with this great group of people.
The program sponsored various excursions, including trips to Konya, locations around Ankara, and Cappadocia. The entire group traveled together by bus to these locations. The guides spoke in Turkish, which posed a real challenge for those who entered the program with no Turkish background; however, the experience was enriching nonetheless.
In addition to these excursions, we had two free weekends during which we could travel within the country, provided we obtained approval from the program director. I traveled with two other participants to Erzurum and Trabzon, beautiful locations in Eastern Turkey with the ruins of a Christian monastery andOttoman architecture, both of which I highly recommend.
An interesting aspect of the program was the required language testing we did before and after the program. All participants who spoke any amount of the language being studied had to take an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) before the program began, and again afterward. My own scores improved more than I had anticipated—from "Intermediate Mid" to "Intermediate High." (I will say that I found the test results to be generous, arguably to a fault.) There was a great deal of internal interest in these scores, and for good reason—they reflect what we accomplished over the summer.
I am deeply grateful to the State Department for the amazing opportunity that CLS provided me to get to know Turkey and significantly improve my Turkish. I also really appreciated the group of people I traveled to Turkey with, and I have maintained real friendships as a result, much more so than with most other programs I’ve participated in. Turkey is a great country—truly great, in a sense that encompasses both its beauty and strength—and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I’ve returned to Turkey both summers since the program and plan to spend more time there in the near future.
Finally, PassionClass offers classes in a number of critical languages, including Turkish, Arabic, and Portuguese. Browse our classes if you're interested in learning more.