CIEE Applications Due December 6th! Here are some TIPS!

Assistant Principal, Ms. Francesca McAuliffe shares that the priority deadline for applications for CIEE Summer Programs and Scholarships is December 6^th,  and as New York students, you are most likely only eligible for programs during session 2 – if students accidentally started an application for session 1, they should email Emily at egutierrez@ciee.org and she can change session 2. 

Students still interested in applying:

1. To Start, look at Summer Abroad programs:  http://www.ciee.org/summer2020.   

Do your research and identify 3 programs that you are interested in applying for (you list a

2^nd and 3^rd choice program in your application). Please note that if you are applying for a scholarship, you must include at least 2 language and culture programs in your application. Other programs, such as Government, Wildlife, Theater, etc. are harder to get a scholarship for – so if there is one that you are really interested in, you can apply for it, but your second and third choice program should be language and culture to increase your chances of being accepted with a scholarship. Merit scholarships based on grades cover 10% of tuition and merit and need scholarships based on grades and family income can cover between 20 - 100% of the program costs (minus airfare).  As New York students, you are most likely only eligible for programs during session 2 – if you accidentally started an application for session 1, please email Emily at egutierrez@ciee.org and she can change your session!

2. The second step is to open an application by going to ciee.org/myaccountand signing up as a “high school summer abroad” participant.  If you apply for a scholarship, you will see a second application open in a separate tab. You need to complete both the main application and the scholarship application by December 6^th.
3. Once you create your application, pay attention to the task “Terms and Conditions.” Your parent/guardian will need to electronically sign this in the program application! After you enter their email address in the task, your parent/guardian will receive an email prompting them to quickly create a CIEE account, so they can sign the Terms and Conditions. This is the only task they will complete in this portal.

Scholarship Applicants Please Read:

4. Requesting If you are applying for a scholarship, you must enter the name and email of a teacher who will write a recommendation form on your behalf. You should request your teacher recommender before Thanksgiving break in order to give them time to fill out the recommendation. Please warn them it will only take about 10 minutes to fill out (we all know how busy your teachers are!)
5. Transcripts: CIEE requires you to upload a transcript by the deadline (12/6).  You should go

to the main office to request a copy of your transcript. You can upload your MP1 grades as

well as your transcript from the end of last year. 

6. Quality of your writing and thoughtfulness of your response: CIEE is very competitive so

you need to write well in your application.  Be sure to re-read your responses to the scholarship questions before submitting.  It’s helpful to write your essays in a Google Doc or Word doc and then copy them over so that you don’t accidentally lose your work. Your essays account for the most points in the scholarship application, so make sure you are putting forth your best work!

7. Academic Merit + Financial Need Specifics and Financial Supporting Documents: The Merit + Need Scholarship requires you to submit financial information about your family. You will be asked to complete some short questions and then upload a copy of your family’s 1040 tax return. Your parent/guardian should know what this form is but let me know if you have questions! Sometimes it takes them some time to find it, so it’s a good idea to ask them for it now.

Questions? Reach out to Emily Gutierrez, our CIEE advisor, at egutierrez@ciee.org or by calling her at 207-274-3076 (you can also text her, she actually prefers that!)