Do you want to immerse yourself in Russian language and culture in the Pushkin Summer Institute Abroad NSLI-Y program in Daugavpils, Latvia? We are looking for students who love learning Russian and who plan to continue with the language later in high school or into college. While good grades in Russian are important, the students who get the most out of this program are open-minded, flexible, and prepared to navigate a cross-cultural environment. Special consideration will be given to applicants who are underrepresented minorities, first generation college-bound students, have not previously had a chance to go abroad (especially a chance to go abroad to Europe or Eurasia), and are not heritage speakers of Russian or otherwise at native-like proficiency in the language.
The Pushkin Summer Institute Abroad works directly with partner schools and with NSLI-Y to recruit its participants. We currently partner with Pritzker College Prep and the Noble Academy in Chicago, Friends School of Baltimore, Brashear High School in Pittsburgh, and Plymouth High School in Plymouth, Wisconsin. If you are a school teacher or administrator who would like to establish a partnership with the program, please contact Jennifer Tishler, the PSI Abroad NSLI-Y program manager, at jtishler@wisc.edu
The application for the Pushkin Summer Institute Abroad NSLI-Y program is a multi-step process. The written application consists of two separate applications: a survey and Russian language writing sample for UW-Madison and the standard application for NSLI-Y, which is managed by American Councils for International Education in Washington, D.C. The deadlines for these two applications are usually a week apart and come in the middle or end of October. After the written applications are evaluated, semi-finalists are invited for a phone interview, which usually takes place in February; admissions decisions are finalized in March or early April. Participation is limited to U.S. citizens who have a GPA or equivalent of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, and are 16-18 years old during the time of the program, which runs for six weeks from late June to early August.
The standard NSLI-Y application is comprehensive, and includes questions on international experience, activities and hobbies, awards and honors, medical information, and several essay questions (in English). We recommend that students begin their application several weeks before the final deadline! As part of the NSLI-Y application, students are also required to arrange for a grade transcript, teacher recommendation, and parent/legal guardian statement to be submitted to the NSLI-Y team at American Councils for International Education.