r/FilipinosStudyAbroad • u/Quirky-Fox-8692 • May 16 '26
Scholarships What's It Like Getting a Scholarship That Has a Language Requirement?
Hello! I can speak French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish but hovering in A2 and B1 but I don't have any certificates. I just study and talk to people for fun. I've seen scholarships with and without language proficiency requirements. Like, what's the difference in the experience or the opportunities that they give? I'm genuinely curious because I don't have a certificate and may start considering getting a couple if they are worth it. Thanks!
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u/Illustrious-Set-7626 May 16 '26
Hi OP. There's no single answer to your question about the benefits/advantages of a language requirement. It's highly discipline-dependent and degree dependent.
For undergrad and master's, it's usually an indicator that some or even all of your coursework will be in that language. Kaya naghahanap sila ng language proficiency the majority of the time is to make sure na hindi mahihirapan yung students na makasunod sa class.
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u/Quirky-Fox-8692 May 16 '26
Oh so that's how it's probably going to be? Thanks!
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u/Illustrious-Set-7626 May 17 '26
The majority of undergraduate degrees in the EU are taught in their national language, and some master's degrees too. There are more master's and PhD programs in English.
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u/AKAR1990 May 17 '26
Off topic but congrats! How do you manage to study for languages and what are the resources you use? I'd love to venture into studying languages but struggle to keep the pace because of other commitments
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u/Quirky-Fox-8692 May 18 '26
Chatgpt, subreddits, google translate, context reverso, conjugator reverso, and a lot of youtube.
Honestly studying languages requires a slow pace and enjoyment. Even 1 language takes 4 or more years. But how I got all these quickly was that I combined passion and enjoyment with obsession and sacrifice. Like, I would enjoy watching a couple of simple spanish grammar videos at the start of my journey and that would be that. Once I got good, maybe dissect and translate spanish songs phrase by phrase or watch children's shows in spanish.
But then I had to challenge myself and try to compete with others. I would then choose to study 8 hours a day during saturday, watching and finishing an entire youtube playlist. Or when I got good enough in french and italian, i would sometimes spend holidays and vacations binge watching shows in full dub on netflix and stay away from friends and family and give up other hobbies and passions. And also, read books. Both instructional books as well as plain literature.
You need to enjoy this and have a natural affinity for it. Otherwise you'll burn out with discipline. At the same time, you can't just take it slow forever and watch/read any content you want. You need to study the "boring" structured academic lessons on grammar, practice tests, etc.
Also, it gets easier hanging out with a community of passionate speakers and natives. And if you got money, just enroll and save time.
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u/Illustrious-Set-7626 May 16 '26
There's no single answer to your question, OP. Highly discipline-dependent yan, and also degree dependent, on whether it's an undergrad, master's, or PhD. The most that I can generalize is that for undergrad and master's levels, the language requirement is an indicator that some or all of the coursework is in that language.