Project GO

David Hamilton 2022

Without a doubt, Project GO provided me the most unique opportunity to learn Chinese and be immersed in foreign culture. I was selected for multiple programs, but I chose the one that occurred on the dates that I was available. I spent two months studying Chinese in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at National Kaohsiung Normal University. The teachers and tutors were considerably supportive and helpful, but it was not a walk in the park. The work was intense, but with great reward. Personally, I increased my score on the Oral Proficiency Exam by two levels by the end of the trip; this is something that I can put on resumes to prove my proficiency. Outside of the classroom, I spent my free time exploring the city, night life, and coastline. I have so many great memories with the new friends I made there, both classmates and locals. Hopefully, I will return this upcoming summer. I would strongly recommend Project GO to anyone interested in ROTC, regardless of major.

Any students in a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at their university can apply for a scholarship if they meet the basic requirements. Competitive students will have above a 3.0 GPA and extracurricular activities in which they demonstrate leadership. Interestingly enough, prior experience in the language is not required. Students can have no experience at all and still be picked. In fact, a Grandview alumnus (current Aeronautics major) was sent to Morocco last summer to study Arabic with zero experience in learning Arabic at his university. This is not to say that having experience in a language does not help, because it very much does. The program you choose will have several levels (Year 1, Year 2, etc) to choose from based on language ability. Every program gives a standardized test at the beginning and end of the trip. Project GO uses American host institutions to create courses that are transferable to most colleges, usually resulting in nine college credits added to students' transcripts. Each student selected for a program is given a travel advance to spend however they’d like during the trip. Lodging and flights are all paid for.