The Scholarship Letter With a Hidden Condition
You read a letter from a Polish community foundation awarding you a small stipend for a summer language course. The relevant sentences: 'Stipendium wypłacamy w dwóch ratach. Warunkiem wypłaty drugiej raty jest przedstawienie zaświadczenia o ukończeniu kursu na poziomie co najmniej B1 oraz złożenie krótkiego sprawozdania w języku polskim w terminie 14 dni od zakończenia kursu.' Elsewhere: 'W przypadku rezygnacji z kursu przed jego rozpoczęciem należy zwrócić całą pierwszą ratę.' You are worried you may only reach A2, and you are unsure whether the course will run at all.
1. Map the conditions: what triggers repayment, and what merely blocks the second payment?
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Repayment of the whole first instalment is triggered only by withdrawing from the course before it begins ('rezygnacja z kursu przed jego rozpoczęciem'). Failing to reach B1, or failing to submit the report within 14 days, does not trigger repayment of the first instalment - it withholds the second instalment. These are different consequences and the letter treats them separately. A precise answer keeps the two mechanisms distinct rather than lumping all failures together.
2. You reach only A2 but finish the course. What is the likely outcome, and what should you do?
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You would likely keep the first instalment but not receive the second, because the B1 certificate is a stated condition for the second payment. However, you should still submit the report within 14 days of the course ending, since the report is a separate obligation and submitting it demonstrates good faith and keeps the door open for the foundation to exercise discretion. The judgement tested is distinguishing a hard repayment clause from a soft condition, and acting to preserve the relationship rather than assuming total loss.