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APPLICATION GUIDELINES

We ask that all applicants carefully read the application guidelines in their entirety before applying to the program. You should also carefully review the frequently asked questions section at the end of the booklet to address any questions you may have concerning the application process. The guidelines cover all steps in the application process. We ask that you please do not reach out to the program team unless a question is not covered in this packet.

If there are any questions or difficulty with the application, please email: summerfellows@stanford.edu.

 

HOW TO USE THE ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM

The Draper Hills Summer Fellows program uses the WizeHive application system to manage all incoming applications. This system is widely employed by other fellowship programs and should be easy to use. Here are some guidelines to take note of when using the application system:

·       You can save your work at any time and return to the form at your convenience. You do not need to complete the application form in one sitting. It is strongly suggested that you save your work often by clicking on the "Save Draft" button at the end of the page.

·       Once you submit your application form you can no longer return to make any changes. Please review all your work before clicking the "Submit" button at the end of the application form.

·       The system will notify you by email during the following stages in the application submission process:

1.     When your application form has been received.

2.     When letters of recommendation have been submitted on your behalf.

3.     Once your application file is complete with a minimum of two letters of recommendation.

 

APPLICATION OVERVIEW

In order to apply to the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program please create an account through our online portal. The application form is available once you login and will be available through the deadline, Wednesday, November 16, 2016. Due to the volume of applications, we strongly suggest that you submit the application form as soon as possible. You will be asked to contact two references to furnish letters of recommendation to support your candidacy to the program. A complete application package will be due no later than Wednesday, November 16, 2016.

Applicants will be informed of their selection to the program by April 2017. Please do not email us concerning your application status before that timeframe as the program team will be very busy processing and reviewing files. 

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THE FORM

You can access the application portal here.

All application materials must be submitted in English. Applicants should be sensitive to word count and not exceed any of the stated word count limits in the narrative sections of the form as you will automatically be cut off.

Please remember that you are always able to save and return to your work at any time by clicking on the "Save Draft" button. We encourage you to save your work often during the application process so you do not jeopardize losing your material.

 

The application contains the following sections:

I.     Applicant Information

II.    Academics & Career Information

III.   Resume/CV

IV.   Essay Questions

V.    English Language Proficiency

VI.   Video Submission

VII.  Financial Information

VIII.  Letters of Recommendation

IX.   Personal Certification

Sections 3, 4, 6 and 8 require the most attention from applicants. More detailed instructions are provided below.

 

3. RESUME/CURRICULUM VITAE

Please prepare a resume or curriculum vitae to upload with the application form. The document should be in English and a minimum of one page and no longer than three pages in length. We will not accept CV’s longer than 3 pages or in other languages.

The document must be formatted in MS Word Document (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf), all other file types will not be accepted. The resume should list in order of priority the following:

1. Your professional experience with your most recent position listed first and dates of employment

2. Your educational credentials, including all degrees earned

3. Awards and honors if applicable

4. Publications if applicable (please do not include an exhaustive list)

The maximum file size is 300 MB. Please note that once you submit the application you will not be able to make any changes. We ask that you carefully review the form before submitting.

 

4. ESSAY QUESTIONS

We suggest that you draft your responses in a word processing document and then copy and paste in into the application form. In drafting your responses, please try and avoid overly technical language and explain acronyms so that your ideas can be easily understandable to people who are not working in your field of expertise.

If appropriate, please feel free to provide some brief country-based context or historical reference so the reviewers have a sense of how your work is impacting the current state of democratic development in your country of origin.  

Our application system has a word count limit and will track your word count on the form. It is important that you be concise in answering questions. Please focus on the most important points that you want to convey.

1. Please provide a short description of your organization's mission and scope of work. (50 words maximum)
2. Describe your current profession and general responsibilities (please do not cut and paste from your CV here, but provide a general description of your work, 100 words maximum).
3. How many years have you been actively working in the field of democracy, development, and the rule of law? (50 words maximum)
4. How has your work, as well as any community activity or public life accomplishments, contributed to the advancement of democracy, economic development, justice, or social reform in your country? In other words, how would you describe your impact on your community, country, region, or beyond? (200 word maximum)
5. On a personal level, what inspires you to do the work that you do? (100 word maximum)
6. Why are you interested in applying to our fellowship program? (200 word maximum)
7. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? How does this fellowship help you to achieve your goals? (200 word maximum)
8. If you are accepted into our program and become a member of our alumni community, how do you anticipate contributing your skills or time towards alumni activities? (100 word maximum)
9. Have you participated in academic or professional fellowship programs in the past? If so, which ones and how is this fellowship program different? (100 word maximum)

 

6. VIDEO SUBMISSION

We are requesting applicants to submit a 3-4 minute video. Using a webcam, cell phone, or video camera, please record yourself presenting your response to the questions below. Please note that we will not watch videos that are longer than 4 minutes in length, so please prepare, rehearse, and time your comments before submitting the final video product. 

In preparing your video submission, please keep the following in mind:

1. Remember to speak clearly and at a natural pace so the reviewers can absorb your delivery.
2. You do not need to invest any time or resources into editing, visual effects, music, or other post-production efforts. We only care about your delivery and the content of your video message.
3. The program now incorporates TED-style talks, which allows our fellows a platform to introduce themselves and their work. Consider this a bit of a test run to practice your delivery and ability to capture the audience’s attention succinctly and persuasively.  

 

Please record yourself presenting a response to the prompt below.

a)     Briefly introduce yourself (state your name, country, and profession)

b)     Why do you do the work that you do?

c)     What is your strongest leadership quality, and why?

d)     Why at this stage in your professional career are you interested in participating in this fellowship program?

 

To Submit:

All videos should be titled with your full name.

Maximum size is 600 MB. Preferred formats are MP4 and MOV.

Upload the video directly to the application form. 

 

8. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Candidates will need to request at least two but no more than three letters of recommendation to support their application to the program. Any application with less than two letters will be judged as incomplete and not considered in the selection process. To read more, please click here.