FAQ

The application to the 2012 HIA Fellowship is now closed. Applications for the 2013 HIA Fellowship will be available in the fall of 2012.

When is the deadline for applications?

The deadline for submitting your completed application is 11:59pm PST on January 9, 2012. Incomplete applications and applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Please note that your application is not considered complete until you pay the application fee through PayPal.

When will I be notified about the results of my application?

HIA will contact you by February 14, 2012 to let you know whether or not you have been selected as a finalist. All finalists will then be interviewed by a member of our HIA Selection Committee before March 2, 2012. The Selection Committee will announce decisions by email before March 14, 2012.

How is my application reviewed?

The selection process involves two phases. During the first phase, a panel of HIA staff, Board members, and Senior Fellows reads all of the applications, and selects a pool of finalists for further review by HIA’s Selection Committee. During the second phase, the Selection Committee reads and evaluates all finalist applications, and one of its members interviews each finalist. The final selections are made based on this second reading and the interview.

My reference says they never received the request for a letter of recommendation in their inbox, but the system told me the request was made. What gives?

Please make sure that your reference has checked their spam or junk mailboxes. Once you have done this, log back into your application and click the link next to the reference list to re-send the request. If your reference's email service allows for email addresses to be added to a "white list," please have them add admissions@humanityinaction.org.

I cannot obtain a copy of my official transcript to scan and upload. What should I do?

If you cannot upload an official copy, you may upload an unofficial copy of your transcript. Then, if you are accepted into the program, you will be required to have your registrar send a copy in the mail for verification. Any evidence of tampering with the digital transcripts will result in immediate disqualification.

I am currently a freshman, but will be a rising sophomore at the time of the HIA Fellowship. Am I eligible to apply?

No. In order to be eligible to apply, students must have sophomore standing at the time of the application deadline.

I am currently a freshman, but I have sophomore standing due to my AP credits. Am I eligible to apply?

No. We require that applicants be in at least their second year of college when they apply.

I am a graduate student. Am I eligible to apply?

Graduate students are eligible to apply as long as they graduated from their undergraduate studies in 2010 or 2011.

I am an American student currently enrolled in a European university. Am I eligible to apply to the HIA Fellowship?

If you are an American citizen studying at a foreign university, you are eligible to apply to the HIA Fellowship through the U.S. office. If you are an American student studying at a university in Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands or Poland, you may be eligible to apply through HIA offices in those countries. Please contact those offices directly to confirm your eligibility.

I am not a United States citizen, but I currently study at a college or university in the United States. Am I eligible to apply?

Yes, all sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent graduates (May 2010 and later) from US colleges or universities are eligible to apply, regardless of citizenship.

I am a graduate student studying at an American university, but I am a foreign student and completed my graduate studies at a foreign university. Am I eligible to apply?

Yes, foreign graduate students at American universities are eligible to apply, as long as they completed their undergraduate degrees in 2010 or 2011.

If I need a visa to participate in the fellowship program, will HIA help me to obtain it?

Yes, HIA will assist Fellows in obtaining any visas necessary for participation in the programs. However, it is the responsibility of Fellows to initiate the process and request supporting documentation from HIA in a timely fashion.

Can I send my application by regular mail?

No. All applications must be submitted online in order to be considered eligible.

Can I apply for a specific European Program?

No. If you are selected to participate in the HIA Fellowship, the HIA staff will designate your program country. Please do not make a request for a specific European program.

What costs does HIA cover during the program?

Humanity in Action covers the costs of participation and accommodation during the fellowship programs. However, all Fellows will be responsible for financing the cost of airfare to participate in the program. HIA will cover this cost for fellows with documented need.

Although HIA provides a modest food stipend, Fellows should also plan to bring spending money for food and social activities during the fellowship program (approximately $500).

Do I need to know a foreign language in order to participate?

No, all HIA Fellowship Programs are conducted in English.

Is there a GPA requirement?

No, an applicant's GPA is just one of many criteria that our committee evaluates during the selection process. Although HIA values applicants who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, we do not require that they clear a specific GPA threshold.

What are the program dates for the 2012 Fellowship?

The 2012 HIA Fellowship in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen and Paris will run simulataneously from June 1 to July 1, 2012. Fellows in these programs are required to arrive in their program cities no later than May 31, 2012.

The 2012 HIA Fellowship in Warsaw will run from June 25 through July 22, 2012. Fellows in this program are required to arrive in their program city on June 25, 2012. 

My college graduation date and/or exams occur during the program. Can I participate?

Fellows are required to be present and to participate in all days of the HIA Fellowship. You may not arrive late, leave early or miss program dates for obligations outside of the HIA Fellowship.

Who should write my letters of recommendation?

References should be people who know your work and character extensively, and be able to speak honestly and effectively about your interests and abilities as they relate to the program goals. At least one letter must be from a college/university teacher or advisor.

Should I submit more than two references or include supplementary materials with my application?

No, HIA will discard any materials that are not explicitly requested.

One of my references is abroad and does not have Internet access. Is it possible for her to submit a reference letter via regular mail?

In extenuating circumstances, HIA does accept application materials via regular mail. If you cannot submit materials through our online application, please contact us at admissions@humanityinaction.org for further instructions.

I will be studying abroad next semester. If I am selected as a finalist, can HIA arrange a telephone interview?

Yes, HIA will arrange telephone interviews when personal interviews are not feasible.

The application system cannot verify my PDF. What do I do?

A common reason why PDFs, especially college transcripts, will fail verification is that they are password-protected. One work-around to this problem is to open the PDF and use your computer's print-to-PDF function to create a new copy, which will not carry the password protection. Here are instructions:

For PC

• Download and install Adobe Reader (free download)
• Download and install PDF Creator (free download)
• Restart your computer
• Open the PDF with Adobe Reader
• Select "Print..." from the "File" menu located in the upper-left-hand portion of the screen (the "Print" entry may be located under a different menu, depending on the application)
• The standard 'Print' dialog will appear. Select the printer named "PDFCreator" and press "OK."
• The standard "Save" dialog box will appear. Select where you would like to save the PDF document and click the "Save" button
• Note: You will see the standard "Print" dialog appear that shows up while printing a document. This is because the application is printing to a file instead of using a printer. After the program has finished printing there will be a PDF document in the location you specified, ready to be used as you see fit.

For Mac OSX

• To save a document as a PDF file, select "Print..." from the "File" menu located in the upper left-hand portion of the screen (the "Print" entry may be located under a different menu, depending on the application).
• The standard 'Print' dialog will appear. Click on the button located in the lower-left-hand corner, labeled "PDF." This will bring up another menu where you can choose from a few actions associated with creating PDF documents.
• Select "Save as PDF..." (Note for 10.3: If you are running OS X version 10.3, the dialog will be slightly different - the "PDF" drop-down menu will not be present. Instead, click on the button labeled 'Save to PDF...' and continue on to the next step).
• The standard "Save" dialog box will appear. Select where you would like to save the PDF document and click the "Save" button.
• Note: You will see the standard "Print" dialog appear that shows up while printing a document. This is because the application is printing to a file instead of using a printer. After the program has finished printing there will be a PDF document in the location you specified, ready to be used as you see fit.

Further Questions

If you have any questions that are not covered here, please email admissions [at] humanityinaction.org for a quick response.