Photos and quotes about BIMA and Genesis.
BGI Fellowship for Students from Russian-speaking Families
The Brandeis-Genesis Institute (BGI) in partnership with the Office of High School Programs at Brandeis awards fellowships to select students from Russian-speaking households to attend BIMA and Genesis at Brandeis.
What is a BGI fellowship?
The mission of the Brandeis-Genesis Institute (BGI) is to prepare Russian-speaking Jews from around the world to become effective community leaders fortified by Jewish knowledge, a systematic understanding of Russian Jewry, and a commitment to the future of the Jewish people. The BGI fellowship for high school students integrates students’ participation in BIMA or Genesis with a year-round extracurricular follow-up program designed to enhance connections to the Russian-speaking Jewish world, while developing fellows’ leadership skills and enhancing their Jewish knowledge. Students participate in specially designed programming that includes weekend retreats, seminars conducted online and community-based projects. BGI fellows receive a scholarship to attend BIMA/Genesis and the follow up program.
The BGI fellowship is highly competitive and is awarded based on the following criteria:
- community involvement and leadership potential
- academic excellence
- overall strength of the application
How much is the scholarship?
BGI fellowship is highly competitive and the number of scholarships awarded each year is limited. Scholarship amount may vary and will be determined by the overall competitiveness of the application. Scholarships may range from $500 to $4,000.
We encourage all families who are not able to afford the remaining tuition to apply for additional financial aid. Once you begin your application to a program, you will be able to see all of the application materials in your online account, under the "forms dashboard."
Please note: We review BIMA/Genesis applications separately from financial aid applications. Your financial aid application does not impact your acceptance into the program, or being awarded a BGI fellowship. Since there are a limited number of BGI fellowships and scholarship amounts are limited and may vary, we encourage all families with financial need to submit a financial aid application.
Who is eligible?
The scholarships are intended for students from Russian-speaking families who have the motivation to be of service to the Russian-speaking and larger Jewish community. Students are eligible if they are from families who speak Russian, do not attend Jewish day school, and are accepted to BIMA or Genesis. However, acceptance into the program does not guarantee a scholarship award. Scholarship spaces are limited and we are not able to award scholarships to everyone who applies.
How do I apply?
Applicants must fill out a complete BIMA/Genesis application by March 12, 2013. Please make sure to indicate on the online form that the applicant comes from a Russian-speaking family. To be considered for the BGI fellowship, applicants will also be required to have a phone or Skype interview (to be scheduled once your application is complete).
What are the commitments if I receive a scholarship?
In addition to full participation in our BIMA/Genesis summer experience, BGI fellows will also be expected to participate in follow-up programming, including monthly webinars and weekend retreats, for the duration of the school year after the completion of the summer program.
If you have any questions, would like more information, or would like to speak to someone in Russian, please call us at 781-736-8425.