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Summer and Fall 2013 Application Materials

• Application Questionnaire- form that will be filled out and submitted online:
  • Application Statement for JBS (see details below)
  • Emergency Contact
  • Resume (see details below)
• Material Submissions- files that must be printed, filled out, and returned to the Office of Study Abroad (Usdan 127) by the application deadline:
  
  • JBS Student Financial Services Signature (when applicable)
• Signature Documents- online agreements that must be read, executed and signed electronically:
  • Application Photo
  • JBS Statement of Agreement
• Recommendation- recommendation from a faculty member (see details below)

• Informal Interview:
  • One informal interview with the respective faculty member. Students may be contacted to schedule an interview once their application is complete.

Some programs may include additional application requirements. Refer to the specific program website for more details.

Students enrolled at universities other than Brandeis will submit the same materials listed above and will need to have an official transcript mailed to:

Brandeis University
Justice Brandeis Semester (JBS)
Usdan 127, MS 073
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453-2728

Application Statement for JBS

The Application Statement for JBS is a form that will be completed and submitted online.  Students will need to submit the following as part of the JBS Application Questionnaire:

• JBS Personal Statement (see details below)
• Alternate Program Choice (if applicable)

JBS Personal Statement
In an application essay of no more than 500 words, address the following questions. Please be specific in your response.  If you are applying to two programs, be sure your statement includes answers to all of the following questions for both your primary program and your alternate program.

• Examine why you would like to participate in the JBS program to which you are applying.
• What do you hope to gain as a JBS participant?
• How do your goals for the JBS program relate to your overall academic plan at Brandeis?
• What do you think you will contribute to the JBS learning community?

Resume

Please upload a pdf of your resume in the online application. The application review committee uses the resume to learn more about you and all of your experiences, commitments and interests to date. The rest of your application focuses exclusively on your academic history and future plans as they relate to study abroad or JBS. Your resume allows the committee to understand the rest of your skills, experiences, and achievements.

Enhance your application by thoughtfully expressing your leadership, volunteer and work experience on your resume. With the right preparation and expert feedback you can stand out in the crowd. Learn about how to structure and write a resume from Hiatt's online workshop, view samples on their website and access a user-friendly softwar, Optimal Resume, to create a clear, professional resume.

Application Photo

Please upload an Application Photo to the Brandeis On-Line Application. The photo must be a formal passport-style or ID photo which meets the following requirements:

• Color photo
• Clear photo of your head and shoulders
• Solid background
• Properly sized and oriented in the proper direction
• Can be taken expressly for this purpose with a digital camera or can be cropped from another photo

The following will not be accepted:

• Black and white photos
• Graduation portraits
• Scans of your actual passport photo

The photo will only be used for internal identification purposes.

Recommendation

Please submit one recommendation from a faculty member.  In the online application you can email a request for a Brandeis faculty member to fill out a recommendation form.  However, since this email is automatically generated through the on-line system, we suggest that you first personally contact your recommender and inform them that they will receive the email request from the Office of Study Abroad.

If you have already requested a letter from a professor, your professor can simply paste that letter into our online recommendation form.  Alternatively, you may have them submit it to our office via Campus Mail or through an email attachment to abroad@brandeis.edu.

Writing a Letter of Recommendation
The following information can be shared with your reference writer.

The Justice Brandeis Semester (JBS) is an engaging, immersive academic

in which small groups of students explore a thematic topic through inquiry-based courses linked to real-world experiential opportunities. To succeed, the applicant must have a high degree of academic and personal motivation.

In a letter of reference, please describe the applicant's academic and personal achievements. The JBS admissions committee is particularly interested in your knowledge of the applicant's academic performance, intellectual abilities, level of motivation, creativity, ability to work in groups, and potential for academic growth. Are there any particular strengths or areas in need of further development that we should be aware of?

Any additional information which could afford us with a better understanding of the applicant's capacity for the JBS program is greatly appreciated. Your candid appraisal enables us to determine whether the applicant is appropriate for the JBS Program and to help him or her obtain the most from the experience.

Letters of recommendation can be sent to the following email or office address, or submitted at the prompting of an email sent during the student's online application process.

abroad@brandeis.edu

Brandeis University
Justice Brandeis Semester (JBS)
Usdan 127, MS 073
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453-2728