Application & Admissions

Prerequisites

No prior background in fine arts is required, however students who have taken fine arts courses will be given first consideration. Students without a fine arts background are strongly encouraged to enroll in a fine arts course prior to departure. Any student will be eligible to participate on this program as long as they are not on judicial or academic probation. While no previous knowledge or study of Italian is required for this summer program, you are encouraged to enroll in Italian language courses at Brandeis prior to participating on the program.

Application Process

Visit the Get Started page. You must first complete steps 1-3 before scheduling an advising appointment with Ari Massefski, Study Abroad Advisor.
Schedule an advising appointment by phone (781-736-3483) or online.
In your advising appointment, you will talk about the program in more detail, discuss your qualifications and fit for the program, get advice on passport/visa concerns, and then your application for the Brandeis in Siena program can be opened. Once your application is opened, you will have access to the Online Study Abroad Account application materials described below.

Application Deadlines

Applications for Summer 2021 can be opened in the Office of Study Abroad beginning in late October 2020.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling admissions basis until the closing deadline. You are encouraged to apply well before the admissions deadline. Qualified applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis so applying early is to everyone's advantage. Provided spaces are still available, applications will be reviewed up until the published deadline. This website will contain information in the event that the program reaches student capacity before the admissions deadline.

Application Decisions

The application will be read by the admissions committee within a few weeks of receipt of the complete application. You will receive an admissions decision soon after the application is reviewed.

To hold a spot on the program, you will be required to declare your intent for participation and submit a $500 non-refundable deposit within 10 days of acceptance. More details about what forms to fill out will be available at the time of acceptance.

Required Application Materials

Online Study Abroad Account
- Application: Academic and Student Conduct Standing
- BLP: Application Statement for Brandeis in Siena (see details below)
- BLP: Statement of Agreement Summer
- Emergency Contact
- Passport ID Page Copy (valid for 6 months beyond program end date)
- Travel Grant: Do you receive financial aid? (optional)
- Upload an Application Photo

Recommendation Letter (submitted through Online Study Abroad Account)
- General recommendation: one letter of recommendation from a faculty member (see details below)

Informal Interview
- Students may be contacted to schedule an interview once their application is complete.

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Application Statement

Your personal statement should include answers to the following questions. You may also wish to refer to the selection criteria before writing your statement.

Your statement should be about 500 words in essay format. 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. Failure to include answers to all questions for both programs may result in your application being denied.

What are your academic and intellectual goals for studying on the Brandeis in Siena program and how do these goals relate to your overall studies?
How have you prepared yourself academically for studying on this program?
What do you hope to gain from living and learning in a new global culture and how do you plan to achieve that?
Describe the challenges you imagine you will face while living and studying in a different culture and give concrete examples of how you will deal with these challenges.

Faculty Recommendation

You must submit one recommendation from a university faculty member. While students are encouraged to ask someone within the Department of Fine Arts, other faculty who know you well academically are also acceptable. In the online application, you can email a request for a faculty member to fill out a recommendation form. However, since this email is automatically generated through the online 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. Please note that the committee will not accept a letter from a high school teacher.

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 as an email attachment sent to abroad@brandeis.edu.