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Students: We're here to help you find opportunities that are a good fit for you! Schedule an appointment with a Haas Center Peer Advisor.
 

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FAQs

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Danielle Cruz at her Cardinal Quarter fellowship

Frequently Asked Questions for Haas Center Cardinal Quarter participants

The following FAQs apply to Cardinal Quarter opportunities that are sponsored or co-sponsored by the Haas Center for Public Service. For details about Cardinal Quarter opportunities sponsored by other Stanford departments, please visit our campus partners' websites for more information.

  1. Who can I speak to about Cardinal Quarter or the Haas Center's Undergraduate Fellowships Program?
  2. Who should I talk to about Stanford in Government Fellowships and Stipends?
  3. What is the difference between prearranged and self-designed opportunities?
  4. How do I apply for a fellowship? What are the steps? What resources are available?
  5. May I apply to more than one public service fellowship? Can I submit the same application if I am applying for more than one fellowship?
  6. How do I request a Stanford transcript?
  7. Who should serve as my reference?
  8. How are fellows selected?
  9. How competitive are the fellowships?
  10. If I am selected to receive a fellowship, when must I notify the Haas Center Fellowships staff of my decision to accept it?
  11. What if I require a disability-related accommodation and/or disability access information to participate in a summer fellowship?
  12. Where can I find information about other fellowship opportunities?
  13. If I find out that I have received an unpaid internship after the Undergraduate Fellowships Program deadline, is there other Haas Center funding available to support me?

1. Who can I speak to about Cardinal Quarter or the Haas Center’s Undergraduate Fellowships Program?

Please feel free to contact a Cardinal Quarter Peer Advisor or email cardinalquarter@stanford.edu with any questions or to set up an advising appointment. Visit program staff during drop-in advising on Tuesdays 1pm to 3pm at the Haas Center (Room 210). 

2. Who should I talk to about Stanford in Government Fellowships and Stipends?

Haas Center staff serves in a close advisory role to Stanford in Government (SIG); however, students with specific SIG fellowships and stipends inquiries should contact SIG officers.

3. What is the difference between prearranged and self-designed opportunities?

  • Prearranged - An internship at a community partner identified by the sponsoring campus program.
  • Self-Designed - An unpaid internship at a community partner identified by the applicant. Applicants will apply to our funding programs after securing an internship offer at a community partner of their choice.

The Haas Center also offers funding for self-designed "project" opportunities, which provides an additional $1000 to implement the project. Projects are student-implemented, designed in consultation with a community partner to provide immediate impact, tangible deliverable, and sustain service to that community. Project-based fellowships include the Donald Kennedy Public Service Fellowship and the Alexander Tung Memorial Fellowship.

Please see individual fellowship descriptions for more details about which fellowships offer structured placements and which allow students to propose their own placements.

4. How do I apply for a fellowship? What are the steps? What resources are available?

The first step in applying for a fellowship is to read all of the application information online completely and carefully. Fellowships program staff and peer advisors will have office hours, and students can sign up for individual advising appointments. Feel free to contact cardinalquarter@stanford.edu to request advising appointments or stop by during drop-in advising on Tuesdays 1pm to 3pm at the Haas Center (Room 210) with program staff. 

Please be sure to refer to the Resources for Fellowship Applicants section of our website. In addition, subscribe to the Cardinal Service Weekly Student Digest and/or sign up for the Haas Center’s service4all listserv (to subscribe, send a blank email to: service4all-join@lists.stanford.edu). These are the best ways to keep informed about the Undergraduate Fellowships Program.

You may also want to get in touch with a former fellow to find out more about the program. Lists of past fellows are available on the Previous Fellows section of our website, and you can use Stanford Who to find specific e-mail addresses. If you need assistance, please contact program staff.

Keep in mind that there are resources outside of the Haas Center to help you prepare a competitive application. Talk with professors and advisors about your plans. Seek input from fellow students and build an authentic relationship with a community partner/organization. Before submitting an application, bring it to the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking for a critical review; doing so will ensure that you have done everything possible to make a good application great! You can make an appointment at the Hume Center or take advantage of their drop-in service. Stanford Career Education is another excellent campus resource. Staff there can help you to polish your résumé and sharpen your interview skills.

Selection occurs on a rolling basis. Fellowships program staff will contact students via email (provided on application) to update applicants on selection status.

5. May I apply to more than one public service fellowship? Can I submit the same application if I am applying for more than one fellowship?

Applicants may apply to more than one fellowship, but students can receive only one Cardinal Quarter opportunity in any given summer. Students who are selected for more than one Cardinal Quarter opportunity must choose which one they want to pursue by designated deadlines. Please refer to each individual fellowship or opportunity for application requirements.

Students pursuing self-designed fellowship opportunities should only apply with one host organization. Host organizations spend time and effort in selecting fellows and completing required fellowship application materials, and therefore we advise students to choose the organization they would like to work with prior to completing fellowship applications.

6. How do I request a Stanford transcript?

Students must request and submit an unofficial transcript as part of the fellowships application. Unofficial transcripts may be requested online via Axess. Once you have received your unofficial transcripts, save as a PDF and upload to your application. Please contact the Registrar's Office for additional information.

7. Who should serve as my reference?

Applicants are required to provide the name and contact information of a reference. References can include Stanford faculty, staff, graduate teaching assistants, residence fellows, appointed lecturers, former employers and internship supervisors, teachers etc. Fellow undergraduate students should not serve as references. Please feel free to contact program staff for more information.

8. How are fellows selected?

Applications will be screened by a committee and finalists selected to be interviewed (for approximately 20 minutes). The selection committees, which may comprise of faculty, staff, former fellows, and community partners, look at the whole application and reach decisions by consensus.

Selection criteria can be found on the fellowships website along with individual program descriptions. All committees will be instructed to consider the presentation of the application in their decision (clarity, high quality writing, accurate spelling and grammar), as well as a candidate’s interview skills. Applicants will be evaluated on their commitment to public service, relevant experience, leadership, and communication skills.

For applicants proposing project-based fellowships, additional criteria are used including the applicant’s ability to identify true community needs and their ability to design and implement a project to meet those needs with measurable outcomes, feasibility, and innovation. For applicants applying for international service fellowships and/or projects, committees also consider language skills, familiarity with the host country’s culture and history, and contacts within the host country.

9. How competitive are the fellowships?

Competition for each fellowship program varies from year to year. Competition is based on the applicant pool and it is impossible to determine in advance how many students will apply for each fellowship. The amount of funding available for each program determines the number of fellowship awards available each year.

10. If I am selected to receive a fellowship, when must I notify the Haas Center Fellowships staff of my decision to accept it?

We generally require all selected students to accept or decline fellowship awards within 48 hours of email notification.

11. What if I require a disability-related accommodation and/or disability access information to participate in a summer fellowship?

Haas program staff will work with you, your host organization, and Stanford’s Diversity and Access Office to ensure you are provided with accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Please inform Haas program staff as soon as possible, but no later than one week prior to starting your summer fellowship of your accommodation request.

12. Where can I find information about other fellowship opportunities?

Visit the Cardinal Quarter page as well as the SOLO (Stanford Off-Campus Learning Opportunities) platform for Stanford-sponsored opportunities. For post-graduation fellowships, please speak with the Haas Center’s Cardinal Careers team.

13. If I find out that I have received an unpaid internship after the Undergraduate Fellowships Program deadline, is there other Haas Center funding to support me?

The Community Service Work-Study Program generally has a later deadline, and is an excellent option for students who have not yet secured funding for domestic internships. Eligibility is different than for year-long work-study, so contact Yvette Zepeda to determine your eligibility.