What is the Haas Scholars Program at UC Berkeley?
Established in 1997 through the generous gift of Robert and Colleen Haas, the Haas Scholars Program creates opportunities for academically talented, financial-aid-eligible undergraduates IN ALL MAJORS to engage in a sustained research, field-study or creative project -- often their senior honors thesis/project -- in the summer before and during their final year or semester at UC Berkeley.
Each year, twenty Haas Scholars--selected from all disciplines and departments across the university--are awarded the funding necessary to pursue their independent projects and participate jointly in a program designed to support their intellectual development. Haas Scholars receive the following benefits:
- a $3,800 summer stipend that allows students to work full time on their projects during the summer before their senior year, plus a $200 stipend upon completion of all obligations to the program;
- up to $3,600 in academic year stipend for your final year/semester, which displaces loans and workstudy grants in your financial aid package (but does not change the total amount of your package);
- up to $5,000 in funding for major and minor expenses associated with a research, field-study or creative project launched in the summer before the final year/semester;
- the opportunity to develop a close mentoring relationship with a faculty sponsor;
- membership in a close-knit intellectual community of fellow Haas Scholars and their mentors;
- participation in a series of coordinated intellectual enrichment events and activities in the summer preceding and during the senior year;
- assistance and advising regarding application to graduate and professional school, as well as other advanced study and research opportunities in their fields;
- the opportunity to present and publish the results of the research, field-study or creative project.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
The Haas Scholars Program for 2008-2009 will be open to undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, who meet the following criteria:
- are expecting to graduate in Fall 2008 or Spring/Summer 2009
- have maintained a Berkeley GPA of 3.5 or above (we round up from 3.450 --firm cutoff -- and look at your UCB gpa as of the deadline)
- are eligible to receive need-based financial aid
Students who are selected to be Haas Scholars are expected to work full-time on their projects during Summer 2008 (no courses or employment allowed except by explicit permission of program staff), to not be employed during the academic year, and to participate fully in the activities of the program, including the Summer Research Retreat (June 3-7, 2008), a weekly Friday (12-2) colloquium during the Fall 2008 semester, and the Haas Scholars Research Conference, tentatively scheduled for May 1-2, 2009. They are also expected to be registered for units in conjunction with the research project for both semesters, typically senior honors thesis units or independent study units. All of these commitments are mandatory.
Mentors of Haas Scholars are required to be ladder faculty members (this usually means that their official title is Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor). Exemptions to the rule may be granted in some circumstances by the Program Office. Please contact the Program Coordinator if you would like to request an exemption for a faculty member that you would like to have as your mentor.
Mentors are expected to attend the following events: one panel at the retreat (June 3-7, 2008); one meeting of the fall colloquium (Fridays 12-2); one practice for the spring conference (to be scheduled: April, 2008), and one panel of the spring conference, May 1-2, 2009: a total of eight hours over the course of the year. In recognition of this time commitment, they receive a stipend. See the link entitled "Information for Faculty Mentors" for more information. You should tell your mentor about these obligations when you first ask him/her to be your mentor -- not right before the application is due.
Each spring, an interdisciplinary Faculty Advisory Board selects twenty outstanding students, from among the pool of qualified applicants, to receive funding. We receive up to one hundred applications each year. Each application is read by four selection committee members, from different disciplines. Selection is based on the applicants' academic potential and preparation, their opportunity for good guidance, the applicant's potential to make a positive contribution to the group dynamic, the merit and originality of their proposed research, field-study or creative project, and their overall likelihood of success.
When is the Application Deadline?
The application deadline for the 2008/2009 Haas Scholars Program will be 4:00 pm on Tuesday, February 19, 2008. You must submit your on-line application for financial aid on or preferably before March 2, 2008.
Now is the time to begin planning your 2008/09 application. A good proposal requires multiple rounds of feedback from your mentor and revision as well as ample supporting documentation, all of which take time. You are strongly encouraged to seek information and individual advising as soon as possible from the Program Coordinator, Leah Carroll:
phone: (510) 643-5374
e-mail: haas_scholars@learning.berkeley.edu
office: 345 Campbell Hall
How Can I Get More Information?
You are also urged to attend the two workshops given by the Program Coordinator, "Getting Started in Undergraduate Research", and "How to Write a Research Proposal". For times and dates, please consult the online Schedule of Workshops. No workshop registration is necessary.
How Can I Get the Application?
The 2008-2009 application is now on line: click here to get started. Note that it is possible to complete part of the application and save it to complete the rest of it later.
You are also strongly encouraged to complete the eligibility and contract pages of the application first. Then, if you are eligible and willing to fulfill all of the commitments, meet with the program coordinator for advising, getting sample proposals, and draft-reading. To request an initial appointment with the Program Coordinator, Leah Carroll, please e-mail her with your available times for about four days. For a draft-reading appointment, please do the same, but attach your draft so she can give you a longer appointment.
