DeLeT — Day School Leadership through Teaching

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

PRELMINARY CONSULTATION

As part of your application process to becoming an educational leader through HUC-JIR, we encourage you to speak with a professional in the Department of Admissions and Recruitment or the Admissions Associate of the DeLeT Fellowship. This informal, preliminary consultation is a way for us to get to know you better, for you to ask your questions and be sure now is the right time for you to apply to HUC-JIR. Simply email DeLeT@huc.edu to set a date and time.

THE APPLICATION

If you’ve applied in the past, or are familiar with our application process from years past, you may be interested to know that we’ve changed our process, and we continue to maintain our high admissions standards.

Here are the steps you should take:

First, begin Part 1 of your application for admission. We’ll ask you a few, simple questions about yourself and your educational background.

Then, after you’ve submitted Part 1 of your application, we’ll confirm its receipt and email you instructions on how to start Part 2. Part 2 of the application asks program-specific questions, including essay questions.

There is one application deadline and two interview periods — one in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco. All application materials, including Part 2 of your application, letters of references, transcripts and test results, must be received by the deadline in order to receive an interview. HUC-JIR does not offer rolling admissions.

Admissions Essays

As you fill out Part 2 of your online application, you will be prompted to submit your Admissions Essays. Your answers to the following questions help us get to know you as an individual, a student, a Jew, and a Jewish educator. Your admissions essays, resume and picture should be consolidated into one document that you will be asked to upload. Prepare three essays, one focusing on your professional aspirations, one on your personal identity, and one reflecting on a Day School Teacher’s Daily Work. Please limit each response to no more than three double-spaced, typed pages, in a font size of a twelve-point.

Professional Aspirations - Why do you want to be a Jewish day school teacher? What appeals to you about serving the Jewish people this way? What in particular attracts you to the DeLeT program? In your response, it will be important to describe your experiences working with children or adolescents, any teaching experience you have had to date, and how your Jewish education and/or experiences have influenced this decision.
Personal Identity - What are the values, experiences and passions that define you as a person and a Jew, that make you your unique self? Share any anecdotes or thoughts that portray you and give a sense of who you are.
Reflection on Day School Teacher’s Daily Work — Based on an observation you have done recently in a Jewish day school classroom or on experience you have had in a Jewish day school (e.g. teaching assistant), what do you anticipate might be some of the rewards and challenges of the daily work you would be doing as a classroom teacher in a Jewish day school? (If you have not been in a day school classroom in the last year, we suggest you schedule a visit to a Jewish day school near your home in order to prepare you to write this essay.)

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

In addition to the online Part 1 and 2 of your application, HUC-JIR requires a number of supporting application documents that should be emailed or sent to the National Office of Admissions and Recruitment on the Los Angeles campus. Do not send documents to any other campus or department of HUC-JIR, as this will delay or prevent us from receiving your complete application by the deadline.

TRANSCRIPTS

Please provide us with one copy of an official transcript from: The college from which you graduated as well as any other colleges you attended. (This includes any school at which you took a college-level class.) Any graduate schools where you have been enrolled, as well as schools where you have taken graduate-level classes. Any “Year Abroad” programs or other foreign study. (If grades from international programs are recorded on your college transcript you do not need to submit a separate transcript.)

Have the schools mail the transcripts directly to: National Office of Admissions and Recruitment, Hebrew Union College — Jewish Institute of Religion, 3077 University Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007. Please request transcripts with sufficient time to allow them to arrive by the application deadline.

LETTERS OF REFERENCE

Good references come from individuals who know you well enough to give the Admissions Committee input on your candidacy and reflect on specific experiences you have had that will make you a strong candidate.

You must have one academic reference. A college professor or instructor with whom you have engaged in serious academic study should write the academic reference. An appropriate academic reference is from someone who teaches in the humanities or social sciences, as these areas are most similar to studies in DeLeT. If you have been out of college more than five years you may obtain an academic reference from an adult or informal education instructor.

You must have one professional reference. The professional reference should be a supervisor of your work, paid or volunteer, preferably in a Jewish setting.

You must have one Jewish life reference. The Jewish life reference should be someone who can describe your involvement in Jewish life and in the Jewish community.

Please use the Reference Letter Request Form to submit the names and contact information of your references. HUC-JIR will not accept more than three letters of reference. The individuals you list as references will receive an email from HUC Admissions informing them that you have requested they write a letter of reference on your behalf. It is recommended that you are in touch with your chosen references prior to filling out this online form to alert them that they will receive this emailed request.

The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, provides students the right to inspect their records. This includes letters of recommendation submitted in the application process. HUC-JIR carefully reviews all letters of reference. However, we find that letters written in confidence are most useful in assessing a candidate’s qualifications and promise. By using the Reference Letter Request Form, you are automatically waiving your right. Please contact admissions@huc.edu with any questions or concerns.

Reminders regarding references: Please allow each reference enough time (at least one month) to complete his or her letter of reference. If you wish to substitute, delete, or add references after you have submitted their names in the online Reference Letter Request Form, you must report this in writing to the National Office of Admissions by emailing admissions@huc.edu

CHECKLIST

Use this checklist as a guide to completing your HUC-JIR Admissions Application.

To be completed online:

Part 1 of your application
Part 2 of your application (including uploading your Admissions Essays, Resume and Picture) Reference Letter Request Form

Sent directly to HUC-JIR Office of Admissions and Recruitment:

Transcript(s), undergraduate and graduate (if applicable)

National Office of Admissions and Recruitment
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
3077 University Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007

admissions@huc.edu

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for highly qualified applicants for all of our programs. HUC-JIR’s student body is diverse and there is no “correct path” to becoming a strong candidate. Each applicant is viewed as a unique individual. For example, a degree in Jewish studies is not required but it is important to have some background with liberal arts classes where reading and writing are emphasized.

You must be able to meet the following requirements.

A BA or BS degree from an accredited college or university.
An academic record reflecting the ability to do graduate work at a 3.0 grade point average or above on a four-point scale.
A readiness to engage in academic study and to meet the intellectual, ethical, and emotional demands of the program and the school-based internship.
An aptitude for clear oral and written self-expression.

INTERVIEW

A personal interview with the DeLeT Fellowship Committee is required as part of our evaluation of your application. This interview provides the Committee the opportunity to get to know you better and for you to expand upon the information you have provided in your application. Interviews will take place in San Francisco and HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. All completed applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed and interviews will be granted only to the most qualified candidates. We reserve the right to deny an interview to applicants who do not meet the admissions standards. Please do not make travel arrangement until you receive confirmation from HUC-JIR that you have been granted an interview.

FELLOWSHIP DECISION

Fellowship decisions are normally communicated by letter no more than three weeks after the personal interview. Acceptances are contingent on successful school internship placement. The placement process begins once receipt of the letter of conditional acceptance is acknowledged by the applicant. HUC-JIR/DeLeT is responsible for finding internship placements for all accepted Fellows. Fellows should not contact any schools directly about setting up an internship.

HEALTH INSURANCE

All students at HUC-JIR are required to have health insurance. DeLeT Fellows are required to have health insurance for the entire 13-month fellowship period. DeLeT Fellows receive health insurance via their internship placement schools only during the academic school year and are required to provide their own coverage both before and after the academic year. While in residence each summer, DeLeT Fellows have access to the USC Student Health Center adjacent to the HUC-JIR campus. They are required to pay a small health fee for this. Health Center participation is in addition to, and not in place of, the health insurance requirement.

STIPEND

The DeLeT Fellowship stipend will be paid by the student’s internship site school. In most cases, payments will not begin until September. Fellows should budget accordingly. More information about the stipend can be found on the DeLeT Fellowship webpage, under the tab “Stipend”.

BECOMING A NEW STUDENT

In preparation for you pending enrollment as a new student, we highly suggest that you visit our For New Students page that outlines the post-interview/post-acceptance next steps of the admissions process. Key to your preparation will be completing the required Medical Forms and Enrollment Fee.

START YOUR APPLICATION

Part 1 of the Application