Hello Everyone! This will be the discussion thread for the Herlead fellowship in 2020!
Apps are out and due in Feb. Does anyone have any advice?
Hey! Does anyone know if the awards part of the application is super important? I haven’t won any scholarships or awards or anything of that matter.
It seems like every girl accepted has already accomplished so much. Is there even a chance for girls who want to start to create change and haven’t had as much of an impact yet?
Hmm I’m not too sure. But from what I’ve seen in the past years, a lot of these girls already have some type of project. There’s no harm in trying. Although, I do agree that this is unfair.
Hi everyone! I was a 2019 Herlead fellow, and I would love to answer any questions you have about the program. It was an incredible experience!
hey @curlygirl675! I was curious how original your passion has to be- for me, I’m passionate about a certain issue, but I feel that it is one that many other applicants will also talk about and will have much more experience in.
I definitely tried to make my project as unique as possible. It’s important to distinguish yourself from the other applicants. However, I know some fellows last year who didn’t think that they had particularly unique ideas, and got in anyway. Basically just do your best to be unique, but don’t worry about it too much. And make sure you are extremely passionate about your topic. I hope that helps!
Thank you so much for the advice! What tips do you have for the application? Should we be very straightforward or should we be showcasing our personalities when writing responses to the app questions?
thank you for the help! also, another question is- do we have to have lots of experience+accomplishments in solving the issue in our community? for me, I have identified a major issue, and I have formulated several methods to stop it, but I don’t have a lot of experience with it, if that makes any sense.
basically, I’m pretty much asking the same question that nr548grad21 asked in the thread above.
@canieaturdishwasher I think it’s important to showcase your personality. Think of it like an application to an elite college: you want to do as much as possible to stand out. They want unique, genuine, and accomplished people. If you try too hard to be something that you aren’t, it may backfire. Be as genuine as possible, and try to let your true personality shine through. I hope this helps!
@blueclouds101 Accomplishments are definitely a major consideration for applicants. However, well-thought out ideas and genuine passion are much more important in my opinion. Don’t let the fact that you may not have a ton of accomplishments yet hinder you in any way. Simply state your accomplishments and move on. I hope this helps!
@curlygirl675 Thank you so much 
Would you be willing to look over my parts of my application and give me some feedback?
How is everyone’s application process going?
Hey! So I do a lot of ecs and I currently run a 501c3 dedicated to helping a cause I love. I was just wondering which components of the app. that they give more importance too- the ecs or the essay questions? Thanks!!
@curlygirl675 did you submit a video for your application? i would feel kind of awkward doing that even though i’m very passionate about my project…i don’t want to ruin my chances because i didn’t submit a video
@ila413 I obviously can’t speak for the people looking at your app, but I would say essays are more important. They would rather have an extremely passionate person who doesn’t have a ton of ecs than a person who lists a bunch of impressive ecs, but clearly isn’t passionate.
@naturelover2020 I truly think that they don’t care. I wrote and essay and got in, and I know a ton of their girls wrote essays as well. However, I know many girls made videos. It doesn’t impact your acceptance chances.
@curlygirl675 When do they notify you about acceptances? Is it on a rolling basis or is it the same day for everyone?
The application last year was due on March 8, so I’m not sure when they will let you know this year. Last year I found out on April 21, so I’m guessing it will be around then. Most of the girls got the acceptance on the same day, but 1 or 2 got it 2-3 days later. I think they notify later if someone says they can’t go, and they pull from the waitlist.