Welcome to the first installment of “Heller Hacks: Pro Tips from the Inside”! As an admissions professional at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, I have the privilege of working with students from the moment they first consider pursuing a degree at Heller. Through my interactions with prospective and current students, I have seen firsthand what contributes to their success in the program.
In this blog series, I will be sharing practical tips that I’ve noticed many of our most successful students take advantage of during their time at Heller. These won’t be typical advice like “manage your time wisely”, but rather, specific, actionable things that you can take advantage of during your time at Heller to make sure you’re making the most out of your time here. First up: Heller Enrichment Funds.
The Heller Enrichment Funds are a way for eligible students to apply for financial support for their academic and professional development. The funds are generously supported by Heller alumni and friends and earmarked exclusively for student support. Heller Enrichment funds can help you to cover a variety of expenses, including reading materials or expenses related to attending a professional conference relevant to your areas of professional and scholarly interest.
Master’s students are eligible to apply for book awards up to $250 to help the costs of reading materials for the semester. The Book Award can cover the cost of materials that are a course requirement, such as textbooks, books, software, and coursepacks. Masters students can also apply for a grant to pay expenses related to attending a professional conference relevant to their areas of professional and scholarly interest and which could provide valuable career networking opportunities. The Conference Award can help to cover registration, lodging, and travel; students presenting original work can receive a maximum award up to $700, and students who are attending without presenting original work can receive up to $300.
PhD students can apply for up to two conference grants of up to $700 each during their time at Heller, one pre-proposal approval and one post-proposal approval. Additionally, post-proposal doctoral students may apply for a grant to assist in the final stages of conducting research and writing dissertations. These grants ($3,000 maximum) are intended to help students who have made
substantial progress in their work, and to relieve specific dissertation-related expenses (e.g., transcriptions, travel outside of the Boston area related to collecting data, software purchases, consulting or other direct research costs).
I encourage all eligible students to take advantage of these funds, which are exclusively earmarked for student support. Applying for these funds can help reduce financial stress and provide you with valuable opportunities for your academic and professional development. Heller Enrichment Funds are just one example of how we support our students at Heller. By providing financial assistance so that students can take advantage of professional opportunities, we ensure that our students have access to the resources they need to succeed.