How to apply?

We are still accepting applications for Collective Futures 2024, but we only have a few spots left. 

Note that on all websites from University of Amsterdam, the course is referred to as Tesla Minor. We are changing our name to Collective Futures to better reflect our vision for the program. This name change however hasn’t yet been applied to all university platforms. For now both the name Tesla Minor and Collective Futures refer to the same course.

Criteria and selection

In general, the following criteria apply to Collective Futures candidates.  

  • You are enrolled in a 2-year MSc program at a science faculty (UvA or another university) 
  • You are eligible to participate according to the requirements of your MSc-program, usually stated in its Teaching and Exam regulations, with permission of the examinations board.
     

Additionally, you: 

  • Have a strong desire to create a positive impact on society using your scientific knowledge and skills. 
  • Seek opportunities to apply your academic background outside of traditional academia and make a tangible difference in the world. 
  • Are excited to collaborate with a partner organization on a real-world societal challenge that requires interdisciplinary solutions. 
  • Recognize the value of improving your professional and interpersonal skills and are committed to actively explore and developing them. 
  • Want to work in an interdisciplinary team environment where diverse perspectives and expertise are leveraged to drive progress towards a common goal. 
  • Want to embrace the opportunity to go beyond your comfort zone, take calculated risks, and learn from both successes and failures. 
  • Are prepared to commit to an intensive 5-month program and have a relevant track record in both your academic and extracurricular pursuits (reflected in your GPA and C.V.). 
Selection 

Collective Futures has limited capacity (24 participants), which means that not all applicants might be granted admission. A selection, based on the above mentioned criteria, is part of the admission procedure.

Application process 

1. Approval examination board 

If you consider applying for Collective Futures, inform your study advisor a.s.a.p. and make sure you get approval of the Examinations Board of your Master’s programme. For FNWI students: to request approval, you have to fill in your Study Plan (SPA) on your personal page in DataNose and submit this to the Examinations Board for approval. 

2. Application   

Every applicant is required to submit a resume (C.V.), list of courses and grades, and a motivation letter (maximum one page). 

3. Presentation

Based on the ‘paper application’ the applicant may be invited to participate in the second phase. In this phase of the intake procedure each applicant is asked to prepare a short presentation (10 minutes). The general theme of the presentation is ‘connecting your science background to practice’, in which applicants are free to choose their own specific topic and approach.  The audience will consist of other candidates and UvA staff. Each of the applicants will present their story and provide feedback and questions on the presentations of the others. 

4. Intake  

After the presentation round follows a collective intake with all applicants. In this meeting the Collective Futures teachers will share our vision and explain what the minor entails and there will be time to ask questions. The main aim of this meeting is to assess if there is a match between Collective Futures and the applicants.
An additional personal intake with one of our teachers might be part of the selection procedure. 

Upon completion of the application process, you will be personally contacted whether you are selected for Collective Futures.   

Dates  

We are still accepting applications for Collective Futures 2024, but we only have a few spots left.  

We have already completed the first round of application interviews in June. From now on, we will evaluate applications as they come in. The sooner you apply, the higher your chances of getting one of the remaining spots. We will evaluate each application individually, using our application process and selection criteria. After you submit your application, we will contact you to inform you about the next steps and whether you are invited to participate. 

Application 

UvA students 

You can apply using the Tesla minor application form in Datanose to and upload the required documents . Log in to Datanose using your UvANetID and password.

Note that the application form currently uses the name Tesla Minor. As explained above, Tesla Minor and Collective Futures refer to the same course, so by using this application form you are applying to Collective Futures.

Non-UvA students 

Please send an e-mail to minortesla-science@uva.nl 

Contact 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us: 

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