Frequently Asked Questions
Who are we?
DAWNetwork was founded by a community of young professionals based in the United States who are eager to support the leadership development and college applications of Syrian high-school-aged girls. Francesca Freeman, our founder, has several years experience working in college preparation and particularly has experience working with students in Syria.
Who do we serve?
DAWNetwork's 3-Year Program welcomes applicants currently in their sophomore year of high school to join our program, which begins the summer before their junior years of high school (please note that this means that students will be applying to college during a gap year or their first year of university in their country of residence following the completion of their senior year/ bakaloria). Syrian students anywhere in the world are welcome to apply.
What is DAWN's eligibility criteria?
3-Year Program:
- Applicants must be currently in their sophomore year (second year) of high school when they apply
- Applicants must be willing to take a gap year following their bakaloria year, using that year to apply to universities abroad
- Applicants must identify as female
- Applicants must intend to pursue higher education abroad
- Applicants must be Syrian or Syrian Palestinian and must currently reside in Syria;
- Applicants must complete their application in English
- Applicants must take the Duolingo Practice Test and take a screenshot of their estimated score to be included in their application
- Applicants must have access to Zoom and at least semi-regular access to internet (strong enough to stream a recording)
- Applicants must be willing to commit a minimum of 3 hours a week
- Applicants must be between the age of 14 and 25
- Applicants must intend to pursue higher education abroad;
- Applicants must be Syrian or Syrian Palestinian and must currently reside in Syria;
- Applicants must complete their application in English
- Applicants must take the Duolingo Practice Test and take a screenshot of their estimated score to be included in their application
- Individuals of all genders are welcome to apply
What does the application process look like?
The application includes 3 major components:
A small number of applicants will move forward to our interview rounds, where applicants will have the opportunity to talk with DAWN team members. All interviews will be conducted in English.
- Biographical and background information
- Essays and Extra-curricular activities
- Score from a free online English language test
A small number of applicants will move forward to our interview rounds, where applicants will have the opportunity to talk with DAWN team members. All interviews will be conducted in English.
How do we choose the students we work with?
We take a holistic approach to choosing participants for our 3-Year Program. DAWNetwork works with a small number of students each year and thus the application process is quite competitive. We do not provide application feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
We consider:
We consider:
- Academic performance
- English language proficiency
- Application essays
- Extra-curricular activities
- Ability to commit fully to the program for all 3 years
- Applicants engagement with their community and service work, or enthusiasm to do so in the future
Does dawn offer scholarships?
Our 3-Year Program is not a scholarship program. When applying to college, students are expected to apply to universities where it is possible to get full financial aid. DAWNetwork will help students identify these opportunities. For 3-Year Program participants, we will cover all costs of the college application process, including test registrations, college application fees, and score reports. Our Duolingo Scholarship grants selected students a waiver for one registration to take the Duolingo English Language Test.
You say you provide financial support to students? What does that include?
This includes financial support for the college application process, including all relevant test registrations, application fees, and test core reports.
What is the difference between the Duolingo scholarship and the 3-Year program?
The Duolingo Scholarship is a one-time waiver for the Duolingo English Language test. DAWNetwork does not provide any support to students selected for the scholarship beyond this waiver, although we can point you in the direction of useful study materials. The 3-Year Program is a comprehensive leadership development and college prep program.
What is the time commitment of the 3-year program?
Selected students are expected to commit 4 hours a week-- 1 hour to bi-weekly seminars and 3 working on their projects, and 1 connecting with a peer mentor, throughout the entirety of the program, which lasts from July to February of each year. We take a break from March to June to allow students and peer-to-peer mentors to focus on their academics. The DAWNetwork team is available to provide ad hoc support to participants from March to June, and we expect both students and peer-to-peer mentors to stay active in the community group chat throughout the year.
Why does the 3-year Program only support Women?
From our time working with students in Syria applying to college, we consistently saw more men taking the opportunity to apply and more men gaining admissions to top universities. However, we do not believe that this has to be the status quo. We are committed to ensuring that Syrian women are competitive candidates at top universities AND that Syrian women feel empowered to pursue whatever future allows them to realize their fullest potential, whether that is doing university in Syria or studying outside of Syria.
There are several excellent programs that support both men and women, and we are happy to point people who are not eligible for our 3-Year Program to other opportunities.
There are several excellent programs that support both men and women, and we are happy to point people who are not eligible for our 3-Year Program to other opportunities.
Does dawn offer in-person services?
No, DAWNetwork operates completely virtually.