No. No student can be confirmed until we are sure he/she attended his/her local seminar (if applicable) and applied/paid while spaces were still available.
Within two (2) weeks of his/her seminar’s conclusion. If you have not heard from us two weeks later, please send an e-mail to elgrablyn@hoby.org.
Because some students may not attend their local seminars due to illness, emergency, or other reasons, HOBY must confirm the student indeed attended before making any official announcement. HOBY will not refund any plane tickets purchased in advance of such verification, thus if you choose to purchase a plane ticket anyway, please note, you do so at your own risk.
HOBY can only allocate approximately 277 seats to US students hailing from 70 seminars, thus each site is given the same percentage based on the size of their local program.
When registration opened, HOBY sent every single student selected to attend a state seminar (approximately 9,500 students) as well as their parents and school counselors an email informing them of the opportunity to apply for the WLC. Due to the popularity of HOBY's programs, many people apply immediately when the announcement is made and others elect to wait and see if they liked their local seminar first. Unfortunately those who wait run the risk of being unable to attend.
Yes, each site has its own wait list for the WLC. The wait list will appear as an option in the drop down menu of the final page in the application, only when the site's regular spaces are full. If the wait list for your site is full, you can send an e-mail with the student's name, seminar site, and contact info to Noel Elgrably elgrablyn@hoby.org. HOBY will not know if it can take anyone from the wait list until one week after the local seminar has concluded. No phone calls please.
As this is a competitive application process, HOBY cannot provide you with this information.
That is hard to say. Some sites will not use all of their spaces while others will use every space and have a long wait list. After June 23rd, HOBY will count all the available spaces for each site, and allocate them first to people on the wait list for that site. If there are still available spaces, we will look at all of those on the wait lists and consider a variety of factors before making final decisions.
Unfortunately, WLC protocol has always been that US students must be sophomores who have just completed a HOBY program in their respective state. International students must be between the ages of 15 and 17.
Each student who attends the WLC from a country other than the United States is responsible for coordinating his/her own travel arrangements and obtaining all necessary travel documents. Depending on the country of origin, this may include obtaining a passport and nonimmigrant visa. HOBY will do its best to assist by contacting the US embassy with an official letter that validates your trip. Once you have applied we will provide you with this letter if necessary. See http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html for more information.
Yes, students registered in a HOBY program must be present for the entire event. If circumstances arise that prevent your child from attending the entire WLC, please contact Noel Elgrably at elgrablyn@hoby.org. Please follow up without delay because a cancellation fee may apply.
This answer is provided in your confirmation packet as your place must be confirmed before buying tickets. Knowing that HOBY cannot reimburse airfare for tickets purchased, here are the details.
On July 23rd, yes, HOBY staff will pick up students and escort them back to campus at all points of entry. HOBY Staff will wear HOBY T-shirts and/or have signs that make it easy to find them. Typically, our staff can only meet people as far as the baggage claim section.
HOBY cannot give this information out without a parent’s consent. If you permit us to give your contact info to other parents/students that would be best.
The $1500 registration fee covers all food, room and board, and program expenses. It does not cover airfare, shuttle fair to/from the airport, visa or passport expenses, overseas partner costs for delegations, or spending money.
For the HOBY shuttle rides between UCLA and LAX, HOBY suggests $80 for a roundtrip ride. A roundtrip shuttle fare between BUR and UCLA may run $100. For spending money, HOBY will be selling merchandise from its HOBY store, at which a student can buy HOBY clothing, messenger bags, books, the yearbook, etc. None of these items are necessary to purchase, thus the amount is at your discretion. We will also have a little free time, possibly at some of the local tourist attractions and students may want to purchase items from the gift shops.
Many of the local HOBY seminars in the US provide scholarships of varying amounts to two students that they select to attend the WLC, but other students are not eligible. Please ask your local Leadership Seminar Chairperson about how to qualify. There are limited amounts of scholarships for international students, please contact lafianzaj@hoby.org for more information.
There is a $50 non-refundable fee for all cancellations prior to June 23rd; a $150 non-refundable fee for cancellations June 23-July 9; a $250 non-refundable fee for cancellations July 10-July 16; a $500 non-refundable fee for cancellations July 17-July 19; and no refunds for cancellations beginning July 20th. Please contact elgrablyn@hoby.org for a refund in accordance with the cancellation policy.
Everyone will stay in dorms, two people to a room, on the campus of UCLA. A few weeks prior to the event, you will be instructed on what you need to bring.
Absolutely! HOBY programs have a minimum of one adult (21 years or older) for every 13 students at all times. Students are never left unattended or allowed to walk across campus or the seminar site without supervision.
We discourage having parents present during HOBY programs. This encourages the students to find their own voice and step out of their comfort zone. You may have your child call you to check in via their personal cell phone or public phone. However, phones must be turned off during sessions. For emergencies, you will receive a contact number to reach HOBY personnel in your program materials.
Yes, the UCLA dining hall is state of the art and has multiple options for vegetarians, vegans, religious restrictions, and various allergies. If the dining hall cannot accommodate your request, we will ensure your child is well taken care of via off campus meal options.
Yes, we have several medics who are trained as nurses, EMTs, and physicians' assistants. We also have the UCLA hospital next door for emergencies.