The application wizard guides you through your HAVEN application one section at a time, saving your answers as you go, so you can finish now or come back later.
What the wizard looks like
When you open an application, you see two parts. On the left is a progress rail: a numbered list of every step in the application. On the right is the step you are working on now. The header shows the cycle title and Step X of Y so you always know how far along you are.
On a phone the rail collapses into a simple Step X of Y label with a progress bar across the top.
In the progress rail:
Completed steps show a checkmark. You can click them to jump back and change an answer.
The current step is highlighted.
Upcoming steps are greyed out and not clickable yet.
You move between steps with the Back and Continue buttons at the bottom. Continue is the large primary button. On the very last step it changes to Submit application.
Note
Your answers save automatically. A small status line reads Saving… and then Saved a moment after you stop typing. There is no manual save button, and you can close the page and pick up later from apply.havenfreeclinic.org.
The steps, in order
Every cycle is a little different, so your application may have more or fewer steps. In general they follow this order.
Getting started
This first step appears only if the cycle accepts returning applicants. It asks whether you are new or returning, and shows only the options that apply to you. It also explains who counts as returning: you served in the term right before this one, without a break. Summer is the one exception, so a spring volunteer applying for the fall still counts as returning. If you have been away for a full fall or spring term, apply as a new applicant.
New applicant (first time applying)
Renewing in my current department (continuing where you already are)
Transferring to a new department (returning in a different department)
If you are renewing and belong to more than one department, you pick which one from a Current department dropdown. If you are in exactly one, it is shown as a read-only Current department field.
Renewing needs your Yale sign-in. If you pick Renewing in my current department without being signed in with Yale, a card asks you to Sign in with Yale so the clinic can verify your renewal and fill in your information. If you sign in and no current membership is found, you see "We do not see a current volunteer membership for your account, so we have set you up as a new applicant," and you continue as a new applicant.
If the only option open to you is new, the step simply reads You are applying as a new volunteer (or director) with no choice to make.
The application sections
Next come the questions themselves, grouped into one step per section. Each section shows its own description and its fields inside a card. Which sections you see depends on whether you are new, transferring, or renewing, and (for department-specific questions) on the department you choose.
If you are signed in as a returning applicant, you will see a line reading Signed in as {your name} at the top.
Review & submit
The last step always shows everything you entered, grouped by section, so you can check it over before sending. Then you submit.
Answering the questions
You may run into several kinds of fields, all set up by the cycle:
Short and long text, numbers, dates, email, and phone.
Yes/no checkboxes.
Dropdowns where you pick one option, and lists of checkboxes where you can pick several.
A department choice dropdown. What you pick here decides which department sections appear later.
A subcommittee ranking, with 1st choice, 2nd choice, and 3rd choice dropdowns. Choose a different subcommittee for each rank.
File uploads.
A signature box, where you draw your signature, or click Type instead to type your name. Use Clear to start over. The box shows Signed once you have signed.
Required fields are marked with a red asterisk (\*). Some fields have short help text under the label.
Notices
Some steps include a shaded notice: a short block of information, such as a policy you should know about, placed among the questions. Most notices ask nothing of you. Some end with a checkbox (for example, "I have read and understand the above.") that you tick to confirm you have read it; if it is marked required, you cannot continue until you do. Only a notice with a checkbox appears on your review page, as Yes or No.
Note
Files upload the moment you pick them. You will see Uploading… and then Attached: {your file name}. Your files are remembered, so if you leave and come back you do not have to pick them again. Uploading a new file replaces the old one.
Questions that appear as you go
Some questions only show up once an earlier answer calls for them. For example, a "Please explain" box may appear only after you answer "Yes" to the question above it. These questions appear and disappear on their own as you fill the form. If a question is hidden by your earlier answers, you do not have to answer it, it will not show on your review page, and anything you may have typed into it before it hid is not saved.
Word limits
Some longer questions show a small word count under the box, like 127 / 300 words. It turns red if you go past the suggested limit, but it is only a guide: you can still submit even if you are over.
If you are a returning applicant
If you signed in with your Yale account, the wizard fills in what it already knows: your first and last name (and preferred first name, if you have one on file) and your phone, which you can still edit. Your email is filled in and locked to your verified address, and your NetID is filled in and locked too when it is on file, so you cannot change either here.
If you are not affiliated with Yale
In the standard application, the Yale affiliation question comes before the NetID. If you answer that you are not a Yale affiliate, the NetID question does not appear and you do not need one. You still give an email address, since that is where every update about your application is sent.
Moving forward and back
When you press Continue, the wizard checks the required fields on the step you are leaving. If something is missing, you see a red This field is required. message and the page jumps to the first empty field. You cannot move on until it is filled. (Questions that are hidden by your earlier answers are not required.)
Warning
If you are transferring and pick a department you are already in, you will see a note telling you to choose Renewing in my current department instead. Continue stays disabled until you change your selection.
You can always go Back, or click any completed step in the rail, to fix an earlier answer.
Reviewing and submitting
The Review your application step lays out every step you completed as its own card, with your answers shown as label-and-value rows. Anything you left blank shows as Not provided, file fields show the file name or Not attached, and signature fields show your signature. Questions that were hidden by your answers are left out.
Each card has an Edit link that jumps you straight back to that step. After you edit and press Continue, you come right back to the review page.
An info note reminds you: after you submit, you will get a confirmation email and can track your application in the portal. When you are ready, press Submit application (it reads Submitting… while it works).
Tip
After a successful submit, the wizard is replaced by a green Application received notice and a confirmation email is on its way. You are all set. You cannot submit again for the same cycle.
For where to find your application afterward and what each status means, see Checking your status.