GRADUATE SCHOOL 101

Student FAQs

• Why Should I Go to Graduate School?• How Can I Pay for Graduate School?• How Do I Apply for Graduate School?• How Do I Apply for a GEM Fellowship?• Where Can I Go to Graduate School?• Tips For Securing Fellowships?

Our mission …ENHANCE the value of the nation’s human capital by increasing the participation of underrepresented groups (African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanic Americans) at the master’s and doctoral levels in engineering and science.

Advanced degree benefits• Increased compensation

– Higher starting salary– Greater ability to earn

independently• Enhanced career flexibility

– Competitive advantage– Greater choice of work– Greater mobility

• Fortified self-confidence– Demonstrated ability to perform

rigorous tasks

Identifies you as a LEADER• A seat at the table• Solutions to some of the

nation’s most pressing problems lie in science and engineering– Healthcare (AIDS, cancer,

Alzheimer's)– Sustainable environment– Transportation– Communications– Strengthening civil

infrastructure

Partners developing the pool

Pre-College:

Undergrad:

Promotion:

How Can I Pay for Graduate School?

www.gemfellowship.org

GEM delivers• Portable fellowships to 90+ universities and research

institutions– MS Engineering Fellowship Program (2.8/4.0)

• Minimum $10,000 stipend over 3 semesters/4 quarters• Full tuition and fees at GEM member university

– PhD Engineering Fellowship Programn(3.0/4.0)• Minimum $14,000 academic year stipend for 5 years• Full tuition and fees at GEM member university

– PhD Science Fellowship Program• Minimum $14,000 academic year stipend for 5 years• Full tuition and fees at GEM member university

• Summer internships at 40+ employer members

GEM delivers even more

New program!•“Why Graduate School?”•“Preparing for Graduate School”•“The GEM Fellowship”•“Voices from the Field: Real Life STEM Experiences”

…and more!

8th Annual!• Graduate school success• The dissertation• Proposal writing, research• Multi-cultural issues• Job search, tenure• Mentoring

Financial aid resources• GEM

www.gemfellowship.org • The Financial Aid Web site

www.finaid.org• Graduate Office at your

university• Graduate Office at

universities of interest to you• Department you plan to

pursue degree in

• McNair Scholars waives application fees. http://www.ed.gov

• Project 1000 waives up to seven application feesE-mail: project1000@asu.edu www.asu.edu/project1000

www7.nationalacademies.org/fellowships/othfells.html

https://www.gmsp.org

www.asu.edu/project1000

http://www.nsa.gov/careers/students_4.cfm

University of Wisconsin-Madison• Each year the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin Madison hosts a three-

day graduate recruitment event known as The Opportunities in Engineering Conference, scheduled for November 1-3, 2007. The conference gives selected students an opportunity to hear faculty research presentations, tour laboratories, meet with current graduate students and individually with faculty in the students area of interest, and tour the city of Madison as well as the UW campus. All expenses including travel, housing, and food are paid in full by the College of Engineering (with the exception of food for Saturday and Sunday). We are particularly interested in identifying underrepresented candidates including women and students of color. All applicants should be in their Junior or Senior year. Application deadline is September 28, 2007.

Students are encouraged to apply on-line at: http://www.engr.wisc.edu/services/dao/opps/. For more information on opportunities available at the University of Wisconsin, please refer students to the College of Engineering website at: http://www.engr.wisc.edu/ .

(608) 263-4583 or kburton@engr.wisc.edu.

Kelly Burtonhttp://studentservices.engr.wisc.edu/diversity/gers/

UPRM GEM AlumniProfessor Department

Dr. Agustin Irizarry-Rivera ECE

Dr. Arturo Hernandez ChE

Dr. David Suleiman ChE

Dr. Eduardo Ortiz ECE

Dr. Felipe Acosta CiE

Dr. Gerson Beauchamp ECE

Mr. Iomar Vargas COMMOCA Inc.

Dr. Isidoro Couvertier-Reyes ECE

Dra. Jeannette Santos-Cordero General Eng

Dr. Lionel Orama ECE

Dr. Lorenzo Saliceti-Piazza ChE

Dra. Madeline Torres-Lugo ChE

Dra. Sandra Cruz-Pol ECE

Dra. Sonia M. Bartolomei-Suárez IE

Other financial support

• Research Assistantships (RA) and Teaching Assistantships (TA)– A form of financial aid where the graduate student is

paid for work which is often related to the student’s studies or area of specialization. An RA pays a student to assist a professor on a research project; a TA pays a student to teach sections or classes of undergraduate courses, or to help grade papers or examinations.

How Do I Apply for Graduate School?

Graduate admissions process

• Graduate school application– University & department forms, questionnaires– Transcripts, letters of reference, statement of purpose– Apply for admission at GEM member universities before January 1st for additional

funding opportunities– Take Graduate Record Exam (GRE)– Submit ALL documents at once

Graduate admissions process (continued)

• Recommendation letters– Ask for STRONG letters from faculty

• They should endorse your current academic/research performance and future capabilities

• If they don’t know your goals (industry, professorate, academic administration) they can’t support them in writing

– Allow 2-3 weeks for letters to be written• Statement of purpose

– Have faculty/advisor/mentor review before submitting

Graduate Admissions Process (continued)

• Graduate Record Exam (GRE)– Two parts: General and discipline exams

• Includes a writing section http://www.gre.org– Computer-based exams offered continuously– Resources include search services, online practice

exams, and campus workshops/seminars– Submit GRE scores with admission packet– Review Peterson’s Guide for scores (previous class)

submitted at various universities; and– GRE required for funding at some universities

How Do I Apply for a GEM Fellowship?

GEM Fellowships

– MS Engineering

– MS Science (in development)

– PhD Engineering

– PhD Science

• First year students begin exploring options now– Undergraduate research– Internships and/or co-ops in

relevant industries, labs (employer list on web site)

• Juniors may apply– Target graduate programs at

member universities (university list on web site)

• University alumni/ae are encouraged to apply.

• Apply ONLINE @ www.gemfellowship.org by November 15th deadline.

GEM Fellowship process

GEM Fellowship process (continued)

• Eligibility requirements– Minimum 2.8 GPA for MS Engineering Fellowship– Minimum 3.0 GPA for PhD Engineering and Science Fellowships– Submit two (one from faculty) letters of recommendation– Detailed resume– Include statement of purpose – Undergraduate and graduate transcripts– Be member of underrepresented minority group (African American,

Hispanic American, and American Indian)– Be a U.S. citizen

GEM Fellowship process (continued)

• Internship Expectations:– Internships begin summer before Fall

enrollment at member university except;

• Juniors complete three internships with employer

– MS Engineering Fellows are expected to complete two internships with employer sponsor;

– PhD Engineering and PhD Science Fellows are expected to intern at least once with employer;

– All interns are evaluated as potential full-time employees; and

– Employers pay internship salary and travel.

Application time line

NOW: Apply online @ www.gemfellowship.org– Indicate up to four preferred employers on GEM application– Apply for admission to member universities– Take GRE (not necessary for GEM application)

November 1: Submit complete GEM application and graduate school application

December:– GEM Selection Committee matches employer intern

preferences with eligible applicants

February: Announcement of GEM Fellows

Application time line (continued)

• Feb: GEM Acceptance Forms Due

• May: Forward transcript & school selection to GEM May/June: Internship begins

• August/September: Fall semester begins– Meet campus GEM

Representative– Meet other GEM Fellows!

2006 MS EApplicants vs. Selects

376

1070

50100150200250300350400

# of

Students

2006

Year

Applicants Selects

Applicant Profile•252 (67%) African Americans•118 (31%) Latinos/a• 6 ( 2%) American Indians•143 (38%) Female•276 (74%) >3.0 GPA•189 (51%) >3.3 GPA

Select Profile• 66 (62%) African Americans• 37 (35%) Latinos/a• 4 ( 4%) American Indians• 44 (41%) Female• 93 (87%) >3.0 GPA• 70 (65%) >3.3 GPA• 46 (43%) >3.5 GPA

2006 PhD EApplicants vs. Selects

215

340

50

100

150

200

250

# of

Students

2006

Year

Applicants Selects

Applicant Profile• 122 (56%) African Americans• 90 (42%) Latinos/a• 2 (1%) American Indians•. 1 (1%) Other• 84 (39%) Female•104 (48%) >3.5 GPA• 58 (27%) >3.7 GPA

Select Profile• 19 (55%) African Americans • 15 (44%) Latinos/a• 14 (41%) Female• 15 (44%) >3.5 GPA• 11 (32%) >3.7 GPA

2006 PhD S Applicants vs. Selects

126

200

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

# of

Students

2006

Year

Applicants Selects

Applicant Profile•78 (62%) African Americans•44 (35%) Latinos/a• 3 (2%) American Indian• 1 (1%) Other•70 (56%) Female•59 (46%) >3.5 GPA•39 (31%) >3.7 GPA

Select Profile• 14 (70%) African Americans • 6 (30%) Latinos/a• 10 (50%) Female• 11 (55%) >3.5 GPA• 7 (35%) >3.7 GPA

Where Can I Go To Graduate School?

Start Your Search Here!

90+ GEM member universities, including:MIT Cornell

ColumbiaUTEP

Georgia TechU of Illinois

Johns HopkinsU of MichiganNorthwestern

Penn StatePrinceton

PurdueRIT

YaleU of Puerto Rico

U of ArizonaUC BerkeleyUC DavisUC IrvineUCLAUC San DiegoFAMUU of S FloridaDrexelStanfordTexas A&MRiceU of New MexicoU of Notre DameTuskegee

Researching graduate programs • Library reference sources

– Peterson’s Guide– Chronicle of Higher Education– Directory of Graduate Programs

• Request information from departments– Arrange school visits

• Surf the web• Gradschoolshopper.com• Gradschools.com

Identifying a graduate program

Ask yourself:• Are faculty conducting research

in your area of interest?• Strong infrastructure (labs,

computing, library)?• Does the curriculum support

your interests?• What is average time to degree

completion?• What will be your work/study

environment?• What are the degree

requirements?• Financial support available?• Adequate social outlets?

Tips for Securing Fellowships

TipsStart Early

Application deadlines range from early November to early February

Research your options Pay attention to restrictions

Some programs limit the number of credit hours you can complete before application

Follow directions to the letter

The Name ThingThe name on your SS card, graduate school admissions application, and fellowship application should be identical

Supporting documents matter

Keep trying

Q&A