2010 MATC Scholars Program

Choosing a Graduate Program

The nuances of choosing a graduate program in the context of the student’s background, financial environment and relative quality of the programs of interest are articulated. How the issues of online versus traditional coursework considerations as well as M.S to Ph.D decision making process affect the ultimate path taken to achieve the student’s graduate school goals is discussed. A synopsis of the process of identifying, evaluating and choosing a program compatible with the needs of the prospective graduate will be examined

Communications Skills Workshop

The Communication Skills Workshop will address the components of active communication—written and oral. The importance of appropriate writing and speaking in academic and corporate settings will be stressed. In the interactive session, participants will be challenged to improve their communication skills through hands-on and oral activities. Participants will develop and/or critique their personal statements. Emphasis will also be placed on understanding the role of non-verbal communication cues.

Graduate School Student Experience

Graduate school is an opportunity for individuals to expand their knowledge and choices for their future careers. While it is an advanced level of learning compared to undergraduate studies, graduate school can be associated with challenges for which the student needs to be prepared. Students need prior knowledge of how to choose a program of study, meet admission requirements, meet advisor expectations, connect with the right groups, and register for the right classes. All these can be summed up as graduate school experience and challenges.

The challenges can include introspectively questioning if all the investment you put into education is worthwhile, how marketable you will be after graduating, or which career path you will follow after you graduate. Furthermore, your mentality as a student, networking with other students, socialization to new environments, and expectations from your faculty advisor are all part of the experience and challenges for which a graduate student has to be prepared. Discussion will be targeted to different experiences a graduate student should expect from the time he/she is admitted to graduate school to the time of graduation. Students will learn the benefits of graduate school, how to choose and please the advisors, work ethic as a graduate student, teaching and research assistant opportunities and anticipated challenges.

Choosing a Faculty Mentor

This session includes information about identifying and selecting a faculty mentor or advisor. The topics covered include getting a good understanding about what to look for in a mentor or advisor. Discussions include getting students’ perspectives of what a faculty mentor is, finding a mentor that matches your needs, benefits of a positive relationship between a faculty mentor and student, and what is expected from a mentor or advisor.

Is there a difference between a faculty mentor and an academic advisor? This session will include discussions on these topics and others to provide some insight into what students may experience during graduate school. The goal of this session is to show that faculty mentors or advisors are essential to the success of graduate students.

Understanding Funding and Budgeting Finances

This session provides students a working knowledge of the process of receiving funds as a graduate student and or a research assistant. It describes the risks of losing funding due to things such as poor work ethic or the funding agency eliminating funding. We discuss setting up budgeting, savings, and investing strategies that are flexible enough to support the student with funding and if the funding is lost. Also, we discuss strategies for supporting faculty to receive more funding in order to possibly increase your stipend.

Topics include: Graduate Assistant Work Mentality (Work Ethic), Maintaining Funding (MS to PhD), Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, Finding Funding (GEM, Sloan, Ford, ONR, etc), and Critical Faculty Advisory Project Engagement.

Graduate Students’ Specific Skills

As students matriculate through graduate school, it can be challenging to identify the specific skills and professional assets that they have acquired. Most of these skills can be transferable, thus positioning the graduate student to being a greater asset within his/her professional career. This session will expose students to some of the common specific skills graduate students develop while attending graduate school as well as discuss the benefits to using these skills to navigate through career paths internal and external to the academy.

“Mentoring Communities” for Academic Success

The role of mentoring in graduate school is a well-documented strategy that provides students with coaching, counseling, and nurturing support that is essential to developing academically, personally, and professionally. Mentoring is a critical aspect of graduate school success and the successful graduate student seeks mentors from a variety of communities: faculty, peers, and other key personnel within and outside the university.

This session is designed to provide mentoring strategies you can use to network with individuals who can guide your success as you contemplate your personal rationale for pursuing graduate school and provide advice and assistance in navigating the application processes for admission and financial aid.

Making the Short List: Applying and Getting Admitted to Graduate Programs

This session will cover the basics of applying to graduate programs, and it will also help you learn how to create a competitive application packet. From GRE scores, personal statements and letters of recommendation, each piece has a purpose and a pitfall. Learn what to do and what not to do. A case study in graduate admissions will help you see the process from the graduate committee point-of-view.