2012 MATC Scholars Program

Why Graduate School?

Now that you have completed your undergraduate degree, there are several career options to be considered. Graduate school is an extremely viable option to not only consider, but actually pursue. The benefits to attending graduate school to obtain an advanced degree and endless and so are the reasons to pursue one.

This session covers some of the major reasons that individuals attend to pursue advanced degrees, graduate school preparation, factors to consider when beginning the graduate application process, benefits of obtaining a graduate degree, and the various career paths of those that have graduate degrees in the transportation, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Choosing a Graduate Program: Making a Short List

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 maters to doctoral 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, evaluation, and choosing a program compatible with the needs of the prospective graduate will be examined. Also, the basics of how to create a competitive application packet that contains GRE scores, personal statements and letters of recommendation will be covered.

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 program funds eliminated by the funding agency. Establishing a budget, savings, and investing strategies that are flexible enough to support a student with or without funding are discussed.

Other topics include: strategies for supporting faculty to receive additional funding in order to possibly increase a student's stipend, graduate assistant work ethic, maintaining funding as a master or doctoral student, and teaching and research.

Communication Skills

This session 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 activities 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

Since graduate school is an advanced level of learning compared to undergraduate studies, it is associated with new challenges that students must prepare for. Students need to know how to choose a program of study, meet admission requirements and advisor expectations, connect with the right groups, and register for the right classes. Further, a student’s mentality, networking with other students, and expectations from the faculty advisor are all part of the challenges that a graduate student will face. This session will discuss the graduate school challenges and will targets different experiences a graduate student should expect throughout their program.

Choosing Faculty Mentors & Finding “Mentoring Communities” for Academic Success

Mentoring in graduate school provides students with coaching, counseling, and nurturing support essential to developing academically, personally, and professionally. This session provides information on how to identify and select a faculty mentor and mentors from other communities.

The topics covered include: students’ perspectives of faculty mentors, what to look for in a faculty mentor and finding good match, the benefits of a positive mentor/mentee relationship, what is expected from a mentor, the social environment of graduate school, the difference between a faculty mentor and an academic advisor, and insight into what students may experience during grad school. The goal of this session is to show that faculty mentors and mentoring communities are essential to the success of graduate students.