The National GEM Consortium Fellowship Program

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The National GEM Consortium Fellowship Program

• Cordelia M. Brown, Ph. D.
• Purdue University
• Assistant Professor
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Engineering Education
• Purdue University
• Big Ten Graduate School Exposition
• West Lafayette, Indiana
• September 28, 2009

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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?

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Our mission

• ENHANCE the value of the nations human capital
  by increasing the participation of
  underrepresented groups (African Americans,
  American Indians, and Hispanic Americans) at the
  masters and doctoral levels in engineering and
  science.

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Advanced degree benefits

• Passion
• Community Impact
• 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

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Identifies you as a LEADER

• A seat at the table
• Solutions to some of the nations most pressing
  problems lie in science and engineering
• Healthcare (AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer's)
• Sustainable environment
• Transportation
• Communications
• Strengthening civil infrastructure

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Why Graduate School? (continued)

• How much more will I make?
• BS Salary? 50,000 - 70,000
• Ph.D. Salary? 90,000
• Source www.salary.com
• What will these advanced degrees do for my
  career?
• Will I have more flexibility?
• What type of jobs or research will I do?

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Earning Potential
8
Partners developing the pool
Pre-College
Undergrad

Promotion
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How Can I Pay for Graduate School?
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Financial Aid Assistance is Available

• Institutional Aid
• Fellowships
• Teaching (TA)
• Research Assistantships (RA)
• Grants

• External Sources
• Federal State Aid
• (FAFSA)
• Loans
• Employers
• Other sponsors Organizations
• (GEM), Philanthropic
• Foundations, Private Individuals
• or Special Clubs

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What is a Fellowship?

• Fellowships/traineeships, grants and scholarships
  are outright awards made to graduate students
  with no service obligation. They usually provide
  a monthly stipend for living expenses, tuition
  and required fees.

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General Characteristics of Fellowships

• Full-Time Enrollment
• 1-6 Year Duration
• No Outside Employment
• Summer Internship Requirement
• Citizenship Requirement
• Research-Specific/Discipline-Specific
• Merit-Based

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Institutionally Awarded Fellowships

• Fellowships offered through departments and/or
  college
• Contact Director of Graduate Programs
• University-Wide Fellowships
• Diversity Graduate Assistance Grants
• IGERT, NASA, GAANN, NIH

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Nationally Competitive Fellowships

• Awarded directly from granting agencies/foundation
  s to graduate students
• Graduate students may choose to use their
  fellowships at any university to which they have
  been admitted.
• The National GEM Consortium
• National Science Foundation
• Ford Foundation
• Jacob K. Javits

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Searching for Nationally Competitive Fellowships

• Petersons Grants for Graduate and Postdoctoral
  Study
• Web Resources Graduate School Financing
  Graduate Education Web Site
• Databases
• Agency/Foundation Web Links

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Financial aid resources

• www.gemfellowship.org National Consortium
  offering the largest of fellowships/internships
  for underrepresented students for Masters and PhD
  degrees in engineering and science
• www.collegesource.org a database with course
  catalogues and institutional mission statements
• www.gradschool.com a comprehensive online
  resource of current graduate school information
  and listings
• www.petersons.com a thorough website, including
  specific campus information and standardized test
  information.
• http//www.nsf.gov Search for and participate
  in Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU
  Program) and gain valuable experience
• http//www.finaid.org The Financial Aid Web
  site
• Graduate Office at your university
• Graduate Office at universities of interest to
  you
• Department you plan to pursue your degree

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Financial aid resources

• The U.S. Public Health Service (PHS)
• http//www.usphs.gov/html/jrcostep.html
• http//www.usphs.gov/html/srcostep.html
• Marshall Fellowships
• http//www.marshallscholarship.org/
• EPA Marshall Fellowships
• http//www.marshallscholarship.org/applicationepa.
  html
• Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
• http//www.pdsoros.org/requirements.html
• Rhodes Scholarship Trust
• http//www.rhodesscholar.org/brochure.html
• Department of the State Fulbright Fellowships
• http//us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
• http//www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/co
  ntent.aspx?pageGrad
• Morris K. Udall Foundation
• http//www.udall.gov/udall.asp?link400
• Teach for America
• http//www.teachforamerica.org/admissions/index.ht
  m
• USDA Public Service Leaders Scholarship Program
• http//www.usdascholarships.com/applications/subse
  ctionid.1,pageid.15/default.asp
• Dept of Homeland Security Graduate Fellowships
• http//www.orau.gov/dhsed/Grad2006.htm

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Financial aid resourcesNational Science
Foundation (NSF)

• S-STEM
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id52
  57
• Math and Physical Science in Public Science
  Education
• http//www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_k
  eynsf02064
• Navy Civilian Service Fellowships
• http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05582/nsf05582.jsp
  
• Robert Noyce Scholarship Program
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id57
  33

• East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for US
  Graduate Students
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id52
  84
• Graduate Research Fellowship Program
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id62
  01
• http//www.nsfgradfellows.org/
• IGERT
• http//www.igert.org/programs.asp
• Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id52
  34

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How Do I Apply for Graduate School?
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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

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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 dont know your goals (industry,
  professorate, academic administration) they cant
  support them in writing
• Allow 2-3 weeks for letters to be written
• Statement of purpose
• Have faculty/advisor/mentor review before
  submitting

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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 Petersons Guide for scores (previous
  class) submitted at various universities and
• GRE required for funding at some universities

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How Do I Apply for a GEM Fellowship?
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How to Remember GEM?

• G Graduate School
• E Employment
• M Money

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GEM delivers Graduate School
90 GEM member universities, including
MIT Cornell Columbia UTEPG
eorgia TechU of IllinoisJohns HopkinsU of
MichiganNorthwestern Penn StateU of
WashingtonPurdue RIT Yale U of Puerto Rico
U of Arizona UC Berkeley UC Davis UC
Irvine UCLA UC San Diego FAMU U of S
Florida Drexel Stanford Texas AM Rice U of New
Mexico U of Notre Dame Tuskegee
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GEM delivers Employment

• 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
  sponsor
• All interns are evaluated as potential full-time
  employees and
• Employers pay internship salary and travel.

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GEM delivers Money/Funding

• The GEM Fellowship is an EMPLOYER sponsored
  program, where students receive
• Waived tuition and fees
• Paid summer internship (s) at 40 employer
  members
• MS Engineering Fellowship Program
• Minimum 10,000 stipend over 3 semesters/4
  quarters
• Full tuition and fees at GEM member university
• PhD Science/Engineering Fellowship Program
• Minimum 14,000 academic year stipend for year
  one from GEM
• University support year 2-5
• Full tuition and fees at GEM member university

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GEM Applicant delivers

• Eligibility requirements
• Minimum 2.8 GPA for MS Engineering Fellowship
• Minimum 3.0 GPA for PhD Engineering and Science
  Fellowships
• Submit three (one from faculty) letters of
  recommendation
• Detailed resume
• Include statement of purpose
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• GRE scores (GEM GRE Code 1305)
• Be member of underrepresented minority group
  (African American, Hispanic American, and
  American Indian)
• Be a U.S. citizen

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GEM Applicant delivering an A-GAME

• Freshman-Juniors
• Undergraduate research
• Internships and/or co-ops in relevant industries,
  labs (employer list on web site)
• Juniors and Seniors apply _at_ www.gemfellowship.org
  
• by November 15th deadline.
• Apply to targeted graduate programs at member
  universities (university list on web site) by
  their deadline (latest February 1)
• Leverage relationships with GEM Employers in
  January to request their consideration of
  sponsorship

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On Time or Out of Time ???

• Starting July 1 Apply online _at_
  www.gemfellowship.org
• Indicate up to four preferred employers on GEM
  application
• Apply for admission to member universities
• Take GRE
• October 1 Early consideration
• November 15 Submit complete GEM application and
  graduate school application
• December
• GEM Selection Committee matches employer intern
  preferences with eligible applicants
• February Announcement of GEM Fellows

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On Time or Out of Time ??? (continued)

• February 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!

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Tips for Securing Fellowships
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Tips

• Start 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 Thing
• The name on your SS card, graduate school
  admissions application, and fellowship
  application should be identical
• Supporting documents matter
• Keep trying

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Graduate School Game Plan

• Summer Write a draft statement of purpose (why
  you want to be admitted to the program to which
  you are applying). Start browsing through
  directories of graduate programs and college
  catalogs.
• September Meet with current faculty members to
  discuss your statement and possible programs. Ask
  for letters of recommendation. Sign up for
  required standardized tests.
• October Take standardized tests. Request
  application materials from programs in which you
  are interested. The PETERSONS GUIDE (available
  in Career Services, Campus Library and online) is
  a good source of information and addresses of
  graduate school programs.
• November Order transcripts. Ask if the
  Registrars Office can send a transcript with
  your fall term grades in time to meet the
  deadlines of programs to which you are applying.
• December Complete application forms (do a draft
  on a photocopy of the forms first). Give your
  recommenders the forms to fill out or the
  addresses to which they should send their letters
  and copies of your statement of purpose or your
  response to specific questions asked by the
  program.
• January Mail applications. Even if deadlines are
  later, it is good to get the applications in
  early. If you are applying for need based
  financial aid programs, you must also file an
  application for Financial Aid. You must have
  Financial Aid transcripts sent to the institution
  to which you are applying.
• February Contact programs about the possibility
  of visiting. Make trips if possible. (Be sure to
  brush up on your Interviewing Skills.)
• April When applying for need based financial aid
  programs, you may have to file a copy of your
  federal income tax return

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QA
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Contact Information

• Dr. Cordelia M. Brown
• Purdue University
• Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, EE
  248
• 465 Northwestern Ave.
• West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
• [phone]
• brown83_at_purdue.edu
• The National GEM Consortium
• 1800 K. Street, NW, Suite 900
• Washington, DC 20006
• www.gemfellowship.org
• 202 457-8672 (Office)
• 202 207-3518 (Fax)