You will meet with multiple faculty for one-on-one mock interviews. This will help you better understand what to expect when interviewing for PhD programs, and will give you a chance to chat with faculty members with similar research interests.

We will review the important parts of the PhD application process, like what materials you will need to prepare and a timeline for applying. We will also talk about fellowships: what they are and why you should apply for them at the same time. You will also have a chance to take a closer look at what makes a good personal statement during the Writing Workshop later.

As you move forward in your career, the friendships and network of support that you build along the way will help sustain you at multiple levels. In this workshop we’ll join together to discuss strategies on: how to identify a good faculty mentor or mentor team for graduate school, how to identify when you need help and learn about the organizational structure at your institution so that you can more effectively seek help, how to make connections with peers for emotional support and skill learning / exchange of expertise, and how to cultivate relationships with collaborators.

Enjoy some free time to meet with your student mentor! Feel free to stay in the room or find another place to chat. This is your chance to ask questions, get feedback on any personal or research statements you brought (optional), or hear more about your mentor’s experiences.

Most applications will ask for at least three recommendation letters. If your first thought about that is “I don’t know three people!” then this workshop is for you. This will be an interactive session for you to brainstorm everyone you know and what they can say about you. We will also talk about what makes a good recommendation letter and how your recommendation letters can tie into a cohesive application.

One of the most critical parts of your application to graduate school is the personal statement. It can also be one of the most challenging to write. Caroline Wilky from Career Services at Penn will guide you through what the personal statement is and how it differs from your CV. She’ll help you learn to create an effective narrative of yourself, your goals, and your achievements, all while demonstrating your fit to your selected mentor(s)/program.

Feel free to bring a piece of writing you are working on, including your CV, statement of purpose, or DEI statement for graduate school applications. Graduate students and postdocs will be available to look at your writing and provide feedback. They can also answer questions if you are in the planning stages for these documents (i.e., it is okay if you haven’t started writing yet).

Understanding funding in graduate school can be opaque and complex, but it is really important to know whether, how much, and how you could be paid during graduate school as well as the expenses you might have. In this workshop we will unpack many common options for funding, questions to ask programs, and preparing for the costs of graduate school.

There are many exciting ways to make your path through academia your own. In this presentation, we will go over ways to find post-bacc opportunities (to further prepare you for applying to grad school), and also discuss some of the potential career options after getting your PhD (including academic faculty positions, industry, policy, and more).