"Paying for Graduate School: Funding and Application Strategies"

While attending graduate school is a dream for many burgeoning young STEM scholars, the financial burden can keep many from making it a reality. In a webinar series partnered by the Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) and the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), Chris Cash, Liv Detrick, and special guests show how you can plan for an affordable, fulfilling college experience.

For the first episode, Chris has prepared an interactive guide highlighting the best routes to college funding, which is detailed in the webinar and can be accessed by visiting the COSEE Website. Alongside her, Adrian Ponce, a guest from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (JPL) showcases graduate research opportunities at the lab and explores its significance as a NASA contractor and Cal Tech affiliate.

JPL Complex
jpl.nasa.gov

A few key points from the video:

Graduate school does NOT have to be expensive.

There are a variety of fellowships, research grants, and scholarships that can be used to offset the cost of attendance, such as fixed, portable, and professional development funding.  

Organization is paramount to keeping a handle on the application process.

Graduate school applications often require letters of reference, essays, GRE tests, and personal information. The webinar lays out an intuitive diagram of how to approach your application.

Graduate school is highly research-based.

Having established your focus through undergraduate work, graduate school allows you to delve deeply into the your study of interest.

Paid, Hands-on research positions are a key resource available to Graduate students through universities.

Working in labs like JPL provides the opportunity to bridge textbook learning with real-world experience. You will work with trained scientists and researchers acts as mentors to help advance your technique.

Anyone interested in graduate or postgraduate school is encouraged to view the linked webinar, as are those interested in research opportunities in STEM fields. For additional resources, try browsing through Pathways to Science, a research opportunity aggregator. We will be updating Sci-Curious with the next installments of the webinar as they are released. Stay tuned!