The University of Georgia Graduate School Outreach and Diversity Office will host our 12^th annual Future Scholars Visitation Program on Sunday, November 4 - Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

This visitation opportunity is designed to compliment your investment in higher education.

To this end, we are pleased to announce that all participants (not currently attending or employed at UGA) are eligible to receive up to $100 reimbursable travel expenses (ex. airline, shuttle, mileage and/or parking). All selected participants will also receive a UGA graduate school application fee waiver, lodging and most meals during the 3-day program.

The Graduate School is committed to increasing diversity on the University of Georgia campus; hence, the Future Scholars Visitation Program is designed to provide students from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to network with current graduate students, faculty and administrators in your prospective academic department. This is an excellent opportunity as it provides an inviting and inclusive experience of the University of Georgia and the Athens community.

To be considered in our selection process, interested students must submit all application materials by the final deadline of Friday, October 5, 2012. Visit our website for complete program details and to apply today! 

Please Note: The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test has officially been changed, however, the Old GRE scores that are less than 5years will continue to be accepted. Students who plan to participate in our Future Scholars Visitation Program should note that all materials need to be received in our office by October 5, 2012. As a precaution, GRE test results take about two to three weeks to be received by the Graduate Admissions Office.

Please contact us via email at grecruit@uga.edu or phone at 706-425-3205/3206 if you have any questions. We look forward to receiving your application materials!

Photo: The Retriever Weekly

This August, UMBC welcomed its inagural batch of Transfer Scholars in Information Technology and Engineering (T-SITE) Scholars (pictured above).

The brainchild of a team of seven women sprinkled throughout IT and Engineering departments in the College of Engineering and Information Technology at UMBC, the T-SITE scholarship program offers support–financial and otherwise–to help transfer students succeed in careers in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, and Information Systems.

The scholars took part in the Center for Women in Technology's (CWIT) New Scholars Retreat, held August 10-12. The Olympics-themed retreat included a trust-building activity at College Park's ropes course, a traditional business dinner with faculty members, industry representatives, and CWIT alumni, and a discussion of women in STEM fields.

You can read more about CWIT's New Scholars Retreat in a Retriever Weekly article: " CWIT summer retreat welcomes the T-SITE scholars."

Paid interns have a distinct advantage in the job market, according to results of NACE’s 2012 Student Survey. 

Overall, approximately 60 percent of 2012 college graduates who took part in paid internships received at least one job offer, according to the results of the survey. 

The survey also found that unpaid interns fared only slightly better in getting job offers than graduates who had not taken part in an internship. Overall, 37 percent of unpaid interns received job offers; 36 percent of graduates with no internship experience received job offers.  

The advantage of the paid internship is especially true among students performing internships in the for-profit sector: Among those interning for for-profit employers, 64 percent earned job offers compared to 38.3 percent of their unpaid peers. Pay status, however, also favors students in the nonprofit and government sectors. (See Figure 1.) 

Although there are other factors that affect offer rate, the study also suggests that differences in the type of work undertaken by paid and unpaid interns contribute to the discrepancy in job offers. Paid interns spend more time than unpaid interns engaged in “real work,” and thus have the chance to gain more of the relevant work experience employers prize.

Results show that paid interns spent 42 percent of their time on professional duties (analysis and project management) and just 25 percent on clerical and non-essential functions; unpaid interns spent 31 percent of their time on clerical and non-essential work and 30 percent on professional tasks.  

NACE’s 2012 Student Survey was conducted mid-January through April 30, 2012. Nearly 48,000 college students nationwide, including 15,715 seniors at the bachelor’s degree level, took part in the survey. A report based on results from graduating seniors will be available later this summer. 

Figure 1: Offer Rates for Paid and Unpaid Interns 

Source: 2012 Student Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers

M2M: The Men's Initiative Gets the Spotlight from the Newly Launched BreakingGround!

Read on for more information about BreakingGround. Spread the word! If you're in Twitter, use the hashtag #digUMBC!

As the new semester brings fresh energy to campus, UMBC is launching BreakingGround: a campus-wide initiative to deepen and share our innovative approach to democratic engagement.

In a time of widespread skepticism about the capacity of our democracy to respond to society’s needs, UMBC’s work is demonstrating the power of individuals and collaborative groups as agents of meaningful change and renewal. This work is deeply embedded in a campus culture that builds community from diversity and celebrates ingenuity and resourcefulness.

BreakingGround features courses developed to promote civic agency; incentives to link community service projects with opportunities for deep learning and engagement; opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners to collaborate on campus and community change projects; and a blog for sharing stories and launching community discussions.

The following part-time positions have been posted within the past week to UMBCworks. Login to your account (via the link in the Jobs & Internships topic in myUMBC) and find details and application instructions as well as hundreds of other job postings!

9253379 - Accounts Payable Specialist - Curtis Engine and Equipment, Inc.
9253427 - Administrative Assistant - Towson University
9253314 - After-School Drama Program Teacher - Drama Kids International
9253350 - Beverage Cart Attendant - The Woodlands & Diamond Ridge Golf