The Graduate Recruitment Initiative Team (GRIT) began as a grassroots student organization in the Biological Sciences Division (BSD), and it has since grown to encompass 18 graduate programs in the Biological Sciences Division (BSD), Physical Sciences Division (PSD), Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), Department of Psychology, and Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Chicago with over 50 members. GRIT focuses on three central components: recruitment, retention, and sustainability.
GRIT’s involvement with graduate student recruitment varies extensively across different clusters and department. Student involvement can span all parts of the admissions proceedings: pre-admissions, invitation decisions, interview weekend, and subsequent follow up.
- Pre-admissions stage: GRIT members travel to various conferences, including SACNAS and ABRCMS, to recruit prospective students to the University of Chicago. GRIT travelers build relationships with potential recruits and connect them with faculty members from programs of interest. GRIT also hosts open webinars that help demystify the graduate school application process. These educational programs are open to all prospective students. Webinar attendees have the opportunity to learn more about UChicago, talk with current students in their programs of interest, and receive feedback on their application materials.
- Application stage: For some programs, GRIT students play an advisory role in selecting candidates for interviews.
- Interview weekend: Some programs invite GRIT to host panels to discuss university climate and culture. These programs are typically faculty-free to allow recruits to discuss what UChicago graduate school is really like in an unfiltered setting.
- Acceptance decisions: All students are welcome to reach out to GRIT with any and all questions! We want all accepted students to have access to any information that they need to choose the best graduate program for them as an individual.
Retention focuses on community building and maximizing each graduate student’s potential through shared resources and community bonding. To support graduate students at UChicago, GRIT focuses on bridging key gaps in the STEM pipeline for students from marginalized backgrounds, including: lack of visible role models, lack of community, and lack of mentorship. Examples of GRIT events include: regular community check ins, seminar series, and networking events with UChicago faculty. All events are open to all students.
Sustainability focuses on maintaining the viability of this community-driven system of recruitment/retention as GRIT student leaders move into the later years of their PhD thesis work. GRIT achieves sustainability by training incoming graduate students essential leadership skills and providing resources that will promote the advancement of their careers. The term limit for student leaders is one year. Term limits serve to promote healthy turnover of team leadership, maximize the training of other GRIT members, and ensure the views of incoming students are represented.
Though these teams are intended to help support specific student populations, they are open to all students.
Underrepresented Minorities (URM) Issues Team
The underrepresented minority team is dedicated to multiple facets within a URM student’s graduate career. We plan on increasing representation within UChicago’s recruitment by analyzing each step of the admissions process and recognizing factors that could lead to bias and then brainstorming ideas on how to address these issues. We also plan on holding events that will not only foster discussion of the obstacles that URM students face but, also provide a comfortable environment for people to connect and express their thoughts and emotions. Finally, programming and opportunities that revolve around professional development, mentorship, and the trajectories a student’s career can take after graduate school will be a major focus for the URM group.
The women’s team seeks to foster a community of women and gender minority scientists at the university wherein women gather to address gender issues in STEM and share experiences in both encountering and overcoming obstacles. The women’s team organizes programs focused on discussing scholarly, personal and professional accounts of challenges women encounter while pursuing higher education and a career in STEM.
The goal of GRIT’s LGBTQ+ Team is to create an open community and provide support and resources for people who identify as LGBTQ+ and their allies. Through fostering community and building a support network, we hope to combat some of the issues that LGBTQ+ students face in STEM graduate careers. These issues include (1) higher rates of mental health issues, (2) higher attrition rates, and (3) a lack of out LGBTQ+ identifying role models in their field. We hope to combat these issue by creating an accepting and welcoming environment in which no one feels the need to hide themselves. We will accomplish this by traveling to conferences and recruiting talented LGTBQ+ individuals who will add to our community. Locally we will foster a strong sense of community through events such as socials, BBQs, and seminars. Beyond this, we seek to make sure that the resources available to those who struggle with the complex issues facing the LGBTQ+ graduate community are available and known to any who need them.
Even though 1 in 5 Americans suffers from some form of a disability, they make up only about 1% of a graduating PhD class. In addition, while about 20% of disabled undergraduates get a degree in the sciences, only 6.8% continue to get a PhD. Seemingly insignificant things limit students from pursuing higher education: they are sidelined in undergraduate labs, discriminated against in job opportunities, and discouraged from attempting easily accommodated tasks.
To address these obstacles, the GRIT Disability Advocacy team provides opportunities for education and open discussion about issues faced by the disabled community. Disability relates to blindness, deafness, severe vision or hearing impairment, substantial limitation of mobility, or any other physical, mental, or emotional condition that lasts 6 months or more.
International Students & Immigrants Issues Team
The goal of GRIT’s Internationals & Immigrants (I &I) Team is to provide a space where International and Immigrant students can gather to address the challenges faced that are often invisible and erased. As a group, we want to bring awareness to these issues and work towards more equitable policies. We also foster a stronger sense of community by hosting socials and seminars.
If you’re interested in learning more than what’s available on this website, you’re welcome to contact the team at ucgrit@gmail.com!
