How Can GRAD Fellowships Help You?

What can fellowships do for you? They can fund your research internationally or domestically and help you acquire language proficiency, support your professional development, and connect you to larger networks of peers and scholars. In GRAD Fellowships we believe that applying for grants and fellowships is a critical skill in every graduate student’s professionalization. Our goal is to empower graduate students now with the durable skills they’ll need to become independent grant seekers and competitive applicants in the future. To these ends, the Fellowships Office offers a number of resources for help navigating the complex world of applying to fellowships. We offer tools to identify the right fellowships for you and assistance in putting your best foot forward in application processes. Keep an eye out for one of our many information sessions, like Exploring Fellowships for Master’s Students, or schedule a one-on-one advising appointment with one of our skilled advisors here.

Beyond what’s mentioned above, there are several things you can do to stay up to date on our latest offerings. You can join our Canvas page, a library of curated fellowships lists and other helpful guides, here.

 We also offer monthly newsletters that describe upcoming fellowship deadlines. Each newsletter, one in the humanities and social sciences, and the other in STEM, focuses on awards that are accessible to UChicago graduate students. Sign up here.

Financial Wellness: 2021 Estimated Tax Deadline

The fourth and final 2020 estimated tax payment deadline is January 18, 2022, and it’s not too early to make sure you’re ready for it. Do you need to make an estimated tax payment on this date? How much do you need to pay? Confused? Graduate students can find more information about quarterly estimated tax payments here or, watch the recording of our 2021 Estimated Taxes for Graduate Students session. if you have general questions, please email gradhelp@uchicago.edu.

The UChicagoGRAD Diversity Advisory Board (DAB) advises UChicagoGRAD and other graduate-serving units in its continuing efforts to develop targeted programs and resources related to diversity in graduate education and experience. It also serves as a liaison between and among campus-wide graduate student groups and leadership and as a convener of these constituents. The GRAD Diversity Advisory Board comprises graduate student representatives from academic divisions and the professional schools whose students regularly utilize UChicagoGRAD resources. Currently, board membership reflects students who have consistently demonstrated a commitment to enhancing diversity, inclusion, access, and equity in higher education. Our executive board is comprised of 4 members. The executive board members are interns with UChicagoGRAD Diversity & Inclusion. We are especially grateful for the leadership, commitment and innovation that this year’s executive board has contributed already.

This year, DAB has started the year supporting the MOSAIC Graduate Student Engagement and Resource Orientation. They are currently recruiting for the 3^rd year of Maroon Mates, a peer mentoring program that connects 1^st year PhD and master’s student mentees with 2^nd year and above mentors to create a support network and help to facilitate community. DAB is also currently recruiting for the general DAB board. Last year DAB launched the first ever UChicagoGRAD Diversity Advisory Board Awards. Please check out this awesome article about the outstanding winners.

Applications for DAB and Maroon Mates are open from now until October 15^th.  See the list of GRAD Events in the full GGW for further detail. Email graddab@uchicago.edu or visit our website for more information.

Executive Board

Frania Lua                     Board Chair
Cintia    Hinojosa          Community Engagement Chair
Rachel  Chery                Race and Pedagogy Chair
Brandy  Williams          Diversity Outreach Chair

UChicagoGRAD welcomes – and welcomes back – graduate students and postdocs to campus! We are delighted to resume in-person operations on the third floor of the University Bookstore. We hope you will consider UChicagoGRAD to be a one-stop shop to find services that help you navigate your academic and professional careers.

You may be familiar with some of our admissions team through your application processes and now that you are here, our advisors look forward to meeting with you about fellowship applications, public speaking training, career exploration and planning, diversity and inclusion, work/life balance strategies, and more. We host programs that build helpful skills while connecting you with fellow graduate students across the university – from practicing research presentations through Expand Your Perspectives, to discovering destinations around Chicago with Maroon Mates, to meeting other grads/postdocs with children at the Family Resource Center. Sign up for our programs and make an appointment with an advisor on the GRAD Gargoyle, our online registration portal. You can always get help with any payment issues by emailing gradhelp@uchicago.edu, and keep an eye out for programming related to taxes and financial wellness throughout the year.

Lastly, we are excited to announce that the new Graduate Student Lounge will open on October 13 on the 4^th floor of the Bookstore, just upstairs from UChicagoGRAD. The Lounge is the outcome of a student, faculty, and staff working group that was charged with creating a dedicated space where graduate students from across programs can drop in for individual study or small group collaboration, get helpful information about campus resources and services, and socialize with fellow grad students. First- or second-year students who did not get a GRAD Gargoyle t-shirt at Orientation can stop by the Lounge to pick one up after it opens. We can’t wait to welcome you all – stay tuned for updates about an official Grand Opening in the coming weeks.

UChicagoGrad wants to extend our support to the UChicago student community as you continue to navigate this on-going difficult time. Whether you are worried about yourself, a friend or a family member there are extensive support resources and services provided by the UChicago community that can assist you with your mental health concerns.

UChicago Student Wellness provides access to student mental health with virtual sessions staffed by clinicians, in addition to, virtual drop -in sessions and workshops. Their summer calendar events is here.

Wellness Coaching is a free service that teaches you how to create goals for navigating transitions and overcoming challenges that come your way.

Schedule your Wellness Coaching session today!

There is a therapist-on-call available 24/7 that students can reach at 773-702-3625.

Sounding Board Advising,  a resource for helping graduate students and postdoc negotiate work/life balance issues, navigate relationships, and create strategies for having difficult conversations with peers, faculty, and others. Sounding Board currently functions as general support services for challenged graduate students.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers opportunities to study at an overseas university, conduct independent research, or work as an English teaching assistant in over 140 countries around the world.  Whether you would like to examine ancient religious scrolls in Kyoto or intern at an international business in Mexico City, Fulbright awards are open to master’s students of all disciplines.  To learn more about the Fulbright and how to apply, join us for “Exploring Fulbright for Master’s Students” on Thursday, July 8, 10-10:30am.  In this last session of its kind this year, you will learn important information about the types of Fulbright awards available to you, their application components, and the application timeline with campus deadlines.  We will also discuss useful strategies for producing strong written statements and provide access to the helpful resources that UChicagoGRAD offers Fulbright applicants to help them produce strong applications.  After the presentation, there will be time for Q & A to get your questions about Fulbright answered.  Master’s students from all fields are welcome. U.S. citizenship is required to apply.  For more details, and to register for the event, click here.