Pathways to Graduate School Course Series

The Pathways to Graduate School Course Series (MERR 35A and MERR 35B) is one of the eight grant-funded activities of the GANAS Graduate Pathways Project. It is designed to serve junior and senior Latinx and/or Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) undergraduate students who are unfamiliar with graduate school and its application process. The purpose of these courses is to equip students with strategies that address barriers in the application process in order to submit successful graduate school applications. 

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MERR 35A (Spring offering)

Pathways to Graduate School - Phase 1, guides students as they prepare to apply to graduate school. Students will identify and employ strategies for addressing challenges and opportunities raised by readying themselves to apply to graduate school.

The course will provide explicit information about the lack of diversity within graduate education and attempt to remedy this inequity. Students will identify their values and motivations for pursuing graduate school, network with guest speakers, and prepare to continue their development as scholars and researchers in order to deliver outstanding graduate school application materials. 

This is a 2-unit course and enrollment will be by permission code only.

Please complete this interest form if you would like to be considered to receive a permission code to enroll in the course. Please keep in mind this course is only offered in the spring quarter of each academic year.

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MERR 35B (Fall offering)

This course focuses on applying the information, resources, support, and self-determination students identified in       MERR 35A: Pathways to Graduate School - Phase 1. Emphasis is on navigating the graduate school application process and submitting for admission to graduate programs and/or other competitive opportunities. Further, students will prepare for the graduate school environment and anticipate their post-graduate school futures.

This is a 3-unit course and enrollment will be by permission code only.

Please come back to this site in the Spring if you would like to enroll in the course since the interest form will be shared then. Please keep in mind this course is only offered in the fall quarter of each academic year.

We invite you to review these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and reach out to Sara Sanchez at ggrad2@ucsc.edu for any other questions you may have. 

See what students in the class are saying!

"I truly believe that there is so much importance to this class and much to be taken away that I wish all UCSC students who come from similar backgrounds as me could take it. Upon completion of the course, I definitely feel much more confident that I know the next steps towards getting to grad school. Some of my major takeaways have been realizing that I truly want to pursue a graduate career. This course has illuminated all of the hard work, time, money, and effort that goes into not only the application process but also once you are a graduate student. While it is overwhelming, my biggest takeaway was the confirmation that I genuinely want to do this for myself and I’m willing to put in all the hard work, time, and resources."                         

- MERR 35A Student

 

"After taking MERR 35A this quarter, my aspirations of attaining graduate school education feels more attainable. I feel significantly more confident about myself and how to go about the application process. This has been an overall great opportunity to learn about all the resources available for me to go into graduate school. My major takeaway from this course is that while there may be various steps and intricacies to the application process, there are avenues and resources available"

- MERR 35A Student