Graduate Application Mentorship Program (GAMP)
Applying to a graduate program is a huge amount of work and can be challenging to navigate. The School of Oceanography acknowledges that these obstacles frequently make it more difficult for underrepresented students and/or students without resources and guidance to succeed at the application process. Both the students and the administration at the School of Oceanography are committed to increasing the diversity and representation of students at our school. The Graduate Application Mentorship Program (GAMP) was created to connect prospective students with current graduate students to help demystify the graduate application process and provide tips and guidance for submitting an application. Anyone looking to apply to the University of Washington School of Oceanography and current UW Oceanography undergraduates looking to apply here or elsewhere are encouraged to apply.
About Us
GAMP is a group of graduate student volunteers at the University of Washington School of Oceanography. We come from a wide range of backgrounds and represent all four disciplines (biological, chemical, physical, geology and geophysics). We are not directly involved in the UW application and admission process, but want to share our insight as current graduate students to those trying to navigate the application process for the first time.
Important Dates
- August 5th Mentee enrollment opens
- September 20th Mentee enrollment closes
- September 27th Mentee confirmation deadline
- October 7th Matches announced
- October 7th Program start date
- October TBD Mentee Orientation
- December 1st School of Oceanography application deadline
How GAMP Works
If you are a prospective student looking to apply to the University of Washington School of Oceanography or you are a current undergraduate student in the School of Oceanography thinking about applying to a graduate program here or elsewhere, you are eligible to apply for GAMP. To apply, complete the survey linked below before September 20th.
After you have submitted your application, you likely won’t hear from us until September 20th when we ask you to confirm interest in the program. Applicants who do not confirm interest will not be admitted to the program. Once you are enrolled, we will provide you with a link to a google drive that contains information on what you can expect from your mentor so everyone is on the same page. Mentors will reach out to set up the first meeting with their mentee the week after matches are announced. Mentees can expect 3, 45-minute meetings with their mentor before their application package is due in early December. How mentors and mentees set up meetings and communicate is between them and should be determined in their first meeting! Mentors will NOT be able to contact potential graduate advisors on your behalf. GAMP is not an active resource for prospective students outside of the October-December window.
Apply now!
Click the link below to apply! The application form should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete and will ask you some questions about your demographics, familiarity with the application process, and research interests. We will use your answers to do our best to match you with a compatible mentor (they fill out a similar survey). It's our goal to match every mentee with a mentor, but if we are overwhelmed with applications, priority will be given to prospective students with the most need. The application will be open from August 5, 2024 - September 15, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How do I apply to be a mentee?
To sign up as a mentee in this program, click on the link above, and fill out our application form before September 20th, 2024. The google form consists of questions asking for your contact information, personal identifications, and short questions about your familiarity with the graduate application process. The form should take you about 5-10 minutes to complete. Depending on the number of mentees that apply we may not be able to match everyone with a mentor. While we will do our best to match every applicant, we may have to prioritize applicants less familiar with the application process. Everyone will hear back if they were matched with a graduate volunteer by October 7th.
- What should I expect from my mentor?
Once you are matched with a mentor, your mentor will reach out to set up an initial meeting. Between October and December your mentor will make themselves available for 3, 45-minute informal meetings. Your mentor will not line edit your application materials, but generally discuss your application package and helpful tricks about navigating the application process.
- Will enrollment affect my application?
No! Enrollment in GAMP will not be included as part of your application package. Graduate student volunteers are not involved in the admission process in any way and are solely providing personal advice and support about the general application process. Conversations you have with your mentor will not be reported to the School of Oceanography admissions committee and your enrollment will not positively or negatively affect your application outside of the guidance you receive.
- Are there resources I can check out before GAMP starts?
GAMP is not an active resource for prospective students outside the window of October 7th - December 1st. For additional resources outside of this window check out the Oceanography webpage for prospective students. On this page you’ll find information from the School of Oceanography about the application process. If student is accepted into GAMP, we will provide the student with additional resources for applying to graduate school.
Additional Resources
Below are some additional links and resources that we've come across and think might be helpful for a prospecitve student!
- Graduate School Application Station
- University of Washington, Biology Department video guide
- Katharine Huntington's Resources Page
Contact Information
If you have any questions about GAMP or how to apply feel free to contact us at uw.ocean.gamp@gmail.com and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible!
We want to give credit to the JP-ASK program out of MIT-WHOI whose work we built off of to implement GAMP at University of Washington!
