The Graduate Division offers Competitive Edge as is a summer transition interdisciplinary program for selected incoming graduate incoming Ph.D. and MFA students. This six week program is designed to give selected graduate students an opportunity to begin research prior to the start of their graduate program and to acclimate to the campus environment. Competitive Edge is motivated by the campus's commitment to be fully inclusive and supportive of all students, and by the belief that a diverse graduate student body enhances the quality of the educational experience for all students. This year's program will start on August 3 and end on September 11, 2020.Benefitsyear the program will expand to officially offer support to students throughout their first full year as a graduate student in the form of peer mentoring, periodic 1:1 check-ins with the coordinators, and community-building events.
MISSION
To foster an inclusive community of incoming diverse graduate students that will enhance their academic, personal and professional persistence & success throughout their journey at UC San Diego.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The Competitive Edge program aims to:
- ease students with the acclimation and transition into their respective graduate programs.
- acquaint students with campus and department-level resources.
- grant students early access to research.
- promote interdisciplinary networking amongst members of the cohort.
- create spaces of open dialogue where opinions, views, and ideas contribute to the development of our students.
- identify and address gaps of resources supporting the graduate student community.
STUDENT BENEFITS
- Advanced introduction to UC San Diego faculty
- Advanced introduction to key UC San Diego campus resources
- Early move-in to graduate campus housing
- Acquisition of critical writing, teaching, and communication skills through workshops and lectures
- Early mentorship from UC San Diego faculty and Access to peer mentors A community-like experience with support from a peer cohort and the UC San Diego Graduate Divisionand a community of incoming graduate students
- Summer stipend of $4,000
Eligibility
- Priority is first given to students receiving a Graduate Division Diversity Fellowship (San Diego and Cota Robles, SEED, STARS, Tribal Membership Initiative)
- Departments may sponsor participation into this program for students who did not receive a Graduate Division Diversity Fellowship. Participants do not directly apply to the Competitive Edge program.
- All participants must be doctoral or MFA students entering their first year of graduate study at UC San Diego.
- Student must be a US citizen, Permanent Resident, or AB540 eligible.
Department Considerations
If a student that received a Graduate Division Diversity Fellowship is interested in participating, the Graduate Division and the Academic department will split the cost of the summer stipend and the cost of early SHIP insurance. Note that these students receive a SHORE housing spot through the Diversity Fellowship award.
If a student did not receive a Graduate Division Diversity Fellowship but the department considers, they will highly benefit from participating in the program. The student can participate in the program but the department will be responsible for providing the full $4000 stipend to the student plus full cost of early SHIP insurance if student is interested. Participation in the program does not guarantee a SHORE spot.
Requirements
Participants must commit to a full-time, six week summer program prior to their enrollment as a doctoral or MFA student at UC San Diego. Commitment includes 30-40 hours of research per week, along with readiness workshops, lectures, and other preparatory events.
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- Health insurance during the summer
ELIGIBILITY
To be considered for the Competitive Edge program students must:
- Provide responses to at least three of the seven experiential questions found under the Additional Educational Experiences section of the online application for admission.
- Be available to participate in the six-week research experience prior to the start of the fall quarter.
- Be in a Ph.D. or MFA program starting in the Fall quarter.
- Be a US citizen or permanent resident. DACA and AB540 students are also eligible.
SELECTION AND COMMITMENTS
With the funding reform, last year’s mechanism of selecting students had to change for this year. Here are the TWO ways your incoming students can participate in the program in 2022:
1- TRADITIONAL COST-SHARE – Each graduate program will be selecting 1 student to be in the program and sharing the costs with the Graduate Division.
- Commitments include:
- Student’s $4000.00 stipend during the program ($2000 will come from the Grad Division and $2000 from the graduate program)
- Student’s Early SHIP Insurance during the summer ($300 will come from the Grad Division and $300 from the graduate program to pay for the cost of Early SHIP)
- Total due from the graduate program $2300
2- FULL SPONSORSHIP (limited spots available) – Graduate programs can fund any student’s participation in the program.
- Commitments include:
- Student’s full $4000 summer stipend
- Student’s full cost of Early SHIP Insurance $600
- Student’s summer programming cost $358
- Total due from the graduate program $4958
NOMINATION
The nomination period will open on April 18, 2022. Please do not submit any nominations at this time. A follow-up communication will detail the process of nominating your student.
FORMAT
We’re preparing for an in-person summer program that will include also some hybrid components.
HOUSING
This is not a residential program, therefore students are expected to find housing and secure an early move-in date. The stipend is designed to help students with housing and moving costs.
SUMMER PROGRAM DATES
Summer program dates are August 1 through September 10, 2022.
PROGRAMMING
In addition to the research experience, participants are required to attend workshops to acclimate them to the campus environment. Workshop facilitators are members of the UC San Diego community and serve as faculty, staff or continuing graduate students in various academic fields. In addition to the workshops, participants are expected to attend an orientation at the beginning and a luncheon at the conclusion of the program.
Summer Faculty MentorshipSUMMER FACULTY MENTORSHIP
Each Competitive Edge student is expected to work with a summer faculty mentor from their respective departmentsgraduate program/department. The faculty mentor will provide guidance on a research project, new or existing. The project does not have to be completed during the 6-week program, which allows the scope of the project to span the entirety of the summer quarter, through the Fall quarter, or beyond. At minimum, It is recommended that meetings between Competitive Edge Fellows students and their respective faculty mentors should occur every other week. Ultimately, this depends on the nature of the project, the amount of oversight each student requires, and the level of mentorship the faculty member is able to provide. In addition to research, the faculty mentor can provide an introduction and guidance to the department, as well as any tips on how to make the most of the summer, first quarter, and first year of their graduate experience.
Students will be asked to work with the graduate program coordinator to identify a faculty mentor.
QUESTIONS
For additional questions, please contact the program director Edgar Beas (eabeas@ucsd.edu) at 858-822-1492.
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