2019 GEM Fellowship

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

19 hours ago, Letsgethisbread said:

Hope y’all are doing well and I’m happy to see that some of you have still been getting company sponsorships, don’t loose hope!

On a side note does anyone know what attire you should wear to grad visitation day? And for those of you that have attended, do you know if you’ll have time to roam around the campus and meet some current students? 

I agree with @Mataharii on wearing something business causal but comfortable. You are going to be doing a lot of walking and out of your comfort zone since you will be in a new place meeting a bunch of new people, so comfort is really important. You want to look nice, but you don't have to be super fancy or anything. Just look put together.

I had time to roam around campus depending on if I was reliant on scheduled transportation to and from the hotel. During my visits, I had lunch and dinner with grad students and was able to ask them many questions.

Also, don't forget to stay hydrated! Good luck at your visit!

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

So, on the GEM Online Portal, the status of one of the universities I was accepted was changed to "Willing to Admit You as a GEM Fellow". However, there isn't an offer link, which indicates that a "GEM University Support Agreement" wasn't signed, correct? Has this happened to anyone else?

[kero]

hi all, 

i have a question do any of you have a employer status matched, and what this means? i did not receive any offer so far, however i did one interview two months ago.

[NonSTEM]

Does anyone know if any of the non ivy leagues will accept a University fellows or associate fellow?

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

2 hours ago, NonSTEM said:

Does anyone know if any of the non ivy leagues will accept a University fellows or associate fellow?

I believe all schools that are university members listed on the GEM website, which include many non-ivy leagues, will accept any fellowship. I mean, there is no 100% guarantee, but the fact that they are a university member is a good start. Good luck!

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

2 hours ago, kero said:

hi all, 

i have a question do any of you have a employer status matched, and what this means? i did not receive any offer so far, however i did one interview two months ago.

Status Change Definitions

1. Matched - GEM thinks you're a good candidate and matched you with a company(companies)  
2. Held - A company is reviewing your credentials and is considering an interview extension
3. Release - if you went from Held to Release then the company was looking at you, but decided to pick another scholar. (This can happen after an interview also).
4. Accepted - You got a company sponsor! Congrats!

I hope this helps and you hear something some soon from an employer! Good luck!

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

On 2/25/2019 at 12:48 PM, TITX said:

Does anyone know if the stipend that comes with the GEM Fellowship is in addition to the financial offers that schools state in acceptance letters or if if is already included in the figures they present?

I honestly think it depends on the university. For one of the universities, they are giving me the money, but I think for the other one I have been accepted to, there has been no mention of it in the letter and I think the school is just using it towards my fellowship. Definitely ask the person that handles fellowships at your school about it. Congrats on your acceptances!

[smalltownwater]

On 2/25/2019 at 12:02 PM, Moods said:

So, on the GEM Online Portal, the status of one of the universities I was accepted was changed to "Willing to Admit You as a GEM Fellow". However, there isn't an offer link, which indicates that a "GEM University Support Agreement" wasn't signed, correct? Has this happened to anyone else?

Yea, I see this by one of my schools as well.

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

22 minutes ago, smalltownwater said:

Yea, I see this by one of my schools as well.

Supposedly getting the agreement signed by schools can take some time due to red tape, which is understandable. I gotta learn to be more patient!

[kero]

14 hours ago, Moods said:

Status Change Definitions

1. Matched - GEM thinks you're a good candidate and matched you with a company(companies)  
2. Held - A company is reviewing your credentials and is considering an interview extension
3. Release - if you went from Held to Release then the company was looking at you, but decided to pick another scholar. (This can happen after an interview also).
4. Accepted - You got a company sponsor! Congrats!

I hope this helps and you hear something some soon from an employer! Good luck!

@Moods thank you for clarification.

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

I got my first GEM offer letter from a university. It states that the total financial package sent to the university from GEM for the first year is $20,000. $16,000 of that is the stipend for us and $4,000 of that goes towards tuition. So, we get the $16,000 no matter what. It can either be used as part of the stipend the university provides or be added onto our financial package from the university if you received another fellowship. So, for example, I got a $20,000 fellowship every year for five years from a university. For my first year, I will also get $16,000 from GEM. So, that first year, I will get $36,000. However, if you don't have a fellowship, but rather an assistantship of some sort (RA or TA), you will get the paid the amount the university pays for those position, and they will use the $16,000 to help pay for that stipend. So, for that situation, it's not an addition to your stipend, but rather a part of the stipend that the school doesn't have to pay for and the university just has to pay the rest of the stipend to you for the first year. I hope that makes sense!

Additionally, I think if you get a full tuition scholarship and/or a TA/RA position, you will also get the $4,000 tuition money since the school is already covering it. However, of course I could be completely wrong since it could vary by school, so definitely check in with a particular school about how the GEM Fellowship works for them.

[TITX]

Is it advisable to contact the GEM representative at a school that I had an interview at but hasn't released a decision? 

[sirTintin]

29 minutes ago, TITX said:

Is it advisable to contact the GEM representative at a school that I had an interview at but hasn't released a decision? 

Yes, eminently advisable-- especially if you have been selected by an employer (and be sure to mention that fact) 

I did that and a couple of days later, I was admitted to that university   

Best of luck to you!!!

[TITX]

@sirTintin I haven't been selected by an employer. I am kind of at a loss of what to even say. Last thing I would want is to completely ruin my chances.. Any ideas? 

[sirTintin]

2 hours ago, TITX said:

@sirTintin I haven't been selected by an employer. I am kind of at a loss of what to even say. Last thing I would want is to completely ruin my chances.. Any ideas? 

I think your concern is valid. I really am not sure what the best approach is for you at this juncture. Something I found useful that I did last year was to contact the GEM rep and ask them to facilitate introductions to professors in my area of research. This not only helped me to build a relationship with the GEM rep but also allowed me to keep in touch with the professors who followed up with me and discuss their research. One professor, after reaching out, went so far as to schedule a Skype chat for Q/A with me last year (way before school application deadlines). I hope it's not too late for you to try reaching out to the GEM rep like that.

The email I sent the GEM rep last year read like this:

Dear Dr. GEM Rep,

I hope this email finds you well. Thank you so much for reaching out and for your help in figuring out how to get a waiver for my application to University Name. I wanted to inform you that I successfully submitted my application to University In Question for a PhD in My Major a few weeks ago. 

My research interest lies in An Area Of Research and Another Area Of Research. 

Please, I’d like your help in facilitating introductions to professors you know in the department who are conducting research in My Area Of Research. I had a chance  to look through your department website and found the below professors' research to be of interest to me. 

            Professor Name of Professor

            Professor Name of Professor

            Professor Name of Professor

            Professor Name of Professor

            Professor Name of Professor

University In Question would be a great place for me to pursue my graduate studies. I am excited about the opportunity to study there and would appreciate your help in connecting me with one or more of these professors that you hold in high regards. 

Thank you so much for your help and I am looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Best regards,

My Name

[ray92]

Once you have been selected from an employer and have accepted a university do they send out a formal email stating that you received the Fellowship or do they normally wait until the end?  

[sirTintin]

14 minutes ago, ray92 said:

Once you have been selected from an employer and have accepted a university do they send out a formal email stating that you received the Fellowship or do they normally wait until the end?  

Not sure because I haven't gotten to that point yet but here some notes from the GEM Pre-Select Next Steps FAQ Sheet:

1. if a GEM University has signed a Support Agreement confirming their willingness to fund you, an "offer" link will appear in the row of the University that signed an agreement.
2. If the school you wish to attend has an offer link available, please click on the link, read the agreement, and if you concur, electronically sign the agreement.

  

Edited February 28, 2019 by sirTintin
quote

[sirTintin]

3 hours ago, TITX said:

@sirTintin I haven't been selected by an employer. I am kind of at a loss of what to even say. Last thing I would want is to completely ruin my chances.. Any ideas? 

Also here some notes from the GEM Pre-Select Next Steps FAQ Sheet we received early this year:

The GEM Office can also help advocate support for you.  Please send an email to info@gemfellowship.org to let us know if you are not receiving a response from a GEM University Representative, have not been admitted to any schools, or you are simply confused, and we will also contact your preferred University to ask them to confirm support. 

  

[ray92]

@sirTintin Yeah so after clicking that do you get an automated formal acceptance letter after signing your soul away to a school?

[sirTintin]

1 minute ago, ray92 said:

@sirTintin Yeah so after clicking that do you get an automated formal acceptance letter after signing your soul away to a school?

I haven't done that yet since I haven't made a final decision on which school to attend. Waiting until after Visit Day to decide.

[ray92]

@sirTintin Nice, me too. It will be nice once this is all over lol

[ray92]

So what types of question will everyone be asking when they attend their visit days?

Will any be GEM related? We should compile a list

 

[TITX]

14 hours ago, sirTintin said:

I think your concern is valid. I really am not sure what the best approach is for you at this juncture. Something I found useful that I did last year was to contact the GEM rep and ask them to facilitate introductions to professors in my area of research. This not only helped me to build a relationship with the GEM rep but also allowed me to keep in touch with the professors who followed up with me and discuss their research. One professor, after reaching out, went so far as to schedule a Skype chat for Q/A with me last year (way before school application deadlines). I hope it's not too late for you to try reaching out to the GEM rep like that.

The email I sent the GEM rep last year read like this:

 

@sirTintin The thing is that I already had an onsite interview with 4 professors that were of interest to me and after visiting I'm mentally set on choosing that school; it has everything I could want from a graduate program. I've already sent the professors that interested me most follow up emails confirming my interest. To this point, the only contact I've had with a GEM rep at that school is for a fee waiver. There also weren't any GEM reps at the visitation weekend. Maybe I'm just too tense but I really want to make this work T___T 

Update: just got a response back from GEM asking them the same thing basically and they said, "Selections are based on the strength of your application."..

 

@ray92 I didn't have the opportunity to ask any GEM related questions, but maybe I should have. Most of my time was spent talking to other graduate students in the program and finding out what each lab's culture was like. The interviews at the school I visited were 1 on 1, 30 minutes each, and each professor conducted the interview differently. 1 went full out lecture mode and tried to give me a synopsis of his research with a 5 minute inspirational speech towards the end (lol); 2 were very conversational that just gave an overview of the group's research but most of the time was spent getting to know each other; and my last had a powerpoint overview of the group's current research efforts with like 5 minutes of Q&A with the professor at the beginning. 

Edited February 28, 2019 by TITX

[ray92]

@TITX Ah Okay that makes sense.

So are some onsite visits interviews meaning that you have not yet been accepted to the school yet?

[TITX]

@ray92 Yea. I'm just anxiously waiting to hear back. The thing that has me on edge was that throughout the whole visit they were speaking to us as if we had already been accepted but we haven't been extended any offers. I just hope I left a good, strong impression.