The Future Scholars Visitation Program will bring a select group of prospective students to UGA Nov. 8-10.
The Graduate School Outreach and Diversity Office organizes the program to introduce students to professors, advisers and department heads, giving UGA faculty an opportunity to meet prospective students before the end of the admissions process.
“The Graduate School is committed to recruiting a talented and diverse student population,” said Maureen Grasso, dean of the Graduate School. “The FSVP helps us to accomplish this.”
ODO arranges meetings between prospective students and their respective department faculties. The meetings allow faculty to interview the students and assess their potential for success. ODO expects 40 prospective students in a variety of disciplines, including art, cellular biology, business and law, to attend the 2009 FSVP.
ODO credits much of the program’s success to strong faculty involvement and matching prospective students with faculty who share similar research interests. Gaylen Edwards, head of the department of physiology and pharmacology, is one faculty member who has been involved with the FSVP over the past three years.
“The FSVP is a great mechanism to introduce potential graduate students to faculty at UGA,” said Edwards. “This is particularly true for students from smaller colleges or from underrepresented populations who may not initially view UGA as a viable option for graduate studies.”
ODO received nearly 200 applications this year and selected the most qualified students to attend the program. Out of the 41 prospective students who attended the 2008 FSVP, 20 of them enrolled at UGA and 19 of them were supported by an assistantship as of fall 2009.