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Gateway to Graduate School Who are we?

Gateway to Graduate School is a free 1-day program to educate undergraduate students about what graduate school is like, how to apply to graduate school, and sharing resources and information about being in the Physics and Astronomy Ph.D. program at Texas A&M University. Gateway to Graduate School is geared toward early-level undergraduate students in Texas and surrounding areas from historically excluded backgrounds in academia.

Students from historically-excluded backgrounds often face significant obstacles to getting into grad school. Furthermore, PhD programs often lack the resources to support minorities and marginalized people. The goal of Gateway to Graduate School is to share resources about graduate school, help historically-excluded students better prepare for it, and strengthen their future graduate school applications.

Meals, hotel rooms, and funds for travel will be provided to in-person attendees. The Gateway to Graduate School sessions will also be streamed on Zoom. The program will be held November 12th, 2022. Applications are due September 30th.

How to apply

Gateway to Graduate School is a free, one-day program for Freshmen and Sophomore undergraduates in Texas from historically-excluded backgrounds to visit Texas A&M and learn about graduate school in Physics & Astronomy.

The application form can be found HERE, and is due by SEPTEMBER 30th. The application is designed to be as equitable as possible, thus, we do not accept transcripts, test scores, nor letters of recommendation.

Applications for 2022 are now closed. Check back in Summer 2023 to apply to next year’s program!

Decisions will be sent out approximately OCTOBER 12th via e-mail. Applicants who are not selected to attend in-person will still be able to attend via Zoom.

Please direct any questions to gradgateway@physics.tamu.edu.

Click here to apply!

Eligibility

 All current undergraduates, regardless of major, are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to freshmen and sophomores from historically-excluded backgrounds.

If you are not selected to attend in-person, you will still be able to attend via Zoom.

Participation

Gateway to Graduate School will be held both on Zoom and in person at the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy in College Station, Texas on Saturday, November 12th, 2022. We expect to be able to support approximately 10 in-person attendees.

We will pay for hotel rooms for in-person attendees on the nights of November 11th and November 12th. We will also pay for three full meals plus snacks and coffee throughout the day on November 12th. Additionally, we will provide travel funds to in-person attendees to help cover the cost of travel to College Station.

All of the sessions will be made available to attend via Zoom. Applicants who are not accepted for in-person attendance will be sent Zoom links, and will be able to ask questions and interact via the Zoom chat.

Event Schedule Saturday, Nov 12, 2022

  • 9:00-9:30 am

    Welcome Speech & Breakfast

    Welcome to the Texas A&M Department of Physics and Astronomy, with breakfast and coffee provided.

  • 9:30-10:30 am

    Session 1: What is Grad School?

    Session discussing generic information about graduate school, including: the structure; how long it takes; you get pay and health insurance; what you do day-to-day.

  • 10:45-11:45 am

    Session 2: How to Get Into Grad School

    Session discussing what graduate admissions committees look for in applicants, how to find research opportunities, how to apply for REUs / fellowships / internships / etc.

  • 12:00-1:00 pm

    Lunch

    Lunch provided.

  • 1:15-2:15 pm

    Session 3: Science Sampler

    Session discussing some of the science we do in Physcs & Astronomy at Texas A&M.

  • 2:30-3:30 pm

    Session 4: Faculty AMA

    Panel of current Physics & Astronomy faculty at Texas A&M to answer attendees’ questions.

  • 3:30-4:00 pm

    Afternoon Coffee

    Coffee and snacks provided.

  • 4:00-4:05 pm

    Closing Speech

  • 4:05-6:00 pm

    Free Time & Tours

    Free time for attendees to explore campus, Bryan/College Station, or to rest at the hotel. Tours of campus, the cyclotron, and the teaching observatory will be offered.

  • 6:00-9:00 pm

    Dinner

    Dinner provided.

Program Coordinators

PhD Student

Lauren Aldoroty

PhD Student
Postdoctoral Research Associate

Jonathan Cohn

Postdoctoral Research Associate
PhD Student

Silvana Delgado Andrade

PhD Student
PhD Student

Addy Evans

PhD Student
PhD Student

Emily Harris

PhD Student
PhD Student

Thomas Onyango

PhD Student
Professor

Louis Strigari

Professor

Panelists and Speakers

In our program, participants will get the opportunity to hear from and talk to several current graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members in our Physics & Astronomy department. This will give participants access to people from a variety of backgrounds and at different career stages.

PhD Student

Towsifa Akhter

PhD Student
PhD Student

Lauren Aldoroty

PhD Student
PhD Student

Maeve Curliss

PhD Student
PhD Student

Silvana Delgado Andrade

PhD Student
Professor

Bhaskar Dutta

Professor
PhD Student

Emily Harris

PhD Student
Professor

Dawson Nodurft

Professor
PhD Student

Thomas Onyango

PhD Student
Professor

Louis Strigari

Professor
Professor

Jonelle Walsh

Professor