Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute

Friday, June 12 - August 7, 2009
Application Deadline: April 17, 2009

The transition from undergraduate to graduate education can be challenging! Adjustments in living, learning, and socializing will have to be made as you move from one level of education to another, one type of institution to another, and/or one geographical location to another. As you embark upon this next phase of your career development, it is particularly important that you are provided the time needed to settle and become comfortable with the culture of graduate school and this very new way of living. The Summer Pre-doctoral Institute provides incoming graduate students an opportunity to make those adjustments using an approach that will be personally, socially, and academically profitable to you as a developing graduate student and researcher.

Purpose of the Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute

The purpose of the Summer Pre-doctoral Institute (SPI) at the University of Illinois (Illinois) is to provide incoming graduate students from populations underrepresented in graduate programs on our campus with an eight-week orientation to graduate study. The program provides participants with an early introduction to graduate study at Illinois and an opportunity to work with their assigned research advisor or a faculty mentor in their department. An orientation to the department through SPI will assist participants in becoming socialized into the departmental culture, as well as afford them an advanced opportunity to become quickly prepared for the rigors of their graduate program. During the eight-week summer session, each participant will be allowed to enroll in an independent study course assigned by their advisor or faculty mentor, or fulfill a rotation (for students in the sciences and engineering), or fulfill a foreign language course requirement, or fulfill a statistical course requirement, which will further enable the student to become acquainted with the expectations of their graduate program.

Other benefits include:

An opportunity to conduct focused research under the guidance of an experienced researcher in the respective discipline
The opportunity to strengthen technical writing skills
A chance to explore a topic that could ultimately develop into a dissertation topic or an article for publication
An opportunity to meet and network with other students who have similar interests, needs, and academic goals
Early familiarization with the University of Illinois campus and campus administration
An introduction to the Graduate College and the Graduate College administration
Networking and scholarship activities that support academic career development
A stipend of $3,000 to cover summer expenses
A meal allowance
Travel to and from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Campus
Housing for the eight-week summer session

The SPI encourages rapid acclimation to the UIUC campus, the participant's respective department, graduate school culture, and the requirements of the participant's specific discipline. If you are accepted to participate in the SPI, you will become acquainted with graduate life on the UIUC campus by:

Working closely with Graduate College administrators
Meeting and working with faculty and advisors in your home department
Becoming familiar with the demands of your discipline prior to the start of the fall semester
Enrolling in an independent study course or fulfill a course or rotation requirement
Interacting with your peers within the academic community
Participating in seminars that address topics such as:
1. Financial aid and financial management
2. Understanding the research process
3. Publishing and presenting research
4. The culture of graduate school
5. Leadership in the Academy

Who Should Participate

Participants in SPI should be students who are from populations underrepresented in graduate study at Illinois and who have been admitted or are in the process of being admitted to a graduate program at Illinois. Recipients of this award must be applicants who have been nominated by their prospective graduate program or department for participation in the SPI. Students from all disciplines will be considered for participation; however, students in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics are specifically targeted. Students who have participated in the CIC/SROP or in a McNair Program would be among the first selected. Other underrepresented students would be eligible based on a recommendation from a graduate department or the Graduate College.

What Would Be Required of the Nominee

Admission or a completed application for admission to a graduate program by the SPI deadline date
A letter of support from the prospective graduate program or department at Illinois
Completion and submission of an SPI application by the SPI deadline date
Agreement to participate in all of the activities of the SPI if accepted

Program Emphases

There are three major areas that are important to graduate student success that the SPI seeks to address:

Academic
1. Up to 4 credit hours of graduate coursework is provided through independent study or by fulfilling a foreign language or statistical requirement in the respective graduate program
2. Introduction to Research Methodologies
3. Scientific and Technical Writing Skill Building
4. Technical research development
5. Oral presentation development
Social
1. Opportunities for networking with campus administrators, faculty, and students from throughout the campus
2. Organized leisure activities with current graduate students
3. Early socialization into the respective department
Cultural/Environmental
1. Introduction to community programs, services, and activities that meet specific cultural needs and demands
2. Organized visits to cultural and research centers on campus
3. Orientation to the respective department and/or lab
4. Library orientation and tour
5. Introduction to campus support networks and faculty mentoring

Application Process

A completed application should include the following:

Completed online application form including a brief Personal Statement (150-200 words) discussing the applicant's interest in the Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute at the University of Illinois and the reasons why it is important to participate at this time. Applicants should e-mail the Personal Statement to GradEEPrograms@illinois.edu. The statement should be e-mailed as an attachment in Microsoft Word format. All e-mails should include the applicant's full name, undergraduate or current graduate institution, and undergraduate major or current graduate program. The applicant should include in the narrative the following:
1. The prospective program or field of study and the relationship of that field to the applicant's \ future plans
2. Personal benefits to be gained from participating in this summer experience
3. A discussion about how the applicant's underrepresented status has influenced their academic pursuits, particularly the pursuit of the doctorate in their chosen field of study
4. A discussion about the applicant's academic preparation, including awards, honors, presentations, publications, and research projects
Departmental Statement of Support Form (statement of support for participation in the Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute from the applicant's graduate program department at the University of Illinois). A Department Chair, Graduate Program Director, or the applicant's Graduate Program Advisor may submit the Departmental Statement of Support Form. Applicants should download the statement of support form (PDF) from this Web site and complete Part A of the form. The applicant's Department Chair, Graduate Program Director, or Graduate Program Advisor should complete part B of the form.
Applicant's undergraduate and graduate (Master's degree recipients) transcripts

Applicants should e-mail the Personal Statement to GradEEPrograms@illinois.edu. Each item should be e-mailed as an attachment in Microsoft Word format. All e-mails should include the full name, undergraduate or current graduate institution, and undergraduate major.

Note: The official transcript and the Departmental Statement of Support Form should be sent via U.S. mail to:

The Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate College
204 Coble Hall (MC-322)
801 S. Wright Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-4860

Note: Only completed applications will be considered.

Online Application

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