GeoGradApp Workshops: increasing self-efficacy and elucidating the graduate school application process
Poster Session Part of
Monday Poster Session
Authors
Malisse Lummus, University of Kansas Main Campus
Blair Schneider, University of Kansas Main Campus
Leigh Stearns, University of Kansas Main Campus
Navigating through higher education can be tricky, and applying to graduate school is often a confusing and stressful time for people of all backgrounds. This career stage is especially challenging for first- generation, low-income, or historically excluded students who might not have the resources needed to illuminate the path to graduate school. Without financial assistance, mentorship, or guidance on application materials many people are excluded from higher degrees without a chance to show their aptitude. To combat the opacity of the application process, this project involves workshops that provide a step-by-step guide to applying to graduate school and surveys to check the effectiveness of the intervention. The workshop is based on geogradapp.com, a website with advice and resources for various steps of the application process. GeoGradApp Workshop participants were asked to complete two surveys that assess their overall feelings towards the workshop and their belief in their ability to overcome challenges. Through the workshops, we hope to boost student self-efficacy, and through the survey results we hope to inspire more interventions to aid geoscientists during this career stage. This presentation outlines the workshop's structure and the survey results from the 2023-2024 application season. Overall, students rank the workshop as "good" or "excellent," and the surveys indicate positive outcomes for participants.