Students register at the 2014 New Graduate Student Orientation.
Students register at the 2014 New Graduate Student Orientation.

Are you an incoming graduate student who is interested in learning about applying for funding, insurance, or how to achieve residency status in California? Launch a promising start to your graduate career by attending the New Graduate Student Orientation (NGSO) on Tuesday, August 25, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm, at Dwinelle Hall. Co-sponsored by the Graduate Assembly and Graduate Division and expected to draw close to 900 attendees, the event will showcase the many resources available to graduate students at Berkeley.

Following breakfast and registration at 8:30 am, students will be welcomed by Graduate Division Dean Fiona Doyle, Graduate Assembly President Jenna Kingkade, and a keynote speaker.

“The workshops at NGSO provide helpful information on a variety of topics such as campus libraries, academic writing services, professional development services, maintaining good mental and physical health, and navigating conflicts,” says Ellen Gobler, Senior Public Events Manager in the Graduate Division, who organized the event, along with Cory Hernandez of the Graduate Assembly.

“At NGSO we promote resources for relaxation and invigorating the body and mind, as well as tools for academic success,” she adds.

Graduate students attend a workshop at the NGSO 2014.
Graduate students attend a workshop at the NGSO 2014.

Other workshop topics include navigating funding options through fellowships and grants, resources for student parents, activism on and off campus, and how to strengthen gender equity at Berkeley.

In addition to breakfast, a complimentary lunch offers students an opportunity to mingle with others. Michael J. Meyers II, an African American Studies doctoral student who attended NGSO last year, credits the orientation with enabling him to meet people outside of his program.

“The New Graduate Student Orientation was a generative experience because it introduced me to some of the resources available to me as a doctoral student — and I met people with whom I will have life-long connections!” Meyers says.

Interested in specific workshop information? Visit the Graduate Division website.