Ph.D. Admissions Bootcamp Recordings

The Ph.D. Admissions Bootcamp helps prospective doctoral students, especially those from underrepresented groups, better understand Ph.D. programs and find the right program for their interests and goals.

The bootcamp is divided into five sessions, which you can watch below. As you consider applying to a Ph.D. program, we hope you find these topics and discussions useful.

You can watch all sessions from beginning to end. If you’re interested in a graduate program at Berkeley, learn more about the steps to apply.  

Session 1 - Demystifying the Ph.D.

Learn about how doctoral programs differ from other professional and graduate programs, and if a Ph.D. program might be right for you. We’ll demystify the funding process, discuss how admissions committees review applicants, and provide tips on how to identify and contact faculty in your program of interest.

Session 2A - Discipline-Specific Workshop: Applying to STEM Programs

Learn about what types of graduate programs are possible for students in your discipline and undergraduate major. Meet faculty, experts, current graduate students, and alumni in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields and hear their recommendations for successfully navigating the STEM application process and succeeding in graduate school.

Session 2B - Discipline-Specific Workshop: Applying to Social Science and Humanities Programs

Learn about what types of graduate programs are possible for students in your discipline, and undergraduate major. Meet faculty, experts, current graduate students, and alumni in the humanities and social sciences and hear their recommendations for successfully navigating the application process and succeeding in graduate school.

Session 3 - How to Find Your Researcher Identity

Hear from current graduate students about how to develop your identity as a researcher, what tools and support you need to thrive in a research setting, and who to reach out to for support in identifying and pursuing your research focus.

Session 4 - Making Use of the Summer and Organizing for the Journey Ahead

The key to a successful graduate school application often involves making effective use of limited time. In this session hear how to organize your time to put together a competitive application, along with some hacks, tips, and tools to prepare your application.

Session 5 - Closer to Achieving the Dream

In this final session, learn how to grow and strengthen your recommender relationship, organize and track admissions deadlines, write a strong diversity statement, manage rejection, and choose the right institution.

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