Grants help students with conferences, job-hunting expenses

Preparing for life after graduation can be a costly endeavor for many students – with graduate school tests to pay for, academic conferences to attend, interview clothes to purchase and travel costs to get to those interviews. To help cover some of these expenses, the College of Arts & Sciences offers professional development grants.

The grants, established by generous alumni donations, provide funding to support undergraduate students with financial need. The grants can pay for:

• Travel to interviews for internships or full-time employment
• Travel to accepted student days for graduate or professional school
• Travel to interviews for graduate or professional school
• Purchase of professional clothing for interviews, networking, etc.
• Conference attendance and associated travel
• Graduate or professional school application fees
• Graduate or professional school admissions test fees and test prep courses

“The GRE posed a serious financial burden for me when combined with graduate school application fees. Receiving funding to cover the registration fee will make it that much easier for me to pursue graduate-level education,” said Peter Terrazas ’23, a science and technology major. “It can be really expensive to market oneself. For example, a headshot typically costs a lot of money, not to mention the formal wear expected for professional headshots.”

Axaraly Ortiz ’24, a history major, applied for a grant so that she could purchase professional attire for a conference where she presented her research to fellow students in the mid-Atlantic region.

“The grant helped me feel professional and confident when surrounded by pre-professional students and professors who are all interested in pursuing Ph.D. programs and tenured professorships in the humanities,” she said.

Students can apply for the grant at any time of the year – applications are available on the Career Development Office’s website.