A new graduate school preparation course geared towards underrepresented and minority students will be offered during the spring semester. Boise State faculty and staff who work with students from diverse and underrepresented populations are encouraged to inform such students about this class in order to help them achieve their educational goals and inform their future graduate school decisions.
The Graduate College, in cooperation with the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs, is offering a new, one-credit course for the spring semester, ED-CIFS 497: Graduate School Preparation for Underrepresented Minority Students.
Students from populations which are typically underrepresented in higher education (first-generation college students, students of color, and students who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds) may have unique issues and obstacles in terms of graduate education. Research shows that students from these populations may not feel prepared for graduate school, suffer from imposter syndrome or stereotype threat, feel they cannot afford graduate school, or in many cases, may simply not know what graduate school is all about.
This new course will provide students with the space and time to consider whether or not graduate school is something they would like to pursue and if so, the course will support them in thinking about how best to position themselves for applications, how to manage graduate school itself and how to proactively combat issues that often result in students dropping out of graduate school.