Graduate Student News

Graduate Student Timely Topics Series

The Graduate School’s Timely Topics is a series of learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to engage with subject matter experts on topics relevant to graduate education. The student track of this series features sessions that highlight University resources and supports, answer questions about academic processes and procedures, and provide strategies to help students successfully navigate their graduate career. All sessions are offered virtually.

Register for a Session | View the full student track schedule and session descriptions

Fall 2025 Student Sessions:

What’s Your Job Offer Negotiation Game Plan? (Do you even have one?!)
Don’t wait until you get an offer! Join this session to learn how to approach job offers with an understanding of negotiating key elements like salary, sign-on bonuses, moving costs, growth opportunities, etc. We will also dive into communication techniques that will help you express your needs and value to the employer. And with GenAI as a resource, you will see how you can strengthen your negotiation abilities. Job offer negotiation does not have to be an awkward or uncomfortable conversation. 73% of employers anticipate salary negotiation for job candidates and in a 2022 report by Fidelity Investments, 87% of professionals ages 25 to 35 who countered on salary, other compensation or benefits, or both pay and other compensation and benefits got at least some of what they asked for.

Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitator: Kay Gruder, Associate Director of Graduate Student and Postdoc Career Programs & Services, UConn’s Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills

Research, Coursework & AI: Tips, Tricks, and Risks for Graduate Students
AI is here to stay. Join us as we explore some AI tools in academic research, best practices for using AI (including how to craft effective prompts), use cases for leveraging AI while maintaining academic integrity, and the importance of critically evaluating AI-generated content. Along the way, we’ll introduce the library resources and AI literacy initiatives can support you in your coursework and research. We’ll finish with a discussion of the academic consequences of inappropriate AI use.

Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitators: Kimberly Curry, Director of Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Support, The Graduate School & Erica Charis-Molling, Instructional Design and Learning Librarian, Homer Babbidge Library

Creating the Right Mentoring Team for You
A successful mentor/mentee relationship can be an incredible asset to your graduate school career. This session will discuss the importance and benefits of curating a mentoring team throughout your time in graduate school, how to identify and approach individuals that will provide the kind of guidance you need, and how to navigate the mentor/mentee relationship. We will discuss how to apply The Graduate School’s new Mentee Guide and share information about the Network for Enriched Mentoring (NEM).

Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitator: Mary Anne Amalaradjou, Associate Professor, Department of Animal Science, and Faculty Affiliate for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and The Graduate School

Designing Your Personal Brand: A Graduate Student’s Guide
In today’s competitive academic and professional landscape, a strong personal brand is essential. This session is designed to help graduate students from diverse disciplines understand the fundamentals of personal branding and how to effectively articulate their unique value proposition both on-line and off-line.

Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitator: Theo Menounos, Assistant Director, UConn’s Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills

Register for a Session

Learn more about all of The Graduate School’s Timely Topics

Laptop Loan Program for Teaching Assistants

If you have a teaching assistantship this coming semester, you can request and be loaned a Dell Pro laptop for the duration of the semester.

Data security is a primary goal of this program. If you have teaching responsibilities, you are interacting with student data, which the University is obligated to protect. The university-issued laptops are enrolled in a device management platform, which ensures that they have up-to-date security and comply with university policies. If they are lost, stolen, or compromised, ITS can remotely manage the issue and minimize data exposure. Personal, non-UConn devices are non-compliant, and if used for institutional business, put the University at risk.

To request a laptop, please submit the request form. We encourage you to submit your request early; supplies are limited.

After you submit this form, it will create a ticket with ITS Technology Support Center. Communication about the device, including pick up instructions, will be emailed to you through the ticketing system.

If you have any questions, please contact the Technology Support Center at techsupport@uconn.edu or techsupport.uconn.edu.

Upcoming Fall 2025 GA Registration Deadline

As a reminder, all students employed as Graduate Assistants are required to maintain full-time student status (6 or more credits), as noted in their offer letter and The Graduate Catalog. Employment as a GA is a result of student status, therefore it is required that you are registered for a minimum of 6 credits before the start date of your employment (August 23, 2025) and it is recommended that you register by August 1. Please be aware that if you do not enroll in the minimum 6 credits required to maintain full-time student status, the University cannot employ you as a GA.

To register now, log into Student Admin. You can also find helpful information, resources, and to-do items specific to your role as a GA, including information about GA health insurance and deadlines for enrolling in GA payroll deductions to pay your fee bill, at the Graduate Assistant Onboarding page.

Students who have the “GEMB – Graduate Embargo” hold on their record, will be unable to register in classes until they are present in the U.S. If you are a student with this particular hold, please be sure to check in with International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) immediately upon arrival and register for classes through Student Admin as soon as ISSS has removed the hold.

If you have any questions about this requirement or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to megan.petsa@uconn.edu.

Graduate School News from UConn Today

Community, Collaboration, and Preparation

The Graduate School is dedicated to the welfare and progress of its students. We strive to strengthen this through a commitment to the ideas of creating community, promoting collaboration, and addressing your academic, professional, and career preparation. UConn is committed to fostering a diverse and dynamic culture that prepares you to meet the challenges of a changing global society.

The Graduate School leads and coordinates a variety of activities and resources to navigate your pathway through graduate school and to enrich the overall personal and professional experience of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.  Our vision for training of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars rests on three pillars as outlined in our academic plan.

Community: The Graduate School will enhance the quality of life for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars by nurturing an engaged community of scholars that includes all disciplines and all campuses.

Collaboration: The Graduate School will foster the development of inter-, cross-, multi-, and trans- disciplinary research and teaching programs by removing barriers to cross-departmental, cross-program, and cross-campus graduate and postdoctoral education.

Preparation: The Graduate School will enhance career and professional development of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars through programs designed to enhance discipline-independent, transferable skills. We utilize a framework of three categories to help students and scholars prioritize their activity: Professional Engagement, Career Development, Personal Growth.