University of Michigan Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program(PREP)

I am writing to remind you that the University of Michigan has a NIH-funded Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) designed to help underrepresented students who want to further prepare for application to top-ranked Ph.D. programs in the biological and biomedical sciences. We hope you will communicate this opportunity to students at your institution who have great potential to succeed in graduate school in the sciences, but for some reason are not quite ready to tackle the combined academic and research challenges of a first-rate program. Often we expect these students will have discovered an interest in experimental science late in their undergraduate career, or even after they graduated, and so have less extensive research experience. Since most strong graduate schools now consider significant prior research essential to understanding the rigors of graduate school and a career in science, a year of post-baccalaureate research can make a significant difference in the ability of students to matriculate into a graduate program that maximizes their potential. In some other cases, students may have research experience, but have specific deficiencies in their academic background that diminish their qualifications for graduate school. These students will be able to take additional course work while enhancing their research credentials in our PREP program.

Up to nine applicants will be selected to enter the program on July 1, 2010. During the first month of study PREP directors will help students match with faculty mentors whose labs are doing research of interest to them. Over 150 University of Michigan faculty members are available to mentor PREP students for one year research experiences, including guiding them through the graduate school application process. All admitted students receive a full tuition scholarship, salary ($21,000), and benefits including health and dental insurance. In addition to research, PREP students have opportunities to participate in a variety of activities designed to help prepare them for graduate school applications:

a preparation course for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) (offered during the first summer following matriculation)
orientation and social activities
seminars and journal clubs
one or two University of Michigan graduate or undergraduate courses, chosen in consultation with PREP directors to help the student prepare for graduate work
regular meetings as a group to present research projects and discuss graduate school/career advice with the Director or Associate Directors
"Preparing Future Faculty" and other career development events of interest to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars
In addition to structured and informal advising by the PREP faculty, the Association of Multicultural Scientists and other graduate student organizations on campus will serve as peer mentors to interested PREP students, facilitating the process of successful application to graduate school.

The University of Michigan is one of the largest and best-funded research universities in the country. PREP faculty mentors are drawn from six schools and colleges on the Ann Arbor campus - including Literature, Science & Arts, Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, Kinesiology, and Public Health. A more complete listing of faculty research interests can be found on the PREP web site (http://www.med.umich.edu/prep/). Beyond the scientific environment, the University of Michigan is ranked as one of the world's great universities, providing a wide array of state-of-the-art facilities and internationally recognized scholarship. The incredible strength and diversity of music, theater and the arts help make Ann Arbor one of the nicest locations in the country – routinely listed as one of the top 10 places to live by national magazines. Whether a student stays at the University of Michigan for graduate school or moves on to another institution, we are confident that they will enjoy a year in Ann Arbor.

Applications to the Michigan PREP will be accepted until April 16, 2010, however admissions are rolling so early applications are encouraged. For more information on participant eligibility and how to apply, please direct your student(s) to the PREP web site.

The PREP committee will interview selected applicants and offer admission to the program on a rolling basis until all of the positions are filled.

If you have any questions or require additional information on our program, please contact us by e-mail at m-prep@umich.edu or call (734-647-5773) to speak to the Joshua Meisler, the coordinator of the Michigan PREP. Please feel free to use our flyer for the for display and distribution to your colleagues and students.

Sincerely,



David R. Engelke, Ph.D.
PREP Director
Professor of Biological Chemistry
Associate Dean, Rackham Graduate School



2960 Taubman Medical Library
1150 W. Medical Center Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0619

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