UC LEADS: Preparing the Next Generation for Graduate Studies

Ilona Ong,
Student Affairs Officer, RGS
Published Fall 2001

UC LEADS (Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees) is a special two-year program designed to identify educationally or economically disadvantaged undergraduates pursuing courses of study in the sciences, mathematics, or engineering who are likely candidates to succeed in future graduate studies. This program provides students with educational experiences that help prepare them to assume future positions of leadership in industry, government, public service, and academia following their completion of a doctoral degree, preferably, at the University of California.

Potential UC LEADS Scholars are sophomore students who will be entering their junior year in the fall quarter. Students chosen to participate in the program take part in two summer research sessions with the initial experience taking place on the student's home campus following their sophomore year. The second summer research session occurs at another UC campus with students receiving a housing and living expenses stipend, which are paid by their home campus.

These challenging summer research program experiences require scholars to work 40 hours a week on their research project, prepare for the GRE exam, and attend workshops on "How to Apply and Prepare for Graduate School Workshop and Writing Your Statement of Purpose". In addition, all UC LEADS scholars are expected to participate in the annual UC Systemwide symposium, which is alternately held in Northern and Southern California each spring.

The objective of the UC LEADS Program is to increase the diversity of future graduate students in the academic fields of science, engineering, and mathematics at the University of California. With the guidance of faculty mentors, scholars develop and complete a plan of action that includes research experiences, graduate school preparation and exploration, as well as attending and participating at regional or national professional and scientific society conferences. By selecting exceptional undergraduate students with academic and leadership potential, these scholars will be given the opportunity to work with other UC faculties and build a mentor-mentee relationship, thus enabling them to enrich their academic growth and thereby encouraging them to pursue graduate and doctoral studies.

Current UCI graduate students who work with undergraduates are encouraged to refer undergraduate scholars to UCI's UC LEADS Program who demonstrate promise for pursuing graduate studies in the sciences and engineering. For more information about UCI's UC LEADS program, please visit www.rgs.uci.edu/grad/ucleads. UC LEADS is administered by UCI's Office of Graduate Studies.

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