The transition from undergraduate to graduate students can be extremely difficult, leading to potential problems with student success, retention and even graduation.
Graduate students face an unusual dilemma: as undergraduates, they were the smartest and most successful students in their classrooms. But when they first enter graduate school, they feel like the least knowledgeable students in the room, painfully aware of how much they still need to learn.
This radical shift comes at a time when they must quickly learn to navigate a new school and a new city — all the while juggling intense work, research, and study schedules. And while this poses a significant challenge for nearly all students, it is perhaps most difficult for those with a limited support network — such as first generation students or those from backgrounds typically underrepresented in higher education.
The UC Merced Competitive Edge Summer Bridge program addresses this critical point in a graduate student’s development and helps to ensure that participants are better equipped to complete their degrees and go on to successful careers.
The Program At a Glance
Graduate students who participate in this program:
- Move to campus early for better acclimation
- Are placed in a cohort to build early support structures
- Begin work with advisors to get a head start on research techniques and projects
- Attend tailored workshops and seminars designed to give them a broad foundation of professional knowledge
- Work with funding experts to make significant progress on a major external predoctoral fellowship proposal
Program Components
The Graduate Division has organized a series of seminars and workshops designed to help students acclimate to graduate work, begin the process of learning to write academic proposals and papers, and to proactively seek out and self-train in the basic technical skills needed to conduct their research.
Weekly Workshops:
- Fellowship Writing
- Data Management
- Humanities Research Methods
- Professional Development
- Adjusting to Graduate School
- Maximizing Advisory/Advisee Relationships
- Mastering Academic Writing
- Balancing Personal and Academic Life
- Diversity in Academia
- Introduction to Teaching
- Presenting in Academia
Mentor Workshops
Social and Networking Events:
- Ice Cream and Networking
- Lunches
- Outdoor Activites
Testimonials
"The Competitive Edge Summer Bridge Program provided me with invaluable information about what reviewers look for in applications. During this time I received helpful, detailed feedback and advice from the mentors and previous awardees that were crucial to the success of my applications".
-Maia Powell
Ph.D. student in Applied Mathematics
2018 Summer Bridge cohort
2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellow
"I learned a great deal during the Summer Bridge program and the experience has eased my worry about my preparation for graduate school.
I feel now that I know what to expect and what will be expected of me."
-Tashelle Wright
Ph.D. student in Public Health
2016 Summer Bridge cohort
2017 Summer Bridge mentor
“I found the adjusting to grad school panel really helpful for understanding how the more experienced students have coped with the challenges they have faced in graduate school.”
-Clement Laksana
Ph.D. student in Quantitative & Systems Biology
2016 Summer Bridge cohort
2017 Summer Bridge mentor
"It was great to be able to get a head start and feel more prepared for the upcoming semester.
This literally lessened my anxiety about starting grad school.”
-Sara Schneider
Ph.D. student in Cognitive & Information Sciences
2016 Summer Bridge cohort
2023-24 Cohort
Kylie Freitas Applied Mathematics |
Melissa Almeida Cognitive & Information Sciences |
Gregory Mwamba Applied Mathematics |
Andrew Martin Sociology |
Teddy Adams Physics |
Anthony Kemp Political Science |
Ching Ting Roy Ng Bioengineering |
Lynn Breithaupt Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Ashley Borjon Sociology |
Angela Roberts Interdisciiplinary Humanities |
Melissa Rocha Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Vanessa Sanchez Quantitative and Systems Biology |
Christopher Mastandrea Physics |
Azeem Horani Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Emily Ernst Sociology |
Rebecca Sullivan Cognitive and Information Sciences |
Elsa Vazquez Physics |
John Adeleke Sociology |
Adam Holm Cognitive Information Sciences |
Bethany Saint-Smith Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Annabella Nouel Barreto Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Alex Hernandez Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Fernando Espinoza-Ortiz Physics |
Justin Barnes Sociology |
Sage Gorney Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Ethan Custodio Physics |
Katherina Martinez Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Cherika Gamble Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Khamyl Cooksey Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Anthony Osborne Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Wolfgang Kern Physics |
Jesica Calderon Quantitative and Systems Biology |
Gunnar Carlson Chemistry and Biochemistry |
2022-23 Cohort
Brianna Aguilar Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
Maribel Viveros Cognitive & Information Sciences |
Metzli Montero Materials & Bio Science Engineering |
Anna-Celine Guilas Psychological Sciences |
Miranda Luque Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Shila Alizadehghobadi Mechanical Engineering |
Jonathan Aguilera Materials & Biomaterials Science Engineering |
Eira Jardines Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Rasha Naseif Sociology |
Kimberly Garcia-Galvez Sociology |
Shaira Vargas Mejia Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Yulissa Torres Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Shiraz Norrani Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Jesselynn LaBelle Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Jullanar Williams Sociology |
Brandon Imstepf Applied Math |
Jack Pham Applied Mathematics |
Jesse Rodriguez Bioengineering |
Emily Diekmann Economics |
Kara Hunter Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
Jazmin Reyes Servin Quantitative & Systems Biology |
2021-22 Cohort
Andres Arias Sociology |
Jarrod Brown Jr. Sociology |
Samantha Tucker Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Victor Duran Arroyo Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
Selina Espinoza Psychological Sciences |
Gabriela Flores Sociology |
Seth Gilchrist Environmental Systems |
Tiffany Ho Economics |
Gerald Lemmon Sociology |
Jessica Lopez Political Science |
Justus Nwoke Mechanical Engineering |
Cory-James Pugne-Andenoro Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Jenny Quinn Physics |
Joshua Quintong Bioengineering |
Sabrina Rawson Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Dylan Richardson Psychological Sciences |
Irabiel Romero Ruiz Applied Mathematics |
Montserrat Santos Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Justin Couvrette Materials & Biomaterials Science Eng |
2019-20 Cohort
Camille Paladino-Ponce Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Carmen Salazar Sociology |
Melinda Gonzalez Environmental Systems |
Frank Gutierrez Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Cory McCullough Applied Mathematics |
Giovanni Gonzalez Araujo Electrical Eng & Comp Science |
Bianca Hinojosa Psychological Sciences |
Alfredo Gaona Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Jovana Ramos Sociology |
Brian Wang Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Yulissa Perez-Rojas Environmental Systems |
Bailey Carlson Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Valerie Martinez Public Health |
Andrew Lazar Applied Mathematics |
Kesia Garibay Public Health |
Alisha Jones Sociology |
Benjamin Tanielian Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
Jamie Moore Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Taylor Fugere Management of Complex Systems |
Ricardo Robles Political Science |
De Zhen Zhou Physics |
Kelly Otsuka Quantitative & Systems Biology |
2018-19 Cohort
Maria Mendoza Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Lori Lewis Applied Mathematics |
Leila Wahab Environmental Systems |
Donnoban Orozco Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Molly Karnes Environmental Systems |
John Flores Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Victor Hernandez Bio Eng & Small-Scale Tech |
Kevin Easley Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Julio Perez Mechanical Engineering |
Shaina Santa Cruz Public Health |
Maia Powell Applied Mathematics |
James Sullivan Psychological Sciences |
Melissa Spence Applied Mathematics |
Abdul Zamani Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
Edgar Perez-Lopez Mechanical Engineering |
2017-18 Cohort
Kimberly Arellano Public Health |
Jordyn Brinkley Environmental Science |
William Delmas Physics |
Pedro Diaz-Parga Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Reagan Dobbs Political Science |
Karly Higgins Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Lindsey Jerome Environmental Science |
Kavita Kumar Mechanical Engineering |
Diego Lopez Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Eddie Lucero Political Science |
Vicente Mata Sociology |
Salvador Montes Physics |
Dylan Moses Political Science |
Jocelyn Ochoa Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
Lillie Pennington Environmental Science |
Mohammad Qasim Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Justin Ramirez Bio Eng & Small-Scale Tech |
Suzanne Sandin Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
William Spaller Chemistry & Chemical Biology |
Tyrome Sweet Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Sammy Villa Quantitative & Systems Biology |
2016-17 Cohort
Christina Acosta Sociology |
Nick Cruz Political Science |
Dominique Davenport Physics |
Craig Ennis Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Clement Laksana Quantitative & Systems Biology |
Lorraine Ramos Interdisciplinary Humanities |
Adolfo Ramirez Cognitive & Information Sciences |
Sara Schneider Cognitive & Information Systems |
John Wilson Physics |
Tashelle Wright Public Health |
Qingqing Xu Environmental Systems |