Student-Led Mentoring System Designed to Lower Barriers for Graduate School Applicants

Abstract

Ocean and Earth science graduate school admissions processes can be bewildering. Unwritten expectations and small professional circles, compounded by oceanography’s history of colonialism, sexism, and racism, advantage those privileged enough to navigate as insiders. Thus, even more holistic graduate admissions processes may be inequitable. Here, we share (1) a model for effective peer-to-peer support, Applicant Support & Knowledgebase (ASK), and (2) insights into challenges faced by under-supported applicants. We aim to generate a discussion about the bias in and inaccessibility of the US-based ocean science graduate school entry process and how peer-to-peer programs like ASK can contribute to a tapestry of solutions that address these inequities.