On Wednesday I attended the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) open house info-session (just for a short while because I had another meeting to run to) but I totally forgot that there was going to an accompanying presentation about the IRT program, which many Queens College students may interested in. IRT stands for the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers and unlike Mellon which is only open to those individuals dedicated to finishing the long PhD process and eventually teaching at the university level, this program is available to all students who are pursuing a career in education, whether it is elementary, secondary or higher education.
IRT is unique because it specifically focuses on helping students through the graduate school application process. Once admitted, you will have access to experienced instructors who will work with you on a very personal basis to put together the best admissions portfolio as possible. IRT offers two different programs to accommodate the diverse needs of prospective applications. One is the Intern Summer Workshop where 25-30 students are selected to participate in a 4-week long program at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. The 2010 program will run from June 29th to July 24th, where students are expected to engage in a very intensive workshop series, 9 hours a day and 6 days a week. The workshops include lectures, seminar discussions, writing and compositions courses, etc. Students are essentially given a little preview of graduate school, where they are introduced to theory and readings they will probably encounter in their future studies. From July 16th-18th IRT will host an annual Recruiters’ Weekend where representatives from major universities throughout the nation arrive to speak to students. Those admitted will receive a $1,200 stipend as well as free room and board.
Because the Summer Workshop program is so competitive students also have the option of being considered for the Associate Program as well. This latter program also ideal for those who find themselves unable to spend 4 weeks in Andover, MA because of personal schedule conflicts. Here, students generally keep in contact and receive instructor assistance through an online website, probably somewhat similar to blackboard. Lastly one of the greatest benefits of IRT is that participants of both programs will have their graduate school application fees totally waived for those universities part of the IRT consortium, which consists of 41 schools. Because applications fees are ridiculously expensive (anywhere from $60-$100+) this is an amazing opportunity to save yourself hundreds of dollars.
Applications are to be submitted electronically and the deadline is April 1st so those interested should definitely get started right away. Below I listed the required materials
1. Official transcript(s)– needs to be mailed to IRT
2. Three letters of recommendation– should be from full-time professors
3. Academic writing sample– max 20 pages
4. Resume/CV
5. 2 Personal essays– First essay should discuss your graduate school goals and future professional aspirations (max 2.5 double-spaced pages). Second essay should describe the course that most influenced your intellectual development (max 1.5 double-spaced pages)
For more information check out the official IRT website: http://www.andover.edu/SummerSessionOutreach/IFROTeachers/Pages/default.aspx
