Linguistics PhD student Rachel Elizabeth Weissler is hosting an information session for undergraduates interested in applying to graduate school! Before attending U-M, Rachel was a part of the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT). IRT is a program that helped her apply to graduate school by covering the cost of applying and providing GRE prep.

What is IRT?
The IRT addresses the lack of diversity in the nation's teaching faculties by recruiting outstanding students of color and other scholars committed to diversity, counseling them through the graduate school application process, and advocating for sufficient funding for advanced study. Since 1990, the IRT has built a national consortium of colleges and universities that are eager to enroll IRT students to diversify their graduate student bodies and to expand the pipeline of educators to teach, counsel, and administrate in American schools, colleges, and universities.

From early September through mid-November, all IRT participants receive the following support throughout the graduate school application process at no charge, which include:
1. Individualized support and extensive counseling as fellows choose graduate programs and apply to a renowned consortium of graduate schools across the country
2. Application fee waivers for up to 12 consortium schools
3. Assistance in fine-tuning statements of purpose, resumes, and writing samples

Additionally, the IRT sponsors a Summer Workshop, a paid internship on the Phillips Academy campus, located just outside of Boston, MA. Participants engage in a graduate-level curriculum of critical, cultural, and educational theory during an intense four-week program; students and faculty work together nine hours each day, seven days a week.