The Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) Graduate Application Mentoring Program (GAMP) is a student-run initiative at the University of Michigan (U-M) that supports prospective applicants. Based on availability, prospective applicants have the opportunity to be paired with current PhD students who mentor and guide them throughout the application process. Virtual panels and office hours will also be made available.
Please note: The PhD students who serve as mentors are volunteers, and make no guarantees that applicants will be accepted into the U-M IOE PhD program or any other academic program. The PhD students are not involved in the admissions process.
Mission
The IOE GAMP aims to support students in applying to any IOE PhD program. These students may come from a variety of educational, economic, cultural and/or geographic backgrounds that are non-traditional, historically disadvantaged or underrepresented within STEM, thus contributing to a lack of support and/or guidance in their pursuit of higher education. We support these students by providing improved accessibility and guidance throughout the application process. The goal of IOE GAMP is to increase representation in all IOE graduate programs; to make the national and international IOE community more diverse, inclusive and representative.
Who can apply for this mentoring program?
The IOE GAMP is designed for prospective IOE PhD students that may lack support and/or guidance in their pursuit of higher education. Accordingly, to be eligible for the program, an applicant must be in the process of applying to an IOE PhD program (at U-M or otherwise) and meet one or more of the following criteria:
– Being from an educational, economic, cultural and/or geographic background that is non-traditional, underrepresented and/or historically disadvantaged in STEM
– Being a first-generation college graduate
– Having a disability (visible or invisible)
Important notes
- The application is due on October 20. We encourage students to apply early, as we may not have enough mentors available for the large number of applicants we expect.
- Please be mindful and respectful that the graduate students involved with IOE GAMP are volunteering their time and effort to support mentoring for interested prospective students.
- Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Timeline
- Round 1
Application closes: October 20, 2025
Mentees/mentors matched by: October 30, 2025
Contact period: October 30, 2025
The application will be available in August, 2025
Get a mentor
We will attempt to match you with a current PhD student in the U-M IOE program if your application is received by the Fall 2025 deadline. Once paired, you and your mentor can discuss ways to improve your application and other topics related to the graduate application process. You can decide together whether you will meet virtually through video or email. While mentors can assist, they cannot guarantee that mentees will be accepted into the U-M IOE PhD program or any other academic program.
Types of assistance include but are not limited to:
- General review of application materials
- Comprehensive assistance with application materials
- Advice about graduate degree programs
- Advice about research and PhD life
- Personal statement
- Topics to include
- Dos and don’ts
- Statement of purpose
- Topics to include
- Dos and don’ts
- CV
- Headers/categories
First year results
In the 2024-25 cycle, 23 mentors and 47 students were matched for one-on-one engagements.
Mentee feedback
As a first-generation university student, this program was a game-changer for me. The personalized guidance I received in crafting my application materials was invaluable. It not only strengthened my application but also gave me clarity on what universities seek in applicants like me. I highly recommend this program to fellow first-gen students seeking tailored support and guidance in their application journey.
How well do you understand the PhD application process?
We asked mentees how well they understood the PhD application process before and after the program. There was an (average) increase of 4.25 pre-test to 6.2 post-test or a 46% increase. Also, (23/24) 96% of survey respondents applied to a PhD program and (21/24) 88% applied to an IOE PhD program.