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Application
Who can apply/join the program?
Anyone who is in high school and is interested in exploring engineering!
Is this program free?
Yes! EDGE is completely free for all student participants!
What does the 2022-2023 EDGE application entail?
In the application, all applicants will be asked to include their and one of their parent's/guardian's contact information. Applicants will also be required to answer two short answer questions. Additionally, applicants may choose to have a recommender submit a recommendation form as part of their application. However, this recommendation section of the application is optional.
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How do I submit the recommendation?
Please send the link found within the recommendation section of the application to your recommender. They should then fill out this form and submit it on your behalf. You can also find the form here for your convenience.
When is the EDGE application due?
The EDGE Application for the 2022-2023 academic year is due September 30, 2022 11:59pm.
When will I know if I have been admitted into the EDGE program?
Application decisions will be released on Monday, October 10, 2022. If you still have not heard back about whether you have been accepted into the program, please contact edge.ucsd@gmail.com as soon as possible. Many of our decision emails were returned due to misspelled email addresses, school email settings, etc.
Events
How often are the events going to be?
Events will usually take place every 1 to 2 weeks. However, this also depends on the school schedules of both the mentors and mentees.
How long will events be? What days?
Most of the events are two hours long, while some may be shorter depending on the event type. Events will take place on days throughout the week, in order to best accommodate the different schedules of our participants.
What is the schedule of events?
Although we will try our best to follow our planned calendar, the calendar of events is tentative due to the current ongoing pandemic as well as the need to accommodate the changing schedules of the student organizations we ask to host workshops for the program.
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You can find our current tentative calendar here and last year's calendar here.
What kind of workshops will there be?
There will be workshops from many different engineering and computer science departments where small projects, demonstrations, or interactive activities will take place. Alongside these, we will also host professional development workshops, as well as provide opportunities for the highschoolers to hear about UCSD professors’ research.
Mentorship
Do students get to choose their mentor?
No. However, they will be provided a chance to send us their mentor preferences and will be best matched in terms of interests, hobbies, and the major they are interested in pursuing.
Does having an undergraduate or graduate mentor mean I can work on projects and research with them?
No. Mentors are meant to be a resource for mentees to learn more about their experiences in their engineering field and college in general. Mentees can certainly ask their mentor about projects or research they are involved in, but there is no guarantee this will lead to an additional opportunity.
Will this mentorship be one-one?
Although we can not guarantee that each mentor will only have one mentee, each mentee will be paired up with a mentor. Whether you share your mentor will depend on how many mentors sign up for the program.
Logistics
How long is the program?
The duration of the 2022-2023 EDGE program is from October 2022 to May 2023. EDGE participants will also be encouraged to reapply to the program throughout their high school career.
Are there any rules to stay in the program?
All EDGE participants must adhere to the EDGE event attendance policy. More rules will be announced in the future to all admitted applicants.
Does participating in this program guarantee admission at UCSD?
No, this program is not affiliated with the UCSD Admissions process. It is however a great opportunity to network and get hands-on experience with college applications when it comes time.
For the Mentors
Who can sign up to be a mentor?
Any UCSD undergraduate or graduate student can become a mentor! Since this program aims at empowering high school girls to pursue STEM, we would especially love it if mentors were women in engineering, computer science or other tech related fields.
What is the time commitment?
Mentors are expected to act as an available resource to their high school mentees from October to May of the 2022-2023 school year. Mentors are expected to meet with their mentee(s) at least once a quarter and carry out async communication with them throughout the year when needed.
Can I choose my mentee?
No. However, you will be best matched with a mentee in terms of interests, hobbies, and the major you are pursuing, and mentees will have a chance to write down their mentor preferences after meeting you all.