Revised on Nov. 2

Over 850 prospective graduate students gathered on October 20 for the 3rd annual “Virtual Graduate School Showcase Hosted by Georgia Tech," a collaboration between Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional Advising and the Office of Graduate Education. This free event connects prospective students from around the world with program recruiters from Georgia Tech and non-Georgia Tech institutions across the U.S. and abroad. 

“Covid pushed for online interaction, and we have kept it in recruiting because it helps to remove previous equity issues of students reaching us,” said Mack Carter, graduate program coordinator at the University of Washington, Seattle. “The [Showcase] allows for a large platform online to draw in more students that otherwise might be missed.” 

This year's event marked a record-breaking achievement for the Showcase, with 1,758 prospective students registering for the event, nearly 500 more registrations compared to the 2022 event. 

"What started out as an idea on how to create an innovative way for pre-graduate advising to support Tech's strategic plan by connecting globally and expanding access during Covid-19 has resulted in a strong, rewarding cross-unit collaboration that has continued to grow," said Susan Belmonte, the Showcase founder and chair and assistant director of pre-graduate advising. "I am so grateful and proud to have the honor to work with the talented members of the planning committee to make each year better than the last."

The Showcase featured a student-led panel with current Tech grad students who offered prospective students the opportunity to learn about the application process and life at Tech for grad students from first-hand accounts. There were also info sessions hosted by the Office of Graduate Education, the Office of International Education, and the Georgia Tech Language Institute that focused on graduate admission and life at Tech. 

“What I always enjoy, the number of students that come to ask questions from different areas, particularly those within the U.S. that we find difficult to reach due to distance or lack of attendance at conferences,” said Carter. “I have students that will stay for two hours just to collect advice on applying to grad school.” 

Before and after the Showcase, participating programs received lists of prospective students who registered to help them focus their own recruitment efforts on those who expressed interest in the programs. 

Graduate program representatives who want to learn more about how to participate in the 2024 Showcase should send an email to gtgradshowcase@gatech.edu to be added to the mailing list for future communications regarding this event. 

The Showcase Planning Committee includes Susan Belmonte, chair; Nazanin Tork, vice chair; Sara Franc, communications and graphic design; Scott Green, website applications and IT hero of Showcase; Brittani Hill, digital marketing; Monique Morris, accounting; and Jon Reid, web development.