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UCLA Graduate Student Resource Center

Graduate Student Orientation (GSO)

IMPORTANT DATES

The UCLA Graduate Student Resource Center (GSRC) and various campus partners invite all new incoming graduate and professional school students to participate in our 2022 Hybrid Graduate Student Orientation. What a way to begin your graduate career at UCLA on a positive note!

August 8 (9AM)
GSO-Online Launches and Goes Live

August 29
GSO Event Registration Goes Live!

September 1-16
GSO-Virtual Events (on Zoom)

September 21
New GRAD Community Day

September 22 (4-7PM)
New GRAD Student Welcome

More About GSO

GSO-Online

The portal will go live to new graduate and professional students on August 8th at 9:00AM PST.

GSO-Online stands for Graduate Student Orientation-Online. GSO-Online is a web-based resource designed to introduce new students to graduate and professional school and campus resources and services. Once you log in, the portal will be available to you anytime and can be used as a reference source as you navigate your first year and all that UCLA has to offer.

GSO-Online Units:

  1. Welcome Message & UCLA 101
  2. Being a Graduate Student
  3. Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity
  4. Finding Community at UCLA
  5. Los Angeles Life
  6. Health & Wellness
  7. Funding & Employment
  8. Basic Needs
  9. Emergency & Safety
  10. New Student Checklist

How to Access:

  1. Go to the GSO-Online portal
  2. Sign-in with your MyUCLA account
  3. Complete the module at your own pace

GSO-Virtual Events

When: September 1-16 (various days/times)
Where: Virtual, On zoom
See instructions below to register for events.

A series of live virtual events from the GSRC and its partners providing an introduction to some graduate school basics along with information about services and opportunities UCLA has to offer! Attend workshops about money/finances, health and wellness, and learn about essential campus resources available to you.

Spreadsheet of Virtual Events

Please note:The workshop titled Setting Up Your Active Work Space, is back on track. Please click on the Spreadsheet of Virtual Events for more details.

New GRAD Community Day

When: Wednesday, September 21st (all day)
Where: In-person, on campus
See instructions below to register for events.

RSVP by Thursday, September 15, at 12pm in order to receive free lunch!

Formerly referred to as Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Day, New GRAD Community Day is a part of our hybrid campus-wide orientation. The goal of Community Day is to help new graduate students make personal connections, receive allyship training, and promote an inclusive campus climate, personal well-being, and overall academic success. This full in-person day is designed for new students to have the opportunity to learn about resources, meet other graduate students from across campus, and engage with UCLA resources in a supportive environment.

BASIC SCHEDULE:
9:30-11:00AM - Check-In & Registration
11:00AM-12:00PM - Plenary & Welcome
12:00-1:30PM - Lunch
1:45-2:45PM - Session 1
3:00-4:00PM - Session 2
4:15-5:15PM - Session 3
3:00-5:00PM - Resource Fair
5:30-7:30PM - GSA's Grad Bar

Confirmed Programs (Tentative Schedule)

GRAD Resource Fair:The Graduate Student Resource Center (GSRC) and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) have partnered to host an in-person resource fair during New GRAD Community Day. The resource fair is designed to connect you with UCLA services and programs that support the graduate student and TA experience. ALL new graduate students and future, current, or returning TAs are welcome to attend the resource fair. The Resource Fair sessions are designed to be a more direct opportunity to connect with resources of interest and get your questions directly answered.

New GRAD Student Welcome

Hosted by the Graduate Division
When: Thursday, September 22nd (4-7pm)
Where: In-person, on campus

For more information please visit the Graduate Division website.

How to Register for Events

***REGISTRATION WILL OPEN STARTING AUGUST 29***
We will be updating events from now until the end of September. Check back in regularly.

Your UCLA Handshake Account is REQUIRED to sign up for events. If you have never used UCLA Handshake before. Activate your account:

  1. Go to ucla.joinhandshake.com and log on using your UCLA logon email and password.
  2. After logging on, you have activated your account. Nothing else is required.

How to find GSO events:

  1. Click on the "Events" tab in the top menu
  2. In the search field, type "GSO" to view all events for Graduate Student Orientation

How to sign up for events

  1. Once you are logged into Handshake and viewing the events list, click on each event you are interested in attending and select "Register"
  2. You will receive an email confirmation for each event you sign up for which will include information about how to access the virtual session during the day and time it is scheduled. All events are in Pacific time. Please do not access the Zoom link until the day and time of the session and do not share the link with others.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How can I view a list of all the events I signed up for?
    • From the "Events" tab on Handshake, a list of all events you have signed up for will appear on the left side of the page
  2. I cannot attend some events, will recordings be made available?
    • We acknowledge that some graduate students will not be able to attend all of the sessions and we are trying our best to work with campus partners hosting workshops to make recorded versions and materials available. We will share resources with students when they are available.
  3. I am having trouble logging into or accessing Handshake
    • Make sure you are logging onto Handshake using this link: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/
    • A common issue is that your Handshake account is still linked to a previous institution. To correct this issue, please log onto MyUCLA, click on settings (in the upper right hand corner), and select official email/ address/ phone. Update your official email to your UCLA email and you should be able to access your account within the next business day.

Events

***REGISTRATION WILL OPEN STARTING AUGUST 29***
We will be updating events from now until the end of September. Check back in regularly. We are adding all orientation events to one calendar (seen below) for easier viewing. NOTE: You must RSVP on Handshake in order to gain access to the Zoom information (see instructions above).

Please note:The workshop titled Setting Up Your Active Work Space, is back on track. Please click on the Spreadsheet of Virtual Events for more details.

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Group image of orientation volunteers with Joe and Josie Bruin (UCLA Mascots)