Making Sense of Student Loans and Financial Aid? A frank discussion about borrowing and the long term cost of financing your education. We'll cover the total cost of your student loans, the disbursement/refund process, loan repayment and forgiveness options, and the services provided by the Office of the Bursar and Financial Aid.

What I can do to be Active Member of a Global Campus Community?  DU brings the world to you!With over 1300 international students from more than 90 countries, DU's campus is a wonderful place to get to know people and cultures from around the world. Come learn about ways to get involved at DU to have an international experience right here in Denver. Marlene Arnold, Senior International Student Advisor from International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), will share opportunities for students to become engaged in the international arena on campus. This session will include suggestions of activities, questions and answers, and a chance to meet DU students who are also interested in other countries and cultures.

Jumpstart Your Career -- Did you know that 60-80% of people get jobs through networking? And that 30 million professionals use LinkedIn, where industry resources and job opportunities are exchanged? The earlier you jumpstart your career (and make these connections), the better! Come learn strategies on how take advantage of Career Services at DU through a comprehensive Q&A session with Carly Einstein, Assistant Director of Graduate Career Services (GCS) in the Office of Graduate Studies. Topics range from the power of networking to resume and cover letter writing, as well as how to stay on top of the career resources available to graduate students at DU.

IE and Me: Engaging Inclusive Excellence at DU -- 2 of DU's 5 core values combine into the framework of Inclusive Excellence (IE). This session will introduce what IE is, why it's important for your studies, career and life in general, and how you can engage it during your time at DU. Join DU's Center for Multicultural Excellence (www.du.edu/cme) for a primer on this change-making and marketable experience.

Tackling Big Writing Projects Before They Tackle You -- Writing is an inevitable part of graduate school, and as a graduate student, sooner or later you'll be faced with a big writing project: a business plan, a research proposal, a thesis. Take some time to refresh your knowledge of some basic principles for approaching big projects. This brief session will offer specific strategies for planning, developing an effective writing process, and working with others to produce your best work.

Research Like a Pro -- Thousands of DU students, half of them graduate students, have taken advantage of free, personalized Research Center consultations to become more efficient and effective researchers. 99.7% of them say they would recommend a consultation to a friend or classmate. Come learn more about using the vast resources of Penrose Library and how working with the experts – subject specialist librarians – can help you too! This session is guaranteed to save you time and hassle on your research papers and projects!

How to Know if You or a Friend Needs Help -- Did you know that more than half of college students experience depression some time during their studies? And that 37% of DU students reported that on more than one occasion they felt so depressed that they could not function or do their work? Graduate school can be stressful and overwhelming as you are often asked to do more than is possible in the time that you have. This Q&A session with Dr. Jacaranda Palmateer, Director of Counseling Services at the University of Denver Health and Counseling Center, will provide information about some of the signs to look for in yourself, in your peers and in your colleagues to know when the stress of graduate school has become too much, and when and how to reach out and get extra support.

Successful Scholarly Inquiry -- The goal of doctoral programs is to train students in the methods, tools, and techniques of scholarly inquiry in the chosen field. Typically, this involves conducting an ambitious research project and/or developing innovative creative works, and publishing articles and books about them. While the goal might be clear, the path to get there often is not. In this breakout session we will discuss, at a high level, some strategies for starting out on the right foot in your doctoral program. While every program has a different emphasis, we will try to discuss general approaches to completing coursework, finding a research advisor/mentor, balancing coursework and creative work, and focusing in on a suitable dissertation topic.