GSAS First-Year Focus Program
GSAS First-Year Focus is an optional, year-long program for first-year PhD students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, sponsored by the Office for Graduate Student Engagement and Development (OGSED), to provide incoming students with the skills, connections, and community that will let them flourish at Yale. This program will help you to:
- gain effective, personalized strategies to navigate academic culture in your department and beyond
- identify university resources to help achieve your academic and professional goals
- cultivate meaningful advising and mentoring relationships
- experience a richly diverse interdisciplinary community
What should you expect?
Academic Strategies Workshops 2025-26
Contact us
Ksenia Sidorenko
Assistant Dean for Access and Engagement
- ksenia.sidorenko@yale.edu
- 203-436-4171
- Dow Hall Room 406
Additional Resources for First-Year Students
Featured Resource
McDougal Center
The McDougal Graduate Student Center offers support resources, events, and programming that build community and help you to connect with your fellow graduate students.
Student Accessibility Services (SAS)
https://sas.yale.edu/students
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) works with Yale students with acute or ongoing disabilities to provide appropriate accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services through an interactive process. The Graduate School's liaison in SAS is Jordan Colbert.
Featured Resource
GSAS Embedded Mental Health Services
GSAS students have access to a variety of free mental health services and programming through the GSAS Office of Embedded Mental Health and Wellness.
GSAS Mentoring Conversation Guide for Graduate Students
PDF — 175.5 KB
The Graduate School Dean's Office has developed this brief guide for structuring your mentoring conversations to aid in your academic and professional development.
Featured Resource
Professional & Career Development
We promote an intentional approach to professional development, one that begins with the first year of your PhD and continues to evolve as you build knowledge and shape your scholarly and professional identity. Take advantage of the resources Yale has to offer: join a workshop series on leadership, communication, or project management; develop mentoring skills; or prepare for the job market through workshops on scholarly profile, job market materials, and interviewing skills. You can participate in professional development and career strategy workshops, and also schedule one-on-one consultations about your professional development and job search readiness.