UW Bridge to the Chemistry Doctorate

Resources for Current Bridge Students

Orientation

Bridge Program orientation typically begins around mid-August. Most Madison apartments have a standard move-in date of August 15th. Orientation includes social and professional activities, hands-on workshops (NMR, Mass Spectrometry, X-ray, glass-blowing, high-performance computing, machine and electronics shops), and introductions to faculty, staff, peer mentors, and campus facilities.

A variety of social and professional activities will be scheduled between approximately August 15 and the first day of classes,  Wednesday, Sept. 2.  During the orientation time, Bridge Fellows will meet many of the faculty and staff and will also participate in hands-on workshops in areas such as NMR, Mass Spectroscopy, X-ray,  glass-blowing,  high-performance computing, machine shop and electronics shop.  Fellows will also meet their individual peer mentor and participate in other social events, departmental and campus tours, and greater Madison area excursions!   Many of these activities are designed an implemented specifically for Bridge Fellows.

Bridge Fellows will participate in many activities in conjunction with students entering the Ph.D. program.There are no entrance exams.

Mentoring

Bridge Fellows join the Catalyst peer mentoring program designed for first-year graduate students. More information about Catalyst is available online.

Local transportation

Madison offers convenient bus transportation, and students receive a free bus pass upon registration. Campus parking is limited, making walking, cycling, or public transit highly recommended.

Housing

Assistance is provided to find suitable housing. Most leases in Madison begin August 15th. Temporary hotel accommodations (up to one week) may be provided if needed while securing housing. Neighborhood descriptions and additional housing information are available upon request. For verification of enrollment or stipend for housing, apartment managers can contact Marc Willadsen (mwilladsen@wisc.edu).

Additional resources include:

Benefits

Bridge Fellow stipends include health insurance and tuition. Details about additional UW-Madison employee benefits are available here or by contacting Marc Willadsen (mwilladsen@wisc.edu).

Parking

Campus parking is limited; public transportation is strongly advised. For residential parking inquiries at UW-Madison, contact UW-Madison Transportation Services Customer Service at (608) 263-6667 or by email at customerservice@fpm.wisc.edu. More information is available here.

Miscellaneous Resources