Finding Community

An important aspect of thriving during grad school is finding support through peers, mentors, and others.

Active Engagement on Campus

Benefits of Being Involved on Campus

Participating in campus activities enhances your graduate experience, fosters networking, and facilitates personal and professional growth.

It’s a good idea to reserve your 1st year for adjusting to the program and coursework. However, you can still engage in various activities to build connections and explore opportunities.

Graduate Student Organizations

  • Graduate Student Government (GSG): Engage in discussions and initiatives enhancing the graduate student experience. Contact: gsg@uab.edu
  • Graduate Biomedical Sciences Organization (GBSO): Connect with fellow GBS students through academic and social events. Contact: gbso@uab.edu
  • Informatics Club: Explore interdisciplinary discussions related to informatics. Contact: informaticsclub@uab.edu
  • GRADient: GRADient is an LGBTQ+ organization for graduate and professional students at UAB. Our mission is building community and networking across disciplines. Contact: gradient@uab.edu
  • Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA): Join a supportive community of black graduate students fostering academic and professional growth. Contact: thebgsa@uab.edu

More graduate student organizations can be found on Engage.

Some of those organizations are:

  • American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
  • Association of Advocates for Women in Science and Medicine (AAWSM)
  • Association of Indian Students (AIS)
  • Bangladeshi Student Association (BSA) at UAB
  • Health Services Student Organization
  • Nepalese Student Association at UAB
  • Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars
  • School of Dentistry Student Research Group at UAB
  • Student Chapter of American Society for Microbiology (ASM) at UAB

Seeking Assistance

Lab and Peer Connections

Never hesitate to reach out to faculty and senior students for lab-related queries and peer support.

Most Important Groups

  • Join the UAB Labs Slack - here you can access the very active datascience channel.
  • Join the GBS 2024 GroupMe for all incoming 2024 GBS students.
    • This group is arguably the most important for first years. This is a group to discuss studying for core courses, bond with other peers, discuss rotations, and discuss other 1st Year related challenges.
  • Join the GBS 2023 GroupMe for all incoming 2023 GBS students.
    • This group is arguably the most important for first years. This is a group to discuss studying for core courses, bond with other peers, discuss rotations, and discuss other 1st Year related challenges.
  • Join the UAB GBS Students GroupMe.
    • This group is great for general GBS questions especially regarding mentors, financial issues, and courses after 1st year. You’ll also find out about events in this group.

Other UAB or GBS Groups

External Groups