McNair: Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, if your GPA is a little below 3.0, please still apply to the McNair Program. You are not automatically disqualified because your incoming GPA is below 3.0. In reviewing your application materials, we will also consider the likelihood that you will be able to raise your GPA up to a 3.0 by the end of the spring quarter.  

A first-generation college student is someone whose parents did not earn a 4-year bachelor’s degree. A student who lived with and was supported by only one parent are considered a first-generation student if that supporting parent did not earn a bachelor’s degree.  

Typically, if you parent(s) earned a degree outside of the U.S., you are not considered first-generation. There are some rare exceptions depending on the country of origin of the degree, if the credentials transfer in the U.S. (e.g. medical degree), and what type of work your parents are able to obtain in the U.S. If you have any questions about your potential status as a first-generation student, please reach out to the program coordinator. 

There are a variety of tools and strategies that you can employ to identify a faculty mentor. They need to be a permanent faculty member who can offer 199 credits. 

Consider reaching out to professors who have taught you in courses connected to your areas of interest.  Talk to teaching assistants (TAs), instructional assistants (IAs), research assistants (RAs), or other people on campus who have shaped your intellectual life, and who might have contact with faculty members who serve as the principal investigator (PI) for a research lab.  Search the course catalog and departmental websites for faculty members who teach courses that you hope to soon take.  Utilize the Research Experience & Applied Learning (REAL) Portal and the UC San Diego Pivot database to search for faculty members working in fields related to your interests.   

If you have difficulties securing a mentor, contact the McNair Program coordinator Dr. Tom Brown as early as possible. 

Once you have identified a possible mentor, reach out via email to formally introduce yourself, explain your research interests in relationship to their work, and request whether they would be willing to meet with you in-person (or remotely) to further discuss the possibility of serving as a mentor.  While faculty members are busy—and sometimes may seem intimidating to approach—most often they are truly excited to meet enthusiastic young scholars who share their intellectual interests. 

Also see our "How to Find a Mentor" page for more details and a list of topics to include in an email.