For graduate students interested in helping their first-semester peers get acclimated to life at Tech, look no further than the Grad Groups program.

From May through December, participants will serve as group leaders in a one-credit-hour course, diversify their resumes, and gain valuable leadership experience. It also comes with a $500 stipend.

“Grad Groups helps new graduate students develop critical support networks and learn about campus resources as they start very challenging graduate programs,” said James Black, special projects coordinator in the Office of Graduate Studies, which sponsors Grad Groups. “The best candid advice for overcoming challenges often comes from senior graduate students — in this case, the group leader.”

The pass-fail course, GT6000, is offered during Fall semester and relies on senior master’s and Ph.D. students to mentor new graduate students through their first semester. The estimated time commitment is a total of 30-40 hours, and the impact on new students is immeasurable.

Explore the program and course syllabus at http://grad.gatech.edu/grad-groups. Faculty members are encouraged to share this information with their students and talk to them about applying — and making a real difference in first-year graduate students’ lives.

To apply, visit http://grad.gatech.edu/grad-groups/group-leader-app. Send questions to jblack@gatech.edu. The application deadline is Friday, April 10.