A per-kilometer check-in on running the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon for the second time, on May 25, 2014. Starting Line- Apparently, there’s a man here running his 728th marathon. He is 88. Amazing. Kilometer 1- Yay, crowds of runners! (5min06 sec) 2- I can’t believe these people woke up to cheer us on. It’s 7AM. Go… Read More Running Thoughts
During Winter 2014, I participated in Basic Business Skills for Non-Business Graduate Students (BBS), offered through SKILLSETS. Recently, I sat down with David Syncox, Graduate Education Officer, to learn more about the course. Could you give me some insight on how the course came about? It really is a fairy tale story. Two PhD candidates,… Read More Let’s talk business
What is the role of the ‘what-is-no-longer-there’ in shaping the present? How do anthropologists, and other academics, engage with residuals, traces, and artifacts? How do intrusions, differences, ruptures, and discontinuities speak to investigative areas of inquiry? Such questions will be addressed next Friday (March 21st) at the McGill Anthropology Graduate Student Association’s (AGSA) sixth annual… Read More Unconformity: the Sixth McGill Anthropology Graduate Student Conference
Winter is hard. Cold weather breeds antisocial behavior. The lack of daylight drives down energy levels. And the snow and ice further hamper any activity that requires even a minimal effort. This year, with its record-breaking lows, has been particularly difficult, even in a Winter-friendly city like Montreal. In an attempt t to stave off… Read More #SSMUSki
Many people regard opera as elitist, boring, and on the wane. A relic of past grandiosity that is out of touch with present aesthetics and popular culture. Something that soon will go the way of the dodo or Hostess snack cake As the saying goes, however, the future of opera is not so easily prophesized.… Read More Until the Fat Lady Sings
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo Picasso Over the years I’ve found that I increasingly spend more and more time on my computer, and have less and less time to devote to art projects. I used to paint, sketch, and visit art museums constantly. Now,… Read More Removing the Dust of Daily Life
Confession time: I’ve never applied for a job. Sure, I’ve applied for graduate schools, grants and scholarships, teaching assistantships, and once, a course lectureship. And I’ve had jobs outside of the academy too, ranging from gymnastics coach to in-China program instructor. Some of these applications required CVs, a cover letter, or interview, but none required… Read More Professionalization the CAPS way
There is a widely-shared perception that life as a graduate student is relaxed, romantic, and carefree. Sure, we might face the occasional stress-inducing deadline, committee meeting, or funding application, but what else do we really have to do? Of course, not all graduate programs are created equal, leading to a valued stress gradient, ranging from… Read More Breaking the Shackles of Freedom
More than a month on, I can barely remember any of the nearly three hours and fifteen minutes it took me to complete the Ottawa Marathon this past May. I do remember: the moment of silence for the Boston Marathon victims at the race start; the feeling of my left pinky toe swelling-up beginning at… Read More It’s like running a marathon…
I’ve spent almost two years in China researching tuberculosis control. Along the way, I’ve garnered a lot of experience in setting up research abroad. Here, I lay out ten points of advice for Grad Life readers that are on the road to do research away from McGill: –Pre-Departure–
The graduate student experience at McGill
The graduate student experience at McGill
The graduate student experience at McGill
Sharing PhD experiences across the University of Warwick and beyond
Welcoming you in to the secrets, techniques and taboos around succeeding in a Research Higher Degree
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