I don’t know if other students feel like this at any point in their PhD journey. For me, this sensation has come during the “home stretch”. In other words – at the worst possible time. It is not uncommon for graduate students to feel down or discouraged at some points of their degree. Everyone knows… Read More Tightrope walking
Somewhere between now and forever. That sounds about right. Isn’t that the gist of your reply to family members and friends who just don’t get why you’re still a PhD student? So much has changed in the world, and you’re still at it. I mean, how long does it take to write a thesis? Just… Read More The Writer’s Toolkit: 14 things that could change how you feel about writing
One aspect of our graduate student life at McGill that truly stands out as exemplary to me is the sheer number of resources in place to buttress our burgeoning professional careers. I am amazed that, even as a senior PhD student, I am constantly finding out about organizations, workshops and tools that I did not… Read More You’ll never walk alone: Valuable resources for graduate students at McGill
Last week, the McGill Association of Postdoctoral Fellows hosted a very useful seminar on how to succeed with post-doctoral fellowship applications. Those in attendance were privy to very sound advice from a charismatic and knowledgeable speaker, Dr. Madhukar Pai, a McGill Associate Professor in the field of Health Sciences. Over the course of his career,… Read More What is a post-doc for (and how to succeed in getting one)?
“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” ~ Red Smith Today, I discovered the trick to writing. It’s plain and simple. So plain and simple, in fact, it’ll sound downright ridiculous. But here it goes: The trick to writing is to write. Doesn’t that sound… Read More The trick to writing
In our fast-paced reality of to-do lists, meetings, places to be, people to see, deadlines to meet, friends and family to be there for, and hobbies to stay true to, our hectic lives involve figuring out that fragile balance between work and play, ourselves and others. The most delicate part of this game is managing… Read More Be kind to yourself
[Disclaimer: Aspects of this post may cause emotional discomfort] Monday began like an ordinary day. My alarm clock forced me to greet the morning at five-thirty. I responded to e-mails and penciled a to-do list over three cups of coffee. I squeezed myself onto the ridiculously crammed metro, caught the bus, and unlocked the door… Read More A silent witness
I have written about procrastination here before, but it is such a natural part of our lives, I figured it could use a little extra attention. Now, before you get all defensive, shrug your shoulders and say to yourself, “I’m not a procrastinator!” while dragging your mouse to the X on the top-right of this… Read More What type of procrastinator are you?
The year may change and so might the setting, but those final moments leading up to midnight always feel the same. The champagne cork will pop soon, and the clock will shove December and the last twelve months aside. We wait in anticipation to welcome a year that’s new – a set of four digits… Read More Waiting for Midnight
Ask anyone what Graduate School is about and the first thing they will probably tell you is that you have to write a thesis. In reality, we all know that Grad School is about a looooot of different things (some of which we had no idea about before we started our Grad School journey), but… Read More Writing Wednesdays
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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