We’re constantly told not to compare ourselves with others. Conventional wisdom has told us time and again that comparing is bad for our self-esteem, our relationships, a waste of time… the list goes on. Challenge! Comparing ourselves is a natural process that we all engage in, and it can make us feel better and motivate… Read More It’s OK to Compare Ourselves with Others – IF WE DO IT RIGHT
GradLife McGill is proud to present a 3-part, guest blog series by McGill alumni Dr. Christopher von Roretz as part of #AfterGradLife. In his much anticipated last post, Dr. von Roretz outlines four critical life lessons he learned from graduate school. Now that I’ve already stretched my introduction into 2 blog posts, I want to… Read More Be Responsible, Understand, Learn and LIVE YOUR LIFE
I don’t know who invented them, but lab retreats are awesome. This month my research group had its annual Winter retreat at McGill’s Gault Nature Reserve, I absolutely loved it, and I think these retreats will be some of the warmest memories of my years as a graduate student. To me, the term lab retreat means three things:… Read More GradLife Best Moments: The Lab Retreat
In our circles, it is not uncommon to hear a colleague say something along the lines of, “No, I didn’t do it yet… I have been procrastinating!” I always understood procrastination as bad. It is something that we should feel guilty about. A barrier to our professionalism and important contributions to society. It’s that thing… Read More The gift of procrastination
I am not saying that this is my desk… But how about a list of items for a proper graduate student’s desk: An air conditioner that really should turn into a heater because weather on campus is about to get crazy A lamp that never works but with minimal effort could work (you know you… Read More A guide to a proper graduate student desk for fall semester
Graduate school is a unique and amazing experience. Where else do you have the intellectual freedom to choose what you learn, the independence to make your own work schedule, the “requirement” to live and play in the wilderness for months (maybe a bit unique to my situation), and the joy of being surrounded by passionate,… Read More Tips on How to Survive Grad School from a Fourth Year Ph.D. Student
Out of all the animals on earth, I’d say humans have come up with the most elaborate and bizarre methods to accomplish the verb “play.” I’d also say skiing and snowboarding are such examples. Fancy equipment on your feet and mechanical chairs galore! Emilio just shared his skiing adventures. So I also decided to write… Read More Another day on the slopes! This time in the sun.
I’m writing to you from the 3rd floor of McGill’s McLennan Library. It’s Sunday evening and I have just saddled up to a desk with a white table top and a bright orange partition. Sitting, here I am surrounded by the numerous desks I’ve occupied in this library for the last four years, memories of my… Read More The Academic Shift
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–
Throughout much of my doctoral field research in Beijing, I have been staying in an old Chinese courtyard (siheyuan’r) that a few old friends of mine share. Such courtyards were originally familial compounds, which were highly ordered (e.g., in their construction, lay out, etc.), and ordering, both within (e.g., gender, birth order, etc.) and outside… Read More Grad Life: Hutong Edition
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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