An educator’s encounter with SUSTAINABILITY
In short, becoming more socially inclusive is becoming socially sustainable and responsible.… Read More An educator’s encounter with SUSTAINABILITY
Tag: gradlife
Feel the fear and do it anyway
What are you most afraid of? Getting rejected for that studentship? Not having an impactful enough thesis? Is that fear preventing you from even giving it a shot in the first place? Here is that gentle reminder for you to do that thing that scares you which you have been putting off for some ideal near-future,… Read More Feel the fear and do it anyway
An Ode to GradLife
I dream, I think, I see The end of this degree. Been many years, So many barriers: Long hours, failed experiments, Cover the hypothesis in cerements. Does it feel like you’re stuck in quicksand? Or are you stuck on flat land? Feeling like an imposter? “But I am very poorly today & very stupid &… Read More An Ode to GradLife
Crossing the Seas: Behind the Blood and the Hope of African Students
“I don’t know what I am doing here,” he said. This is a statement I heard recently from a colleague from the African continent studying at McGill University. Poking further, I needed to understand the perspectives, his challenges and what could have led to making such a statement. My understanding through relating with many ambitious young people over the years is the level… Read More Crossing the Seas: Behind the Blood and the Hope of African Students
my PhD, a mountain
I think mostly in metaphor. Especially for concepts that I struggle to wrap my mind around, reducing them to pictures makes them fold up into pocket-sized pieces that fit nicely into the cupboards of my world. This week, the metaphor I kept returning to – my PhD is a mountain. You know, the ones that… Read More my PhD, a mountain
It’s OK to Compare Ourselves with Others – IF WE DO IT RIGHT
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 Best Moments: The Lab Retreat
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
The gift of procrastination
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
The first time a graduate student… teaches
If you are doing a PhD you are generally older than most of the undergraduate students, and thus you tend to feel somehow old (pardon, mature), especially when you happen to walk into a corridor crowded with excited Freshmen. However, as you progress with your degree, the more you realize that your position is far… Read More The first time a graduate student… teaches
Believe nothing, question everything and never stop!
When I remember my days as an undergrad, I feel the good old nostalgia of those days when my friends and I gathered in the faculty cafeteria to prepare tests, homework or anything else. However, the challenges are quite different now. Back then the answers were almost absolute. If you were able to read the… Read More Believe nothing, question everything and never stop!
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