Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

Grad Students' Words of Wisdom

Portrait of Ishrat Zahan

Ishrat Zahan

Advice for prospective grad students... 

Grad school is demanding, but it's also an incredible opportunity for intellectual growth and discovery. Be prepared to work hard, face setbacks, and constantly learn. Find your passion. A strong foundation in your area of interest will fuel your motivation throughout the programme. Seek guidance, embrace the journey, and remember that your path is unique.

Jayson Capistrano in the Hagen Aqualab

Jayson Capistrano

Tips for prospective grad students...

To future graduate students, it is important to keep a clean, legible, and logical lab notebook! Also remember that your brain is your best weapon to succeed in graduate school and it functions best when it is well-rested; only pull all-nighters if necessary. Learn to manage your time and try not to do multiple things at once; multi-tasking in the lab can lead to errors in experiments. Finally, enjoy your time and get all the food and freebies from conferences and other events!

Safia Mahabub Sauty

Safia Mahabub Sauty

Some words of advice...

Get involved in the community. Grad school is more than your research project; expand your contributions beyond your field of research and into the community where you are working.

Portrait of graduate student Kaitlyn Lawson

Kaitlyn Lawson

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

Pursue research that you are passionate about and that inspires you. Graduate studies are a lot of work and can be difficult, and if you're not passionate about your research then you probably won't enjoy it. That being said, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and experience new things, whether that be academically or personally. Also, don't be afraid to get involved, some of my greatest experiences at the University of Guelph have been outside of the classroom.

Portrait of Gabriella Salvadore

Laura Dawson

Some words of advice...

Talk to your professors and TAs! They are there to help you and I wish I reached out to them sooner in my undergrad.

Portrait of Amanda Avison

Amanda Avison

Words of wisdom for a prospective grad student...

 You get out of your education what you put into it.

Benjamin Hayden Wildlife Biology

Benjamin Hayden

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

TAKE initiative. REACH out. LEAD boldly. This program affords you opportunities and connections that you will not receive anywhere else and if you take advantage of these you will become “that” person. “That” person who helped you, “that” person who was proud of you, and “that” person who you wanted to be.

Portrait of graduate student Amy Zhou

Amy (Ziyu) Zhou

Advice for Prospective Students...

My advice is to challenge yourself to something new every day and be ready to learn as you go.

Portrait of graduate student Danielle Julien-Wright (PhD, Population Medicine) in the Albert A. Thornbrough Building, University of Guelph

Danielle Julien-Wright

Advice for Prospective Grad Students… 

Identify your passion and reason(s) for wanting to become a graduate student. Write them down, type it up, post it large and visibly on your desk or wherever you do your work so that it remains a constant reminder of why you are doing what you are doing and will motivate you through the hard times that every graduate student has and does go through, so that you can always see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jonathan Samson

Jonathan Samson

Other Thoughts...

“The only limits on your research are those which you impose yourself. It truly is a free thinking environment.”