Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

Grad Students' Words of Wisdom

Rachana Devkota

Rachana Devkota

About the City of Guelph… 

People are very friendly and kind, and respect each other's culture. I felt like I was at a home away from home. There is not the rush and noise that you find in most cities. Life is…perfect here.

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.

U of Guelph Integrative Biology PhD candidate Michael Lim

Michael Lim

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

Although I think most prospective grad students have been told about the importance of picking a study/project that interests you, I think it's also really important to take some time to see how you interact with your supervisor and lab. These will be the people you work the closest with for the next several years, and help provide support to you in some of your toughest moments.

Portrait of graduate student Minhajul Haque Minar

Minhajul Haque Minar

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

If any student wants to get research experience, he/she should get into this graduate school. The University of Guelph has unique and fully equipped laboratory facilities. Any grad student can take a long step on their desired research path. Meanwhile, coursework will also help students for learning the different disciplines.

Portrait of graduate student Sierra Rosiana

Sierra Rosiana

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

Remember that research never goes as planned and to not let failed experiments or unwanted results keep you from working hard on your degree. No one gets through graduate school without failed experiments and huge changes in their project plans.

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!

Portrait of Faham Khan

Faham Khan

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

Be informed. Always make sure that you understand each and every step of what you're trying to accomplish, but at the same time don't be afraid to plunge into the unknown. Be mindful of what makes you happy, and pursue your goals with a passion because at the end of the day, when we look back at our accomplishments, the gratification from that is what keeps us going.

Portrait of graduate student Katherine Keary

Katherine Keary

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

Don't be afraid to reach out and ask potential advisors about their research and if they have any graduate positions available.

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 Stephanie Lam

Stephanie Lam

Advice for prospective grad students...

I think a Graduate program is filled with opportunities for self-growth and self-improvement in a facet of skills, including research, academics, management, teaching, mentorship, public speaking, and networking. On top of that, it exposes you to a variety of workplaces including academia, research and development, industry, and government.

Most importantly, I believe it's not easy to do a graduate program and many others will agree. There will be many challenges and struggles throughout it but this is a normal part of your program and part of the beauty of science and research! I suggest to keep your mind open and find the opportunity in every situation, because your graduate program will only help you improve yourself both personally and professionally!