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.
I've been very privileged and lucky since coming to Guelph for my undergraduate degree back in 2010 as all of the opportunities I have been given have been gained through building strong relationships with faculty and staff on campus and finding mentors that have helped guide me along my career path. I've always found that the people on campus are incredibly giving and willing to devote their time to help out students. I've also found that simply starting with expressing an interest to be more involved and showing initiative can go a very long way to opening doors to new opportunities.
As a graduate student it is important to be flexible and adaptable to change as you work through your degree. Becoming a graduate student allows you to develop your professional brand, while contributing to academic literature.
I advise prospective grad students to network with as many interesting people as possible. Networking is key to finding research opportunities and gaining experiences. Even simple conversations can stimulate new ideas or help solidify original ones.
I would encourage all prospective graduate students to research their program of interest and speak directly to faculty prior to applying as this can ensure that your research goals align with your prospective advisor/program of choice.
I would tell prospective students that pursuing graduate studies at UofG is a good choice, as they provide students with the opportunity to learn in a classroom, along with research opportunities. The research opportunities give you an opportunity to put the knowledge you learned in the classroom into a real-life situation. The research that you will pursue will add valuable information to the academic and industry community.
There was a great graduate student community in my home department of Integrative Biology. As a group, we organized events ranging from salsa lessons and weekly communal meals, to wilderness retreats and a 'March Mammal Madness Bracket' pool.
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.
