Being a graduate student at U of G is a wonderful opportunity. There is a fantastic support system here to help you progress and succeed in research, made up of faculty, support staff and other graduate students.
Choose a supervisor who makes you excited about your project. There will be times when your project does not go as planned and reminders of that enthusiasm and why you are doing the work are crucial to continuing through the hurtles.
I feel lucky to have been able to be involved in many different projects at the University of Guelph. My advice to future grad students is to get involved in as many different things as you can and to not be afraid to reach out to people. A lot of the fun in a graduate degree is being able to collaborate and work with lots of different people.
Guelph will provide you with a supportive and stimulating academic environment. My advisors provided me with the freedom to explore my research interests and the support and mentorship to help me become a better scientist. Their positive attitudes and confidence in my abilities allowed me to achieve success in my research goals. There are loads of clubs one could join (e.g. qualitative journal club, welfare and behavior group, dairy journal club, graduate student social committees, art clubs, etc.). In addition, my graduate program provided me with a safe and interactive social environment (e.g. intramural sports, city leagues, department socials).
For my non-native English-speaking friends, there is a plethora of support from the international office! In addition, the library provides lots of writing and technical support!
I chose to study at the University of Guelph because I liked the friendly, community-based attitude here. After completing my undergraduate degree at Guelph I knew this is where I wanted to complete my master's.
Be patient with yourself. As a student your job is to learn, and by necessity, fail. Solving the problem and having the right answer isn't always the same thing.
My student philosophy is that anyone can learn anything. However, to succeed and enjoy your graduate school education you need to create good relationships with your mentors and those you look up to and get involved in student life by joining things that resonate with you whether that be student councils, clubs, intramural teams, etc!
My advisor was more like my mentor. He is very open, honest and helpful, which made me very comfortable to express my ideas and also to discuss different issues concerning my academic life.
