Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

Grad Students' Words of Wisdom

B&W portrait of Bob Wiseman

Bob Wiseman

Words of Wisdom...

When an airline asks you to sign a waiver for your guitar just scribble quickly in hard to read handwriting "no thank you" and hand it back. Later if they damage your equipment you can claim you did not understand why they handed that waiver to you.

Bob Wiseman Online

Profile of graduate student Matthew Rudland (MSc, Environmental Sciences) in the atrium of Mac Donald Stewart Hall at the University of Guelph

Matthew Rudland

How Will Your Research Improve Life?

My research dealt with using biostimulants as environmentally friendly alternatives to fungicides, for preventing dollar spot disease, which is one of the most prevalent disease that affects turfgrass on golf courses worldwide. My research will hopefully help to identify species and cultivars of turfgrass that respond positively to various biostimulant applications and therefore have a lower disease incidence. This will potentially allow golf course managers to use fewer fungicides in the future by switching to biostimulant applications, which will reduce the environmental impact that they have on the surrounding ecosystems.

Brendan Laframboise portrait

Brendan Laframboise

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

To any undergraduate student that wants to pursue graduate school, my best advice would be to study hard, celebrate your academic victories, and don't get caught up on your failures. Everybody has a story of a course they wish they did better in, or a midterm/exam that was an unexpected curveball, but as long as you learn from your past and keep pushing forward, things will work out for the better.

Emily Vis

Emily Vis

About My Advisor...

“My advisor has allowed me to grow as an independent researcher, and ensures I stay on track. I have had a wonderful experience growing into the student I am now. ”

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.”

Portrait of graduate student Olivia Grafinger

Olivia Grafinger

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

I would advise a prospective graduate student to do their homework before contacting prospective advisors. Check out their profile on the University website, read their most recent paper, and even reach out to a senior graduate student currently in the lab!    

Amal Roy

Amal Roy

About the City...

“Since I immigrated to Canada from Bangladesh in 2001 I have been living in Guelph. I cannot think of a city better than Guelph. People here are very friendly and dedicated to making their city a better place Guelph has a nice blend of rural and urban atmosphere; it's not too big or too small.”

Tourism and Hospitality MSc at the University of Guelph graduate student Xiaoyan Yang

Xiaoyan Yang

Words of advice for someone considering graduate school.

Do not hesitate to ask questions in all aspects of overseas study. Your peers, professors, graduate coordinators, and everyone you meet here would love to help.

Angela Wilson

Angela Wilson

About Student Services… 

The library is full of resources to help with writing and research, and the staff are always helpful. 

Portrait of graduate student Morla Phan

Morla Phan

Advice for Prospective Grad Students...

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.