I believe that one of the keys to success in terms of graduate studies and beyond is to be passionate about your work; this makes the dedication required to do well come that much easier.
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!
I loved being a PhD student here. My advisors and labmates were all very supportive of my research endeavors. I enjoyed being in charge of my own research project.
The Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at UofG has a strong, positive reputation and a faculty that supports their students to excel. I was interested in completing my doctoral degree in the Family Relations and Human Development program as I had the opportunity to explore family relationships from an applied lens and explore the relational dynamics of family members who support children with disabilities.
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.
My research is just beginning but it will deal 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 allow me 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.
Coming from New York City, Guelph was definitely different but I would say it was a relief. It truly grounded me to not be amongst the hustle and bustle every day and it's a small town full of nice people.
Do your research: on the lab, on the faculty, on the department and on the city itself. There are so many different programs/departments and it's imperative you know what you're getting into. Speak to students that are currently in the lab or have recently graduated to get an idea of how things work. There are going to be some tough times in your program and you want to make sure you're surrounded by people that want to support you and help you get through, to be successful.
