Advice from UBC Students

Ehsanur Rahman

My only suggestion for the new graduate students is to enjoy the graduate life in UBC to the fullest. Your stay in this beautiful campus is going to be one of the best parts of your life and a stepping stone on the way to your future career...

Hong Lu

Focus on an important problem and remain determined to solving it. Only you are your greatest enemy. Believe in yourself and go for it.

Sara Khoddami

I would advise new graduate students to give themselves some time when making the transition. Graduate school is very different from undergraduate studies and the first few months might go by a little slow, but it's the best time to build a...

Ethan White

Get to know others in your department. It can be helpful to discuss research or coursework with peers. Plus, friends remind friends that taking the occasional break can ultimately be productive.

Mollie Holmberg

Take time to find and build quality relationships. Having strong support networks is crucial for getting through grad school, and it can take lots of different forms - residential communities, families, academic cohorts, mentors/mentees,...

Rose Zhang

Be prepared for your program and new studies, which is going to pretty heavy. The first term is always the hardest. For international students, take part in info sessions and online webinars organized by UBC's Graduate Pathways to Success program...

Pramod Sah

The time is very limited during our graduate studies, but UBC has unlimited offers and it entirely depends on the student how they want to make use of such offers. What I also like to advise is not to compromise your life at present just for your...

Hossam Shoman

Well, since you have already made it to grad school, then you have figured lots in life, congratulations thus far. But wait, there is still a long way to go. Try to always explore new things, and chose a destination based on 1) the topic that you...

Anoosha Pai S

Take your time to figure out what you really like. Once you know, race against the time to pursue it!

Kate Wahl

Bring a growth mindset to your graduate experience! Now is a great time to explore challenges, take intellectual risks, and learn to capitalize on setbacks. Knowing that not everything will go according to plan, remember that your colleagues will...

Cassandra Elphinstone

Get involved in activities you enjoy outside your research. They will introduce you to a like-minded community of people and provide you with a way to relax when you need a break from your project.

Adam Ramzy

Grad school will present unique challenges unlike those faced in undergrad. Your success will require intrinsic motivation to want to contribute to science. Don't doubt yourself and be willing to take risks and work hard for an essential cause....

Karl Zimmermann

Leave your office every day. It's too easy to get caught up in your research, but the real learning happens in seminars and discussion with your colleagues. And even more, the learning happens once you head home on evenings and weekends and start...

Juma Orach

Be kind to yourself and take your new journey one step at a time. Focus on being better than you were the previous day. More importantly, recognize that graduate school is enriched with unique perspectives and experiences–there is always going to...

Diana Canals Hernaez

Don’t isolate yourself in your research. It is very easy to get absorbed by your research and put everything aside for “just a few years”, but grad school is tough enough and you’ll need a network of people to support you so that you can excel....

Tarique Benbow

Try to have a holistic experience during your graduate studies. Become involved in outreach programs, graduated student societies, and clubs to enrich your graduate school experience. UBC has many student organizations to help you get involved...

Maya Lefkowich

Be brave and generous.

Philipp Kreyenmeier

Find something relaxing to do for times when grad school becomes stressful and frustrating.

Joseph Ogbede

Prepare your mind, set a target, get ready for rewarding opportunities, and network with people you meet. Importantly, be inspired by a purpose.

Cheryl Inkster

Take it one day at a time and take advantage of the services offered at UBC to support you. Go walk down to the beach before or after class and take time to rest. Balance is important, and seek help if you are not sure how or where to start.

Yeeun Lee

My best advice, for now, is to be proactive and persistent! Graduate student life is pretty much independent. If I don't push myself to be active and keep myself engaged, it is easy to be lost and lazy. At the same time, facing multiple failures...

Jessica Schaub

Take time for things that you enjoy doing to avoid burning out.

Scott Ramsay

Keep pushing yourself to learn and ask lots of questions!

Bonnie Tulloch

Make time to develop friendships with colleagues in your program. The challenges of graduate life are easier when you have people to navigate them with. Also, it is important to celebrate each other's progress! When we help each other succeed we...

Denali YoungWolfe

Pursue something that makes the world better. Be accountable to your community, whoever that is, and make sure your work benefits them as much as you.

Mohamed Essa

Accept new challenges. Be patient when you try new research ideas. Don’t be alone. Make friends and socialize.

Balsher Singh Sidhu

Graduate school, although daunting at times, is the perfect place to search for and engage in things you are really passionate about. There are countless opportunities around, all you have to do is be proactive and take advantage of all the...

Mohammadreza (Sam) Pakyari

I think doing research in any field has two important aspects. One is being able to ask good questions and generate hypotheses. Another is learning how to troubleshoot during the course of research and doing the experiments. Both demand a lot of...

Samuel Adeyanju

I will advise new graduate students to enjoy all that graduate studies has to offer. They should be deliberate in their actions and ensure they are making the right choices and connections that will be useful in achieving their future aspirations...

Federico Andrade-Rivas

Be creative in finding ways to make the experience at UBC unique. It is fascinating to see the number of clubs, activities, and programs that would help you to feel passionate and balanced. Do not think about these activities as low-priority ones...

Ashleigh Rich

Grad school can often be all-consuming and sometimes overwhelming. Take time to focus on keeping up with friends and family, spending time with partners, etc.- you will need them. At the same time, grad school is an important time to grow and...

Pamela Mackenzie

I would recommend establishing a community of peers inside the university for academic support, but also trying not to neglect the broader cultural and natural environment of Vancouver and the surrounding areas. Maintaining work-life balance has...

Grace Nosek

My general approach to grad school has been to find community, be kind to myself and others, and never say no to a dance party.

Sumreen Javed

Just hang in there. Don’t ever lose faith in your Creator and yourself. There is a reason behind everything that happens in our lives. Focus on the lesson from the event and move on. Sometimes, it’s ok not to be at the top or be number 1, but the...

Jennifer Grenz

The best advice I could give to graduate students is to make sure that you are working with people that inspire and challenge you and that you feel are your biggest cheer leaders for your success. If you have a supervisor and committee that can...

Gillian Vandekerkhove

Read – read often, read extensively, and read outside your area of expertise now and then.

A. Saskia Wolsak

Take advantage of all the resources offered to students to help you navigate the system. Starting any program includes a huge learning curve -- there is a lot of new terminology, platforms, systems to conquer before you can even begin to study....

Antonin Lacelle-Webster

My advice for new graduate students will be to take their time and explore different opportunities before beginning a graduate degree. The experiences that I have accumulated outside academia have all contributed in different ways to my approach...

Randip Gill

I would advise new graduate students to find what best works for them to strike a balance between their academic work and enjoying other aspects of student life, whether it is in nature, through clubs/sports/recreational classes, or whatever it...

Sarah Lachance

Getting overwhelmed with work is made easy by the rather unstructured nature of the tasks involved in graduate studies. Don’t push yourself to work so much as to neglect your social life and your health. Outdoors activities and physical exercise...

Giulia Del Gobbo

Take care in finding a supervisor/lab in which to do your research – ensuring that you are passionate about your graduate research and that you have a supportive supervisor and lab environment is so important; you could be there for a few years...

Amber Moore

In my first year, I wasted a lot of time worrying about whether I had made the right decision to return to school. I missed my students, and imposter syndrome really set in. My advice would be to make a point of enjoying this unique time in your...

David Champagne

In my opinion, the pace, intensity and range of possibilities of scholarly research can be overwhelming. Often, we may feel like we are not up to the task, notably in terms of writing. In the face of this dilemma, I found that writing daily,...

Jungsoo Park

My best advice is to enjoy your work. It is very true that graduate students are stressed out during their degree all over the world. But I am sure that UBC in Vancouver is the right place for us to enjoy our research and interacting people from...

Hooman Esfandiari

Be open and accept new challenges. The grad life experience and the soft skills you acquire are as important as the technical knowledge you learn over the course of your program.

Colin Dring

Pace yourselves, learn very quickly to establish clear boundaries between work and self-care, and establish strong networks of support both in academia and outside.

Michelle Coombe

Develop a good network of colleagues and classmates--this make your time as a graduate student enjoyable and helps to provide support for when you need advice.

May Luu

Embrace the realization that in general, we do not know very much. Opening yourself up to this notion allows you to enjoy your curiosity and the uncomfortable state of not knowing the right answer. If an answer to your question is not easily...

Adam Howe

Figure out what times/hours of the day you work most productively, and use those hours to do your 'heavy lifting' (i.e. writing). Save the emails and CV updates for other times. Take weekends off!

Jennica Nichols

It is a marathon and not a sprint. As you are settling in and creating habits, make sure to include self-care in there or you will burn out. Take that time off to do things you love and get away from your computer so you can come back reenergized...