Advice from UBC Students

Mohammad Rafiuzzaman, International Doctoral Fellow

Rafiuzzaman Mohammad

Try to be sure about what you want to do in your life and what is your ultimate goal. Always try to do what you like rather than relying on other's instructions.

Luyao Ma

Believe in yourself AND don’t be shy to ask for help when you are stuck. Graduate school can be very stressful especially when research progress is not satisfactory. But trust me, there is always a solution after talking to supervisors and...

Temitope Onifade

My top piece of advice is to stay healthy and have work-life balance. Fortunately, Vancouver is a great city to do so.

Xinyu Cheng

Feel free to talk to fellow graduate students and senior students, get to know the staff, they're all nice people to talk to.

Ashley Moore

The courses here at UBC are challenging! But that's why we chose to come, right? Thanks to my classmates (and teachers!), I'm finding a way to meet these challenges. So my advice would be to celebrate and support each other- no one can do it...

Santiago David

Be nice! Trust yourselves! There might be many ups and downs in grad school, but it is very important to keep calm and not to get frustrated. Also take breaks when you need them. Make plans for your different goals, but do not stick to them 100...

Dennis Louie

Seek out as many opportunities as you can that interest you, they're all out there if you look for them!

Yasha Pushak

Try as many new things as you can. Get involved and gain new experiences. Figure out what motivates you, and seek opportunities that do. But equally importantly, don't forget about yourself: go outside, enjoy the sun, meet new people, make...

LJ Slovin

Take your time and be curious.

Yanuar Philip Wijaya

Don't be alarmed if you are to spend most of your first year for reading manuscripts and writing a proposal. That's a normal stage for graduate students. Fill your days with creativity. Be patient with the process, enjoy the journey, be...

Fuhar Dixit

It is a one-time opportunity, make the most of it. Take breaks, travel, play and enjoy the time at UBC.

Ellen Koch

Try to enjoy your experience in research, and not worry too much!

Tonya Smith

In my experience, the best idea has been saying yes to opportunities as they come, and trying to not worry about the future. Saying yes has brought me to wonderful and unexpected places and people. Also, I have been fortunate to work with a...

Mohammad Karamouzian

Follow your passion! If you don't like your research, lab, program, etc., do yourself a favor and change it! Also, engage when people reach out to you for collaboration or help with a project. It will all pay off one day.

Kylynda Bauer

Pursue an abundant life. Explore opportunities to improve personal wellness and serve your community. Secondly, remember that everyone experiences failures. Failures often equip us with more knowledge, resilience, and new opportunities than...

Wansu Qiu

Listen to your PI and do as they say for the first couple of years. In the later years, when you have some experience under your belt, then start challenging your PI. Also ask lots of questions about anything.

Stefan Bourrier

Graduate programs, especially when starting out, can quickly seem like an insurmountable challenge. Pacing yourself, excepting failures, adapting, asking questions, and taking downtime are all things that are necessary for success. Taking...

Darra Hofman

Be flexible! It's okay to "fall down the rabbit hole" sometimes. We all come to graduate school because of a particular passion, but it's okay for that passion to evolve as well.

Brett Schrewe

I'm not sure I have a ton, really. But I suppose I would say that many of us are balancing multiple lives in addition to being a graduate student - other professional identities, other occupations, family life, being a committed citizen, the list...

Madison Elliott

Work hard, stay inquisitive, keep up with your extracurriculars, and remember that your degree is a marathon, not a sprint.

Heather Palis

As a graduate student, there will always be work to do. It is not a race. Take care of yourself first; your work will still be there tomorrow.

Lee Rippon

Start drafting your thesis early and stay organized throughout your studies.

Ruth Gibson

It is incredibly important to find supervisors who are able to bounce around ideas that are not fully formed. Doing a PhD can be a daunting process, and ideas never emerge solved. Being an academic is an iterative process. Having mentors who can...

Stephanie Lake

Reach out to other students in your program/department - especially outside of class time! Some of my closest friends are people I met in the first few weeks of my Master's program at UBC.

Ahmed Elhamy Mostafa

Time management is very crucial. Learn as much as you can during your graduate degree (Basic science as math is important) and do not be afraid of learning new things. And do not miss the chance of enjoying Vancouver especially when it is sunny...

Anna Smith

Apply early.

Anthea Pun

I would advise new graduate students to remain focused on their passion for their studies, and why they came to graduate school in the first place. There are a lot of challenges in the first year, which can both be work and personal related (such...

Jules Koostachin

Try to live your life one day at a time. No doubt there will be times when you are faced with challenges, but don't shy away... face them! Once you face your fears, you will only grow from the experience. There are no mistakes, only experiences...

Valerie Berseth

Never go at it alone. Some aspects of graduate school are very rewarding, but there are also a lot of moments in between that are personally and emotionally challenging. My advice to new graduate students is to reach out, especially to grad...

Zhongshou Wu

I advice new students to have sound research training before commencing a graduate program.

John Driscoll

Have a blast. Seriously, this is a fun time of life. It's not hard. People say it is, but it isn't. Just treat it like a job, put in your hours consistently, and the work will take care of itself.

Sarah Amundrud

I think it is very important to not get overworked and burnt out, which so often happens with graduate students. We often think that, in order to be successful, we have to work evenings and weekends, but I quickly learned that, for me, the key to...

Lisa Brunner

If you're struggling to choose a research focus/question/methodology, take the time you need to decide – but only that. We each contain multitudes and can potentially do an infinite number of projects; a graduate thesis is (hopefully!) just one...

Ezra Greene

Don't get too caught up in the small things. The ebbs and flows of department and university politics and happenings are important to be involved with and informed about, but remember why you originally started your degree and stay true to that...

Abdullah Al-Digs

The world progresses at an ever-growing pace. Consequently, the need for making the resources and technology within the reach of everyone has become indispensable. Having been brought up with strong values, aiding humanity and maiking a...

Katie McMahen

Build a community. The people around you will be a support network, help you fix your broken R code, convince you to take a break from work to enjoy lunch outside in the sun and maybe even become lifelong friends and collaborators.

Shelley Moore

Time. Give yourself time. Everything takes longer than you think, and as one of my instructors Handel Wright said once, "You need to give yourself time to think!"

Parker Jobin

Most students already have a good handle on what I might suggest for newcomers, but it never hurts to repeat it. My advice would be to remember to have a life outside of your project and department. It will make the years you spend here go by...

Kun Wang

Should always leave 10%-20% working time available as a cushion. Never tie yourself up with too much committed work. Marginal time cost is unimaginably high with uncertainty. PhD students can always find things to fill in time, but when a good...

Boaz Y. Saffer

Lose your perfectionistic tendencies. This may sound counter-intuitive but graduate school is intense and obsessing over small details will likely take time away from other projects and add unnecessary stress. Most things will also be new and...

Namrata Jain

Take the time to carefully think over what you’re passionate for. Research can be a very rewarding experience if you know what drives you. The best part about pursuing a research project in your area of interest is that it is yours to mould into...

Nojang Khatami

I find it's very helpful to have pursuits outside of the academic realm. Engagement with the community, sports and the occasional trip outside the city are all good ways to keep a clear head and find fulfillment outside the rigorous routines of...

Ricardo Chaparro-Pacheco

Every achievement at UBC is worth the effort involved in it. Graduate life at UBC will reward your openness to a world full of new ideas, new approaches, and new experiences.

Ryan Huff

Be adaptable, there is no one path to success in graduate studies. Opportunities will often take you by surprise and in a different direction from what you had originally planned, and it is up to you to go after them. Also, take the time to make...