Advice from UBC Students

Hamidreza Galavi

Long story short, the challenges that we graduate students are facing are not easy, in particular in the current situation due to Covid-19. So for answering this question, I would like to get help from two elites. Marie Curie, the two times…

Enav Zusman

Enjoy your experience in grad school! It is your time to learn, ask questions and figure out what you are passionate about. Be positive, patient, and open to new ideas and concepts. Make friends, network, collaborate and support your peers and…

Andy An

Another student told me this, which really resonated with me: Treat your degree like a startup, and you're the CEO. That means you have to take ownership of your thesis project, because nobody else will. Taking ownership means having a vision or…

Kate Peterson

Academically, I think one of the most important parts about graduate school is keeping an open mind about constructive feedback. We have the privilege of getting advice from experts in our fields, and listening to and incorporating their feedback…

Kennedy Borle

Remember to make time for the things in your life that you enjoy doing, like hobbies and downtime. You are more than just your academic pursuits!

Chantelle Cocquyt

My biggest piece of advice would be to prioritize work-life balance. Set a work schedule and do your best to stick to it! It's so easy to catch yourself working into the night, especially when you love what you do, but it's important to take time…

Tonje Molyneux

I think a key to surviving and thriving in a graduate program is forming strong bonds with peers. When you're connected with others, you can share the experience and be a support to each other. There's no reason to be alone or feel alone in this…

Abhinav Kumar Checkervarty

1) Setbacks are a part of life, but for hard times, I have a guiding quote which I would like to share “The obstacles in life are not some walls that you can’t penetrate, but just some extra distance that you have to cover.” So just keep on…

Virginia (Ginny) Pichler

All new graduate students should know that the experience is not always linear, not always optimal, and not always illustrious. There may be longer-than-desirable stretches of hurdles and pitfalls, but that is something we all face. It's the…

Brandon Hillier

Engage fully in departmental life and share ideas openly with your colleagues. Many of the individuals you encounter in the department will be your peers and friends for a long time.

Saattvic Saattvic

Make lots of new friends, especially with people from other departments. Make sure to look outside your department and enjoy the variety of intellectual stimulation the University has to offer.

Ashley Battaglini

My advice would be to try and incorporate balance in your life, including your work schedule, as much as you can. Once creating that balance it's important to maintain it. I think that increases how much you enjoy your work and your life!

Jem Arnold

Take your time to find a topic of study that you love. Motivating yourself to do the hard work won’t be as difficult when you are genuinely curious about and invested in the topic. Reach out to colleagues, peers, and mentors. Take advantage of…

Cissy Suen

Take breaks! Don’t be afraid to take risks in your Masters or your Ph.D. This is the time to try things out and see what aspects of the research you like and are most interested in. I also highly encourage getting involved in at least one…

Gunwant Matharu

Talk, ask too many questions, connect with graduate students in the groups you are interested in, and be wary. If you're not sure what to look out for, ask anyone that is a graduate student currently. We are happy to help you find what's right…

Sarah Panofsky

Having a supportive, communicative, and engaged supervisor has allowed me to excel in my graduate studies. If possible, choose a mentor who you are aligned with.

Titilope Salami

Be open-minded to embrace the new academic culture regardless of your background.

Lindsey Paskulin

My advice is to follow your interests. Graduate programs are neither short nor easy. But if you truly enjoy what you are doing, if you have passion for your subject, then it won’t be half as bad. If you don’t know what you’re interested in right…

Mauricio Carvallo Aceves

Dream big. Don’t be afraid to pitch ideas you might feel are too ambitious. Chances are that you will find much more support to achieve them than you originally thought possible.

Caitlyn Yates

My first piece of advice is to not be afraid to ask. Throughout my policy career and now, and particularly as I started to study and learn about potential PhD programs, I emailed everyone. Students, potential advisors, folks who had decided not…

Nikola Surjanovic

Join a club (or start a new one) and meet new people. Every new connection is valuable. Also, with respect to research, try to expose yourself to as many research areas as possible to get a better feeling of what it is that really interests you.…

Elyn Rowe

Choose a research project that you're interested in, and a mentor that can support you both intellectually, and through the bumpy transition from a very defined undergraduate degree into graduate school. Grad school is tough, and imposter…

Matthew Billet

Graduate school is odd because it seems that everyone (even your lab mates) are on their own path. Besides the courses you take, it's likely that no one else will be doing exactly what you're doing. It's probably helpful to accept this early on…

Daljeet Chahal

My advice probably applies more to those in medical school, but I think it is very important to find an area or topic that drives you, something you cannot help but think about. Keep an open mind – you do not necessarily need to do what everyone…

Manpreet Thandi

Some advice I would give to new graduate students is:

• Take advantage of the numerous opportunities at UBC to collaborate and engage with faculty in their research and scholarship
• Stay connected with your graduate cohort;…
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Pablo Gonzalez Moctezuma

Connect as soon as possible with senior students that might want to orient you and mentor you through your degree. If you want to do something, ask the community, you will always find someone who's thinking the same and UBC is full of very cool…

Justin Turner

Graduate school is a long process that can feel arduous at times. Don’t neglect the non-academic parts of your life; make sure you build activities and social connections into your schedule outside school that tend to your mental and physical…

Shayda Swann

Take all the time you have to find a great supervisor. I spoke to several potential supervisors before choosing to work with Dr. Murray and Dr. Cote, and I couldn't be more grateful for my pickiness. Taking the time to find a supervisor who not…

Sydney Moore

Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life! Follow your passions and stay true to yourself. Avoid taking a certain path just because it seems more convenient, do what’s best for you and what will benefit you the most in the…

Negar Khodarahmi

It's easier said than done, but I would say trying to find a balance where you can. Meet new people and get out of your comfort zone to see both the communities within and outside UBC that you can be a part of. Try and step out of the academic…

Mirta Roncagalli

Grad school can be challenging and, from time to time, overwhelming. Try to make time for your own way to decompress and talk to your peers! You will realize you are not alone and that all grad students are in the same boat!

Sasha McDowell

I would say be patient when learning new skills and to remember that there’s always an adjustment period when starting a new program. When I first arrived at UBC, I was very excited to meet people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, learn…

Bev Larssen

Don’t forget to take time for yourself to re-energize and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Whether that is playing outside or getting involved in an extra-curricular activity that you enjoy, Vancouver has a lot to offer.

Xing Zhang

There are ups and downs during grad school. Never lose confidence in yourself and try to keep motivated by your enthusiasm for your research. Also, it’s always beneficial to talk with people from different areas.

Pan Deng

Being confident and seize any opportunity to stretch yourself. If you are afraid of failure and let opportunities slide through your fingers, you might lose the chance of developing valuable skills and experiences by staying in your comfort zone…

Adeerya Johnson

Grad school is not a race. Take your time and be kind to yourself as you matriculate through your program.

Verena Rossa-Roccor

Widen your horizon and do not focus all your time and energy on your studies. Branch out and take/audit courses in other faculties; make use of the ample opportunities to get involved both on campus and beyond; and strive to become a well-rounded…

Jens Johnson

I think that keeping a planner/agenda (physical or virtual) is a big help, both for remembering the gallery of moving target obligations and for scheduling relaxing or hobby time.

Jasper Heaton

Have a hobby or activity or *something* that you enjoy that is not in any way related to you studies, and make sure you find some space for it every week. Writing a dissertation can be lonely but it doesn't have to be. Find a working group, share…

Danielle Hanke

Don't be afraid to ask questions! Starting grad school, especially if you are starting grad school at a new school or in a new country, can be confusing and a little overwhelming at the start, but asking questions can help alleviate a lot of the…

Kaili Vesik

Expect to get completely overwhelmed at some point in your first year; then at least it won't be a surprise when it inevitably happens! Also, living close to - or on - campus if you can is a wonderful way to improve your mental health by reducing…

Megan Zeni

There is a lot of life to live outside of being a graduate student in Vancouver. Be sure to make time for play and joy. Get up in the mountains, get out on the water, and into a garden! This is just one season of your life, not your whole life.…

Steve Commichau

Visit the events hosted by the SASC. They are important, interesting, and usually there is free pizza. Also, don’t forget to rest and hydrate.

Hiroshan Gunawardane

Find what you truly love and do it, it doesn’t have to be what someone else expects you to do.

Ariel Ko

Take advantage of the travel grants to fund your research conferences and choose destinations you haven’t been to before! One thing I didn’t expect going into graduate studies is the opportunities and support to travel to different countries. Not…

Sophie Ma Zhu

Compared to undergraduate students, graduate students are more likely to live off-campus or have other commitments in their lives, at least based on my own experience and my observation in the Faculty of Education. But I strongly recommend…

Mikayla Pachkowski

Figure out what is important to you, in terms of your work and career goals, but also your personal life. Then, put your time and energy there. In graduate school it's possible to get pulled in a hundred different directions, and there are…

Christine Yu

While extremely rewarding, graduate school undoubtedly brings with it stresses and, at times, a sense of immense pressure. My advice for new graduate students is to foster relationships with their cohort. Take opportunities to bond with each…

Sandeep Gill

Getting involved is key. I found that attending workshops, seminars, talks etc really helped me gain additional support and allowed me to explore other possiblities with my research. Forming study/support groups with my cohort was helpful in us…

Bita Zareian

Try to balance your studies with self-care and fun activities! Graduate school provides you with great training in your respective fields of research but can take up a lot of time, and at times, can be stressful! It's important that you allow…