Gradlife

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Hi there,

My name is Laura and I am a second year graduate student in the Masters of Public Policy Program.   This year I’ll be the new gradlife blogger and I’m excited to to start a new year with you at U of T- welcome to new students and welcome back to returning students!

In my first year the biggest personal hurdle I had to get over fast if I was to succeed was most definitely an inferiority complex.  I was so pleased to have gotten into my program but immediately following my excitement other things started dominating my thoughts such as:

“How did I even get in?”

“Will I be able to keep up in class?”

“What if it’s just too hard for me?”

These thoughts were most likely brought on because I was faced with a lot of change and assumed the worst out of fear of something new. However, everything came up Milhouse once I connected with my peers and learned that many of us shared the very same insecurities.  Once I become comfortable with my peers and my new classes I realized I got into my program for a reason: because I spent years preparing for this in my undergraduate classes and my professional & voluntary experiences.  I deserved to hold a spot in my program, and I could most certainly engage and participate with the material in class and with my professors and classmates.

I’m sharing this story with you right off the bat because I know that some of you probably have similar insecurities at this time in the semester-especially if you’re brand spankin’ new! My advice is to remember this: no one knows what they’re doing.

Okay, maybe that’s an over-generalization, and maybe some of your peers are pure geniuses, but the truth is this: no one is an expert in their field yet- or they wouldn’t be in grad school! We’re all here to learn new things and hopefully in a supportive and collaborative environment where your opinion matters just as much as they next guy or gal.  Go get ’em and good luck in your first couple weeks of classes!

and remember kids,