Thursday, September 26th, 2019...6:13 pm

A Glimpse at my Grad Life

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A laptop computer sits on a table, open with an image of a monthly schedule on the screen. On the calendar there are many notes written and things highlighted. To the right of the laptop there is a pair of over ear headphones and a takeaway coffee cup on the left.

Photo Credit: Pexel

Did you know that the total number of graduate students enrolled at U of T for the 2018-2019 school year on the St. George campus, was 18,219?

Not only that, but as of Fall 2018,  over 300 graduate programs are offered here.

For some reason I was really struck by these numbers. I think it is because when I call myself a graduate student, I tend to assume that anyone else in this group will know what that means, and the same goes for the assumptions I have when I meet another graduate student. But the numbers don’t lie. There are many things we have in common as graduate students at U of T, but ultimately a week in my grad life may look very different from yours.

This makes me curious to know what other graduate students at U of T get up to. To quell any curiosity on your end, I thought I would give you a glimpse into what a typical week in graduate school is like for me.

  • Monday + Tuesday

    I begin my week at my counselling placement, working with my supervisor. This placement is a big part of my degree, as I need to get a certain number of hours here to graduate

  • Wednesday + Thursday

    Classes. On these days most of my hours are spent in class. I like being able to know everyone in my class, compared to my undergrad when there were 300+ people!

  • Friday - Sunday

    Through the rest of the week, a good chunk of my time is spent doing lots and lots of reading. I also do some research on ways to approach the cases from my placement. As the semester continues I imagine these days will also include meeting classmates for group assignments and trips to the library for essay writing.

Photo Credit: Pexel

I am sure some of this will feel familiar to some, and very different to others! There is a lot that we can learn from each other, both in the ways that our graduate experiences are different, but also in the ways they are similar. Thankfully, the Gradlife hub provides many opportunities for these discussions to happen. This week kicks off the start to: Grad Talks, Grad Connections and Grad Escapes.

To see a full calendar of topics, visit the GradLife events calendar 

All of these events are great ways to connect with fellow graduate students and learn about what other grad students are up to. Not only this, but they can be a great place to get support on common challenges and experiences in graduate school. I invite you to comment on ways that a week in your grad life looks the same or different from mine!

There are lots of resources out there for graduate students at various points in their grad life. But I feel that we can’t discount each other as a resource too. I am excited to learn from many of you at future graduate events, and I hope that the next week in your grad life is a good one.

Talk soon,

Alex

 



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