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You may have been seeing posts on the Gradlife Facebook page about Grad Escape events. Perhaps you’re curious about what happens, or you’re not quite sure what they are all about. So, here’s the scoop.

Grad Escapes are activities that groups of grad students can do together to take a break from studying (or escape- ha, see what I did there?),  hang out and meet new people and learn new things! Sounds pretty great huh? So what goes on at the Grad Escape events anyway?

Each event is different, with new people and different experiences- but so far, they are consistently fun and worthwhile.  When I went to meet students for the first Grad Escape event, I will admit I was pretty nervous. New to my role, I was hoping that I would be able to connect with other grad students.

Not only did this happen, but I now look forward to each one as a way to take a break from school and hang out with other students. It tends to start off slowly, with everyone introducing themselves, but then we all get into the activity and it turns into a great time! Curious to give them a try?  If you’re not sure, these are my top three reasons for trying out a grad escape event:

1. You will meet people with diverse experiences and interests 

I know the word “networking” can sometimes make people roll their eyes, but these grad escape events are a great way to find people with similar interests, or different ones, and to make new connections. I have seen a few people return to more than one event, but for the most part I meet entirely new people each time, who are all great company. It is a great way to expand your social circle while at U of T. At the last event, two people began talking about a similar topic of interest and decided to exchange contact info so that they could send each other articles they had read on the topic.

 

 

2. You can learn something new 

So far this year I have done an Escape room in Robarts Library, drank delicious tea and played a new board game at Bampot House of Tea and learned new recipes and cooking techniques at a Loblaws cooking class. From these experiences I know more about Robarts Library, learned of a great new spot to have tea and learned how to play a new game. Not to mentioned I now know how to make my own Ricotta cheese (no big deal). All of us are at U of T to learn, but sometimes it can be hard to remember that some of the most valuable learning experiences don’t happen in academic arenas.

 

3. You might just have a GREAT time!

I am not kidding about this one. Before going to the Bampot House of Tea, I had had a stressful day/week/ its grad school, I don’t need to tell you. I was not in the greatest headspace going into the night. But, I laughed so hard while playing the board game with everyone that I didn’t want to leave at the end of the night. None of us did, we ended up all staying and talking an hour after the event officially ended. Leaving home where I had been sitting inside all day getting work done, and connecting with other people was so much more helpful to my stress than I would have expected.

The connection and fun that I have at these events is something that I want everyone to have a chance to experience and I would be so happy to welcome you to it. There are still 4  Grad Escape events left this semester. Check out the grad events calendar to find one that appeals to you, or that might be totally different from something you’ve tried before. I hope to see you there!

Talk soon,

Alex