Gradlife

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Hi there. I’m Crystal, your Gradlife blogger for the coming academic school year. If this is your first time on the blog, welcome! It’s mine too. Let’s explore this thing called “gradlife” together, yeah? If you’re a returning reader, welcome back! I hope I can capture your interest as well as Trish, our last blogger. If you’ve got some advice on this “gradlife” thing, please do share. 😀

Before I go on, here’s a little bit about myself: I’m a first year grad student in the Master of Health Informatics program. I’m also a recent U of T grad, so yes, I did spend 4 very interesting years here already. In my past life, I was an undergrad student life blogger, but I have since reincarnated into a graduate blogger. So, that makes me just as green as many of you. I mean, I know quite a bit about the undergraduate experience at the university, but grad life? Nah.

But enough about me. You’re probably wondering what this blog is for, and why we should really care about all this “gradlife” business. The point of this little bit of the internet is for me, your run-of-the-mill grad student, to share bits and pieces of U of T and Toronto’s best with you. Current students can probably attest that there’s way more to this school than our research and teaching.

This blog is about exploration. There’s a lot to do around here. You can discover our campus’ historic buildings, or go around town with our special Grad Escapes deals. Sometimes it’s good to take a break from out classes and research. The folks at Gradlife call it Thesis Avoidance with Style.

Since the school year is just starting, I thought it would be nice to start off with links you should check out:

• Essential Grad Guide – You should have gotten your copy in the mail. If not, there is a handy pdf you can download. It’s a directory listing all the U of T services and places of note.
• SGS Website – Visit the School of Graduate Studies website for official U of T and degree related information. You can find our official academic calendar, university policies, degree requirements and information on financial support. There is also information on events like workshops on building academic and professional skills.
• Graduate Students Union – Like other student unions across Canada, the U of T GSU represents us on student affairs and issues (like this one – check it out before Sept 13!). They also provide support and host events. Our Health and Dental insurance plans are provided through the union. Make sure you read up on your benefits! Don’t forget to visit them and pick up your GSU handbook, and maybe grab a drink at the GSU pub while you’re there.

There’s much to do, and much to think about, and I hope to share as much as I can with you – with your help of course. Throughout the year, I will be sharing my experiences with you, but many of my experiences will hopefully be guided by your suggestions. Are there campus events you think are interesting? Any ideas for blog topics? Where should we go next? Let me know in the comments section below or through twitter. I can’t wait to meet you all!

Cheers to a new year!