3 Minute Thesis Competition

3MT® is a university wide competition for graduate students in which participants present their research and its wider impact in 3 minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges. The challenge is to present complex research in an engaging, accessible and compelling way, using only one slide.  For details see the Graduate Studies website.

Do you suffer from the Imposter Syndrome?

University Affairs provides a quick overview of this common phenomenon among grad students. 

If you count yourself among those who experience the imposter syndrome, assistance is available from the professional staff in Learning Services.  They offer free appointments and can help with other performance issues like perfectionism. Email learning@uoguelph.ca for details.

How to Deliver a Half-way Decent Job Talk

From the Professor Is In website

Virtual conference on alternative and post-academic careers

 From University Affairs

PhD Students, Depression and attrition

New article from University Affairs
University Affairs blogger and York University PhD student Melonie Fullick suggests that there is a widespread growth in depression amongst graduate students that is surrounded by “a thickly-oppressive silence.” Fullick cites an intense workload, pressure to produce new and valuable work, competition for full-time positions after graduation, and personal issues as contributing factors for the growth in clinical depression in the field. She points out the lack of information on PhD attrition, and suggests that more statistics on why people drop out of graduate studies would shed light on some of these mental health issues. “I wonder how many students simply leave due to mental health and related issues brought on or exacerbated by the psychological minefield of the PhD process -- and how much of this is preventable,” writes Fullick.

Which skills do our graduates lack?

Food for thought from University Affairs, written by UG Provost Maureen Mancuso: 

". . . the skill sets said to be most in demand are, in order: managerial/supervisory, communications/interpersonal, leadership/executive, and process/project management."

Seeking student members for the GSLI - reply by Jan. 10

The  Graduate Student Learning Initiative (GSLI) is an award-winning group that brings together campus services that provide professional and academic skill development for graduate students.  Members include the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and representatives from a range of service units across the campus, as well as the GSA.

Three student members play a key role by providing a student perspective that keeps us in tune with graduate student needs and priorities.   The GSLI is currently seeking two new student members with some combination of these characteristics: 

- one from the sciences and one from the arts/humanities

- one at the doctoral level

- one who is an International student who speaks English as an additional language.

We prefer students who are able to participate for at least two semesters. Meetings are held about three time each semester, and you need to be available for at least two of these dates in Winter 2014:

January 13 at 9:30am

February 19 at 10am

April 1 at 2:30pm

If you’re interested in services for graduate students, or are thinking about a career in academia and would like some committee experience with a group that’s friendly, informal, and functional, please consider participating.  A reply no later than January 10 would be appreciated. 

If you have any questions, please contact Maryann Kope, GSLI Chair at mkope@uoguelph.ca.