Let GRADventure support your graduate ventures!

Graduate school is hard. This is something that isn’t said enough. It is a tumultuous period of transition, where you are still a student, still a learner, but also stepping into leadership roles as a TA or Graduate Instructor, and also increasingly expected to operate independently as a researcher. At the same time, most of us are trying to balance academic responsibilities with professional goals, forced to think about present or future employment. That is a lot to handle! And it’s normal for of us to struggle with that array of responsibilities during this pivotal period of our lives. So please take a moment to recognize that just being here, just doing this work, you are accomplishing something hard, and deserve to congratulate yourself for that.

At GSPA we recognize that trying to balance academic success, professional development, and personal growth can be overwhelming at times. That is why we developed GRADventure. GRADventure serves as an online hub of programs, resources, and tools specifically designed by us and our amazing campus partners to help you succeed at your academic and professional goals. Do you have professional goals that you are working towards? Our GSEF-supported Professional Skills Foundations program can help you plan ahead and take charge of your career path by developing crucial transferable skills. Are you interested in learning how to effectively share your research with a wider community? Consider participating in GRADflix or other research communication opportunities hosted through GRADventure. Wondering what professional development opportunities are available at Waterloo? Our GRADventure events listing provides a comprehensive database of relevant workshops and events taking place each term. GRADventure is there to be a “one-stop-shop” for every type of professional development you are interested in exploring.  

But professional and academic successes are also dependent on us first taking care of ourselves, prioritizing personal growth and well-being. With that in mind, we have expanded our GRADventure resources to include a broader range of topics from past workshops and seminars facilitated by GSPA and campus partners. These pages cover concepts such as how to maintain a positive supervisory relationship, and how to manage imposter phenomenon as a graduate student, among others. They are tools to facilitate your personal growth and health, and to connect you to valuable support systems both on campus and beyond. With the expansion of GRADventure, we have been focusing on professional development more holistically than ever before, recognizing that health (whether social, physical, or mental) and support are the foundations of any type of sustainable success either academically or professionally.

Remember, the most important advice you will ever receive about graduate school is that none of us need to be in this alone. That is what GRADventure is all about, providing the materials to help you develop crucial professional skills, while connecting you to the wider network of support that exists within the University of Waterloo. So check out what we have to offer, bring your questions and professional development goals, and let us support you in all of your academic and professional ventures!