Update on fall 2021 term for future students

On June 3 the following email was sent to future graduate students

To: Future Waterloo graduate students

From: Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor, Jeffrey Casello, Associate-Vice President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)

Date: June 3, 2021

Subject: Update on fall 2021 term

Welcome to the University of Waterloo community! As we look forward to beginning a transition back to more in-person experiences for all of us, we wanted to provide an update about the fall 2021 term.

The growing distribution of vaccines across Canada is giving us new hope and as a result, we are planning to deliver significantly more in-person learning, teaching assistantships, and research in the fall 2021 term. We are optimistic that in-person activities can happen safely and with a renewed sense of community through a staged and strategic return to campus.

Update on fall term classes 
For those of you who will be taking courses in the fall, faculties have begun planning course delivery options determining which will be held in-person, remotely, and possibly in a hybrid model.  While we are eager to welcome you back to campus, the University remains committed to ensuring that students have access to its outstanding academic programming from wherever you will be studying. It is our intention to keep expanding in-person experiences throughout this academic year, as public health conditions allow. More details on courses will be available within the coming weeks, and the information will be updated on the graduate schedule of classes.

Teaching Assistantships (TAs)

Throughout the pandemic, our Teaching Assistants (TAs) have been exceptionally creative in finding new ways to help students achieve their learning outcomes in diverse environments.  With the expected increase in on-campus learning, we also anticipate more in-person activities for TAs, while retaining some lessons learned during the pandemic.  We also anticipate that some students who may have been unable to TA previously for immigration reasons will have arrived in Canada and will have access to TA positions this fall. TA appointments will be made as normal leading up to the start of the fall term.

Research

The University remains committed to supporting graduate student research work. As public health restrictions allow, faculties will also be updating their plans for access to research spaces on campus. Information on how to access faculty research spaces, available on the campus access web page, will continue to be updated throughout the spring and summer. 

Time to get Waterloo Grad Ready

As the University continues to prepare for the fall term, the Waterloo Grad Ready program, a virtual transition and orientation program designed to support you, will launch June 21. 
 
Over the course of 5 months, Waterloo Grad Ready will offer you a suite of resources to prepare you for graduate studies at the University of Waterloo, including: 

·         a fall 2021 new student checklist to help keep you organized; 

·         discussion boards and live chats to help build connections with other incoming students; 

·         Resources (including modules and videos hosted on Waterloo’s online learning management system, LEARN) to help you transition to graduate life at the University of Waterloo; and 

·         live events to welcome you to campus and support your ongoing graduate experience. 

Waterloo Grad Ready will be delivered through LEARN.  Stay tuned for an email June 21, inviting you to join the program.  

Living in Waterloo

We know you are looking forward to joining the Waterloo community and we are here to support you.  Learn more about graduate student housing options on the Campus Housing website and explore the virtual campus and city of Waterloo tour online.

We look forward to continuing to provide you with more updates in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, if you have further questions, contact your graduate studies co-ordinator or visit the fall 2021 new student web page.