Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
Carlos Andrés Araiza Iturria
PhD student, Actuarial Science
"Research what you are most passionate about. Not a hot topic, not something that will make you rich, not something your supervisor is good at. You are going to be stuck for years researching, talking about and practicing whatever topic you decide. If you desire excellent results, you need to feel like it is your topic and gives you a reason to wake up and work every single morning."
Carlos Andrés Araiza Iturria, PhD student, Actuarial Science
Liza Boyar
PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems
"At the end of the day, there are many fantastic opportunities available to you as a grad student but you also have to make sure that you are making space for your well-being."
Liza Boyar, PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems
Carrie Shorey
PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems (Aging, Health and Well-Being)
"The Writing and Communication Centre has been an amazing resource to me as a graduate student. Through their one-on-one meetings, I have become a better writer. I have also enjoyed participating in their workshops. During Reading Week, I had the opportunity to participate in their Dissertation Workshop. This workshop provided us with skills to overcome procrastination and plateauing in our writing and ways to connect to other graduate students who were going through the same thing."
Carrie Shorey, PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems (Aging, Health and Well-Being)
Navya V. Nair
PhD student, Sustainability Management
"Move forward one step at a time, day by day, and try to leave enough time to explore the world around you - maintaining a balanced social life while in graduate school is critical. Make an effort to strike a balance between your academic and personal life."
Navya V. Nair, PhD student, Sustainability Management
Aaron Yip
PhD student, Chemical Engineering
"Do your graduate degree if you are passionate for what you are doing; succeeding in something that you care about is much easier. And be patient, mistakes are inevitable in research. You will experience failures, no matter how clever you are."
Aaron Yip, PhD student, Chemical Engineering
Ileana Diaz
PhD student, Geography and Environmental Management
"There are many events that will happen in your life that you will have no control over, so try to understand the lessons from those moments and use those as a source of growth. Try not to attach your self-esteem to how much you are producing. We are all capable beings and production is ephemeral, but kindness to yourself and other beings is everlasting."
Ileana Diaz, PhD student, Geography and Environmental Management
Janet Jones
PhD student, Applied Philosophy
"Look around and see what's available to you, then try something! I felt really overwhelmed when I first started grad school. It seemed like there was always something I didn't know. So, I started to look for things I wanted and then I talked to people about it. Opportunities came up and I applied. Even when things looked like a long shot. I think that curiosity and willingness really pay off."
Janet Jones, PhD student, Applied Philosophy
Thomas Milovac
PhD student, Applied Philosophy
"Be open to learning new material and to take each and every opportunity to share your work with others; there is no better place than a conference to receive constructive criticism for your work."
Thomas Milovac, PhD student, Applied Philosophy
Fatemeh Ahmadloo
PhD student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
“I think with the huge amount of personal and professional investments a grad student makes in their education, stress management can be a significant challenge. To alleviate it, I personally choose to be consistent and not to expect instantaneous “rewards”. PhD research takes time, and I do not believe there is such a thing as failure. Just being consistent and having short-term/long-term plans helps to manage the level of stress.”
Fatemeh Ahmadloo, PhD student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Karmvir Padda
PhD student, Sociology
“If there was one piece of advice I could give new students, it would be not to get sucked into how much work or how little work others around you are doing. The comparison will drain you. Focus on your work. The most important thing you can get out of grad school is the connections you make throughout your journey—grades matter but not more than those relationships with professors and other students.”
Karmvir Padda, PhD student, Sociology
Hari Har Jnawali
PhD student, Global Governance
Quote: “The best part about being a graduate student is the freedom you get to work on your own interests. "Do what is best for you" is something that I have often heard from my professors, and this has been really paying off.”
Hari Har Jnawali, PhD student, Global Governance
M. Shehryar Khan
PhD Candidate, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
"I had a fantastic (although, very difficult) undergraduate experience and the co-op program helped me recognize that I had a natural knack for research. Once I knew I wanted to pursue research, making the choice to stay at Waterloo was a relatively easy one."
M. Shehryar Khan, PhD student, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering