Friday, February 21, 2014

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.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

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.

Monday, February 3, 2014

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.