Have you ever felt the stress of pursuing a graduate degree? Ever felt the pressures of maintaining a balanced academic and personal life? These worries are normal. Know that you’re not alone. We’re here to share some tips on how to relieve some Grad School stressors through meditation. Read more

If your research involves manipulating data sets than you may have heard your peers talking about “R”. This free programming language is robust, easy-to-learn and versatile. Just like everyone else, your time is precious. While learning a new tool requires time, it can be a fun and valuable learning experience if you know that it will look great on your CV, help you work faster, and produce more interesting results. Learn about the research capabilities of R to decide if it’s worth your time or not. Read more

Every winter, Bell Canada starts a nationwide open conversation about Canada’s mental health, promoting awareness on the topic and raising funds. With Bell’s Let’s Talk day approaching on January 30th, we not only encourage your participation, but we decided to start a conversation of our own on the importance of taking care of your mental health in Grad school. Read more

As the Fall semester comes to an end, you may be searching for ways to spend your upcoming Winter break. Look no further, as we’re here to share some tips on how to best spend your time off and shift your energy away from studies back onto yourself! Read more

Last winter, Concordia set out to find out what online tools Concordia students use most. Based-off the results, we’ve highlighted the most useful online training tools and applications that you might want to incorporate in your Graduate studies. This summary categorizes the digital tool, apps, platforms and software Concordians find most beneficial for learning into four important areas of Graduate student work: Planning and Communication, Productivity, Learning and Education, and Research. Read more

Whether you’re starting a new relationship with your research supervisor or reinforcing an older one, it is important to learn how to best navigate this dynamic partnership as a graduate student. We’re here to bring you the best practices for establishing a solid foundation with your supervisor, and strategies on how to build off this basis into a strong and stable graduate student-supervisor relationship.   Read more

As we begin our graduate studies, many of us feel an overwhelming sense of pressure. Today, the stakes at the graduate level are higher than ever before and fueled by an expectation to achieve originality. This intense feeling of pressure might stem from the fact that you’ve now entered a competition between a smaller pool of higher qualified candidates. Now ask yourself: how do I get ahead in the competitive world of graduate studies? Knowing the resources you have and what actions you can take to develop stronger graduate-level skills is the first step to answering this question and propelling you to stand out. Read more

Bringing you highlights from the GPTK722 Teaching Assistant Orientation workshop! This annual event, offered by Concordia’s Centre for Teaching and Learning, provides teaching assistants (TAs) from all faculties with the best practices for stepping into the role of TA. Through a series of discussion tables (referred to as Knowledge Café’s) chaired by teaching and learning experts, participants were provided with tips for taking on their new role of TA, interacting with professors and students, translating your TA skills to your CV, and finding TA supports at Concordia. Here’s our summary. Read more

Concordia’s Graduate and Professional Skills Program offers graduate students a unique opportunity to improve a vast array of professional skills in order to remain competitive in today’s job market. Concordia’s GPS program offers free workshops and seminars covering a wide variety of topics - from a beginner’s course in Microsoft Excel to an advanced seminar in teaching – every student can find an area of particular interest. An important feature of the program is that the instructors are qualified professionals in their respective fields, providing students with personal insights into their areas of expertise. GradProSkills offers support to developing graduate students with the skills they need to become highly competitive in the job market and pursuing career growth while in the work force. Read more

As graduate students, we have become accustomed to think before we act, whether it’s choosing between courses or determining how to best approach a professor. We use our judgement to think critically in our everyday lives, without even realizing it. In a recent workshop, Health Promotion Specialist from Concordia’s Health Services, Owen Moran, shared some strategies for thinking critically in everyday tasks, which can lead to less stress and better performance. Read more