A Survey from Recent Graduates of the MiNDS Program: Their Advice to You
Author: Anne-Marie Di Passa
As a recent graduate of the MiNDS program, I thought it would be interesting (and valuable) to conduct a survey of five former MiNDS students to better understand their experiences, and to provide their insights to you: a current student of the program.
I was less interested in their thoughts on the graduate program itself, but rather their experiences as a grad student overall— the ups, downs, annoyances, rewards, and advice they most wanted to share. These former students filled out the survey anonymously and I hope their responses provide you with some wisdom that you can apply to the rest of your graduate journey.
Benefits of the MiNDS Program
One of the most rewarding aspects of the program, for which I am particularly grateful, is the lasting friendships I formed. The social environment of grad school was both exciting and transformative, offering me new perspectives and meaningful connections. Similarly, feedback from the former students highlighted the importance of these relationships, with all five noting the benefits of forming new friendships/relationships. In addition to these personal connections, many students also reported significant gains in writing skills, self-growth, resilience, mentorship, clinical experience, career opportunities, and time management.
Significant Challenges during the MiNDS Program
If you haven't encountered any challenges in your graduate journey yet, good for you, but they are almost inevitable. Learning how to address these challenges are not only essential for your academic success, but also a skill that applies to all aspects of life. Of the five graduate students I surveyed, the most common difficulties were maintaining motivation during challenging projects (100%) and navigating supervisor feedback/communication (80%). Other challenges included learning how to deal with conflicts within your lab, managing stress before and during your committee meetings, and time management. Below, these former graduate students shared their tips and advice for overcoming these obstacles.
Top #1 Challenge: Maintaining motivation during challenging projects
- “Eating a good breakfast helped with how I felt physically, which ultimately improved my motivation. In undergrad, I never took a day off, but always made sure to take at least one day off during my masters for rest or personal activities, which greatly improved my motivation.”
- “Access the Student Wellness Centre! They’re a great resource. If you are struggling with any kind of mental health condition, which I was, I would absolutely book an appointment! They have psychiatrists, physicians, and mental health counselors there to help you."
Challenge #2: Navigating supervisor feedback and communication
- “I struggled with this a lot. However, I would never suggest that you address your supervisor or committee members with passive aggressiveness. There will come a time when you are trying to schedule a date for your committee meeting or defense date and yes- it will stress you out…because no one is answering your emails!! Take a breath and contact Sandra. She is such a helpful person and a great resource. Do not fire off an email in haste — it just makes you look unprofessional and can cause more issues for you along the way.”
- "Voicing my challenges/difficulties to friends/coworkers to vent and get their advice; sharing my feelings with those I had difficulties with; informing my supervisor of the challenges I was experiencing or the various concerns I had.”
- “I had difficulty addressing issues head on with my supervisor, but Sandra and Dr. Minuzzi were great mediators between me and my supervisor regarding communication issues.”
Challenge #3: Managing stress during committee meetings, presentations, or thesis defense
- “To manage stress, I tried to expose myself to as many opportunities where I would be presenting to become adjusted to the anxiety. I would also practice presentations repeatedly until I felt I was doing them on autopilot. This made it easier to continue through the anxiety while speaking.”
- “I would say practice confidence by reassuring yourself that you have what it takes and are smart enough. Know that committee meetings, or even your thesis defense, aren’t that scary. It’s the story you tell yourself that makes it scary.”
Challenge #4: Time management
- “[I would] try to break down my time into specific chunks during the day and use that to work on specific projects. When writing my thesis, I created a very specific timeline for sections of my paper to ensure I got everything done on time.”
- “Take as many breaks and days off as possible when you have the opportunity. Try not to feel lost or panicked in the beginning when things move slowly, as everyone’s pace in the program is different.”
Final Takeaways