Grad Connect Cafes

Want to meet new people, talk about ideas and issues in grad school, and enhance your graduate experience?

The “Grad Connect Cafés”, are a series of monthly 90 minute roundtable discussions for graduate students early in their academic career. This series, co-hosted by CL&E (Campus Life and Engagement), and CaPS (Career Planning Service), aims to provide a forum for meaningful dialogue on issues beyond academics that are known to impact success in graduate school.

The cafés are open roundtable discussion led by students –this is not an “expert led” discussion, but rather a place for graduate students to talk to each other about concerns, ideas, and solutions, with the aim of co-creating insights and knowledge. We spend the first half identifying the questions/issues related to that month’s topic, we then spend the second half trying to “answer” the questions.

Although you can register for each café individually, students are encourage to come regularly and connect!

• When? On a Tuesday of each month
• Where? Thomson House Ballroom or Brown Student Services Building, room 5001

Selected topics for the 2016 - 2017 academic year

Exploring the role of higher education in society (20 Sept)

In the last 40 years these has been an enormous increase in enrollment at universities, particularly at the graduate level. Simultaneously, the number of researchers competing for public funding has grown and there is increasing pressure to demonstrate that the research will be “useful” to the public. As students question return on investment and the public questions impact on society, we ask, “What is the role of higher education in society?”

The impact of academic culture: Understanding the imposter phenomenon (18 Oct)

The academic culture promotes critical thinking, independence, and expertise. While critical thinking is essential for academic research, self-questioning can become self-doubt, and many graduate students (and even experienced academics) question their capacity to be part of their field -given that it is virtually impossible to claim expertise (as new knowledge begets new questions). As such, many individuals describe feeling “inadequate” or like a “fraud”  -an experience that has been named in current literature as the imposter phenomenon. This discussion will ask: what are the elements of academic culture that promote the imposter phenomenon, and how can we improve the graduate experience to address it?

Identifying the ingredients for success in graduate school (29 Nov)

While fulfilling your academic requirements is obviously essential for success in graduate school, there are many other factors that contribute to your success. It is known that department support, strong mentorship, good social networks, and being goal directed all contribute to success in graduate school. But what do these things mean? This discussion will ask: what are the ingredients for success in graduate school, and how can we create an environment that supports individual and institutional success?

Establishing your goals for graduate school / Selecting a research topic (13 Dec)

There are many things to consider when selecting a research topic and more broadly your goals for graduate school. As we all know, decisions that we make now will likely impact our options in the future. It is important to consider what your goals for graduate school are, so that you feel confident that the work you are doing now will lead to meaningful opportunities. This discussion will ask: How do you assess whether the scope and focus of your project is appropriate? How do you balance your personal interests with your supervisor’s goals and ability to provide guidance? How will your research topic impact your employability?

MAC CAMPUS SESSION - DECEMBER 14 - 4:30 - 6:30 PM

Establishing your goals for graduate school / Selecting a research topic

There are many things to consider when selecting a research topic and more broadly your goals for graduate school. As we all know, decisions that we make now will likely impact our options in the future. It is important to consider what your goals for graduate school are, so that you feel confident that the work you are doing now will lead to meaningful opportunities. This discussion will ask: How do you assess whether the scope and focus of your project is appropriate? How do you balance your personal interests with your supervisor’s goals and ability to provide guidance? How will your research topic impact your employability?

Please register through MyFuture. Once logged on, search for the workshop under “Events” then “Workshops/panels/events” and keyword search Grad Connect.