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We interviewed Dane Mauer-Vakil and Aravind Rajendran about the transition from an undergraduate degree to a graduate degree, particularly in conducting graduate research. As an undergraduate, you are working to meet certain requirements and receive high grades. However, when you transition to graduate school, the relationship you have with your professors, colleagues, and the research changes. This term, many of you are starting Grad School for the first time, so we thought it would be a good idea to talk a bit about that transition.

Dane Mauer-Vakil is a Master student enrolled in the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto with a focus on mental health and addiction services in community settings.

E308A80C A989 4951 B0A8 874A1D365954 300x295 Grad School Experience: Interview with Dane and Aravind — Aravind Rajendran is also a Master student enrolled in the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto with a focus on tobacco control policy. Aravind is currently a Research Assistant at the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, and has an interest in the tobacco control policy, with a focus on e-cigarettes.

What advice would you give incoming Masters students to help them with the transition from Undergrad to Grad School?

Dane: Going into graduate study is definitely a transition, but I would recommend to be as relaxed as possible, and enjoy it as well because it’s definitely an exciting time in life. You’re going to meet a lot of new people and learn a lot of cool stuff. That being said, I would also urge students to manage their time well, and really be as organized as possible. The workload, in terms of reading specifically, is considerably more than what would be seemed as commonplace for an undergraduate degree. Be cognizant of how you spend your time, but to enjoy it as much as possible. Seek help from your friends and colleagues and your supervisors when needed.

Aravind: I think Dane really put it very nicely. The only thing I would add to what he said is that the point of graduate school is a little different than undergrad. In undergrad, you’re learning a bunch of courses that are already decided for you because of the program you’re in, especially in the first or second year. And you only get some choice in the upper years. Whereas in grad school, you will specialize in a particular topic. Thus, whether you go into a PhD or not, the point of grad school is to really develop your research skills and knowledge in a particular area of interest for you. Another important thing to do would be to try to make the best use of your time in grad school to learn as much as you can about your topic outside of the courses you’re taking. So that means reading up on research papers that interest you, reading separate books that interest you, etc. You want to try to make use of the time as best as you can and try to soak in as much as the knowledge of your area of interest as you can write well because you have access to the library and so many resources.

What would you say has been your biggest challenge transitioning from undergraduate school or graduate school?

Dane: I would say personally the transition for me was potentially a bit smoother than those who came in, either straight from undergrad or came in with little or no research experience. I had a couple of years between undergrad and starting my Master’s where I was working on research so I was able to kind of get into the mindset of doing research. My biggest challenge in grad school was probably just kind of altering the way I thought about what constitutes success or progress towards my goals. In undergraduate, your, or at least in my case, my main priority was to get high marks, so that I’ll be able to go to grad school. And now, as Arvind had alluded to, we’re really in graduate school to develop ourselves as researchers. It’s less about grades and more about your output, such as writing for journal publications and presenting your work at conferences.

Aravind: For me, I think one of the main challenges was actually living away from home because I lived at my parents’ house in undergrad, whereas now I’m on my own. Apart from that, one of the things that I found a little different in terms of he actual academic experience was definitely the volume of reading that you’re required to do. And, the other thing that was a bit challenging was the extra learning that goes on outside of courses. For example, at the University of Toronto, there are these things called collaborative specializations, which are sort of like minors degrees in undergrad study. I was in one of those collaborative programs, and that was a very new experience for me compared to undergrad, in a good way. I was able to partake in a separate series of lectures and learned about this other topic of interest to me. I think that was really creative and it was also a little unique perhaps to UofT. But, even if you don’t go to UofT, I’m 100% sure that there’s definitely going to be a bunch of lectures beyond your coursework. It’s going to be a challenge to manage your time to try to attend these, but I think it’s super important that you do because you’re going to get a lot out of it.

Both of you were successful at getting scholarships and grants to attend Grad School. What tips to do you have for new applicants?

Dane: I suggest applying for all the funding and scholarships that you can, even before you apply to your program. Both Aravind and I got an external award funding to cover for our first-year tuition. I applied for mine a year before I got into the program and in an interesting way that actually helped me get accepted to the program. I was on a waiting list and then I was offered this scholarship that I applied for, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Scholarship (CIHR). I emailed the institute afterward and told them about my scholarship and that was instrumental in actually getting into the program. Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that just having those external rewards or scholarships is good for moving forward into a PhD or moving into the workforce after a Master’s. Those awards essentially show that you’re worthy of that money moving forward in academia. I would definitely suggest to anyone considering grad school to look for as many scholarships that you can apply for both internally and externally. Also, talk to people that are in the program, and try to figure out what grants they have and how you can get those scholarships.

Aravind: I definitely agree that it is better to apply for your scholarships in advance because it can definitely help you in securing a place. I got the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). For these scholarships, you wouldn’t get them until the next year. So, if you apply now in September 2020, you wouldn’t receive the grant until the following year. That’s why I recommend applying for scholarships early.

Book Recommendations

Dane’s recommendation:

The Focus Effect: Change Your Work, Change Your Life by Bruce Bowser and Greg Wells

The Ripple Effect: Sleep Better, Eat Better, Move Better, Think Better by Greg Wells

Aravind’s recommendation:

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Lisa’s recommendation:

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto by Joan Reardon

Thank you, Dane and Aravind, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers!

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Both the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.

We interviewed Laifong Leung, a Chinese Language and Literature scholar, about the art of writing. Writing is a unique form of communication that relies on our ability to create imagined realities with the deliberate and careful use of words, punctuation, grammar, and style. It is unlike any other form of communication in the mammal world, and it requires a lifetime of practice to master.

Laifong Leung photo edited 2 The Art of Writing: Interview with Laifong Leung

Dr. Leung received her BA from the University of Calgary, and MA and Ph.D from the University of British Columbia, and is currently Professor Emerita at the University of Alberta, where she taught for over three decades. She is passionate about classical Chinese poetry, contemporary Chinese literature, Chinese diasporic literature and language teaching. She continues to publish on these topics, having written and co-edited over 10 books, and several academic articles, many of which discuss the art of writing and storytelling across cultures and historical periods. She was also the initiator and co-founder of the Chinese Canadian Writers’ Association (1987) and currently serves as its Executive Chair.

What made you decide to pursue a career in literature?

When I was young, I lived in Hong Kong. My maternal grandfather was a calligrapher, a poet, and a reader. He lived with us and it was very fortunate. He told me a lot of stories about classical Chinese literature and about the lives of poets, interesting, anecdotes, and famous poems. He would ask me to recite from memory, “Bei Shu,” some classical pieces. So I did that, but sometimes I didn’t know exactly what they meant, but I did memorize. I did quite a few of those important pieces, and I didn’t know they were important until I went to high school. I remember in grade eight, I opened my textbook, and the essay that my grandfather asked me to memorize was there! After that, I recognized the value of what I learned from him. I remember doing calligraphy with him too. He sat next to me and watched every stroke. He really was the initiator. I liked learning Chinese calligraphy. Later on, it would help with my career. When I applied for my first job at the University of Alberta, they were looking for someone who could teach Chinese calligraphy. Not many people were really interested or were able to teach calligraphy. During my time at the university, I started with the study of classical Chinese literature, and then I got interested in post-modern literature, which is very contemporary. These were my main two areas of study. After I retired, I got interested in Chinese Canadian literature.

What would you say has been the most rewarding part of the career path that you have chosen?

I love reading, writing, as well as teaching. As a professor, I had to do all these things, so I enjoyed my job. I like sharing my knowledge with my students, and I do not feel tired of teaching. I love to see how much the students have learned. Overall, it is a very rewarding experience. I first started teaching adult classes at the Vancouver school board. I taught once a week with the purpose of gaining teaching experience at that time. And later on, I was recommended by my professor to teach Cantonese in the Vancouver city police station for one of the departments. I taught there for over a year before I did my Ph.D, which was a lot of fun. I enjoyed those few years. I just love teaching and doing research. When people recommend me to teach any class, I always take the opportunity, and the process has been really rewarding.

You’ve written and co-edited several books. That is a huge endeavor. When you’re thinking of a new book idea, what does your process look like?

I was really interested in the generation after Mao’s exile, especially the Red Guards, which was a group of young people who were very supportive of Mao during the Cultural Revolution. They started with very idealistic high hopes for the revolution. So, they had a very special style of writing. I read a lot of stories written by these generations, but the publications available at that time were very limited. So after I got my first teaching job at the University of Alberta, I applied for a grant and went to China to interview some writers. They talked about the whole horrible experience they went through in the Cultural Revolution. I recorded the interviews, and I came back with a whole suitcase of tapes. The tapes of interviews inspired me to start a book with the theme of the Chinese Writers of the Lost Generation. I began transcribing the tapes and drafted a sample chapter entry. I also developed a book outline. Afterward, I sent my idea to a lot of potential publishers and got 11 positive responses. After carefully selecting a publisher, I was able to publish the book.

Laifong’s Book Recommendation

Contemporary Chinese Fiction Writers: Biography, Bibliography, and Critical Assessment, Laifong Leung.

Thank you, Laifong, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers!

Missed the podcast? Listen here:

For more advice about writing, check out our weekly podcast or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

To get more help with your assignments, book a 20 minute discovery session with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.