[Calgary, AB]

Wanted to revive this thread and ask if there's anyone in Calgary who can chat about the renting situation. I have a friend who lives there now, but she lives with her family. The impression she gave me was that recovering from the floods has made finding somewhere decent/affordable to rent is somewhat difficult?

 

If I do go to U of C I'll probably apply for on-campus housing anyway (hopefully in Glacier?) but aside from the few pictures the school has up online I don't know much about the dorms either.

 

Hey I lived on Glacier for a year and it was pretty decent as far as space and noise levels were concerned. It's definitely one of the newer buildings (I think only Global VIllage is newer) - and that's why rent is so steep. I'm currently on Castle which is ok but definitely older and smaller...and darker because of the trees that are nearby. Thankfully, it's warmer for some reason so we don't need to turn on the heat too high during winter.

If you want you can check out this site for off-campus housing: https://www.su.ucalgary.ca/ooch . Brentwood is one of the areas closest to the school, and downtown is maybe a 10-15 minute train ride away. As long as you're near to the C-Train line or somewhere with some reliable buses, you should be ok.

Hope some of that helped.

[MBTI types? Personality test]

Looks like I'm the first (only?) ESTJ. I normally get that or ESTP on these things, though I once got ENTJ as well.

 

I've been taking this test randomly for about four years, and as I've gotten older I've gone from having strong preferences to only moderate or almost no preference of certain qualities over others...which makes sense, I guess.

[What's your hobby?]

Maybe not so ASAP. Right now we are in the middle of an increasingly serious drought (as in: will there be involuntary limits on usage in the summer?) and we have tremendous budget problems. Weather IS nice though.

 

I like books and films, college radio and live sound. But I'm in the arts, and lately it's not at all clear what is career inspiration/research and what is hobby… guess that's a nice problem to have, but it feels like I have no hobbies!

 

Totally understand. I spend most of my time listening to music, singing in the choir or in dance classes. I also have become interested in reading articles addressing cultural, historical and sociological issues. But I feel all of that is related to my research somehow...

[How do grad students dress?]

For the most part I stick to leggings with an oversized long-sleeved sweater, or solid colour skinny jeans with a long sleeved sweater-like top. Sometimes I might wear a short sleeved sweater dress/top that's not particularly long with my leggings, or a top that's super bright...but it tends not be on days when I have to do my TA duties. Granted, I live somewhere where there is snow on the ground from October to very early May...but I'll just switch to some nice button up tops at that point.

 

Oh and I generally stay away from graphics or super-bold patterns. I too look and come off about 7 years younger than I actually am so I try to dress with that in mind. 

[Getting a Canadian Study Permit]

@shari. Ok. How has your experience in canada been thus far? have you been enjoying the country?

 

Overall it's been decent. PM me if you have anymore specific questions.

[Getting a Canadian Study Permit]

shari did you have to get a medical certificate?

 

Nope, I didn't include one in my application. There's a list of countries that need to take those in, but Ja wasn't on it.

[Getting a Canadian Study Permit]

I am Jamaican currently on a two year study permit in Canada. I downloaded the form, filled it out on the computer and printed it out to sign it before taking it to the Canadian High Commission. The only issue I had was not knowing that they required a standard police certificate as well (along with the application fee receipt, the photos, and the other things that iphi mentioned). I was able to sort that out pretty quickly though, and I don't know if it's necessary for T&T residents to do that.

The application took about 4 or so weeks to process, and then the permit was issued May 30. I got it June 3, 2 months before I had to leave. The only people who were likely to get denied were the people who did not have all their documents in order.

The earlier you apply, the better. One of my friends who applied for a permit (about a year before I did) didn't get it until WEEKS after her school started, and that messed up her travel plans and everything. So... as soon as you can you should get your documents in order and apply.

[Dressing the Part . . . for Girls!]

I was wondering if skinny pants/jeans are considered too sexy? I dress pretty conservatively, but since I'm petite, I look like I'm drowning in most other pants.

 

I wear skinny jeans all the time here, because I find them warmer than my flares for whichever reason. Since my hips are pretty broad I just try to cover them with a very loose, long sweater or nice top. 

[Study Snacks]

Chips are my weakness...I just can't keep them around me because I will eat an entire bag in one sitting... especially ketchup!!! 

 

I actually don't like potato chips (Gasp! Yes I know lol) but I love green plantain chips! They're so hard to find in Canada though, at least if you're not on/near the East Coast.

[Study Snacks]

Lots of Green tea and water, apples/bananas, nuts, dark chocolate, and stove popped popcorn. In the office I have Hershey's kisses and stuff too...with water cuz I find that if I don't my stomach hurts a lot afterwards.

[Grad school and bedtime]

I am going through a similar situation and I'm still trying to work out a system....when I'm desperate I take melatonin but otherwise doing a bedtime ritual involving tea, get-ready-for-bed-instead-of-crashing-into-bed stuff, and some quiet music helps. But I work best at night too (I can wake up in the mornings but even when I was a baby I was most awake/likely to eat at night) so....it's been a struggle. Good luck to you!

[ear plugs or headphones to read?]

I always have in earbuds, partly because it cancels out all the noise around me....but mainly because I'm a musicology grad so I don't have much of a choice there.

[How Lonely is it Out There]

I'm in my first year of graduate school and I can't remember the last time I felt this lonely. I spent my undergraduate years in many different clubs and teams, so it was easier to make close friends. Luckily I do have a great cohort and we all get together occasionally, but between the craziness of our classes and practicum, it's difficult to find much time to hang out and do something that isn't school related.

Although I have friends in my program, they aren't the same friendships I used to have. We all enjoy each other's company, but I can't say that I have a best friend or someone I can completely confide in. My roommates and I are also not close; we simply cohabitate. I desperately miss having someone near all the time that would bring out the fun in me and help me destress. I think it's just a part of learning to cope with life changes.

I feel like you wrote down pretty much everything I'm experiencing and feeling right now...went from being in clubs and stuff in undergrad where I made some good friends to my current situation which involves a friendly-but-busy cohort. And the friends I have made are good but obviously it's nowhere the same. Additionally I left home in a big hurry (LONG story) and didn't get to have any get-togethers with any of my close friends before leaving.

I don't have much advice to give you since I'm honestly still figuring things out myself...thus far I've only tried kind of taking people outside my discipline/in undergrad to see if it helps. I'm just letting you know that you're not alone.

[anyone else losing weight in grad school?]

I'm not losing a ton of weight but like sareth, I'm far more active. Naturally, no bus stops nor train stations are near to my residence building and especially in September I spent most of the time walking to and from there to get groceries. The result is that I've lost weight in my first six weeks - I can feel it in my jeans, which are all a little looser on me.

Although I've DEFINITELY been stressed out of my MIND, I haven't been eating MUCH less than usual. However my lovely grad student budget means I can't buy everything I want to at the supermarket, nor indulge too much when I go out to eat...so I'm sure that has something to do with it too.

[Groceries! Dish it out...]

Walmart has become my best friend. I'm sure you guys have already said this, but shopping there literally cuts my normal spending in half. As of this month I'll be trekking to Real Canadian Superstore to save even more as well.

I essentially season batches of chicken which lasts for some weeks, and do stews etc as well. I also have made best friends with oatmeal, since it's super cheap and filling. I'm trying as far as possible not to buy food on campus or on the road since it's more expensive and generally doesn't taste as good as my cooking (to me that is =P), so I try to walk with fruits and sandwiches a lot.

Also, I hardly buy juice and never buy soda, and just drink tap water and tea all the time. I think somehow that helps, even if only a little bit

[For those of us just hating it...]

I just found certain races and religions to be really under represented in Edmonton as a whole as well as in certain neighborhoods. Probably partly due to a population difference and partly due to the propensity for immigrants to migrate to places where other people from their region already exist in a strong community.

Yep I get that. All the Caribbean people tend to stick together in London, NY, Toronto and Miami. I like the new experience though, personally. It may be because some of my preferences/interests may fit better here than back home, but that's a whole 'nother story.

[For those of us just hating it...]

If I am to assume your home town is Toronto (based on your location) and you have moved to another small town in Canada, I'm not surprised about you experiencing a bit of culture shock. I moved from Edmonton to Toronto to start graduate school, and there are very noticeably a lot more races, religions, etc. in Toronto. For example, I don't think I knew a single Jewish person growing up in Edmonton. A Torontonian would think I was crazy saying that.

I also am not friends with very many people in my department. There's the odd social thing organized through the student association, and it's fun, but I'm not expecting to make lifelong friends. Instead I have stuck to my usual method of making friends: play sports. You could easily replace sports with any sort of club or external association.

As for the "academic gobbledygook", I believe there was a thread on here about reading academic texts. The gist of it is, a lot of academic writing is unnecessarily confusing. I'm in a math/engineering field where it can get particularly bad. I often find myself going cross eyed as rows of formulas are presented.

Your posts always resonate with me ktel! I'm looking into doing Capoeira or a dance club so I can have that network as well.

Side note: I thought Edmonton was a bit more cosmopolitan than that, I don't know why. I'm in Calgary myself.

[For those of us just hating it...]

I should probably start by saying that I'm not in a PhD programme but I'm in Canada too (which is where you are right?). I'm also the only person of colour in my department - in fact I'm almost sure that there are less of us here than in Toronto. I'm also coming from the Caribbean where I was in the majority. But even though at the back of my mind I know I have to sensitive to how that may manifest itself in my dealings with other people, I'm choosing not to fixate on it, but just focus on being myself and taking the opportunity to make friends with people from a variety of backgrounds. So far I've been friendly with Italians, Chinese people, a Mexican and other Canadians. So while it DEFINITELY takes some getting used to and I know it might get awkward at times, I'm just going to stay firmly grounded in terms of who I am, what I'm about and what I'm here to do.

I'm currently in a programme where everyone has a first degree in it but I do not, and which matches my methodological interests but not exactly my RESEARCH interests, so I can kind of relate. I also can relate to the convoluted writings of certain scholars myself (uggggggghhhhhhhh), but I try to find a summary/synthesis online that I can read alongside. I also make my own brief notes, because I myself use an extremely straightforward style of writing.

I can't relate to the library bit though, I'm really sorry about that. Is there anyway you can source your books/articles from other archives/libraries in your area or from cities near you? And are you sure your school bookstore doesn't have secondhand books? I bought mine used - they were a lot cheaper.

I haven't been sleeping or watching any movie/tv show, and I've had to struggle to make sure I eat cuz I'm so stressed out....I have a diagnostic exam tomorrow and my language one is coming up shortly. I already broke down yesterday, and since then I've just been pushing forward.

If you find you really can't/don't want to manage then that's another story. But keep pushing forward till the end of the semester at least.

Hope that made sense.

[This time last year - What were you doing?]

July 26 2011 I was sick. I remember this specifically because I remember lying in bed, fretting that I had to miss a few days of working in the Music office and prepping for a conference at one of my two prospective schools in Canada.

I hadn't started REALLY preparing to apply, but I was thinking that the paper I was writing for that conference could be one of my writing samples. I DID end up using it, and it also became part of the first chapter in my thesis.

Now...I submit my thesis in 5 days (!) and then since I can't do most of my shopping here, I just plan to enjoy my last days of sunshine with my friends and s.o. before flying to Calgary end of August.

[Summer Slump]

Welcome to my world. You sound very similar to me, in fact creepily similar. I was actually making decent progress and had motivated myself to do a lot of work, but then I went to France for 2 weeks for a tournament for one of my sports, and am now having difficulty getting back into it. I don't think I've done nearly as much work as I should have this summer, I really relaxed a bit too much. During the school year I was just terrified that I was going to fail and get kicked out so I was pretty motivated. Turns out I was actually completely delusional because I got a 4.0 and was recommended to direct transfer to my PhD (which I don't want to do) and received a bunch of external funding for next year. But that's another story. Without the pressure of deadlines and the fear of failing out I am now kind of stuck. The problem is my research isn't incredibly interesting to me. The end product is really cool but the process to get there is what I struggle with. I am not a very good computer programmer nor do I overly enjoy it, and that's all I'm doing right now. The only thing that really motivates me is the desire to finish on time and the fact that it is such a challenge.

I have no advice for you but will follow this thread closely because apparently we are the same person.

Interestingly, I LOVE my topic, and my supervisor is pretty liberal with letting me do what I want, within reason. But I mean...I looove spaghetti but eating it every day, three times a day for two years? That ain't happening.

Essentially, for many of us, no matter how much we love something, there are periods where it's stale for us. You eventually get past it and get a second wind.

[Summer Slump]

Oh wow, you pretty much described the second year of my M.Phil (2010 -2012). After all my courses were done at the end of year 1, I actually got work done that summer because I was presenting at a conference in late August. After that, from September to about January/Feb I was getting a decent amount of work done too with only a few breaks. But from about March till now I've been having massive blocks where I'm just unmotivated to do anything at ALL. And after I hit my first draft deadline in late February, I didn't hit most of my others. To top it off I got veeery sick TWICE in March and mid June, and each time I recovered, it was hard to get back into the groove.

As it is, my planned deadline is July 27 (yes, in 8 days and I') and my FINAL deadline is July 31. Luckily, my first draft was a preeeetty good first draft, and my second one was ok too. I won't even need to pull all-nighters to finish....probably cuz the adrenaline rush is kicking in big time.

Anyway, one thing helped me through everything, and that was my supervisor. Just going and visiting with him for like 30 mins when I needed to pretty much ALWAYS got me my motivation back when I was having rough patches. I also sometimes just wrote mini-papers and gave them to him for him to read and give me feedback (even though that would usually come weeks later).

I dunno if that helps, but you are most CERTAINLY not alone.

[When do you leave/when do you start?]

My programme at University of Calgary starts Sep 10, international student orientation is Sep 6 and graduate student orientation is Sep 7. I'll be leaving JA the 31st of August n total flying time will be about 8 hrs (not counting the 3hr stop in Toronto). My move-in date is Sep 3 though so I'll chill in a hotel and explore a bit for the 2 days before.

[What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge In Applying To Grad School?]

For me it was most CERTAINLY my statement of purpose. Even though I knew exactly what I wanted to put in it and everything, just finding the exact right way to say it was an issue. Then again, this is a problem I have in general when I'm writing papers as I tend to be a perfectionist and want my things to sound as natural but sophisticated as possible.

Every other part of it was a breeze for me....even the writing samples which I just pulled from my current thesis and slightly modified before sending them off. But the Statement of Purpose literally had me in tears for a second.

I laugh when I think about it now, but back then it was no laughing matter at all.

[scared of grad school before i'm even in!]

For my degree you did all your course work the first year, and then you began your comprehensives. Once you pass your comprehensives, then you go onto your dissertation. However, I still read a lot of work related to my research during my courses, and also directed any course assignment towards my dissertation project.

Time spent will depend on the course and program. During my first year, I would say I worked 9-5 M-F doing course work and research reading.

Time spent is really going to depend on a bunch of individual and situational factors. Just be prepared for a lot of work, and you'll be fine!

I find that when I do that consistently enough, I get more done, PLUS I get to relax some weeknights.

Really, consistency is key. Even if you get super frustrated at the difficulty and volume of work you get, and you end up taking a break or something, it's really important to just keep working. Any work you can do every day is useful, even if it doesn't seem that way initially.

[Calgary, AB]

I did my undergrad in Calgary. What do you want to know? I didn't like it much at first, but stayed for the program, but the city is growing on me. Calgary is one of the sunniest cities in North America, and contrary to popular belief, has an interesting young arts scene. Don't try to park down town, although you'll probably get a UPass from the university. There are a lot of jack rabbits and other random animals around. Stampede is my only complaint. This year, I'm planning on being out of town. I live in the Beltline, and people are so loud for the entire week that I don't get any sleep.

Hi, thanks for responding! I actually wanted to know about the arts scene so that's good to know!

I also wanted to know about shopping for fish and fresh produce....noticed that Alberta is land-locked province so I was wondering if fresh fish is hard to come by? Are there any places near campus with a good fresh produce section? Any farmers markets?

Stampede actually sounds like something I'd want to take in even if only a few events. I'll probably still be working on my thesis so it would be a nice break

Thanks again!