kco29

Received my acceptance to PhD program in Geography at the University of Toronto on Thursday (3/1) afternoon!

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and personal experiences! I emailed my advisor, told her the 4 courses I was trying to decide on, etc. She told me to go ahead and take all 3 of my courses in the Fall, and then I can audit her class in the Spring -- or just read some of the assigned readings and discuss them with her during our meetings. She even recommended which of the other courses I should take. This definitely made the decision making process a lot easier!

Hi all, I am getting ready for course registration, and I wanted to get some feedback from some knowledgeable sources/people who have been in a similar position. I am starting an MA program in Geography in September. I am doing the Thesis program, so I have 3 courses to take to fulfill my coursework requirements (1 Core + 2 electives). Additionally, my funding package requires that I TA 205 hours, and hold an RA position for my advisor (the times/hours will be flexible on this one). Bottom line: I'd like to take all 3 of my required courses in the first semester. There are 2 electives that look interesting, and relevant to my research interests. What are your thoughts about taking 3 courses during my first semester of grad school, in addition to these other responsibilities? Would it be more beneficial to take 2 courses Fall semester, and then 1 semester in the Spring, so I can get my feet wet without biting off more than I can chew? Any insight you could provide would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi all, Course selection is right around the corner, and I am just trying to firm up my schedule for next year. I had a question: I'm a MA in Geography student, already have my advisor. I am taking 3 classes first semester -- 1 require Core course, and then 2 other elective Geography courses. One course I'm interested in is taught by my advisor. There are 2 other courses that look interesting and align with my research interests that I am considering. My question is: Should I take a course taught by my advisor, or should I diversify, get to know as many professors as possible, and take the other 2 courses? I only need to take 3 courses (Core+2 electives) to satisfy my coursework requirements, since I'm doing the Thesis option (as opposed to Major Research Paper). Additionally, I'd like to continue on and do my PhD at which I'm doing my MA -- so it might be good to get to know more people when application time rolls around. Any insight you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and hope everyone is having a great summer!

Hi all, I'm fairly new here. Starting my MA in Geography in September. When I went back and visited my undergrad school this past spring, I met with one of my old professors. She's pretty young and hip, and she showed me this Tumblr page called "Academic Coach Taylor." I'm a devoted Friday Night Lights fan, so this was an awesome find as I prepare for grad school in the fall. I already know which memes I'll be printing out and putting on my corkboard above my desk whenever I need a little kick in the butt to keep going! Here's the link. Hopefully all of the new grads get some humour and inspiration from it like I have! http://academiccoachtaylor.tumblr.com/

Hi all, I'm new here. I am starting my MA in Geography in Fall 2012. I'm attending a Canadian university, and I'm also a Canadian citizen. I'm planning on conducting fieldwork in South Africa for my thesis for about 4-6 weeks around May 2013. I'm currently in the process of looking for possible sources of funding for this research excursion -- been told I'll be looking at about $10 000 budget when all is said and done. I haven't found a whole lot out there, but as always with these things, I'm sure there are more available than meets the eye on Google and on my university's financial support page! If anyone has any suggestions, I'd really appreciate it! I hope your summers are going well, and hope to hear back soon! Thanks!