This month, University Affairs offered up an online version of the session “Yes, there is life after grad school.” Among other topics, it covers:

• stepping outside the bubble of university;
• choosing your path, in academia or elsewhere;
• researching the path that is right for you;
• career focus;
• qualifications and training; and
• embracing change.

These are all perfect questions and topics for any graduate student, whether you are entering your first year or headed towards your last year in your program. Thinking about what happens after your degree allows you to take confidence in the result of all your hard work and to set a path that is comfortable and rewarding for yourself, well before your graduation party.

At York, we also strive to help graduate students in researching, exploring and setting on a path to a future career. York’s Career Centre provides services and events for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The Centre offers a PhD Job Search Support Session, CV Critique Service and Dossier Service as well as workshops on Exploring Career Options for Graduate Students and Translating a CV to a Resume to help new students prepare for careers inside or outside academia.

So start thinking about after your degree early – your degree is part of your future career.

• Forty-three faculty members received more than $2.9 million in standard research grants.
• Researchers received more than $1.6 million in insight development grants, public outreach and dissemination grants, and research/creation grants in fine arts to support 15 projects.
• More than $480,000 was granted for research workshops and conferences.
• 179 graduate students also received more than $5 million in scholarships and fellowships.
• Eight York researchers also received more than $1.5 million in partnership development grants, which encourage collaboration in social sciences and humanities research.

Read a full article of York’s SSHRC successes in Yfile.

Are you new to graduate students and are thinking…what is SSHRC? SSHRC is the federal funding agency for university-based research and graduate training in the social sciences and humanities. Graduate students apply for SSHRC scholarships in the fall to fund their research in the year or years ahead.

Speculative Diction blog

If you are interested in learning more about postsecondary education, particularly from the perspective of a current graduate student, check out Speculative Diction. This blog is written by York PhD student Melonie Fullick and it recently moved to the University Affairs website.

For those of you new to University Affairs, it is a national postsecondary news publication. It describes itself as “Canada’s most authoritative source of information about and for Canada’s university community.” From university trends, breaking new and career-related advice and articles, University Affairs is a good read for any graduate student (as well as faculty and staff at universities!).

Melonie started the Speculative Diction blog a year ago and focuses her writing on postsecondary education policies, governance, history and other topics of interest to the university community and grad students. You can also catch up on her writing about teaching undergraduate students, technology in the classroom and more. As a PhD student in Education at York, the topic of her disseration is postsecondary education policy and its effects on the institutional environment in universities.

Enjoy the read!

Many times, and I thought it myself when I started my Masters, graduate students think they just don’t need an orientation. Why should we? We know our way around a university campus pretty well, are familiar with services and who to go to for assistance. And by the time I entered my Masters, the memories of my undergraduate orientation seemed not so fond.

Truthfully though, what I learned at graduate student orientation is that the campus landscape does change once you view it through “grad lenses.” Services are different and varied. Supervisors, advisors and staff all play varying roles depending on your program type and topic. I learned a lot about what to expect in terms of jobs or assistantships on campus, how to balance an increasingly complicated schedule and how my research would grow and develop over my degree. Graduate student orientation is a great way to start your focus on your year (or years) ahead.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies offers orientation and a variety of other workshops to help you succeed in your degree. See you on campus in September!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Check out the Choose York website for more!

1. You will, and may have already, receive an e-acknowledgement of your application to York. You can keep track of your application by logging on to MyFile. You will need your reference number, found on both your application acknowledgement e-mail and letter, to log in.

2. Your application will be processed. It will take the Office of Admissions 10 to 15 working days to process application packages and/or any documentation that must be matched with an application. Documentation examples include transcripts, language proficiency requirements, supplementary information forms and recommendation forms.

3. Make sure you submit all required documentation – if you’re missing any, you will be contacted by the Office of Graduate Admission or your graduate program office. We cannot process applications without complete documentation.

4. Applications are prepared for review by graduate program committees who may begin to meet in mid February. The length of time it takes to arrive at a decision can vary greatly (from several weeks to 60 days or more) due to the complexity of the process. If you are concerned, please contact your graduate program office.

5. The Office of Graduate Admissions and your program will contact you once a decision is made.

If you have questions between application and the time you receive a decision, you can Ask a Graduate Admission Expert!

Keep in touch (and feel free to ask questions) by following us on Facebook or Twitter.

York University’s graduate program in Theatre has introduced a new opportunity for students.

Launching in fall 2011, Design for Performing Arts offers advanced studio training in contemporary performance design with a focus on sustainable practices. The program is geared to theatre professionals but also welcomes applicants from backgrounds such as engineering, architecture, or similar education, who have a keen interest in innovative and sustainable environments, technologies and design for all forms of performance.

The objective of the field is to create an environment in which students can explore both contemporary methods of design and new opportunities generated by 21st-century performance-related technologies. The program draws on the concept of sustainability not only from a technological point of view, but also as a paradigm shift to how we design and envision our theatre productions.

Students will be engaged in several areas of study: design theory, ecological theory, methodology, practicum, research and design. A collaborative approach to the creative process may include directors, performers, designer-mentors, technical personnel and environmental professionals.

For more, visit the Graduate Program in Theatre – MFA website.