Explore Grad Studies with Nipissing’s Podcast: A Brand NU Start

Season two of A Brand NU Start features past and current Nipissing grad students as they share their experiences and advice.

Deciding on where to go for your graduate studies is a difficult decision. Does the school have the resources you need? What support do grad students receive? How can you be sure you’ve found the right school for you? The best way to get a sense of a school is to hear from current and graduated students. No one knows more about the student experience at Nipissing University than our past and present students.

So, to help you hear from our students themselves, we’ve created A Brand NU Start, a podcast featuring students and graduates from our various programs, to give you a clearer picture of what your life at Nipissing could look like.

Season two: Graduate

The second season of A Brand NU Start is hosted by Kyle Anderson, a graduate of Nipissing, and currently our Graduate and Post-Degree Specialist. This season of the podcast focuses on everything you need to know about grad school and the programs available at Nipissing.

With eight episodes, plus a bonus season recap episode, you’ll get an in-depth look at what a grad program could look like for you. So, check out what a few of these episodes cover:

Episode four: Master of science in kinesiology

Kyle talks about the Master of Science in Kinesiology program with graduate Rachel. In this episode, they cover what life is like in the MScKin program, the conferences she’s been to, her research paper, life after the program, and advice she has for someone getting into the program.

Rachel also highlights other opportunities that were available to her outside of her research. She worked on other research projects with her profs, got her name in some publications, performed literary reviews, had a role as a TA, and participated in the Three-Minute Thesis competition.

Episode six: Master of environmental studies/sciences

In episode six, Kyle speaks with Reid, a Master of Environmental Studies/Science graduate, about his educational path that led him to a master’s program at Nipissing, what kind of resources were available as a master’s student, and what the thesis defence portion of the program was like.

The overwhelming pressure that people connect with a thesis defence can be enough to turn people away from a grad program entirely, but Reid has some advice about the defence portion for students considering a grad program: “The thesis defence is equal parts scary and thrilling. It’s a celebration of all the work that you’ve done. Nobody in that room knows more about this specific topic than you do.”

Episode seven: Master of arts in history

In episode seven, Kyle sits down with Ian, a Master of Arts in History graduate, to discuss the changes his thesis went through, the resources he used for his research, the buildup to his thesis defence, and how he managed a school/life balance between researching articles and sleeping.

Ian’s experience for his thesis defence was not as scary as he built it up to be. Ultimately, he realized that “these are people that had helped me shape the project. They’re not there to beat you down,” and it was much more conversational than he expected. However, to help manage his stress, Ian had one rule: never do schoolwork past 9 or 10pm. Watch a movie instead or do something that helps you relax.

This was only a sample of some of the topics that A Brand NU Start covers in season two, so make sure you check out the rest if you’re interested to hear what led our current and past students to Nipissing, and what their experiences were like once they got here. If you’re curious about undergrad resources and experiences, check out season one of A Brand NU Start which covers the undergrad experience at Nipissing!