Literally none of us are grad students so we’re just going to guess what would be helpful.

If you are feeling isolated (both from physical distancing and because you are a grad student), try heading over to the Graduate Student Community online forum. Accessible with your CWL, there are forums for so many things, like finding housing, getting tennis partners, asking academic questions and making friends.

If you’ve hit a block, consider asking for help from the research librarians. There are librarians knowledgeable on basically every field of study at UBC who can help you find sources you may not know about. You can find a research librarian in every library or talk to them online through email.

Sometimes it can be good to take a break from your studies. Explore your campus past your lab and visit some of UBC’s museums or gardens. While you’re at it, explore the whole city! If you’re paying exorbitant prices to live here, you might as well make the most of it. Who knows, maybe it will lead you to some inspiration.

Build a good relationship with your advisor. Ask them questions about their work, life and graduate school experiences. They were in the same place as you once and can probably give better advice than we can.