Writing Services

Revitalize Your Thesis 2024: Graduate Student Writing Retreat

Presented by Writing Services

This year's retreat will focus on helping students build a positive relationship with thesis writing. We have collaborated with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) to invite a guest speaker, Dr. Rachael Cayley, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, who will present on May 9^th, 2024. Dr. Cayley will discuss strategies from her new book, Thriving as a Graduate Writer.

There are two ways to participate in Revitalize Your Thesis. You can choose the format that works best for you.

Option 1: Hybrid

In-person day:
Wednesday, May 8^th, 2024
10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (MT)

Remote day:
Thursday, May 9^th, 2024
8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (MT)

Remote day:
Friday, May 10^th, 2024
8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (MT)

Option 2: Remote

Remote day:
Thursday, May 9^th, 2024
8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (MT)

Remote day:
Friday, May 10^th, 2024
8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (MT)

Application Details

Deadline to Apply: Monday, April 15^th, 2024

Preference will be given to eligible applicants who demonstrate a strong interest in and the ability to benefit from the event. Applications will be considered in the order in which they were received.

Space is limited. Apply early to increase your chance of being selected.

Participants must commit to joining for all retreat sessions that pertain to their chosen option.
Registration for the event is free.
To get the most out of the retreat, you should be past the proposal stage and actively writing a thesis or dissertation.

Apply for Revitalize Your Thesis

If you have additional questions, please contact Bhuva Narayanan at bhuvanes@ualberta.ca. Please make sure you put “Revitalize Your Thesis” in the subject line of the email.

Event Details

You are encouraged to establish writing goals with your supervisor prior to the retreat.
You should come prepared to engage in focused writing, reflection, creative thinking, and discussion related to your thesis or dissertation.
On days 2 and 3, you will need access to high-speed internet, a webcam, and a microphone. You should also be familiar with eClass, Zoom, and Google applications.
Our professional writing advisors—who, in addition to holding advanced degrees, have years of editorial and scholarly publishing experience—will be available to provide individualized help.
We will contact successful applicants before the retreat.
We will share a schedule with participants before the retreat.

Testimonials from Previous Retreat Participants

It showed me how to set myself up to complete solid blocks of writing from home and how taking breaks can actually help with writing rather than just being a source of guilt.

They fostered a sense of community and it was really interesting to see my peer's process of goal setting and discuss our common struggles, despite coming from different backgrounds. Obviously, the dedicated writing time was excellent and knowing that so many other people were focused and working gave me a sense of accountability and allowed me to be much more productive than I usually am on my own.

The focus on mental health and its relationship with writing and being a grad student was really important. It is refreshing to see mental health being at the front of the discussion instead of something addressed as an extra step we have to consider as students.

Despite the online format, the hosts made us feel cohesive and supported as though we were in person.

I particularly enjoyed the sense of community - and the accountability that that provides. It helps to write with others on your individual projects, it helps build momentum. I found the checkins/conversation around writing also quite helpful, I don't think we address writing fears enough. And I really enjoyed the presentations/workshops as well! Long story short, it was great!

[W]e had the opportunity to discuss with other students and experts the challenges of writing a literature review. We also shared our experiences, and it was nice to feel that we all had different struggles and tools to avoid those.

This totally jump-started my thesis writing. I feel so much more confident about getting through it, and have found some lasting motivation that I'm trying to take advantage of.

I felt like I was back at school by doing something together with people. The entire session helped me to get out of isolation, as I've been feeling swayed away from the university community. This retreat was really timely organized for me. Thank you very much!