Episode Archive
No, it's not just you. Grad School Confidential pulls back the curtain on the grad student experience, taking a candid look at the feelings that many of us leave unspoken.
Return to this page regularly for updates to our program library, and to access episodes that you may have missed.
Release date: April 14, 2023
People are always telling you to find work-life balance. It’s easy to say, but why is it so hard to do? In this episode, current and former grad students talk about the guilt of saying no, the anxiety of proving they belong and the mistakes they made along the way. They tell us that finding the perfect balance – and staying there, in the Goldilocks Zone – may be an impossible dream.
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Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts
Download the transcript (coming soon)
Access these resources on finding balance
Music credits:
Licensed from soundstripe.com: "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song); “Hypnotized” by Cast of Characters; “Ticking” by Alternate Endings; “Exploring the Unknown” by Adam Saban; “Caffeinated Marimba” by JCar; “Old Moon” by Lincoln Davis; “Which Witch” by Dresden the Flamingo; “Glasgow” by Falls; “Pensive” by Shimmer; “As Fate Would Have It” by Wicked Cinema; “Particles” by Chelsea McGough.Release date: July 11, 2022
Grad school is challenging at the best of times. But students who have experienced past trauma may find it especially hard to cope. We speak with two students who embarked on PhD studies while nursing personal wounds. Note: Contains content some listeners may find disturbing.
Access this episode via Simplecast
Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts
Download the transcript (coming soon)
Access these resources on trauma
Music credits:
Licensed from soundstripe.com: “Thing Gone Wrong” by Moments; “Sussex” by Stephen Keech; “Light in the Dark” by Moments; “Corners” by Shimmer; “Memories of Future Events” by Hill; “Another Time, Another Place” by Sounds Like Sander; "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song).Release date: September 20, 2021
Graduate students are more likely than most people to experience depression — a disorder that can have devastating effects on our thoughts and behaviour. In this episode, a recent PhD student explains what depression felt like, and how she reached out for help. Note: Contains discussions of suicidal thoughts and other troubling subjects.
Access this episode via Simplecast
Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts
Download the transcript
Access these resources on depression and suicidal thoughts
Music credits:
Licensed from soundstripe.com: “Haunted” by Emorie; "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song); “Haunted” by Stephen Keech; “Arcadia” by Cody Martin; “Ripley” by Falls; “Three Meters” by Stephen Keech; “The Changing Tides” by Brent Wood; “1947” by Stephen Keech; “Chasing the Northern Lights” by Sounds Like Sander.Release date: May 3, 2021
Feeling discouraged — and a bit stunned — by some tough academic criticism? In this episode, we explore those painful moments in the face of criticism, why it hurts so much and how to respond. Two PhD graduates share their stories, and we hear from author Kevin D. Haggerty.
Access this episode via Simplecast
Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts
Download the transcript
Check out these resources on dealing with criticism
Music credits:
Licensed from soundstripe.com: "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song); “Brennar” by Falls; “Wistful” by Falls; “Raindrops” by Moments; “Crocuta” by Hill; “Apostle of Ireland” by Cody Martin; “Full Circle” by Sounds Like Sander; “Remember This” by Craig Allen Fravel; “Escape” by Memory Theory; “Cayuga Land” by Alsever Lake.Release date: February 17, 2021
Feeling spent and exhausted? You’re not alone. In this episode, join us for a conversation with students who have struggled with burnout at various points in their program. They share their stories, and we explore some useful strategies.
Access this episode via Simplecast
Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts
Download the transcript
Check out these resources on burnout
Music credits:
Licensed from soundstripe.com: "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song); “Gem” by Nu Alkemi$t; “River Walk” by Wild Wonder; “What You Do Not Know” by Joshua Spacht; “Many Worlds” by Memory Theory; “Through Space and Time” by Alsever Lake; “Life in Binary” by Falls.
“Marimba on the Hunt” by Daniel Birch, available from freemusicarchive.com under a CC.BY-NC 4.0 licence.
Release date: December 14, 2020
Finding this pandemic year hard to navigate? You’re not not alone. In this episode we chat with two grad students who have struggled to deal with the loneliness and isolation brought on by COVID-19. They have plenty of wisdom to share.
Access this episode via Simplecast
Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts
Download the transcript
Check out these resources on loneliness and isolation
Music credits:
Licensed from soundstripe.com: "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song); “Skeptical” by Lincoln Davis; “Lift It Up and Feel Good” by Rhythm Scott; “Drama Dee” by Rhythm Scott; “Moonflower” by Matt Wigton; “No Place To Go” by Alsever Lake; “Distant Memories” by Joshua Spacht; “Wait For The Morning” by Joshua Spacht.
Release date: November 9, 2020
Does it sometimes feel like other grad students have it all together in the classroom and in the lab...while you don't have a clue what you're doing? You're not alone. Impostor syndrome is one of the most common, and least talked-about, struggles in graduate student life. In our inaugural episode, we ask why grad students are so vulnerable to these feelings and share some strategies for addressing them.
Access this episode via Simplecast
Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts
Download the transcript
Check out these resources on grad students and impostor phenomenon
Music credits:
Licensed from soundstripe.com: "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song); "Forbidden Wing" by Cody Martin (opening); "Home Life" by Avocado Junkie (GSA message).
Licensed from storyblocks.com (for Dylan's story): "On Tiptoe" (audio); "Bizet's Habanera" by Keith Anthony Holden; "Seminar People Talking" (audio); "102518-wib-1m8"; "Sneak a Peek" by Bruce Zimmerman; "Turning Cogs" by Keith Anthony Holden.
Other musical excerpts include hikmet_minor2, performed by Hikmet Altunbaşlıer and created by emirdemirel, available from freesound.org under a CC BY 3.0 license; trumpetsolo0_hikmet.aiff, performed by Hikmet Altunbaşlıer and created by emirdemirel, available from freesound.org under a CC0 1.0 license; Performance Warm Up.wav by thatjeffcarter, available from freesound.org under a CC0 1.0 license; and tracks recorded by the Alberta Honour Band (1999).
