I just started my MSc in Physical Geography at Queens University in Canada this September. Studying vegetation expansion in the Arctic.
I was pretty nervous coming in but not much has happened so far honestly. I only have to take a few classes so most of the day I am in the lab reading up on journal articles and that sort of thing. My supervisor bought me a computer for my lab station and its a beast too, much better machine than I expected haha. Excited for the summer when I get to head up north and do field work!
Its have enjoyed my time so far but it has been a little tough since I am pretty young (just graduated from undergrad in June) and most of my lab mates are in a older and some of even engaged/married. Been looking for a friend group more my age and playing intramural sports has helped I suppose!
Queens is cool. Physical Geography is cool. Canada is cool!
Do you guys have any tips? Its honestly been a bit stressful because everything is so less structured then undergrad. I have been treating it like a job and spending most of the day in the my lab but its kind of scary that I don't even know exactly what I am suppose to do yet. I'm still in the stage where I am looking of papers and gaining knowledge about methods and that sort of thing. Also at this early stage a thesis seems like such a monumental undertaking! Just have to break down into many small pieces and it doesn't seem so long I guess!
Graduate work is primarily about transitioning from being a consumer of knowledge (where you learn facts and definitions) to being a producer of knowledge. Producing is about understanding how theories and authors in the field fit together and build on one another, learning research methods, finding a problem that is ripe for exploration, and then getting leverage on it. Reading those papers is important. If at the end of your program you can read papers and understand their methods well and have a sense of who some of the major authors are in your field, you're doing great.
Geography is also a huge and weird field, because some programs in Geography are closer to natural sciences (physical geography), some closer to social sciences (political-economic geography), some closer to sociology-anthropology (cultural geography), and then you add in GIS and geostatistics and you're closer to math. It's a huge field. That can be a little scary. While you are emphasizing and working on physical geography, you shouldn't forget about the rest. Interdisciplinarity is useful. As a non-geographer, I
loooooved the GIS training I got. I bang out choropleths like it's no one's business for basically any project I do. They look great, people love them, they're fun to do. It's also way easier to learn methods when you're in grad school than later in life (especially easier to learn when you're not bogged down booking trips to your field sites and sleeping in a tent!), so as much research design and statistical analysis training you can do now will definitely be worth it, and I bet your supervisors would agree.
Don't worry about the thesis. If you do something every day, you'll get there. People get screwed when they start spending days, weeks, and months without making progress. Do something every day. Set a schedule for your next week or so, and hold yourself accountable for goals. The lack of structure means you need to impose structure. When I did my master's degree, the hardest part for me was after all of my courses, getting the motivation to get started on my thesis. I regret some of the time I wasted.
Most importantly, make connections with profs. #1 being your supervisor, but other profs too. If you're doing a thesis MSc, you'll need a committee. If you want to do a PhD later, you'll need recommendations. And it's OK to change your topic after you enter, but you'll never know that if you don't meet with other profs and check out the kind of work they do.
As for the age thing, know that every 21-22 year old starting a Master's degree feels that way... and every 40 year old in the same place feels the opposite, like their age is alienating them. They've been out of school for a while, they're rusty when it comes to reading and studying, they are worried their mind isn't as agile as younger students. I was very young when I started undergrad and the guy sitting next to me in my first class had sons older than I was. I'm not ancient now, but I'm older than most of my cohort. It's a weird feeling on both sides. The one constant in grad school is imposter syndrome: Why am I here? Am I good enough? Everyone else is smarter than me! How do they know so much? Should I know what the hell they're talking about? No one likes me. I'm not getting anything done. Be honest when you feel that way and talk to others, and they'll tell you they feel that way too sometimes. You'll get through it.
In my experience the best way to socialize with people is through classes. If not through class, then go to job talks or visiting speakers in your department and sit near people from your classes. Don't be afraid to strike up a conversation with people or ask if they want to get lunch or a beer. If you don't drink... well, I'm not saying you should, but you might consider that being willing to "get a beer" can be valuable socially. No one is asking you to get plastered. Show interest in other people's work and topics, beyond just the people in the lab with you.
Good luck. Post pictures here when you start your field work, northern Canada is beautiful.
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