Campus Life & Future Careers

It is commonly thought that women are more successful in municipal politics than federal or provincial politics. This conclusion is reached since municipal elections are typically less competitive and their campaigns presumed to be less costly. [1] At the same time, women may be at a disadvantage because of how the media frames female candidates or if voters perceive politics as ‘male sphere’.[2] Erin Tolley and Mireille Paquette explored to effect of gender in the 2017 race for mayor of Montreal between Denis Coderre and Valérie Plante.[3]With a rising number of women stepping up to run for office in Canada and the United States, it is interesting to understand what barriers exist or are being challenged.

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You have revised your resume again and again, incorporated edits from advisers and perfected your cover letter. While you may know to dress for success, that early equals being on time and how important a good handshake is, there are a few personal touches that can make you stand out to your potential future employers and give you an edge on the competition, many of whom may be just as qualified as you. Keep these helpful hints in mind as you search for your ideal job.
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Have you ever read an article for a class and wondered what exactly the author was talking about? Perhaps situations like this contribute to why so many students don’t bother with readings. If someone understands a subject well enough to publish academic papers, surely they can explain it in plainer language. In fact, there is a movement of academics who are fighting against opaque language.[1]

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When voting, is your decision something based on a singular issue or is it about how much you identify with the party? Perhaps one issue shapes the entire party landscape? This question is fundamental to many who study political science, but until attending CMES, I had no idea that municipal politics were a field of study. In all my introductory political science courses at McGill, the topic was never touched upon. Thus, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the study of municipal politics, which has been studied in Canada for many years. In this post, I will focus on how municipal politics interact with Quebec nationalism, an issue Canada has worked with and around since the British won the Seven Years’ War.[1] (more…)

Municipal elections are important, however, in the field of political science, they are largely understudied. Notably, little is known about how candidates compete, or how voters make choices at this level. The Canadian Municipal Election Study (CMES) received funding to conduct research based on survey data in eight Canadian cities. This month, seven draft papers focusing on the Montreal and Quebec City elections were presented at a small conference at McGill.[1] I will be writing three broad pieces about split ticket voting, nationalism and party identification, and women in municipal politics based on what I learned at the conference. (more…)

Founded on 23 February 1947, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has served to coordinate and unify standards globally. In the past 71 years, the ISO has developed and continues to update over 22 000 standards.[1] You may ask why this is important to students. The unique codes assigned to books and journals that we read on a regular basis were developed by this organization and makes identifying sources that much easier. (more…)

source: blog.accepted.com

As many science students have done, so did I – undergraduate students usually choose to spend at least one summer to stay on campus (or somewhere) and get their hands on real-life lab work. It can be honours project, research course (396 courses), work-study, or just volunteering. Depending on which lab you are in, you can make molecules, tune robots, culture cells, purify proteins, do interviews, and so on. (more…)

McGill is a research-intensive university. To be able to attend a school that places importance on research and study in the field, is a privilege. It offers countless opportunities to students and can be a rewarding and career-changing experience. It’s a pivotal part of your education, especially if you plan on going into academia. But… what if that’s not something you’re interested in? If after your studies, the lab bench or research team is not for you, or maybe you just want a break, here are other job paths in science that you may want to take. Note that some require additional education.

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Just on Jan 28 a few years ago (2013 to be precise), a Youtube video filming a girl trying to go against the flood on McTavish Street went viral, and I remembered that although I was not on site, the flood coming from a pierced main pipe connecting to the reservoir really caused tons of trouble and turned all lower campus to swamp. The girl struggled for a few minutes and decided just to go with the flow, which is actually a brave move in front of all the people staring at her. (more…)

This summer, I volunteered for la Fondation Jeunes en Tête, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the well-being and mental health of young people in Quebec. By spending nearly every Wednesday at their head office, I got to experience life working for a non-profit, meet incredibly generous and welcoming people, and contribute to a cause that I care about. Here’s what I learned and what I would have done differently.  (more…)