Fatma’s Blog – Get More out of Your Postgraduate Study!

Your first chance to get involved with GSA and make a difference to the lives of postgraduate students is here! This week the nomination for council elections is open, this is a great way to get more out of your journey at the University of York. Many of you whom I had the privilege to meet and talk to during the Welcome Week were keen to get involve, but at the same time many were not sure how they can get involved with their packed timetable.  While I do understand your concerns, it is often our most challenging journeys in our life that offer us the greatest opportunities to expand our mind and gain a life time experience. I think what I am trying to say here is don’t be afraid to get involve, at the end of your journey you will be thankful for all the challenges you have experienced.

One of my favourite quotes is one by Edward O. Wilson, he said “You teach me, I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand.” By nominating yourself you get the chance to understand how to run a campaign, and if you get elected, you get an experience that will enrich your development and prepare you for life beyond university. Council members will be expected to attend 2 to 3 council meetings a term but the rest of the role can be as much or as little time as you want. This kind of involvement will looks great on your CV, it can be a great way to demonstrate leadership qualities and good time management skills.

If you would like to run for GSA Council then go to the Elections page and have a look for all the available roles. Nomination will be closed at the end of Week 3. In Week 4, we will organize a training day. This will take a place on Monday and Tuesday, which will be for about an hour when suits you best either on Monday or Tuesday (i.e. you don’t have to be available the whole two days).  The rest of Week 4 will be for you to campaign. In Week 5 voting starts, and the results will be in Week 6.

If you have any questions or need more information please drop us a line or drop-in!

Fatma Layas