Ask Jenn Anything Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ask Jenn Anything
A podcast about grad school, East Asia, and life.
About the host:
Jenn Lau was born and raised in Toronto, with an unwavering love for East Asian food and pop culture from a young age. An avid reader, she would go on to complete her PhD in East Asian Studies and live in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taipei. She is always excited to chat about her experiences in academia, how she learned Cantonese and Mandarin, what it’s like to teach Chinese literature, and her latest favourites from music produced in Asia.
Music by @h.e.d.o.n.a
My personal take on pursuing a PhD as a woman and advice on things I would discuss with a potential partner.
Learn more about my experiences during my first trip abroad! Hope it helps to prepare you for culture shock and personal growth 😊
What do I usually do when I apply to professional conferences? First off, I check the timeline and submission deadlines! Take a listen for more tips.
I have 5 tips for those of you who are early on in your graduate career and thinking about presenting your work at a conference!
I am grateful to have applied for and obtained 4 distinct types of travel scholarships and funding opportunities during my graduate studies. They allowed me to conduct research and live abroad. Hopefully this helps you see what kind of support you can obtain on your own research journey!
If I could go back in time… there are a few things I might do differently. I would definitely leave behind certain limiting mindsets! Hopefully this is helpful to those of you considering a Master’s program in the arts.
Everyone’s journey is unique when it comes to why they study what they study and I hope sharing my path is helpful. I’ll start with more details from my undergrad trajectory and then move into graduate school!
There are a few critical moments in my language-acquisition journey — some of the earlier moments were not in my control but later on, I made conscious decisions towards learning Chinese. I hope this episode is fun for those who are just curious about learning their mother tongue, or my journey!
When I was around 4 or 5, I remember coming home from school and setting up my stuffed animals in a row on the ground. We had this mini chalkboard that I would use to teach the stuffed toys what I had just learned at school that day. I think I knew then that I wanted to pass knowledge on and that I’d admired my teachers. Learn more about how this became part of my reflect of why I pursued a PhD.
To begin, you need to decipher why you’re pursuing graduate school or further education now.
In graduate school, you are more than a student. You are a growing human who needs to find a balance between studying, resting, and being. Here are my two cents about hobbies and academia.
I provide 5 things you might want to consider as you choose between two programs. I give explanations and provide guiding questions about alignment to your future goals, the timing, finances, location, and personal relationships as you make your decision.
“What if I make the wrong choice? My parents want me to go home after my undergraduate studies, but I want to stay abroad… I don’t know what to do. I’m alone here but I also want to give living here a try. I feel lost and unsure.” Here’s my advice to my international students and anyone facing indecision about staying or moving “home.”
This week I suggest approaches to making friends in academia and share the three kinds of friendship I hope you will experience on your academic journey.
So it is reference letter season once again. I receive quite a number of requests each semester and would love to help you help those of us who are writing you letters! Whether you are in your final year of your undergraduate career or applying for a fellowship program, I hope these are useful.
I share 4 takeaways unique to a doctoral program this week, and tell you which one I think is the most important in your decision to pursue a PhD.
This week I received this question: What are the benefits of pursuing a Master’s degree and a PhD? What have you been able to develop for yourself in pursuing these levels of education? Looking back, I can think of at least 5 benefits! I’ll cover what my PhD taught me in my next episode!
Burnout is real. I share four pieces of advice on how I faced the pressure of grad school.
Good luck and know that you’re not alone!
In this episode, I answer a question from one of my former students about whether or not he should begin his Master’s program this year if he didn’t receive funding and still wants to travel to Asia for some language training.
We cover ideas including the importance of selecting the right school, of securing funding, and of being prepared for graduate education. :)