I'm Going To Grad School!

Thoughts on starting a new chapter

Hey everyone, happy Pride month! It’s been a marvellous month filled with speaking engagements in and out of drag, starting in Quebec City at the Canadian Mathematical Society Summer Meeting, then a workshop at The Well, Caledon Public Library, and a show with Science Is A Drag. It’s also my first month living in Toronto since I moved away from home!

The main reason behind the move being that I’m starting grad school this fall at Toronto Metropolitan University where I’ll be working towards a MSc in Applied Math!

After years of debating on it back and forth, and the months-long application process, I’m happy to finally share the news and my reasons for why and why now.

My Math Journey

In 2021 I graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelors of Math. Unsure of what I wanted to do next, I applied to some Masters programs thinking that it was the next step. The last year of my Bachelors was entirely virtual due to lockdowns, and the lack of face-to-face relationships with my professors made it harder for me to ask for letters of recommendation. I managed to receive an offer but I decided against it since it seemed like this covid thing was going to last for at least another year and I didn’t want to do more virtual classes. Frankly I missed learning in a classroom. Most of my education happened while discussing assignments with friends over lunch anyway. Once we suddenly went virtual I realized I took those experiences for granted.

So I decided to postpone my grad school ambitions to another time when I could take classes in person.

Instead, I would venture forth into making math videos on social media, and writing my book. It was easy to do remotely from home and fulfilled my lifelong dream of being a full-time working artist. After publishing Math In Drag in spring 2024 and going on the subsequent book tour, I started wondering if now was the right time to return to school.

I started reaching out to every connection I had to ask for advice on whether grad school was right for me. Most conversations came down to a question of what I wanted to do after a masters degree: Teaching? Research? Science communication? Performing? Social media? Industry? At my big age I’m embarrassed to admit I’m still not sure what exactly I want to do with my future, and maybe I’m falling victim to thinking that grad school will fix my life (my for you page really said for you).

But I know that I love math, and I miss the camaraderie that comes with studying it with a teacher and classmates. And I know that I also love teaching math, and the prospect of being a TA excites me as much as being a student does, if not more. I’d love to become a professor and a real mathematician someday. I also know that in two years, the time will have passed anyway, and therefore I have nothing to lose.

The Application Process

In Canada, it’s typical for math students to do a Bachelors and then Masters and then PhD, unlike in the US where students can go straight from Bachelors to PhD. A thesis-based Masters still involves doing original research under a supervising professor, so I had to think about where I wanted to study, what particular research area I wanted to study, and who I wanted to work under. With application season being in the fall, I had the entire summer to think these over.

I kept my options broad and on the advice of my mentors (and YouTube) decided to prioritize finding a good supervisor match above other factors. It was important to me that I find a supervisor that saw my background in drag and social media as an asset rather than a liability. The other factors I considered were of course the geographic location and whether the program offered funding and scholarships.

Over the summer, I read some math books to refresh myself on what I learned in my undergrad and to get some sense of what research areas I was interested in. I reviewed some number theory, discrete math, analysis, and programming.

By the fall, I had compiled a spreadsheet of schools and programs all over Canada along with my ideal supervisor at each one. I sent them all cold emails to introduce myself as a prospective new student and ask whether they’d like to speak with me. Around the same time, I reached out to my former professors to ask for letters of recommendation. I sent them the statement of purpose I would use in my applications to ask for their feedback, as well as to give them a frame of reference for their letters.

I applied to five programs in total, and I received an offer from my top choice, which was Toronto Metropolitan University! Ian and I made the move last month so we could enjoy the summer here before my program starts in the fall, and the summer hasn’t disappointed.

I’m just so excited and grateful to all my friends, followers, and mentors for their advice and help over the past year.

I do plan on continuing to make math videos and write on my blog, at my own pace! I’m really looking forward to taking up a new challenge, and to sharing the entire experience!

Here’s to exploring new dreams and new chapters.