Blog Posts

While on the road to becoming a Registered Dietitian in Canada, a global pandemic hit and had major impacts for grad student Berin. Read more to see what changed for her and how she stayed on track to pursue her goal.

Berin is an international transfer student who moved to Canada to study to become a Dietitian. Here she shares her struggles along the way and advice for other International or transfer students in nutrition.

Arriving in Canada as an international transfer student from Baskent University in Turkey, I faced the challenge of adapting to a new country and school. Navigating English in writing, I actively participated in workshops and classes to enhance my language skills.

When asked for my biggest piece of advice, it was this: Celebrate. Every. Step. The journey to RD is TOUGH and I know you guys are putting everything you have into it.

In all seriousness, all my life I've been pinching pennies. Financial stability had always been a dream, and just not in the mix for my mixed up family. Here's what I did when I was a starving student with very little $$.

I don’t think it ever seriously occurred to me that I actually wouldn’t get an internship the first year I applied (or the second for that matter). Even if it did, everyone around me told me not to worry about it, that I’d have something. Unfortunately, they were wrong. And once I didn’t have an internship spot that first year, there’s a handful of thing I wish someone had told me.

With internship/practicum and masters program offers rolling out, it can be an incredibly exciting or gut-wrenching time. When I was going through it I felt both those emotions, sometimes simultaneously. Either way, it is an EMOTIONAL time, and you can cut the tension in the air with a knife.

Have you been muddling through feeling like your the only one struggling? You may have a case of imposter syndrome orrrr you may also just be experiencing what is totally NORMAL on this journey. I mean, 4+years of full time undergraduate work racking up your student debt, and then another one-ish on top of that with full time unpaid work/learning? Crazy.

For many of you, as for many of us, exploring the options available to us after undergrad is an overwhelming and stressful project. It involves deciding where you’re willing to live, what sort of program you’re after, what experiences are make or break for you, and a million other things like distance from SO, family, and finances.

I've been student for 6+ years and I'm good at it; I know how to study, I know how to manage my time, I know my shit. I have never been an intern. I have never been a dietitian. To say I'm scared of these new roles I'm stepping into is kind of an understatement.

Ever feel like you cheated when you didn't? Do you ever feel like you just got lucky and didn't actually earn this? Did you ever feel like you were hiding something when you weren't? That's imposter syndrome. Strange hey? But not as uncommon as you think.