As a bright bright eyed batch of graduate students are set to start, here are the top 11 pieces of advice NO ONE gave me when i started grad school that I wished they did: 1. ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS. No one will think any less of you, I've never regretted asking too many questions.

2. Be friendly, grateful, courteous, professional w/ the support stuff. The heart of science is the janitorial staff, secretaries, admin staff, stores & the workshop, building ops, media cooks, bldg. security. I cannot begin to tell you how many times they bailed me out of jams.

3. It's totally OK to not know things. You will meet many people who will know more stuff than you, this shouldn't make you feel intimidated, realise the opportunity! they can teach you new things. You WANT to be in an environment where people know things you don't.

4. Be brave & throw yourself into learning new techniques & tools. As the cliched saying goes "Choose to do things not because they are easy, but because they are hard". If you think "I'm terrible at this particular technique" you will never get better at it if you don't practice

5. Figure out when to quit things & learn when to let go, w/ your supervisor set general timelines & if things are not working by a certain point decide on alternative options. Time passes remarkably fast in grad school, at a blink of an eye you've spent 4 yrs on a failed project

6. ORGANISE. Find a system of making a schedule that works for you. Make a plan, make lists, have a calendar, make outlines, think about what you have done & where you are going, keep an eye on the big picture. Keep making figures as you go along so you'll know what's missing

7. Find the things you love doing & that you are good at (dissections, cloning, writing code, working on the confocal, doing complicated genetics, doing cell counts) & make some time in your schedule to do those things. It will help your morale when lots of other things go wrong.

8. Take really good care of yourself both physically & mentally. Grad school is a long haul & the most valuable resource you have is a healthy body & mind. Exercise, take breaks, spend time w/ family & friends, build a support network, & use counselling services if available.

9. Going to conferences is important, giving presentations (whether posters or talks) is invaluable practice. Try to arrange to have these opportunities. In some ways the move to virtual conferences during COVID has made this easier because it eliminates a lot of the costs.

10. Figure out how to get the help you need from your lab mates & mentor. Every mentor has different strengths, figure out what they are good at & focus on those things. Find out the strengths & expertise of those around you. Every person you meet is a potential mentor.

11. Talk to grey haired people & get a sense of history. Over the years I've learned so much by just listening to my scientific elders dispense wisdom & tell stories about how things used to be. Not only are the stories fascinating but they will give you an invaluable perspective