It’s time to vote for your favorite photo!
See the awesome photos submitted for the GSAW contest, and pick the one that speaks to you most. The People’s Choice winner will earn $50 Tech Cash. Vote until noon on Thursday, April 18!
Hear all about Graduate Student Appreciation Week and other positive, wellness-related content: follow MIT GradLink on Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter!
Enjoy fortune cookies and stickers of a relaxing Tim the Beaver, available at most events!
2024 schedule
All week: Monday-Friday, April 1-7
Send an encouraging GSAWgram to a fellow grad student!
Send a GSAWgram
Brighten a fellow grad student’s day with a heartfelt or funny GSAWgram! Just fill out the form, pick your GSAWgram of choice, and it’ll be sent along to the email you choose.
Please note: Emails will not be sent automatically after you submit this form, as a friendly neighborhood OGE employee has to hit “send.”
Emails shared in this form will only be used to send your GSAWgram. Be kind! We reserve the right to not send any gram if there’s a chance it may cause harm to the recipient.
Photo contest: Win prizes!
*See contest details below.
Submit your photo by midnight on Sunday, April 7
Sunset bike rides, lab days with your research group, studying in unique spots, beautiful views on campus, or anything else that inspires an image — we want to see moments from your life that speak to your experience at MIT!
You can enter one image per category, if it inspires you! Please submit each entry in a new form.
Categories:
- That’s so MIT (On-brand moments in your life that make you say, “That’s so MIT of me/us!” Winner will be selected on visual merit rather than being the “most MIT.”)
- Seen off-campus (Landscapes of Boston and Cambridge or off-campus experiences, like field work or MIT group trips)
- Grad life “art photography” (Artsy shots, detail shots, thinking outside of the box)
- Joy (An image that radiates joy, connected in any way to your MIT experience!)
- People’s Choice (by popular vote)
Prizes include Tech Cash and beach towels! Learn more about the contest and submit your photos to enter starting Monday, April 1.
Your MIT email address will only be used to provide pickup details if you win a prize.
Have coffee with a friend at Hayden Cafe!
ALL VOUCHERS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED!
Serious question: Can you ever have too much coffee? If you haven’t yet reached your quota, the MIT Libraries is here to help! Stop by OGE headquarters in 3-107 to pick up vouchers for free coffee at the Hayden Cafe! Two vouchers per person, so you can tag up with a friend. While supplies last; this webpage will be updated when we run out.
Raffle for grad students with children
Enter the raffle by noon on Friday, April 5
Grad students with children: Enter a raffle for a $25 gift certificate to Henry Bear’s Park Toy Store in Porter Square — there will be 10 winners! Submit your entry (limit 1 per grad family) by noon on Friday, April 5. The drawing will take place Friday afternoon and winners will be contacted by email.
Monday, April 1
Chair massages (Registration required)
West Lounge (W20-201) / 11:00am-3pm / Register for chair massages
Registration for chair massages opens March 25 (one per student; sign up for either Monday or Tuesday or drop-in, first-come/first-served on Friday)
Start the week out right — treat yourself to a free chair massage! Register in advance to secure your 15 minute slot. Your neck and shoulders will thank you!
One massage per student (sign up for either Monday or Tuesday, or drop-in first-come, first-served on Friday).
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education.
Plant your own lucky bamboo (Drop-in)
Bush Room (10-105) / 4-5pm
Fill a glass vase with your choice of pebbles and shoots of bamboo. Will you choose 1 stalk for truth or commitment? 2 stalks for love? Or 3 stalks for happiness or a new beginning? Plant your choice and bring some luck to your home or workspace!
Available while supplies last.
Sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor.
Tuesday, April 2
Chair massages (Registration required)
West Lounge (W20-201) / 11:00am-3pm / Register for chair massages
Registration for chair massages opens March 25 (one per student; sign up for either Monday or Tuesday or drop-in, first-come/first-served on Friday)
Treat yourself to a free chair massage! Register in advance to secure your 15 minute slot. Your neck and shoulders will thank you!
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education.
Wind down at the Wellbeing Lab (Drop-in)
Wellbeing Lab (W20, Room 308) / 1-3pm
Looking for a little space to just breathe? Waiting for your chair massage appointment? Drop into the Wellbeing Lab for relaxing activities — coloring pages, building with LEGOs, card games — and a snack. You might even get to pick up a small giveaway! While you’re here, learn more about the resources available to support your wellbeing on campus, and put a face to a name.
Sponsored by Doing Well and MIT Community Wellness.
Cookies & carnations at the Muddy (Drop in)
Muddy Charles Pub, building 50, first floor / 3:30pm
Join Graduate Residential Life at the Muddy Charles pub for an early happy hour complete with cookies, carnations, and non-alcoholic bevs. (Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.) Don’t forget your MIT ID for access!
Sponsored by Graduate Residential Life.
Makerspace Night (Registration required)
MIT MakerWorkshop, 35-122 / 5-7pm / Register for Makerspace Night
Learn something new or build on your makerspace skills with the MIT MakerWorkshop! In this casual introductory event, you’ll get the chance to make your own keepsake with either 3D printing or an engraved cutting board or glass.
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education.
Wednesday, April 3
MOSAIC Graduation Celebration
12:30-2pm / Register to attend
We are celebrating the momentous achievements of our diverse graduating students with dancing, food, and community! Graduate students who identify as people of color, and their supporters (students, staff and faculty) are very welcome. Please direct any questions to graddiversity@mit.edu.
Sponsored by Intercultural Engagement, the Office of Graduate Education, and the Office of Minority Education.
Grad/Postdoc Mental Health & Wellness Speaker: An interview with Sherry Turkle
4-5:30pm / Online / Sign up to receive the Zoom link
Come and hear from one of MIT’s most thought-provoking scholars. Sherry Turkle joins CAPD in an interview to discuss her graduate experience and reflect on how graduate studies have evolved, offer insight on the challenges she’s faced and those our graduate students and postdocs face today, and consider how you can maintain a healthy relationship with technology when your work depends on its use, development, and application.
Sherry Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT, and the founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Professor Turkle received a joint doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard University and is a licensed clinical psychologist. Professor Turkle writes on the “subjective side” of people’s relationships with technology, especially computers. She is an expert on culture and therapy, mobile technology, social networking, and sociable robotics.
Sponsored by Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD).
Skip the Small Talk with Alumni (Registration required)
VIRTUAL / 7pm-8pm / Register for Skip the Small Talk
Want to have some engaging casual chats with MIT alumni and other current grad students? Skip the Small Talk is a great chance to have meaningful conversations with grad students and alumni you haven’t met before! You’ll be paired with a series of others for brief conversations with prompts designed to foster connection and friendship.
Sign up to receive a Zoom link. Signups will close when full.
Sponsored by the MIT Alumni Association.
Thursday, April 4
GradSupport open house (Register for lunch; can drop-in for raffle)
Building 3-136 / 10am-12pm / Register for GradSupport open house lunch
Come to over to say hi to the GradSupport team and an adorable dog, honorary “Dean” Gavin! We will have grab-and-go lunches for those who register. Be sure to pick up your lunch by 11:45am, or lunches will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Didn’t register? Stop by anyway and enter our raffle for a chance to win a soothing full-body massage!
We can’t wait to see you!
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education.
Mocktails & masterpieces: Grad student “crafternoon” with CAPD (RSVPs encouraged, or drop-in)
W20-401 / 12-2pm / RSVP for mocktails & masterpieces
Join your fans at CAPD for a crafternoon of “Mocktails and Masterpieces.” Learn the simple but elegant art of glass etching, choose a piece of glassware that catches your fancy, and make it yours with an etched design. Refreshments, some tunes, and mocktails complete the milieu.
Sponsored by Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD).
Celebrating women, nonbinary, and LBGTQ+ grads! (Drop-in)
3:30-4:30pm / 3-308
Join us for a lively celebration event honoring all women, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ students! Stop by to eat some food and get some LBGTQ+ and WXGS swag from mugs to tote bags.
Sponsored by LBGTQ+ Services and Women’s & Gender Studies.
Paint night (Registration required)
7-8:30pm / Register for paint night
Want to stretch your creativity? Give painting a try! Grad students will get step-by-step guidance from a professional artist through an evening of painting. You’ll be welcome to follow along or create something of your own! No experience necessary — all levels welcome.
Open to first 50 registrants. All supplies provided.
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education.
Friday, April 5
Chair massages (Drop in)
Z Center Lobby/ 10am-2pm / First-come, first-served
You made it to the end of the week — treat yourself to a free chair massage! Please form a polite queue, and our masseuse Zach will be with you in good time. Your neck and shoulders will thank you!
One massage per student, please – if you had one on Monday or Tuesday, let someone else have a turn.
Sponsored by MIT Recreation.
RESCHEDULING: G-FLI & alumni meet and greet
Register for rescheduling updates
Graduate students who identify as first-generation and/or low-income are invited to come greet each other and MIT alumni who share their identity! Connect with new friends and potential mentors over refreshments.
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education in collaboration with G-FLI.
Saturday, April 6
Walking tour of Boston (Registration required)
2-4pm / Register for the walking tour
Get outdoors and enjoy some early spring weather! Join former MIT staff member and professional city tour guide Ed Ballo for a two-hour walk along Boston’s Freedom Trail. The trail is a red line on the pavement that leads past 16 different historic sites and was created 60 years ago. Wear walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.
Space for this event is highly limited, and sign-up is required. Please let us know if you can’t make it so the spot can be opened to someone on the waitlist.
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education.
Sunday, April 7
Petting zoo & crafts: With dedicated time for graduate student parents and children! (Registration required)
Building 18 lobby / 10am-12pm / Register for the petting zoo!
We are excited to host Enchanted Animal Parties for Grad Student Appreciation Week! Please join us for a fun morning of petting baby animals. The kids will have crafts to do while they wait for their turn.
The first hour of the event (10am-11am) is reserved for student parents and their children. The second hour (11am-12pm) is open to all graduate students on a first come, first serve basis.
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education.
Walking tour of Boston (Rain date only)
2-4pm
This date will be used in case of rain on April 6.
Monday, April 8
Treats & talks: International mixer (Registration details included in the weekly ISO newsletter)
Location shared in the ISO newsletter / 5-6pm
ISO Grad Fellows, Ambar and Manavi, will be organizing a special “Treats & Talks: International Mixer” for Grad Appreciation on Monday, April 8 from 5pm to 6pm. Desserts will be provided.
*Photo contest details
Enter our photo contest and share moments from your life that speak to your experience at MIT!
WINNERS & PRIZES:
All photos will be entered in a special People’s Choice competition, so check GradLink on social media or look for an email to vote the week of April 8! Voting will close at noon on Thursday, April 11.
The OGE’s panel of staff judges will select one winner from each category. A student may only win in a single category. Winners will be announced on Friday, April 12. The “People’s Choice” winner will receive $50 in TechCash. Winners in the other categories will receive $25 in TechCash and a stylish beach towel.
WHAT’S NEXT:
Stay tuned to see your photos on the OGE’s social media (with attribution, unless specifically requested).
