NSERC Starter

[ysk1]

Hi,

 

I'm a second year student who didn't declare my major yet.

This year I'm going to apply for NSERC for the first time.

At my school the deadline is this month.

I've never done this before so I have no idea about the process.

My school's advisors said I first need to pick a supervisor who studies your area of interest.

But the problem is that I don't know what my area of interest is except that I'm interested in biochemistry, biology, or chemistry lol..

In front of the advisor I was too embarrassed to admit that I don't know my area of interest.. But isn't it normal for people like me who is in second year and who never did any real research before to not know your research interest area?

I don't even know how to pick a supervisor...

Do I just randomly approach a prof I picked in mind and ask him/her to be my NSERC supervisor?

Thanks.

[a41]

1. Go to a prof you want to work with.

2. Get him/her to sponsor your NSERC application in the department he/she works in.

3. ...

4. Profit!

 

 

When I started out, I just went to the only prof I knew in my department and asked if he would sponsor my NSERC application. Luckily he said yes (and did biomaterials/tissue engineering research) and 3 summers of decent employment was born. I would look more into the type of research each prof does and what interests you. If you do something you don't like, you will end up hating it a lot.

 

Each department usually has a set number of NSERC awards. By NSERC's standards you really only need a 70 average or so, but it is the department that usually ends up with the final decision. It is usually just done by marks.

 

If you want it easy, switch to engineering or some other lucrative field. The 3rd time I did NSERC USRA there were less applicants than the number of awards available. This is because even though you usually get 8-9k for the summer (higher than average I think), engineering undergrads are getting anywhere from 13-20k over the summer in industry.

[Julie]

Hi,

 

I'm a second year student who didn't declare my major yet.

This year I'm going to apply for NSERC for the first time.

At my school the deadline is this month.

I've never done this before so I have no idea about the process.

My school's advisors said I first need to pick a supervisor who studies your area of interest.

But the problem is that I don't know what my area of interest is except that I'm interested in biochemistry, biology, or chemistry lol..

In front of the advisor I was too embarrassed to admit that I don't know my area of interest.. But isn't it normal for people like me who is in second year and who never did any real research before to not know your research interest area?

I don't even know how to pick a supervisor...

Do I just randomly approach a prof I picked in mind and ask him/her to be my NSERC supervisor?

Thanks.

 

It's perfectly fine not to know your area of interest yet. It would be so even if you were done your undergrad! To find out, you have to try it, which is what you apply to NSERC for:p You can kind of get an idea of which research you think sounds interesting and then go from there.

 

There are many ways you can do this, the first of which is probably to look up the different profs online. Most of the ones I know have a personal web page, often there's a link to it on the school's website. Generally, there's a short description of what they do, and a list of publications. The description will give you an idea, and you can read the abstracts from the publications if you think you might be interested. It's almost like reading a restaurant menu : you won't know for sure if it'll be good, but you'll have an idea of what sounds like it might be and what sounds like it might not be. While you're on the prof's page, you might also find out if he has NSERC funding which, if I'm not mistaken, is a requisite for an NSERC supervisor.

 

You can then find out more by talking to students from labs/talking to profs. Generally profs will be very cooperative if you ask them what kind of research they do. They will be more than willing to sit down with you & tell you all about it. To get a prof to supervise you, you just basically tell them you think their research sounds interesting & would like to learn more about it. Then you can ask if they would take you as an NSERC student.

 

In the end, don't worry too much about the area of research. The good think about summer NSERC is that it's only for a few months. You get an idea of what it's like, & if you don't like it, the next summer you can pick another lab. The research exposure will be transferable from field to field, at least partly.

[ysk1]

Thanks for the posts, Julie and a41.

Could I ask one more thing?

Once you apply across different departments and later you receive awards from more than one, can you choose only one and give up on others? But if you do that, then wouldn't your supervisors in those departments hate you?

[a41]

Thanks for the posts, Julie and a41.

Could I ask one more thing?

Once you apply across different departments and later you receive awards from more than one, can you choose only one and give up on others? But if you do that, then wouldn't your supervisors in those departments hate you?

 

They will HATE YOU. Haha Sounds funny when you say it that way. This won't be a problem. When you are awarded the USRA by the department, they will give you some time to either accept or decline the award. If you are offered a few different ones, then go ahead and choose the one you like the best. If you're only in second year, chances are you're not going to make or break a prof's research program. They won't care. Just let them know what happened and thank them for their time.

[daryn]

I know you probably know this, but

 

IMHO summer NSERCS will not make or break your application. The same goes for research. (some circumstances notwithstanding)

 

I know that you are only applying, and applying doesn't hurt, but I think you should do a little bit of soul searching before you contact profs. I'm not saying that you should have a definite clear cut set of interests, but you should at least have more of an idea than just biology/chemistry/biochemistry.

 

Seriously, some medical schools do care of research to a certain degree, but many people get in without it. I think it's what you look like as a complete package, not just separate components like research etc.

 

Volunteering at the biochem lab is fine. It shows you have a degree of familiarity with the lab environment (calling it research is a stretch though). What did you learn from it? Did you talk to the PI about future goals (esp with leads in summer research)? DId you talk to the grad students? What did you learn about the research projects in the lab group? You should have learned more than "just" cleaning glassware.

[a41]

I have a question about NSERC. When you get it, are you suppose to make up your own research??? or does ur supervisor tell you how to do it???

 

Because if its just that they provide funding and you have to do the rest, I wouldn't have any idea where to start.

 

It's pretty open. Your prof has to write up a project proposal to give to NSERC, but they don't actually make sure that you actually do that. Your prof will have some small project, or a part of a larger one that they need done. They can give you as much or as little guidance as you want. To them, you are cheap labour so they probably don't expect much anyways. Make sure you make as much of the experience as you can.

[VitaminC]

Another question:

With the NSERC awards, are we usually expected to work full-time for the full 16 weeks? i.e. 8 hours/days, 5 hours/week? I'd like to apply but it seems like it would take up my entire summer..

[ysk1]

VitaminC, It should be taking the entire summer.

I think I saw somewhere on the NSERC website that you have to work a minimum of 16 weeks.

[ysk1]

What happens if you find a supervisor, apply for NSERC, and then you end up not getting picked.

Then what do you say to the supervisor?

 

"I'm not chosen so I'm not going to be doing NSERC this summer with you. Good bye."

 

Will he think lowly of you or get disappointed because you're not picked?

 

Sorry if this is a weird question.. lol

[MedPen]

What happens if you find a supervisor, apply for NSERC, and then you end up not getting picked.

Then what do you say to the supervisor?

 

"I'm not chosen so I'm not going to be doing NSERC this summer with you. Good bye."

 

Will he think lowly of you or get disappointed because you're not picked?

 

Sorry if this is a weird question.. lol

 

No! Why would he/she say that? All profs know the NSERC distribution process and must understand how competitive it it. Besides, most profs wouldn't agree to fill out the NSERC paperwork for you if they didn't think you had a decent chance of getting your grant.

[thami]

What constitutes "a decent chance" of securing an NSERC grant? I am currently volunteering in a lab, where I'm getting a whole lot of exposure to my supervisor's research (he is actually teaching me about his project and the methods being used so I'm not just a lab slave). If I were to apply for a NSERC it would be to continue doing what I'm doing now.

 

The post docs in the lab have recommended I apply, although I have no idea how much grades factor into getting an NSERC. Can anyone give some insight?

[Jochi1543]

The post docs in the lab have recommended I apply, although I have no idea how much grades factor into getting an NSERC. Can anyone give some insight?

 

The breakdown is on the NSERC website somewhere, so I would just google. Grades are a pretty major part of the NSERC for undergrads, I think it's like 50%, if not more. If you have a 3.7+, you should definitely apply, though. If you have below that, it's up to your supervisor to decide how competitive s/he thinks you are.

[MedPen]

Grades don't factor into the NSERC that much but there is a caveat. The government, who supplies the money to the universities, set the cutoff at about 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.

 

However, that being said, each school and each faculty has its owns selection process. Some schools/faculties allocate a certain number of NSERCs to a certain department while some schools only go by GPA.

 

So, while in essence, grades aren't a stringent prereq for the NSERC, it really depends on the school/faculty.

[daryn]

Grades do count a pretty significant portion for undergrads.

 

Grad students are a different story.

[ysk1]

If your potential supervisor during interview asks why you chose him to do research with him/her and asks your main reason for doing it, and you're doing it mainly to boost your med school application, should you say something else like "I love your research" or some other BS? Will being honest and telling that you're doing it mainly to be more competitive for med school turn off the prof and therefore end up not agreeing to do NSERC with you?

[ysk1]

I recently got a letter notifying me that I got the NSERC and my supervisor told me to come see him so that he'll give me things to do before May.

I'm really excited about it.

 

1. What can I expect?

2. How can you make your NSERC experience as worthwhile as possible?

3. Is it possible to co-author a paper while doing NSERC? If so, how hard is it for a second-year student to do so?

4. What is a typical schedule for an undergrad NSERC student like?

5. Can you enrol in summer course(s) while doing NSERC? (My university is a trisemester, by the way)

6. Are you considered full-time (equivalent to taking at least 15 credits?) when you spend the whole summer (May-Aug) doing NSERC?

7. Typically, how much do you have to work, and how much time do you have to put in?

[blinknoodle]

I recently got a letter notifying me that I got the NSERC and my supervisor told me to come see him so that he'll give me things to do before May.

I'm really excited about it.

 

1. What can I expect?

2. How can you make your NSERC experience as worthwhile as possible?

3. Is it possible to co-author a paper while doing NSERC? If so, how hard is it for a second-year student to do so?

4. What is a typical schedule for an undergrad NSERC student like?

5. Can you enrol in summer course(s) while doing NSERC? (My university is a trisemester, by the way)

6. Are you considered full-time (equivalent to taking at least 15 credits?) when you spend the whole summer (May-Aug) doing NSERC?

7. Typically, how much do you have to work, and how much time do you have to put in?

 

I would discuss these questions with your supervisor.

[noqturne]

I recently got a letter notifying me that I got the NSERC and my supervisor told me to come see him so that he'll give me things to do before May.

I'm really excited about it.

 

1. What can I expect?

2. How can you make your NSERC experience as worthwhile as possible?

3. Is it possible to co-author a paper while doing NSERC? If so, how hard is it for a second-year student to do so?

4. What is a typical schedule for an undergrad NSERC student like?

5. Can you enrol in summer course(s) while doing NSERC? (My university is a trisemester, by the way)

6. Are you considered full-time (equivalent to taking at least 15 credits?) when you spend the whole summer (May-Aug) doing NSERC?

7. Typically, how much do you have to work, and how much time do you have to put in?

 

Congrats on your USRA! I've done two before, and I've really enjoyed them, partly because my lab was a really great environment (people-wise) and partly because the projects interested me.

 

You should talk to your prof for #1 and 2.

 

3. It really depends on the lab. Some labs are very productive, and churn out papers regularly. Others don't. Talk to your professor about projects that may be used in a future paper. Of course, another big component is how much work you put into it. Some people choose to treat it as a vacation, others take it very seriously. And of course there's luck. If you're lucky, you may turn up some results that may be used in a paper. If you're not lucky, you can slave all summer and end up with nothing. Sounds discouraging, but that's how research works; you just have to persevere. Nevertheless, you can learn a lot, if you choose it, so it's definitely worthwhile. Don't focus too much on publishing at this stage. Just enjoy the experience, and if you do get to co-author, so much the better!

 

4. I think you're supposed to do something like 35h/week. The schedule itself you should work out with your prof. Usually, it would be the 9-5 deal for a less experienced student, because they wouldn't want to leave you alone in the lab.

 

5. I guess you could take summer courses, but it may be difficult to work it into your schedule (given the 35h/week). Again, discuss with your prof.

 

6. Sadly, no. Lol.

 

7. This really depends on you, and also who you're working with (or for). As I said, some people slack and treat it as a vacation, others move fast through their project. Also depends on your professor. Some are very demanding, and will expect progress reports weekly/have weekly meetings. Others won't push you (but you still need to work). Also, if you get assigned to a post-doc... gawd help you. Lol, not really (but sometimes!). Oh, also depends on the people in your lab. For example, in my lab, some people did a 10-4 deal, which was... less than ideal... but if everyone is doing it, there's no reason you have to stay until 5 or 6 or 7 and make everyone else look bad! Peer pressure, lol.

 

I don't think I answered any of your questions concretely, lol, but I hope it helped anyway.

[thami]

if you get assigned to a post-doc... gawd help you.

 

Should I be worried?

 

Another question: what is considered meaningful research as an undergraduate?

[AdamP]

cool thread...congrats to the usra recipiants, i'm doing an environmental engineering nserc placement this summer so probably a bit different from the norm i believe for us the grant is 100% dependant on grades, however I have heard there are less eng applicants but similar dollars allocated so it is not fiercely competitive

 

as for the usra experience itself i can't give any direct pointers since this is my first year all i can say is that i've heard as with all research the experience you have is heavily dependant on your supervisor and the grad students you work with

 

I would suggest anyone considering nserc to approach the profs they like not the ones they think will choose them...

 

that being said i don't know how all schools work, for us it was approach prof first apply after it may be reversed at other places.

[ysk1]

Thanks for the post, noqturne.

 

if you get assigned to a post-doc... gawd help you.

 

Is there anything you can do to prevent that?

I've been volunteering in the lab since last September under the direction of two staffs, who always made me do things like washing beakers and labeling petri dishes (btw, I'm still volunteering there doing such things). Will I likely be assigned to them for NSERC as well? I really hope not, because those two weren't (aren't) that helpful and nice to work with.

 

Edit: Someone just told me that most undergrad NSERC students end up doing NSERC with post-doc's. I'm afraid I'll be no exception, because throughout volunteering in this lab I rarely saw the prof whose name this lab is named after and who will be my NSERC supervisor work in the lab and interact with lab members. The lab has ~5 grad students, 5 staffs, and 6 volunteers. I don't know if this is considered a big lab, but what I'm sure of is that prof-student interaction in the lab is very small, if not totally absent, based on my observations for the past 6 months.

[aquaman]

6 volunteers?? What kind of lab is your PI running...

[thami]

I am still not seeing why working under post-doctoral fellows would be considered a bad thing. I'm in a lab right now where I'm volunteering for a post-doc, and in my opinion it might actually be a good thing because you get to learn/work alongside someone. I have to agree though, that the PI is nearly non-existent, because he is so busy. In general I would say to take some initiative-- in my experience post-docs are quite understanding of where you're coming from as an undergrad, and if you make it known to them that you'd like to have more a role or learn more about the PI's work, I'm sure they'd hear you on that.

All the volunteers in our lab get dragged around to conferences held by the department where we get to interact with a whole bunch of PI's and find out about related work going on in other labs. They have also organized activities in which we can participate (read: field trips!) to get to know other volunteers, PI's, staff, etc. Find out if your lab has these opportunities.

[ysk1]

6 volunteers?? What kind of lab is your PI running...

 

Is that unusual?

Actually, even though the number of volunteers may be 6, each volunteer volunteers at most 5 hours (2 shifts) a week, so I don't see more than one volunteer in the lab during my shift.