What is NSERC?

[iainrlamb]

Can someone explain to me what NSERC means? and what it involves? I tried to look it up on the net but it was poorly explained.

[A-Stark]

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council - one of the three federal academic granting agencies (along with SSHRC and CIHR). It offers summer research assistant scholarships for undergrads and major scholarships for grad students (and faculty grants of course).

[whale.of.a.time]

Summer NSERCS are great for undergrads who have good grades and want some paid summer research experience. They are not too too hard to get. Check here for more on that: http://www.nserc.gc.ca/sf_e.asp?nav=sfnav&lbi=1a

 

A postgraduate NSERC (PGS-M or PGS-D) will open the door for you to get pretty much any project you want. It's a national competition, and extremely hard to get. You need excellent marks and a great project proposal that's relevant to one of the areas covered by NSERC. But once you get it, you can change your project (or even your University!) and still get paid, as long as you stay in the sciences. The scholarship pays for your salary, so many supervisors are VERY excited to get an NSERC student (since they won't have to pay you from their own grant). http://http://www.nserc.gc.ca/sf_e.asp?nav=sfnav&lbi=2a

 

Postgraduate NSERCs are the biological version of CIHR grants (more medically oriented).

 

There are also NSERC equipment grants and NSERC professorship grants, etc. etc. up to the hundreds of thousands. Most professors who do research in some biology field are probably partially funded by an NSERC.

 

And there are plenty of other NSERC grants (like postdoc, northern research funds, etc.).

 

Some people think that if you get an USRA (undergrad summer NSERC) that it will make it easier for you to get a postgrad NSERC...but I never got one and managed to wiggle my way into a PGS-M anyway.

 

It's an amazing resource, and we're lucky to have it. The similar thing in the states is the NSF, and it's essentially impossible to get. So we're lucky Canadians!

[inspiring-curmudgeon]

What kind of marks does one need in first year to get said NSERC? 85%? Higher?

[ysk1]

What kind of marks does one need in first year to get said NSERC? 85%? Higher?

It depends on the institution and how many people apply for a position/lab in a given year and how many awards are available in that year.

The official minimum GPA to apply for the award is about 3.0 (You can look up the exact value on the NSERC website).

I once saw people with 3.2 getting it and other times people with 3.9 getting rejected.

So there is no fixed GPA that will get you the award.

 

But if you're applying in first year, you'd better have at least 3.8 because second, third, and fourth year students who apply for the same lab have a priority over first years who don't even have enough coursework done or any research experience.

 

Different universities have slightly different policies regarding getting an NSERC, so if you want to get the most accurate requirements, you should ask your university.

[In_Valid]

It depends on the institution and how many people apply for a position/lab in a given year and how many awards are available in that year.

The official minimum GPA to apply for the award is about 3.0 (You can look up the exact value on the NSERC website).

I once saw people with 3.2 getting it and other times people with 3.9 getting rejected.

So there is no fixed GPA that will get you the award.

 

But if you're applying in first year, you'd better have at least 3.8 because second, third, and fourth year students who apply for the same lab have a priority over first years who don't even have enough coursework done or any research experience.

 

Different universities have slightly different policies regarding getting an NSERC, so if you want to get the most accurate requirements, you should ask your university.

 

To me it seems like there is another factor. Usually there is a board in every department on campus that decides who gets the USRAs. They will award the USRAs to students who they think would make good graduate students. Makes sense. NSERC is for research and they will not be willing to give students who intend to go to medical school USRAs.

[ballofnerves]

To me it seems like there is another factor. Usually there is a board in every department on campus that decides who gets the USRAs. They will award the USRAs to students who they think would make good graduate students. Makes sense. NSERC is for research and they will not be willing to give students who intend to go to medical school USRAs.

 

Again, this would depend on the university. I go to a small university, but the majority of students who received USRAs this summer (including myself) have been very open about their intentions to pursue medicine. The major filter for choosing the recipients is GPA, specifically in the area in which you want to do research. I do not think that simply wanting to go to medicine should solely deter someone for applying for a USRA. Any person who is passionate about an area of science and is willing to immerse yourself in a project would be a good candidate in my eyes.

[ysk1]

I do not think that simply wanting to go to medicine should solely deter someone for applying for a USRA.

But given two people who have almost similar stats and research experiences, pregrad student would most likely be preferred over premed.

[A-Stark]

To me it seems like there is another factor. Usually there is a board in every department on campus that decides who gets the USRAs. They will award the USRAs to students who they think would make good graduate students. Makes sense. NSERC is for research and they will not be willing to give students who intend to go to medical school USRAs.

 

This is simply not true - for one thing, you are not asked about your future career plans when applying for a USRA. In any case, students who would excel in grad programs are not mutually exclusive of "premeds" by any stretch.

[A-Stark]

But given two people who have almost similar stats and research experiences, pregrad student would most likely be preferred over premed.

 

There's no such thing as a "pregrad" student - arguably, there's no such thing as "premed" either. (A bio prof of mine once went off on a brief rant about how the biology program is not premed, not least because most bio majors won't be going that route, whatever they might think while in first year.)

[futuredoc]

Again, this would depend on the university. I go to a small university, but the majority of students who received USRAs this summer (including myself) have been very open about their intentions to pursue medicine. The major filter for choosing the recipients is GPA, specifically in the area in which you want to do research. I do not think that simply wanting to go to medicine should solely deter someone for applying for a USRA. Any person who is passionate about an area of science and is willing to immerse yourself in a project would be a good candidate in my eyes.

 

I am a first year at Dal doing an NSERC. I must admit that medicine is one of the two paths I wish to follow (the other is organic chemistry). I don't think it is super difficult for the upper years to get an NSERC, but it is hell for first years. None of us had lower than a 4.2/4.3, which I think is 3.85+ on a 4.0 scale. Still, I wouldn't describe it as something critical to getting into med school. I only took it because I am still contemplating a career in research.

[rogerroger]

What kind of marks does one need in first year to get said NSERC? 85%? Higher?

 

 

At Western I applied via Shulichs and had >3.9 GPA. I got rejected after second year and accepted after third year. I know from friends it is much easier to get in if you apply via the faculty of science instead of the faculty of medicine.

[ballofnerves]

This is simply not true - for one thing, you are not asked about your future career plans when applying for a USRA. In any case, students who would excel in grad programs are not mutually exclusive of "premeds" by any stretch.

 

Very true. Nowhere does it say that students will be favored based upon their career plans. Keep in mind that some people go on to pursue an MD/PhD. Simply because somone wants to go to medicine doesn't mean that they are not interested in research. On the flipside, just because somebody intends on going to grad school doesn't mean that they would be a better choice for summer research.

 

Interests change over the course of a four-year degree...it makes little sense to discriminate amongst students based upon their speculative career plans.