Master's- When to start approaching potential supervisors, apply for funding etc?

[januarytwenty]

This is all totally new to me (I've tried reading up about it, but I just can't figure out some of this stuff) so please bear with me

 

So I am going to be applying for an MSc (as a backup to med school) to start in 2010. I have a general idea of what I'd like to study and where (McGill or Queen's) but I'm not really sure about the timeline of all this.

-Do I need to start approaching potential supervisors very soon? I've noticed that some funding has deadlines around October-November so should I have figured out my supervisor by then (argh, soon )

-Or, should I be applying to funding on my own, and figure out a supervisor later (the application deadlines are in Feb/March so it would appear that I have some time).

-Lastly, are there any good resources listing the scholarships/funding I should be applying to? I've found the big ones (NSERC etc.) but I'm not sure how much is out there.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated by this grad school noob! Thanks in advance!

[WaveSense]

No such thing as asking too early. The really successful ones I have personally seen come through our labs come in during their 3rd year summer (before beginning 4th year). They usually apply for some summer scholarship or something. Then if they're a good fit and they feel up to it they come back during 4th year for a project course and continue their work and then start a Masters after 4th year.

 

The awards that you can apply to almost always require you to put something about your research plan (which you will need a supervisor for). The big ones, nserc, cihr and even OGS (if you're in ontario, no idea what the equivalent is in Quebec) are hard to get for 1st year masters students because you are competing against people with more training than you and better laid out research plans than you. Your best bet would be to contact the potential department that you plan to work in and they can help you identify appropriate funding sources. For example, if you end up in Ontario, you can look into the OGSST awards which have a later deadline.

 

But ya, start looking for supervisors as soon as you can. Some don't expect you to have funding your first year so they really only have room for 1 or so new masters students and so you want to be that person. good luck

[rmorelan]

Yeah if I were you I would start pretty soon - likely you can get funding which is VERY valuable, but the application forms are much easier if you have a superivisor (or at least a potential one) in mind. To be clear you don't actually have to have one, but constructing a competitive NSERC is much simpler if you do Plus it never hurts to get a jump on the good profs, particularly if you are open to a 4th year UG thesis course.

 

The other advantage to doing this now is that if you do get a bunch on interviews, Feb/March can be pretty busy. I lost 6 full weekends at least with interviews, practice, and general premed stuff. That really drains your time and you can't afford to drop your GPA as well in case you have to reapply. Early in the fall is just less stressful I think.

 

To be clear though once you get your funding you do not have to stick with a particular professor. You can shop around with scholarship in hand, and be more competitive as a result.

 

NSERC and OGS - ontario graduate scholarship - are the main ones in Ontario for funding. Not a bad idea if you have a good average to apply for both, although in the end you can only hold one of these.

 

 

 

This is all totally new to me (I've tried reading up about it, but I just can't figure out some of this stuff) so please bear with me

 

So I am going to be applying for an MSc (as a backup to med school) to start in 2010. I have a general idea of what I'd like to study and where (McGill or Queen's) but I'm not really sure about the timeline of all this.

-Do I need to start approaching potential supervisors very soon? I've noticed that some funding has deadlines around October-November so should I have figured out my supervisor by then (argh, soon )

-Or, should I be applying to funding on my own, and figure out a supervisor later (the application deadlines are in Feb/March so it would appear that I have some time).

-Lastly, are there any good resources listing the scholarships/funding I should be applying to? I've found the big ones (NSERC etc.) but I'm not sure how much is out there.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated by this grad school noob! Thanks in advance!

[januarytwenty]

Thanks for the very helpful reply!

 

So, do you think the best route would be to start emailing some profs about potentially doing a Master's with them, and then applying for funding with a given project in mind (although this sounds as though it wouldn't be set in stone)?

 

Another thing I'm a bit worried about is the whole med school thing. I realize it will be necessary to let potential profs know that I'm applying to med school... should I emphasize that I'm not entirely sure which route (med/grad) I want to take yet and that's why I'm currently pursuing both (which is true)? But will this make them lose interest in me as a potential grad student?

[WaveSense]

Hmmm I'm not sure if you can shop around after you get your scholarship. The reason I say this is because in terms of NSERC and CIHR, part of the application is your research environment. If you change this during the application process, they would have to re-evaluate your application. Research environment (pretty much the strength of your supervisor), is a pretty big chunk of the final score. You should probably contact NSERC or CIHR regarding whether you can switch projects/supervisors if you get the award. But you should note that if you do, the old supervisor would probably not be very happy lol.

 

Everyone has diff opinions on what you should do re: your ambitions of med school. For me, I think you should tell them everything, full disclosure. If they're no longer interested, they're not interested. Better find out now rather than 2 years down the line when they expect you to transfer (or continue on to) a PhD and then have a sour opinion of you.

[rmorelan]

Hmmm I'm not sure if you can shop around after you get your scholarship. The reason I say this is because in terms of NSERC and CIHR, part of the application is your research environment. If you change this during the application process, they would have to re-evaluate your application. Research environment (pretty much the strength of your supervisor), is a pretty big chunk of the final score. You should probably contact NSERC or CIHR regarding whether you can switch projects/supervisors if you get the award. But you should note that if you do, the old supervisor would probably not be very happy lol.

 

Everyone has diff opinions on what you should do re: your ambitions of med school. For me, I think you should tell them everything, full disclosure. If they're no longer interested, they're not interested. Better find out now rather than 2 years down the line when they expect you to transfer (or continue on to) a PhD and then have a sour opinion of you.

 

I asked about this actually specifically because I had three separate majors in my UG and wasn't fully clear at the time what I wanted to do, and I actually did shift research directions and was allowed to do so. You do have to choice what broad area - basically science versus arts, but after that the two advisors I was dealing with said I can move around. Naturally the original prof isn't too happy in some cases, and of course you would want to find your actual professor, but moving isn't too hard. It's why a lot of profs ask you if you have a scholarship right when you approach them as well

[NewfieMike]

I'm in your exact same boat... well sort of. I am starting a master's to hopefully roll into an MD/PhD if I can get accepted to med school.

 

I am in my final year of UG and have been looking for supervisors starting earlier this summer. Do you currently work in a lab or know anyone in a similar field? I've been doing undergrad research in a lab at MUN for a while but don't plan on staying for a master's. But I found a few supervisors away in a similar field, and as a result a lot of the people I work with gave me a lot of good advice about these particular individuals. It's one thing to get interested by the descriptions they have on their faculty websites. They could be really awful/unsupportive to work with.

 

So once I found someone I was pleased with, I just emailed him telling him I was interested and asking how free his lab space will be next year. A few emails, phone call, and visit to Calgary later and it's a confirmed deal. I've heard from many people that I have got a real early start on this, but I can assure you it feels nice having this settled away with upcoming funding deadlines fast approaching.

 

 

As for the disclosure issue. If you're a motivated student and everything plays out well for you, a master's should be done in 2 years. It would be a pretty **** move to get accepted by a supervisor and bail after 1 year to start medicine. A lot of supervisors won't take you if they know that and I find it personally immoral seeing as they wasted all that time training you. So if you're starting a masters, you may need to commit to a supervisor to sticking it through. But I can see your point. I doubt it sounds appealing to get an email from a student with the jist of "I want to work for you as a backup plan". Like said above though, full disclosure is key.