MSc with no Funding

[gradschooldisaster]

I have been accepted to a research-based graduate program. Generally, for this type of program, I know many are guaranteed around 18000/year stipend for their 2 years of MSc. I have zero funding with little hope of getting any for the coming year. Also, its outside Ontario so I'm not even eligible for Ontario Accessibility Grant which minimizes your loans to $7300/year. Instead, I'll have to pay $16000/year. I have some money (not nearly that much) and will have to pay back every loan I get and maybe apply for a line of credit.

 

Did any of you go through a thesis-based master's with zero funding? If not, would you?

 

Also, my GPA this year was steller (>3.9) and will count towards grad school if I apply again this year. Maybe I should stay back and do another year? It might also help more for med school in the long run.

[PCC]

Your supervisor should fund you if you don't have external funding, until you get one.

 

If he is unwilling to, thats a clue to not do Msc with the supervisor.

 

I like a generous supervisor.

[lostintime]

If it's a research-based Masters, why do you have to dish out $16k? Usually they only make you pay that much if it's course-based.

 

And the situation does sound very sketchy, I wouldn't go with that supervisor if they didn't even have enough funding for me. Doesn't say good things about your future funding of projects, etc.

[astrogirl]

That does sound extremely sketchy if you're in a field where people are generally funded (ie most of science). I would absolutely not do that. Not just because of the money, but that's an indication that something is wrong in that department or with that supervisor, and this may only be the beginning of the crap you'll have to deal with.

[leap87]

I agree with the rest of the posters. Even if you don't have external funding, your supervisor should have put in some money to help you out as well as helped you find some internal scholarships. My friend entering Masters right now got 13,000$ from university plus another 4,000$ from my supervisor.

 

I wouldn't do it with that supervisor if I were you and I definitively wouldn't do Masters without any funding. Staying in school for another year wouldn't be a bad idea. Just make sure you contact a potential supervisor over the summer, so that you can apply for either NSERC or CIHR and then OGS later on. Pick wisely when it comes to Masters.

[roxxy]

I'm not sure about your program, but for my program, MSc students usually not funded (this excluded external funding that we apply for ourselves).

I'm in a similar situation, I was offered no funding from my program, but my supervisor said she would provide me with a tuition waiver. It's better than nothing, but still frustrating.

If you really like the program, and you feel your supervisor and you are a good fit, I recommend applying to every external funding agency possible. These applications get easier once you have done a few.

[Ollie]

Yeah that sounds kind of sketchy. What school is this at? Most schools guarantee you a stipend for a research-based masters, but may require that you do TAships or something. I didn't have any external funding for my whole MSc, so I just got the minimum stipend payed by my supervisor.

[gradschooldisaster]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the replies. It is a science field where some people get funding. Not all schools have a lot of funding for this particular field but I know a few friends that are getting 18000/yr in the same field (with a similar 2-yr GPA to mine) and this is just guaranteed from the school - some got OGS too.

I am scared. My supervisor has assured me that my project is funded...just not any personal funding. Which I guess means I won't have to fund my research...which would be crazy if I had to!

 

It would be sad to have to pay my own way through a master's degree. I worked hard during undergrad and got good grades (mostly 80s since second year). I just didn't do a very good job of applying to grad school since I was so busy applying to med.

 

Also, I can't say the name of the program or the school since I wish to remain anonymous, and I also don't want to complain about the school. I currently go to one of the top Canadian schools in Ontario but the school I will be going to is out-of-province and not ranked as highly.

[hastin11]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the replies. It is a science field where some people get funding. Not all schools have a lot of funding for this particular field but I know a few friends that are getting 18000/yr in the same field (with a similar 2-yr GPA to mine) and this is just guaranteed from the school - some got OGS too.

I am scared. My supervisor has assured me that my project is funded...just not any personal funding. Which I guess means I won't have to fund my research...which would be crazy if I had to!

 

It would be sad to have to pay my own way through a master's degree. I worked hard during undergrad and got good grades (mostly 80s since second year). I just didn't do a very good job of applying to grad school since I was so busy applying to med.

 

Also, I can't say the name of the program or the school since I wish to remain anonymous, and I also don't want to complain about the school. I currently go to one of the top Canadian schools in Ontario but the school I will be going to is out-of-province and not ranked as highly.

 

Take a year off and apply to med school again. I would in no way pay for a grad school like that.

[Adversary]

I worked in researched before I applied to dental school. There was a guy in another lab who was not paid for his masters... Do you know what I thought? Dumbest guy I ever met. Practically everyone else got paid. He was a big sucker. Seriously, don't be that guy.

[A-Stark]

Did any of you go through a thesis-based master's with zero funding? If not, would you?

 

Absolutely not. It is VERY unusual not to be offered a funding package (assistantships + scholarships) for a research-based graduate degree and you should not accept such terms.

 

Also, my GPA this year was steller (>3.9) and will count towards grad school if I apply again this year. Maybe I should stay back and do another year? It might also help more for med school in the long run.

 

I don't know the details of your situation, but if your GPA is stellar (not the other years?), why bother with an extra year of undergrad? There are more interesting things to do than school.

[leap87]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the replies. It is a science field where some people get funding. Not all schools have a lot of funding for this particular field but I know a few friends that are getting 18000/yr in the same field (with a similar 2-yr GPA to mine) and this is just guaranteed from the school - some got OGS too.

I am scared. My supervisor has assured me that my project is funded...just not any personal funding. Which I guess means I won't have to fund my research...which would be crazy if I had to!

 

It would be sad to have to pay my own way through a master's degree. I worked hard during undergrad and got good grades (mostly 80s since second year). I just didn't do a very good job of applying to grad school since I was so busy applying to med.

 

Also, I can't say the name of the program or the school since I wish to remain anonymous, and I also don't want to complain about the school. I currently go to one of the top Canadian schools in Ontario but the school I will be going to is out-of-province and not ranked as highly.

 

Advice: Go to school which has money. Choose a supervisor who gets a lot of funding. This way you avoid the whole "no money" issue because your supervisor will be able to give you some money. Having funding looks better, sounds better and it is better. And IMO, it's kind of retarded your university doesn't give you any money. All universities I know of give you some sort of funding.

[ontariostudent]

Yup, the schools I know guarantee funding for their students, even when the supervisors can't supply the money. Are you absolutely sure that you aren't getting a stipend? Doing an MSc without getting paid is worse than slave labor (doing an MSc and getting paid IS slave labor ). Seriously, though. There's a reason that students in research based grad programs get paid- it's because very few people would ever do the research otherwise. It is in the best interest of the university to give you incentive to actually do it. I would never do it for free, especially if you have to pay tuition from your own pocket! If you have good grades, try to scramble to find a program with a supervisor who can pay.

[gradschooldisaster]

It seems like almost an unanimous "no" for going to grad school with no funding.

 

I have decent grades for my last two years: 88% 4th and 85% 3rd year. First and second year were only 75% and 80%, respectively.

 

These responses have made me look into other avenues. I'm considering post-degree work. At least then my GPA will be better for med school. But honestly, I feel sunk. I had so many safety nets and they all failed me: I applied for med, 3 grad schools (2 of which I got into with no funding and one really awesome one which I'm still wait-listed) and 2-year nursing (which I rejected because I got into grad school).

 

Let this be a lesson to all med school hopefuls that plan on casting a plethora of safety nets. Make sure you have funding and apply to more grad schools!!! I went to student awards today and they suggested I apply to OSAP and take out a line of credit. I don't want to be in-debt forever. Especially if my ultimate goal is med. I also don't want to become a professional student.

[shannn]

Let this be a lesson to all med school hopefuls that plan on casting a plethora of safety nets. Make sure you have funding and apply to more grad schools!!! I went to student awards today and they suggested I apply to OSAP and take out a line of credit. I don't want to be in-debt forever. Especially if my ultimate goal is med. I also don't want to become a professional student.

 

Your safety nets do not have to be more school, you can always just get a job. That way, you can pay off your debts.

[gradschooldisaster]

Your safety nets do not have to be more school, you can always just get a job. That way, you can pay off your debts.

 

That is very true. However, I can't live with my parents due to location. By the time I pay for food and housing and with the poor economy, I'd make very little for school. I have calculated it out...and its probably better economically and academically to go back to school for a year and earn a stipend.

 

However, if I got a job out-of-province, that may be a good option. At least then, my options for med school increase. My degree is pretty useless as far as degrees go, however. I might be able to get a job at McDonalds or something similar.

[gradschooldisaster]

Just thought I'd do a quick update:

 

The school did eventually offer some partial funding to cover tuition.

 

However, I recently got accepted to the same program at another (highly ranked) school with full funding! Yay!

 

I agree with you all: a thesis-based master`s without funding is not a good idea. it is a reflection of the faculty and will also make those 2 years that much more difficult as you try to work on your thesis while working part time jobs and going into debt.

[The Law]

Yeah that sounds kind of sketchy. What school is this at? Most schools guarantee you a stipend for a research-based masters, but may require that you do TAships or something. I didn't have any external funding for my whole MSc, so I just got the minimum stipend payed by my supervisor.

 

+2, same with me.