Boa Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 What if you have a less than stellar transcript? Can you still consider research? I will be on my last year of undergrad.I did not do any research yet and I would like to get started but I feel like my grades will prevent me to get any position, im pretty sure professors ask for your transcript to get on their team... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 What if you have a less than stellar transcript? Can you still consider research? I will be on my last year of undergrad.I did not do any research yet and I would like to get started but I feel like my grades will prevent me to get any position, im pretty sure professors ask for your transcript to get on their team... I really think it depends on the professor, Boa. In my biochemistry and organic chemistry research projects, I was never even asked for my transcripts. I did know my professors very well though and did well in their classes. I think demonstrating interest is so important. Also, when I applied for clinical research I submitted my CV which included my cGPA (I did not attach my transcripts but informed my supervisor I would submit it upon request). I think it is definitely possible for you to get research experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boa Posted May 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 I really think it depends on the professor, Boa. In my biochemistry and organic chemistry research projects, I was never even asked for my transcripts. I did know my professors very well though and did well in their classes. I think demonstrating interest is so important. Also, when I applied for clinical research I submitted my CV which included my cGPA (I did not attach my transcripts but informed my supervisor I would submit it upon request). I think it is definitely possible for you to get research experience. I m so late, I only started to think of research this year so I didnt ''make friendly'' with any professors...haven't talk to any...furthermore, im pretty quiet in class and i dont participate in discussions, even though im interested.smh. so i was thinking maybe looking for research opportunities outside my university (hospitals, research institutes etc) Is this a good plan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 I m so late, I only started to think of research this year so I didnt ''make friendly'' with any professors...haven't talk to any...furthermore, im pretty quiet in class and i dont participate in discussions, even though im interested.smh. so i was thinking maybe looking for research opportunities outside my university (hospitals, research institutes etc)Is this a good plan? What year are you in, Boa? If you are only in your first year and do not have prior experience it is difficult to find a research position. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. I find that it takes a lot of research just to find a research opportunity. And perseverance + luck. If are gutsy, you could try emailing professors about the possibility of doing research for them. That is how I got my first lab volunteer stint. Also, look into websites from hospitals and research institutes to see if you can find something. Just keep a positive attitude and hope for the best And if you are applying for a position and want to ask specific questions about how to email a professor or that sort of thing, just send me a PM and I will try my best to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrogirl Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 i had a really good thing written then my internet died and now i'm on my kindle. but yes its very possible. more later with better grammar when the internet comes back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrogirl Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Okay, the internet is back and here is what I was trying to say earlier. I did research all throughout my undergrad with what would be considered "less than stellar grades" by the pm101 community. This forum is great, but one thing that drives me crazy is when people go around saying that if you don't have a 3.8 or 3.7 or whatever you've screwed everything up and ruined your chances at everything. It's just not true. Sure, it helps to have really good grades, but if you don't, then it's not all over for you. Especially when it comes to research. I had a 3.3 by the time I finished my undergrad, and less than that when I started doing research. You might not be able to get an NSERC with grades like that, but you don't need an NSERC or even a paying job to do research. I know someone who had been on academic probation at one point because her grades were so low (she wasn't just "stupid", there were a few extenuating circumstances) and she still managed to get a paying research job and several publications as an undergrad. Nobody ever even asked about my grades when I first started looking for research opportunities. In my last summer, I got a paying job from a department undergrad research fund, and I did have to submit transcripts for that, but apparently my grades were good enough. This is what I did when I was getting started. I started going to research group meetings for things I was interested in. Ask around your department and see if anything like that is happening. A lot of the time undergrads are welcome. From that I started doing unpaid research. I was willing to do things that were less than glamourous (including spending weekends shoveling dirt in the desert to clear out a place to build a greenhouse). But the thing that really got me into it and got me started on my senior thesis project and eventually that paying job was taking a research methods class. It was actually required for our major, but even if there's not something like that required for you, it still might exist. It was a pretty small class and I got to know the prof really well and spent the next two years working with him as undergrad and the two years after that doing my master's with him. I got sent to conferences and on trips to observatories and even ended up with TA jobs because of it. So those are a couple more ideas of how to get started. And does your department have any kind of research night/afternoon/whatever where profs get up and talk about what they do? Some departments do this in the fall to give new grad students or undergrads who a need a thesis project an idea of what's available, and there's usually coffee or something afterwards where you can then go and talk to profs you might want to work with. It's a very easy way to break the ice and get an idea of who is looking for students. Finally, I think the key to my getting ahead in research was that I was willing to start as an unpaid volunteer and work hard and do whatever they needed me to do. After doing that for a while and not quitting, people saw that I was actually interested in research itself and not just trying to get something to put on a resume/grad school application, and so they gave me better things to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boa Posted May 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 What year are you in, Boa? If you are only in your first year and do not have prior experience it is difficult to find a research position. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. I find that it takes a lot of research just to find a research opportunity. And perseverance + luck. If are gutsy, you could try emailing professors about the possibility of doing research for them. That is how I got my first lab volunteer stint. Also, look into websites from hospitals and research institutes to see if you can find something. Just keep a positive attitude and hope for the best And if you are applying for a position and want to ask specific questions about how to email a professor or that sort of thing, just send me a PM and I will try my best to help. I just finished my 2nd year (I have one year left). you are right, if I don't try, Ill never get anything! I started to look on montreal research institutes website and ive found some interesting projects but I realized that most of the teams are constituted of graduate students , so I don't know if I have a shot Also, given that I dont have any research background, I dont see how I could complement an already formed team, like, why would they hire me (not beneficial to them) and what would I do? I think it would me more of a pain for them to form me and stuff... I feel like kicking myself, why am I always late for these stuff loll Thanks again you for your help Cerena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boa Posted May 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 i had a really good thing written then my internet died and now i'm on my kindle. but yes its very possible. more later with better grammar when the internet comes back awwwwwww that sux when it happens, i feel you lol:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boa Posted May 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Okay, the internet is back and here is what I was trying to say earlier. I did research all throughout my undergrad with what would be considered "less than stellar grades" by the pm101 community. This forum is great, but one thing that drives me crazy is when people go around saying that if you don't have a 3.8 or 3.7 or whatever you've screwed everything up and ruined your chances at everything.---+1...this is mainly why I waited for so long before thinking about research...smh It's just not true. Sure, it helps to have really good grades, but if you don't, then it's not all over for you. Especially when it comes to research. I had a 3.3 by the time I finished my undergrad, and less than that when I started doing research. You might not be able to get an NSERC with grades like that, but you don't need an NSERC or even a paying job to do research. I know someone who had been on academic probation at one point because her grades were so low (she wasn't just "stupid", there were a few extenuating circumstances) and she still managed to get a paying research job and several publications as an undergrad. Nobody ever even asked about my grades when I first started looking for research opportunities. In my last summer, I got a paying job from a department undergrad research fund, and I did have to submit transcripts for that, but apparently my grades were good enough. This is what I did when I was getting started. I started going to research group meetings for things I was interested in. Ask around your department and see if anything like that is happening. A lot of the time undergrads are welcome. From that I started doing unpaid research. I was willing to do things that were less than glamourous (including spending weekends shoveling dirt in the desert to clear out a place to build a greenhouse). But the thing that really got me into it and got me started on my senior thesis project and eventually that paying job was taking a research methods class. It was actually required for our major, but even if there's not something like that required for you, it still might exist. It was a pretty small class and I got to know the prof really well and spent the next two years working with him as undergrad and the two years after that doing my master's with him. I got sent to conferences and on trips to observatories and even ended up with TA jobs because of it. So those are a couple more ideas of how to get started. And does your department have any kind of research night/afternoon/whatever where profs get up and talk about what they do? ----not really but there are some conferences during the summer, for instance, professors from udem (not my university but i dont think it matters?) are doing conferences on mental health throughout the month, maybe I should go to a couple.Some departments do this in the fall to give new grad students or undergrads who a need a thesis project an idea of what's available, and there's usually coffee or something afterwards where you can then go and talk to profs you might want to work with. It's a very easy way to break the ice and get an idea of who is looking for students---I will also be shadowing a couple of physicians this summer, do you think it's appropriate to ask them about their research projects?. Finally, I think the key to my getting ahead in research was that I was willing to start as an unpaid volunteer and work hard and do whatever they needed me to do.---The unpaid volunteering is an awesome idea, this way I can observe how is it to work in a lab and dont have to stress about them asking for my grades lol Maybe later on I could get a paid position but for now I would be grateful just to be able to volunteer! After doing that for a while and not quitting, people saw that I was actually interested in research itself and not just trying to get something to put on a resume/grad school application, and so they gave me better things to do. woah thats a lot of useful info astrogirl!! Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 woah thats a lot of useful info astrogirl!!Thank you so much! Thanks astrogirl! I learned a lot too Great to read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<abstract> Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Don't be discouraged, I am a first year undergrad and I went into a research role thinking it would be a volunteer position for the summer, ended up getting paid 1000 dollars for my work, and my supervisor credited the volunteer hours to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boa Posted May 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Don't be discouraged' date=' I am a first year undergrad and I went into a research role thinking it would be a volunteer position for the summer, [b']e[/b]nded up getting paid 1000 dollars for my work, and my supervisor credited the volunteer hours to boot. thats awesome!! I would like to know, while you were doing research in the summer, was it full time? What did your schedule look like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<abstract> Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 It was largely 5 days a week (sometimes 4), I informed them of some volunteer commitments and e.c. that I do so they worked around it for me. Basically it was 10-4 everyday, so about 24-30 hours a week depending on 4 or 5 day week. My supervisors were great and were really accommodating for my travel plans and such because they new that I was slave labour.. lol, and we had a great time. I also did this on top of a part time job at a grocery store ~20 hrs per week, and some other commitments. But you got to do what you got to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 It was largely 5 days a week (sometimes 4)' date=' I informed them of some volunteer commitments and e.c. that I do so they worked around it for me. Basically it was 10-4 everyday, so about 24-30 hours a week depending on 4 or 5 day week. My supervisors were great and were really accommodating for my travel plans and such because they new that I was slave labour.. lol, and we had a great time. I also did this on top of a part time job at a grocery store ~20 hrs per week, and some other commitments. But you got to do what you got to do![/quote'] Abstract, how did you find your supervisor? Were you basically given your own research project? Or where you aiding a grad student? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<abstract> Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 Abstract, how did you find your supervisor? Were you basically given your own research project? Or where you aiding a grad student? 1. I e-mailed a bunch of profs whose research seemed interesting to me in my department including my transcript (which is not especially stellar (4 A's and a B+) and a cover letter explaining my intentions (this was in January). Only one prof responded out 5. 2. My prof and I discussed Nserc but I missed the deadline by a day, so I was aiding 4 grad students that summer which is not that bad for a 1st year student (IMO). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boa Posted May 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 Just wanted to say thank you to cerena,astrogirl and abstract . I followed your advices and I got an interview tomorrow for a volunteering research position . I hope it will go well:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted May 9, 2011 Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 Just wanted to say thank you to cerena,astrogirl and abstract . I followed your advices and I got an interview tomorrow for a volunteering research position . I hope it will go well:o Ahh!!! Hurrah!! Good job, Boa <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrogirl Posted May 9, 2011 Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 Awesome!!! Good luck with the interview!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<abstract> Posted May 9, 2011 Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 WOW! good for you! I hope all goes well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Just wanted to say thank you to cerena,astrogirl and abstract . I followed your advices and I got an interview tomorrow for a volunteering research position . I hope it will go well:o Boa, how did the interview go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entrainment Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Just to add for anyone else reading this thread with the same question that labs sometimes post ads for research and volunteer positions at the student counselling and development office. For Montrealers: these ads are also sometimes posted on the student classifieds at McGill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boa Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Boa, how did the interview go? aww thanks for asking! it went SUPERB! Im starting on Thursday I will be researching on plasticity and reorganization of the central nervous system following stroke (on rats of course lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 aww thanks for asking!it went SUPERB! Im starting on Thursday I will be researching on plasticity and reorganization of the central nervous system following stroke (on rats of course lol) *high five!!* That's great Boa! I'm sure you'll have an awesome experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrogirl Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Congratulations, Boa! That's so awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 aww thanks for asking!it went SUPERB! Im starting on Thursday I will be researching on plasticity and reorganization of the central nervous system following stroke (on rats of course lol) Neat! Random story: One of the rats in my experiment group became addicted to Froot Loops. No one could figure out why she wasn't losing weight (since all the other experimental group rats were losing weight) so my supervisor looked at the security tapes and realized that one of the volunteers was giving the rat extra Froot Loops because the rat was "too cute!!!" The volunteer was "fired" (the supervisor just told her we didn't need help anymore). Moral of the story: Don't get your rats addicted to Froot Loops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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