Any hope for a summer volunteer research position with a lowish GPA?

[erebakish]

I go to York, majoring in kine and my GPA is just slightly a B+ at the moment...however I've been really interested in doing some volunteer work over the summer with a professor for some time now but the only thing holding me back from applying is fear of rejection because I feel they look for A students or at least high B+. I did quite well in research methods/stats however my core physiology classes had some not so great marks and that is also one of my main obstacles as most labs are physiology-based from what I've seen. Anyways I was wondering if there is any hope out there for me to get involved this summer somehow and what I could possibly do to make up for it aside from showing a continual projected improvement in my GPA. Anyone know of any professors that may be less strict on marks and just take large amounts of volunteers maybe? I know its not the best way to get to know a prof well but if that's my best option to get started then I will take it. Thanks in advance.

[erebakish]

What is the percentage for B+? I'm afraid professors usually rank by mark and go down since students with higher marks are more likely to be more intelligent, careful in the lab, etc.

 

70-74 - B

75-79 - B+

[peachaso]

You should definitely be able to land a position, especially if you are willing to volunteer. Profs care more that you demonstrate genuine interest and potential for research. My PI didn't even look at my transcript. So!

 

Should get started on your search right away, as most positions will have been filled by now.

[erebakish]

If there is one particular mark dragging my GPA down because of a family issue that happened at the time, would that be wise to mention in my cover letter? (And also what my GPA would look like without it)

[shantytown27]

I go to York, majoring in kine and my GPA is just slightly a B+ at the moment...however I've been really interested in doing some volunteer work over the summer with a professor for some time now but the only thing holding me back from applying is fear of rejection because I feel they look for A students or at least high B+. I did quite well in research methods/stats however my core physiology classes had some not so great marks and that is also one of my main obstacles as most labs are physiology-based from what I've seen. Anyways I was wondering if there is any hope out there for me to get involved this summer somehow and what I could possibly do to make up for it aside from showing a continual projected improvement in my GPA. Anyone know of any professors that may be less strict on marks and just take large amounts of volunteers maybe? I know its not the best way to get to know a prof well but if that's my best option to get started then I will take it. Thanks in advance.

 

Your going to have a hard time because your looking way too late. Most people apply for summer research by January at the very latest. Your best bet is just email any professors you know who might know someone looking for help in a lab.

[Head Squeeze]

I have a decent GPA (~85) but profs turn me down coz they don't like students taking one or two side courses like economics

[shantytown27]

No stop lying who made up this jan "deadline" stuff? You can get a volunteer research position whenever. Plenty of people get research positions last minute when people drop out. OP don't worry keep on looking.

 

 

 

Because people usually apply for NSERC by then and that's when most professors start taking on volunteers.

 

Obviously, it's possible to get a last minute to volunteer position. But if your grades aren't great and your applying now, your facing an uphill climb.

[apache]

yeah, he's right, most nserc apps are due at end of january, you can still get something else though, but nserc pays 3/4 of your salary... so you cost like 1400 for the summer, plus a little top up if u have a wealth prof.... needless to say, if i had gone across the hall 5400 would have been 7500... o well, learned my lesson that practical researchers have a lot more money... lol, the woman at u of t who has literally the most inefficient means of improving working memory in adhd has a 4 million social science grant, and i have what 60-70 very teachnical comp neuro, neurorehab, neuropsych studies... in ref works now, protocol almost done.. if 4 million is worth 5-7 percent improvement, i wonder what 30-50 is, plus the effect of stimulants on the orbitofrontal... yeah... it's also interesting how much people discount phenomenology in research, hussero-who.... yeah... and to to think, i could be doing a phd in immunology, neuro (only cellulalar stuff), and 3 other bio based disciplines... not to discredit them, but it's laughable a certain program is so restrictive with regard to the md/phd... cool, have fun watching me drastically help people who have a disorder in the dsm but not even Columbia uni offers a special non-peds lectures on adhd in it's psych res

 

oh, i love it when people think pushing me harder and harder means i'll snap... my brain totally functions tit for tat, failing makes me want to kick ass, screwed over, ditto... it's the cortisol and baseline catecholamines rom anxious insecure attachment yo... not to mention adhd, and personality characteristics instilling extreme resilience during trauma... oh martin seligman, bowlby, nemeroff, mr. hebb,... maybe i'll meet 1 and 3 some day, but thanks for describing my brain, lol..

 

Because people usually apply for NSERC by then and that's when most professors start taking on volunteers.

 

Obviously, it's possible to get a last minute to volunteer position. But if your grades aren't great and your applying now, your facing an uphill climb.

[erebakish]

If anyone reading this thread was in the same situation as me, this is just a message saying not to lose hope!! I managed to secure a spot in a lab this summer with a less stressful search than I anticipated (based on the replies in this thread), what really helped to make a good impression was commitment to put in significant hours into projects and strong work ethic.

[nem90]

If anyone reading this thread was in the same situation as me, this is just a message saying not to lose hope!! I managed to secure a spot in a lab this summer with a less stressful search than I anticipated (based on the replies in this thread), what really helped to make a good impression was commitment to put in significant hours into projects and strong work ethic.

 

Great to hear! The only way I got my research position was to brute force my way into the system.

 

Even students I know with nearly a 4.00 GPA have received countless rejections and ignored emails.

[dnao2]

If anyone reading this thread was in the same situation as me, this is just a message saying not to lose hope!! I managed to secure a spot in a lab this summer with a less stressful search than I anticipated (based on the replies in this thread), what really helped to make a good impression was commitment to put in significant hours into projects and strong work ethic.

 

erebrakish, that's great encouragement for others who were wondering! I'm glad you pushed on ahead despite the challenges and got what you were looking for.