Masters application

[magicant]

Hi everyone I apologize if this has been asked before. I'm currently overseas doing an international internship in a lab (I just graduated from my undergrad this past summer of 2013). I am planning on applying for a masters program for the start of September 2014, and was hoping for some advice.

 

I am also planning on applying for a professional program in physiotherapy and thought that because there is no guarantee that I will be accepted to either program that I should, therefore, apply for PT and a masters and depending on the results I go from there. My question is, when I contact potential supervisors should I make it clear that there is no guarantee that even if my supervisor agrees to take me on, that I may not actually go through with actually accepting admission to the masters program? How does this sort of thing normally work? A lot of masters students that I know now are all working with supervisors whom they already did research with during their undergrad so they never had this issue as they already knew what to expect with their supervisor.

 

Also, because I am overseas it is really hard to actually talk to face to face and get a better feel for my potential supervisor and his lab, the program, etc. Do you have any advice on this sort of thing? This whole process of applying for a masters at a university you never did your undergrad in seems so risky and ambiguous since you don't have much in-depth knowledge of the program beforehand.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[docmm]

Hi everyone I apologize if this has been asked before. I'm currently overseas doing an international internship in a lab (I just graduated from my undergrad this past summer of 2013). I am planning on applying for a masters program for the start of September 2014, and was hoping for some advice.

 

I am also planning on applying for a professional program in physiotherapy and thought that because there is no guarantee that I will be accepted to either program that I should, therefore, apply for PT and a masters and depending on the results I go from there. My question is, when I contact potential supervisors should I make it clear that there is no guarantee that even if my supervisor agrees to take me on, that I may not actually go through with actually accepting admission to the masters program? I would not recommend doing this, and it's not really necessary. Most people will understand that students do not just apply to one program and that they don't make their final decision until they hear back from all of the programs that they apply to. I highly doubt any potential supervisor will ask you this question. When a supervisor decides to take you on as a student you have not given them any guarantee until you 1) accept the position and 2) enroll in the masters program. Don't worry about this. How does this sort of thing normally work? A lot of masters students that I know now are all working with supervisors whom they already did research with during their undergrad so they never had this issue as they already knew what to expect with their supervisor. This is something to think about. After you establish communication with potential supervisors it would be wise for you to try and find out who they have supervised in the past. It's totally fair to ask them for contact to a previous student so that you can see if the supervisors teaching style matches your learning needs. Don't do this during the very first or second contact, but definitely before committing.

 

Also, because I am overseas it is really hard to actually talk to face to face and get a better feel for my potential supervisor and his lab, the program, etc. Do you have any advice on this sort of thing? Most are open to skype/ a phone call, which is usually much better than just email. Feel it out. This whole process of applying for a masters at a university you never did your undergrad in seems so risky and ambiguous since you don't have much in-depth knowledge of the program beforehand.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[magicant]

Thanks above for the response! Greatly appreciated. My initial (incorrect) thoughts were that contacting a potential supervisor was essentially an obligation on your part that you had committed yourself to going through with the program before any admission was granted. Thanks for the clarification!

[magicant]

Hey docmm, sorry to hound you no the matter of masters applications, but I have a question.

 

When applying for a masters program and searching for a potential supervisor, is it common for undergraduate students applying for a masters program to hold some sort of funding prior to their acceptance into a graduate program? E.g. would I apply for a masters at UBC with some sort of funding already guaranteed via NSERC or CIHR that could be used immediately upon my acceptance into any masters program?

 

Or is it more common for applicants to have no funding prior to their acceptance, but they then receive funding either from their institution, or through applying for external funding via scholarships, awards, NSERC, CIHR, etc.

 

One potential supervisor I contacted mentioned that a huge determining factor in him endorsing me as a potential supervisor on the condition that I am accepted into the program is my academic standing and whether or not my academics are strong enough to secure funding while doing research in his lab.

 

Finally, just to clarify, my understanding of NSERC and CIHR is that I can only apply for these grants if I am currently undertaking some sort of studies (either undergrad or graduate), correct? Because I am currently not enrolled in school, it is impossible for me to apply for any NSERC or CIHR funding until I am actually enrolled in school again?