,
13 tweets,
3 min read
Read on Twitter
1/Got through tutorial early this morning and planned to go home right after to rest since I have a cold. One of my students had questions about grad school and I'm glad she stuck around to ask. Key take always that may be helpful for other undergrads:
2/research experience in undergrad is helpful for getting transferrable skills. If your UG thesis doesn't match your grad work, that's OK. You still learn time management, safety, ethics, how to keep a lab books, communicating data. All very useful
3/ you don't have to like your UG project at the end. Liking your project helps get you through it but if at the end it's not your cup of tea, that's OK. Finding out what you don't want to do via UG research is important and you still get those transferable skills
4/ your UG supervisor can be a great reference for grad school and scholarships. We don't do a good enough job of encouraging undergrads to talk to professors when students don't have questions. If the prof doesn't know you, they can't write you a good reference
5/ if a potential supervisor says something that makes you uncomfortable or dismisses your ideas and you aren't even their student yet, RUN. Research is hard enough with an amazing supervisor, don't waste your time with a bad one if you can spot the red flags early
6/ if you're not sure something is a red flag, talk to other people. Talk to current or former grad students/undergrads about your potential supervisor. You can get references for your supervisor too
7/ different schools have different programs and different classes in programs with the same name. No one expects you do be an expert going into grad school. (If a potential supervisor does, that might be a red flag).
8/ different schools can have very different vibes and communities. Talk to people at the school your considering to see if it has what you need.
9/ aside: my student is considering @uofg for grad school where I did my UG. Once a Gryphon, always a Gryphon holds true. She could tell how much I love Guelph #GryphonPride #AlwaysAGryphon
10/ doing an UG thesis project can be hard and time consuming. Have real conversations with potential supervisors about expectations, maintaining mental health, work life boundaries, etc. Your thesis shouldn't become your life
11/ For grad school apps, talk to potential supervisors first and make sure they are interested and able to take you on. In Canada, having a potential supervisor before you apply is essential. Don't spend your $$$ applying to schools if you haven't talked to a prof yet
12/ forgot about this yesterday. We get paid for research and teaching assistanceships. You won't get rich off of it and you still have to pay tuition, but you do get paid for grad school. You will have to find scholarships to supplement depending on your PI and your field
13/ grad school stipends can vary pretty substantially between schools and faculties (e.g arts vs science) so make sure you find out cost of living and how much you'll be paid before you say yes. You'll need $ for rent, food, clothes, fun.
