Important Tips for Undergraduate & Scholarship Applicants when choosing your Research Interest
This thread is to provide general tips on choosing research interest when emailing Profs and for your graduate school.
N.B- Based on personal opinion and by no means exhaustive.
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1. If you're in Chemistry (& related courses)- Please don't change your course- We've seen over the past year that Chemistry is one of the most funded programs. So, contact Profs working on "Green Chemistry", "Drug Discovery", etc & you'd be good. @particular6@arawusamuel
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2. If you're in Public Health (& related)- like Ebola, for the next 10-15years, the world will be studying COVID19 (& other infectious diseases). In fact, any (good) proposal on this topic, at this time, will likely be funded- for obvious reasons. Contribute to this cause
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Important points to consider when writing an Admission or Scholarship essay - by Prof Diane Thomson
Are you a prospective graduate student writing Statement of Purpose/Research Statement (or Emailing Professors)?
This thread will provide some tips on essay writing.
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At the end of this thread, there's a sample essay titled- The graduate school essay I wish I'd written (although I got in anyway) by Prof Diane Thomson (Associate Prof at the Claremont Colleges Joint Science Department)
NB: Much emphasis on research programs in this thread.
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Things NOT to do
1. No need to spend time talking about personal stories, or even grades. If you've won a scholarship before (eg- MTN/Dean Scholarship), mention it straight, else be brief (I graduated with 1st class degree is okay). Such record(s) will grant you attention
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LIST OF CHEAP (GOOD) SCHOOLS IN CANADA FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Most times Prof wants to accept you, but when they think of the associated cost😒- they give up!
Listed below are some schools you should prioritize emailing Profs there.
(N.B: Cheap is RELATIVE)
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In an avg. Uni in Canada, Int students need ~$ 20 to 30K/year (CAD) for tuition fees. Too high & might even be the total amount Prof wants to give you- Perhaps clarifies why you're not getting a response when you email and not necessarily because of your profile?
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So, by emailing schools with lower tuition fees, you stand a better chance of getting a response (and possibly acceptance).
Need help on writing an email to Professor? Check this thread
FAQ on Mastercard Scholarship at McGill University🇨🇦.
Have you been nominated by McGill University for MCF Scholarship? Congratulations!
In this thread, I’ll provide answers to some common questions I’ve received over the last few months. Please forward to anyone you know.
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1. HOW DO I WRITE A SPONSOR LETTER: Basically, whoever paid for your undergraduate needs to write a letter, detailing how much was paid & for what. Please see a sample of mine- for your own good, don’t copy (remember, I don't need it again, it’s YOU) & they know me well.
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2. ESSAY- Mastercard requires 4 essays- Please be guided, each should be <= 300words. Number 3 was divided into 3 parts - to guide you on your response (all should be <=300). Please see:
Writing Emails to Professor; Important tips & Samples for your consideration
Every year, Profs get several emails from students & difficult to accept all. You want to ensure yours is concise & deserve a response. This thread will provide insight & some samples you can use.
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Your opening statement; Here, please briefly introduce yourself & connect your interest with the Prof's own (refer to sample attached). Mention one or two of the Prof's research areas that you've checked and find interesting.
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Following this, let them know what you've done in the past: Demonstrate your experiences & tools you use (this is important for them to gauge your fit). E.g: I have good experience working with neural networks, ensemble forecasting & published a paper in ABC Journal.
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