Source
r/UCalgary•
KitC98

MSc Applications Brainstorming

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could share their experience applying for a thesis based MSc program here at the UofC? I'm graduating this semester and I've sort of considered doing a Masters since the job prospects are looking pretty bleak right now. I was just wondering what the process was like contacting your supervisors and obtaining a research idea?

I've regrettably never done undergraduate research due to work constraints but I do genuinely have an interest in researching and learning. However, upon reading more papers regarding my field and different topics, I've realized that I'm stuck when it comes to brainstorming my own idea. How did you get your idea and did your supervisor help in this?

Posted Mar 31, 2021, 1:02 AM UTC

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kassp23•

You don’t necessarily need to have a project idea. I would recommend looking into what research professors in your field are doing at U of C, and see what interests you. Then you can reach out to them over email saying you are interested to learn more, and that you are considering a masters degree.

That way you can meet with them and chat about opportunities they have in their lab. Often professors have ideas of research projects students can work on or continue from previous students.

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KitC98OPKinesiology•

Oh I see, I’ll definitely do that. I was thinking of doing that but I wasn’t too sure about suddenly emailing them out of the blue. Thank you !

1
OmgshinyobjectGrad Student - Chemistry•

No good PI will expect you to know anything when you start. Your pI will give you a project. Your PI will tell you exactly what to do in the very beginning. But you should have them locked down before you pay the application fee or else the uni is just taking your money. You can dm me if you need help writing the cold call emails as I got a 100% response rate when I was looking.

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KitC98OPKinesiology•

I appreciate it! I’ve actually got a few professors in mind that I’ve had past correspondence with. I think it’s just a matter of biting the bullet now and approaching them.

And the first half is good to hear because I’ve been stressing out about my lack of experience and research ideas. Knowing this definitely helps with the stress. Thank you!

2
CateFace•

I agree with the above posters, and highly encourage you to read up on the projects for the labs you are interested in as well as try to arrange a time to chat with whichever PI's research catches your attention.

I would also see if you can get involved in the labs that are interesting to you, it is a great learning opportunity and helps you gain some of that critical experience. Sometimes there are RA positions to be filled, but even volunteer RA positions can help you form relationships and get an idea of what to expect and what you are (and are not!) interested in!

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Meowjer-threat•

DO NOT APPLY THROUGH THE WEBSITE!

do not waste ur money for application fees. Contact different supervisors you are interested in and contact them. Also, check other department websites, some departments already display the names of professors looking for MSc students. Do not apply until a professor tells you they accept you. Then they will forward u to the department admission. Admission will ask u then to apply officially, in which it is gauranteed u are accepted. Applications deadlines mean nothing, if the professor wants you, they can make the department accepts you even when the deadline of the "next" semester has passed. That happened to me.

Don't constraint urself to ur department. Supervisors do not care that much about the name of ur undergraduate degree. Apply for anything you think u can do. This is very flexible for engineers, a lot if them apply to a totally different field and get the hang of it in no time. The advantages is they diversify their portfolio and increase their job chances.

Also regarding proposals, not everyone did that. I talked to my supervisor before accepting me and she already told me she has 1, 2, 3, projects she wants students for... many supervisors will assign you to projects they already have in mind or they will ask you to pick one. Read about each professor's papers and research bfr contacting them and tailor your resume if you can.

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KitC98OPKinesiology•

That’s a good call, I’ll definitely try contact a few professors first. And unfortunately I’m in Kinesiology so I’m not quite sure what other MSc I’d be capable in but I’ll look into that as well. It’s a little more relief knowing there’s also potential on-going projects I can hop onto.

Thank you for the insight :)

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Meowjer-threat•

Not just ongoing, many supervisors have new idea for new projects just don't have students to work on them.

Also, you would be surprised what other majors might benifit from you background. For example if there was a project for an engineering professor trying to create tools for physical therapy or a med professor tryna make recovery modeling or smth...

Also, apply to many professors in many universities, then pick what u want, u won't lose anything since u r not paying application fees as I said...

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