Tips and Tricks:
Tips on how to forge some of the career paths that have been described by past students.
Looking to do a BIOL537?
By: Anastasia Savrova & Deni Ogunrinde - December 2016
When Anastasia and I were undergraduate students studying biology at Queen’s University, we had concerns about a taking on a BIOL537 thesis project just like some of you reading this might have: When should I contact professors? What makes me competitive for a 537? Which professor should I work with? As successful BIOL537 thesis students and graduate students in biology (both past and present) at Queen’s, we have decided to create a short suggestions sheet for approaching the BIOL537 research project.
What will make you competitive for a BIOL537?
Try to take courses and/or gain volunteer experience in research (at Queen’s or elsewhere) in the field you are looking to complete a BIOL537 project in. For example, if you are looking at completing a thesis in a plant-molecular-biology based research lab, having the ‘plant physiology’ course and even a lab course in plant physiology would be considered an asset. Not only would you have experience in that field, but it would show your potential supervisor that you are interested in that subject area as well. Volunteer experience in general (whether it is relevant to your BIOL537 field of interest or not) shows initiative and that you possess an interest in research. If you find yourself uninterested in the topics of research in a lab you currently volunteer in, make sure to talk with your current supervising professor and the professor you hope to work with. Let them know what kind of research you would like to do and perhaps they can change the course of their research to suit your interests or get you in touch with professors that are in your field of interest.
Furthermore, obtaining summer research positions, through NSERC or SWEP for example, can almost guarantee you a thesis position in the lab of your choice (you can talk to Julie French if you’d like to know more about these options). These programs will give you a glimpse of what working in research is like and may help you decided whether you’d like to continue on to a thesis.
When should I contact professors?
Contacting professors is an important step of the process, particularly if you want to learn more about the type of research conducted by potential supervisors. Therefore, it is important that you read at least one published paper from their lab prior to meeting with them to discuss what a BIOL537 project would look like. The professors won’t necessarily expect you to understand all of their research, but you should have an idea of the type of work that’s done i.e. animal physiology, plant molecular biology, protein biochemistry, aquatic ecology, terrestrial ecology etc, both, so that you know what the lab does, and so that you can show a more genuine interest in that lab’s research to the professor.
Moreover, it never hurts to contact a professor early. It lets them know you’re interested and helps distinguish yourself from the masses, so when it comes time for applying they know who you are. Most professors are more than happy to talk to students that are interested in research, so don’t be afraid to contact them, show your interest in their lab, and keep up with lab progress.
Whose lab should I look to do a 537 these project in?
Ideally, you’ll get the best training where there are senior MSc or PhD students, but otherwise, look for a field you’re interested in. A thesis is a lot of work and you want to be interested in what you’re researching. One great thing you can do is talk to your TAs in the courses you like. Graduate students are happy to talk about the type of research they do, and what their day-to-day is like. This will also give you an idea of the type of research you’ll be conducting in those labs. Some TAs might even be willing to take on volunteers if you think you might be interested in what they do and want to get more involved, so be proactive and take initiative. In addition, explore the organisms you’d like to work with and how you’d like to conduct your research. If you enjoy adventure, hiking, and nature overall, perhaps you would be well suited for field work. On the other hand, you may prefer a more controlled-lab setting where your organism of interest is present in abundant numbers, and don’t mind organism care.
Advice for applying?
Professors are looking for consistency, so when you indicate your top 3 choices, try not to pick 3 diverse fields, because it suggests you don’t have a research focus, and are just looking for ‘any BIOL537 you can find’ which is not appealing to professors. As a broad guideline, try to stick to either EEB (Ecology, evolutionary or behavioural biology) or MCIB (molecular, cell or integrative biology) at the least, if not a more specific field of interest within each ( i.e. aquatic ecology, animal physiology, etc).
Personal advice
Finally, the reference you will get from a thesis professor is invaluable – if you put in the time and effort in a research project. They work closely with you for an entire academic year, if not longer. They learn your work ethic, writing style, ability to work independently or in teams, and as a result, will be able to comment strongly on your capabilities in reference letters compared to a typical course professor. This will be useful in job or graduate school applications.
If you have any further questions about a BIOL537 research project feel free to contact us at scistud@gmail.com
Insight into Veterinary School Applications from Julie Must, 4th Year D.V.M. Candidate
By: Deni Ogunrinde - July 2016
Having been successful in gaining acceptance to the Ontario Veterinary College on her first time applying, and right out of third year, Julie Must has some tips for, and insight concerning, constructing the application the Ontario Veterinary College:
1 Something I was unaware of about veterinary college was that you can apply 4 times (with rejection) and then you are no longer permitted to apply. Julie said to not be discouraged by this however; over half her class was accepted on a second or third time applying.
2 There are a total of 5 veterinary schools in Canada and you must apply to the school in your home province. If you would like to apply out of province, you must have lived in that province one year prior to applying.*
3 At least for the Ontario Veterinary College, the MCAT is no longer required; however, Julie revealed that since this requirement has changed, the application pool (in more recent years) has doubled in size.
4 With respects to the marks that are considered, the average of your fall term marks of your current academic year, and the average of your winter term marks of the previous academic year are focused on, in addition to 8 prerequisite courses. Thus, if you performed poorly in the first year, or perhaps even the second year of your undergraduate degree, try not to be discouraged. One important point to note is that your marks must be in the top 300 of the application pool for you to be offered an interview, so although not all marks are taken into account, the marks that are considered are crucial to your application’s success.
5 There is a one-page essay that is required for the application. In the essay you must outline the obvious - why you want to be a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
6 In addition, there is a ‘background information form’ where you are required to outline each extra-curricular activity that you have been involved in over the past 10 years. Although this sounds intimidating, Julie says, “it is more about the quality of what you do, and how long you do it for, than how much you do”. She also says that if you are considering vet school, you should get involved with extra-curricular activities that are not only vet-related, “if you have had a job in customer service, the admission committee actually will appreciate that because it shows that you are sociable and can get along with difficult people”. Furthermore, the background information form is important in bringing out your personality to the admissions committee, but not until you get an interview is the background application form is then considered.
7 The interview itself is in a ‘multiple mini interview’ format, referred to as ‘mmi’ for short, wherein you have 8 stations to complete in 70 minutes. Each station is a distinct scenario; you have 2 minutes to go over an excerpt and plan your response. Then, you move into a separate room with a vet and a professor waiting, and give your response/ speak with them for 8 minutes. One tip Julie wanted to include concerning the mmi was that responses to ethical scenarios do not have to be vet-related.
8 Of the 8 mmi stations, one is personal. The interviewers will speak with you about your essay and background information form. Julie disclosed that they will highlight passages form your essay and ask you to elaborate, so you should be very well versed on what was discussed in your essay and background information form.
9 Once the interview has been completed, you should hear back from admissions regarding your application status in approximately 3 weeks.
10 If you decide to go the international route, tuition is more expensive than for Canadian schools. Whereas the Ontario Veterinary College is ~$8000 per year in tuition, international options are in the ~$40,000 range, Julie says. In addition, all vets coming from abroad, into Canada, must write an additional licensing exam which is a week- long and costs an additional $8000. Ultimately, Julie recommends doing thorough research before seriously considering an over-seas option as these are but a few of the differences between domestic and international veterinary schools.
Hopefully this information provides those of you that are veterinary hopefuls with some more insight on the application process! If you haven’t already, check out the profile on Julie Must to gain more insight on her path to veterinary school.
*Applying internationally is discussed more in tip #10
Insight into Medical School from David Maj, 1st Year M.D. Candidate
By: Deni Ogunrinde - June 2015
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Match success important of all schools – match success - how successful are graduated students from the program at getting residency positions. A lot of people spend a lot of money and a lot of time in medical school, but do not end up matching where they want to be.
Class size in medical school – “Try and get the smallest class size you can find”. There are 60 students in David's class, and he enjoys the resulting closeness he has his classmates, and the close interactions with his professors.
There are international options for medical school - Canadian medical schools are very hard to get into. The stats go up every year: there are for more qualified candidates for Canadian medical schools then there are positions available in those Canadian medical schools. There are so many people that could be good doctors that you “can’t take it personally if you don’t get in” and that also goes to why grades become so important- schools need a sorting criteria. David mentions that Canadian schools are good, but there are other schools. “Ireland loves Canadian students”. They have a number of fantastic programs –however, the flip side is they are very expensive. Additionally, if you want to come back to Canada to practice, unfortunately there is no guarantee this can become a reality:
A) As an international trainee you have to take additional exams and
B) You are not given priority for matching - Canadian-trained and American-trained M.D.s are.
Having said that, ultimately, if you are determined and capable of putting in the work to become an M.D., you will find an academic institution somewhere to accept you eventually. The institution just might not be in Canada (i.e. The Caribbean, Poland, Ireland, etc.), and there is a cost to that – money and time, when you might have been better off doing something else.
Medicine is not for everyone - There are other options, consequently, it is important to consider the reasons why you might be picking medicine over some of the other things that you could be doing. A lot of students do not have grades for it, or aren’t cut out for it, so if that person is you, and if you can think about something else you would be equally happy doing – consider it. Medical school is a lot of work over a long period of time. “Your friends will be getting married and have kids, while you will be studying”. Medicine has this mystic of prestige and money but it is a hard long road, and there are many other meaningful, fulfilling, and rewarding options besides medicine, and you “need to think about them all carefully and seriously before you decide medicine is what you want to do”.
3 Tips to help get you into a
(thesis based) Master’s of Science, Insight from Your's Truly
By: Deni Ogunrinde - February 2015
The requirements for getting into the field of academic research are not typically as well known as those for Law or Medical school. I believe these quick tips are a good way to start you off on the right track:
What kind of lab do I go for?– It’s hard for you to know the kind of research you’ll like doing, and thus the kind of lab you’d want to work in, without having an idea of the research that is conducted in these labs. This also makes it hard for potential supervisors to gauge if their lab is also the right fit for you. A solution to this problem is to try volunteering! Contact some of your TAs and ask if they have any volunteer opportunities, or know of any colleagues who have any. If you can try out a couple of different labs you might be able to get an even better feel for what you are more interested in. If you do think you might have found a lab you’re interested in, either for an undergraduate thesis or for graduate research, read some of the more recent publications from the lab to get a better feel for the research they are currently working on, and that you’d probably be involved in. Talk to current students as well to get a feel of what working in that lab is like.
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Experience – It does increase your chances of getting into your lab of choice if you have previous lab experience. This includes, but is not limited to, volunteering, taking undergraduate lab courses (or field work depending on the kind of lab you’re looking at), and especially an undergraduate thesis, which is most similar to the kind of empirical processes you would encounter in graduate school. It’s good experience for you to see if that’s the kind of work you really want to do, but also good from the perspectiev of your potential supervisor as you will already have some training.
Funding – What a majority of students are unaware of is that you are paid (yes PAID!) to be a research assistant in your M.Sc. or Ph.D. The specific amount varies depending on your institution and the amount of teaching assistant (TA) positions you hold, but probably most relevant to your ability to undertake your studies in a particular lab: the amount of funding your supervisor will have to pay you. This tends to be a huge limiting factor for a surprising amount of principal investigators (your supervisor). And so, if you can come into your applications with a scholarship, you will be much more appealing to a potential supervisor, and will have many more options available to you. These are scholarships such as the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) scholarships, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) scholarships, and various other scholarships provided by the government and even the host institution you’re looking at attending. So do some research online to see what ones you might be eligible for. Even better, see if you can get a professor to help you with your application, they know what grant review committees are looking for and can definitely help you get that edge.
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A PhD Candidate’s Tips to a Satisfactory Lab Choice, Insight from Michael Song
By: Deni Ogunrinde - November 2014
As an M.Sc. and 2nd year Ph.D. candidate, Michael Song has had a good deal of lab experience and has some useful tips for ensuring you are able to find a lab that suits you best.
Michael encourages you to work with people you like, as having a good lab environment has helped a lot to make his lab experience thus far a positive one. For someone looking for a lab in which to take on graduate studies, you should “find someone you want to work with, rather that someone you want to work for. Your supervisor should be an experienced companion who has more experience in terms of what to expect and how to proceed”. Michael believes: "Looking for the right person is probably is one of the hardest steps in getting into graduate school".
Michael also believes that if you want to research something, that from your experience demands a lot of expensive technologies, then going with the highly funded lab might be a better option. However, if you have a better relationship with someone who doesn’t have access to substantial funding, but you know you’ll have good lab mates and a good supervisor, then that is also a perfectly viable option. It’s really “case by case”, says Michael, and depends on what you need most from the research you’re doing.
Many graduate programs - at least in the case of a Ph.D. program - have the 1st year as a rotation with different supervisors. He ended up with the person who he wanted to work with at the start of his rotation, but says it is very common for a student to want to work with one supervisor initially, and then switch to a supervisor they hadn’t previously considered, or not know who they want to work with originally at all. However in Canada, this rotation is not as common, although institutions like McGill and U of T do have such a rotation system.
Finally, Michael believes that a good reason for getting into research is if you know you enjoy problem solving, but “problem solving at an extreme level where there is no guarantee you will find the answer”. As if that isn’t tricky enough, he goes on to say that “ in addition to the extreme problem solving, along the way you are expected to develop new ways to get at the answer”. Consequently, a deep appreciation and enjoyment of problem solving is a necessity, but with good reason. He also mentioned that “if you aren’t interested in your research to its core, you won’t have the motivation to look into the literature and try to come up with explanations of what you might end up finding” which can ultimately end up being a slew of unpredicted and unexpected results. Consequently, a deep passion for your research topic is crucial to academic success.
Lastly, he says, "I know that last piece of advice sounds general, but it is as close as you can get to being true".