Hello Ecolog, Here are my thoughts, written 11 PM from Boulder, CO. Grad school is indeed audacious, and not a default choice. As someone who spent 3 years on the 'dark side' (academic admin) I know that there are *huge* differences among labs. Some labs are very happy and students move to productive professional lives. Other labs are miserable.
My advice is, ask yourself why you are going to grad school. Then use the web to investigate labs. In addition to contacting the prof, contact students in the lab and ask them about their experience. Like me, some profs encourage prospective students to contact current and former students (maybe I'm weird). By way, the numbers on NSERC (Canada) success rates quoted below are misleading. Success rates are low in some programs, well above 70% in others. For grad students, most universities in Canada offer 20-25K/ year in science, if you meet academic standards and are accepted. It's not princely, but then it's only 2 years for MSc, if you find the right lab. And it's mostly or all a stipend. It's not full time TA. David S. http://www.mun.ca/osc/dschneider/ Quoting "Aaron T. Dossey" <[email protected]>: > Actually, I would strongly recommend AGAINST grad school, or grad school > only as a last resort. There are many ways to achieve a successful and > fruitful career while following your dreams, and many roads that do not > lead through a stint as a temporary under-paid technician/piece of > equipment (ie: grad student and postdoc/postech/postemp). > > First, figure out what you want to do, then investigate what it takes to > get there. You'll be surprised at how few careers actually require a > Ph.D., and how few careers which do require one actually exist/are > available. > > Good luck! > ATD of ATB > > -- Here is the article in Chronicle of Higher Ed. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2012_09_28/caredit.a1200108 > > > > On 10/16/2012 11:38 PM, Lindsay Veazey wrote: > > As one of many hopeful individuals trying to find an open program in which > to > > begin an advanced degree, I'd also like to point out the pitiful state of > > scientific funding in North America. The current NSERC funding success rate > is > > below 8%, and the NSF success rate hovers around 20%. Additionally, in my > > discussions with students of all levels, both current and (hopefully) > > prospective, I've noticed that funding has essentially dried up for M.Sc > > candidates, and is not much better for Ph.D candidates. > > > > I'm wondering if any subscribers have recommendations for programs abroad, > > like MESPOM, that welcome foreign students instead of stack the deck > against > > their entry. > > > > Dr. Dossey, thank you for a well written submission that rings all too > true. > > > > > -- > Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. > Biochemistry and Molecular Biology > Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs > Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation > http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ > http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs > 1-352-281-3643 > This electronic communication is governed by the terms and conditions at http://www.mun.ca/cc/policies/electronic_communications_disclaimer_2012.php
