Jungshin

Agreed with this advice. For MSc without funding (which is hard to get in the first place), you just need a little luck to find that professor with extra funding who's willing to take a chance on you. Don't give up, it's like online dating but with research.

Yes I changed my mind. I'm also desperately waiting for my CGS results. haha.

Wow Congratulations guys, I'm still desperately waiting for my PGS results.

Time management and multitask experiments. Only if you know what you're already familiar with what you're doing though. But most importantly, carefully plan out your experiments and know exactly how you'll be doing certain experiments and why! Nothing worse than efficiently running multiple, meaningless experiments. Always stay on track on your research goals or you'll be that guy who's been doing his PhD for 10 years.

I wish it was late March so I can hear back from NSERC! Been holding off more applications until I have their decision... Anyone think it's a bad idea? Should I just make the applications now? Deadlines for the programs that I want to apply to are in May or June, although they encourage you to apply early for a higher chance to find potential supervisors. I've made applications for places where the deadline is prior to NSERC decision date, but I'm unsure when it comes to schools with later deadlines. In the end, really because applications are expensive and I'd rather make as little as possible. I'm looking to go into molecular biology and etc, finding a supervisor is the most important step and having NSERC would definitely help. If I don't have it, well then I'll be making traditional applications. Any thoughts? starting to freak out a little.

Sorry wrong thread.

Piano studies. I mean, come on, really?

Agreed with dropthebase. Stay positive. Don't think of it like you're quitting or giving up smoking, but instead think in terms of starting a new life and finally becoming free from the choke-hold nicotine had on you. You're capable of doing all those things without a cigarette, don't let it control your day and life. It does not help you concentrate. Cigarettes do nothing but distract you because you're always thinking about when you can have the next one. This may sound like jibberish, but you have to change your state of mind to give up an addiction.

see it worse for people who's studied neuroscience caused we know how it works. Used to tell myself that nicotine just makes me smarter when I'm studying due to it being a more potent activator of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors comparatively to natural neurotransmitters. And then I'd smoke like a chimney before exams to practice state-dependent learning. Funny enough, my GPA sky-rocketed when I picked up smoking leaving trail of lowly non-smokers behind. But I quit in grad school after looking at my career direction and my dream of becoming a professor. In the end, I determined that it would help to live longer in academia.

I will first swear quite a bit.

That's rather an assumptive comment. You should explore all possibilities after your PhD. You might be surprised by where you end up.

You do understand that those sales representatives make shit load of money right? 60-80K+ with base and commission. And these jobs are really hard to obtain as they are usually reserved for females with PhD and postdoc experience. I say female, not because I'm sexist, but because it's almost fact that female sales representatives have higher potential. I wouldn't feel too bad for them. They made a choice to pursue money instead of research.