ktel

I'm using it now, so applied last year through the mechanical engineering department. NSERC releases the names and universities of all the winners somewhere.

I would personally ask for about $25 an hour, and if he objects, negotiate down to what you were planning on asking for ($20). Don't want to leave money on the table!

I think you might be better off contacting an immigration lawyer or someone like that who really understands the system. You may get some helpful advice here, but you would probably prefer the advice of an expert

I'm a former U of A undergrad, and successfully received an NSERC CGS-M by applying through the U of A. One of my profs actually knew I got the award before I did (they sent out an e-mail to the department) and told me in one of my labs. Very exciting!

This thread is fantastic. I'm only mildly knowledgeable when it comes to taxes. TakeruK, your summary is incredibly helpful, thank you! And regarding scholarships, I was not trying to imply that you don't have to report scholarships on your tax forms. Just that they are exempt from tax if you are a full time student.

I have never EVER been taxed for any of my scholarships, undergraduate or graduate. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/rprtng-ncm/lns101-170/130/schlrshp-eng.html This may be a bit confusing to decipher. Hence why I post another simpler link that explains: http://www.taxtips.ca/filing/students/scholarships.htm And as Andsowego said, you will be in such a low tax bracket that you will probably get all your taxes back anyways.

Yuck taxes. So glad my dad is an accountant and deals with this stuff for me. First of all you should get reading: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/sgmnts/stdnts/menu-eng.html http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/nnrsdnts/menu-eng.html http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/nnrsdnts/ndvdls/stdnts-eng.html http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html You will be in a LOW tax bracket, but you will still have to pay 15% federal tax and provincial tax which varies based on province and income level. Expect to be paying 20-25% in taxes. Now I'm not sure exactly how it works for international students, but I have to pay into a pension plan and employment insurance. Not sure if you will. You can typically deduct your tuition, text books, moving expenses and a few other expenses, so you might get money back.

Hey Christa, I'm a Canadian at U of T, and I would say Toronto and Vancouver are probably similar in terms of costs, i.e. both are expensive! My stipend is roughly double, and after I take out a bunch of my lump sum expenses I'm left with just under $1500 a month to live on, and I live comfortably. I will note I do live with my boyfriend who works full time, so inevitably some of my expenses end up being covered by him. Unfortunately I can't help you out with the taxes, other than to tell you that many forms of graduate school income are NOT taxable (such as scholarships or fellowships). I find it interesting that your entire stipend is taxable.

Definitely field specific. Almost all engineering Master's degrees are funded (unless they are course based only)

I visited with several of my POIs before I applied, and I definitely think it helped. I do think it might be a little awkward to try to arrange a visit now that you have applied, unless you happen to be in the area and want to meet up. Or you could just lie and say that you will be in the area when in reality you really just want to meet with them.

Also keep in mind that you can find a lot of funded Master's programs if you stay in Canada.

I just can't fathom how you can never eat fruits or vegetables. But don't worry, you're in Alberta, there will be plenty of beef.

Yes, Edmonton is quite industrial in places. It also has beautiful spots. Just like any city, really. The campus doesn't have that many old buildings, but there are certainly a number of older buildings on campus (and not just gross concrete 60s style buildings). How you feel about the campus will completely depend on what season you are there. Winter isn't the best look for the campus or the city. Because of the cold we don't salt, we sand, so everything looks pretty grimy in the winter time (except after fresh snowfall). I also thought it odd that you would be so judgmental of a campus such as U of A's when you are attending the University of Windsor, given that they're somewhat similar. I also thought the question about your dietary preferences odd because what city doesn't have plenty of fast food places to eat at? It's not like Edmonton is some weird city that only provides health food. You can get your fair share of junk anywhere in Edmonton, in SUB or HUB on campus, and along Whyte Ave (which is near campus and where a student would probably want to live)

Wow that was an unexpected response...bordering on trolling to be honest, although I know this person to normally be a nice, contributing forum member. In fact I believe I gave him my NSERC proposal to help him out

Is this post for real? I'm actually a little insulted that you would think my entire hometown looks "run-down and crappy". Especially since your location is Windsor? Perhaps try to venture into the river valley at any time. Beautiful. That being said, the reason why we don't have provincial tax is because we have this wonderful oil industry that brings tons of money into the province. I can assure you maintenance is done on a regular basis and the city doesn't look like a dump.

I see so many girls wearing leggings as pants, and not proper leggings either (i.e. ones that are a tiny bit see through when they stretch at all). Leggings are meant to be worn with a longish shirt or a dress or skirt. Or at least if you wear them as pants get a thick pair so that we can't see every bit of your legs and underwear.

Teaching an English course does sound rather daunting. Perhaps you should inquire how well you would be supported through the process.

To second anthroDork, I found that happened to me all the time. Partly because I was the only blonde girl in my classes (Mech Eng) and partly because I did really well in my classes. I never went to office hours, yet they still knew who I was.

Indeed you did not make yourself clear. What you are trying to do is impose your personal circumstances on the OP, when in fact you have no idea whether your situations are similar or not. Sure, there are probably elements in common, but to assume that the situations are identical is a bit of a stretch. You saw the commonalities, got really emotional, and then tried to give extreme advice without explaining where it was coming from. That's the main issue.

Tattling is EXACTLY what you're suggesting, regardless of whether she's at the meeting or not.

What really baffles me is the fact that it doesn't take any more time to put on nice looking clothes than to put on ugly ones. Sweatpants aren't inherently that much more comfortable than other clothing. So I really just don't get why they need to be worn at all. The only reason I use them is to throw them on over my shorts at practices and games, where it's impractical to wear jeans over top. That's what they're designed for.

I think the best way to go about this is to go to the one professor you do have a relationship with and ask for his advice in regards to applying to grad school. He can probably give you the best suggestions for getting the reference letters you need, as he would know his colleagues better than we do

You will burn a lot of bridges if you go over her head and complain to the dean. Her behavior is a bit inappropriate but it would be extremely unprofessional to go over her head without dealing with her first. You obviously have some sort of evidence that she OK's the first draft and then tears apart the second draft. Go to her with this and tell her that you would appreciate a lot more time to fix things if she sees something wrong, rather than saying it's fine and then changing her mind. Bring this up with her every time this happens, and if it doesn't stop, have one last discussion with her and then go over her head if necessary. You need to work it out with her as much as possible though

I think you're really limiting your options on the rare chance that something bad might happen. Something bad might happen all the time in everything you do, but you obviously don't stop yourself from doing it. I currently live a 4 hour flight away from my family. We've had some family emergencies lately, with an uncle falling down an elevator shaft, another uncle having a mini stroke and my grandpa having a bad fall. All unfortunate things, but there's nothing I could do to help even if I could get there quickly. Half the time my parents don't even tell me too much about it unless it's really serious, they'll just mention it in passing. If something bad were to happen, yes it would be awful that I would have to wait 6 hours to get there, but I wouldn't be able to be studying what I am now without that downfall. We stay in touch by phone, e-mail and visits whenever possible. I have gotten to see my dad quite a bit because he visits for work and we both went on a trip to the same city last week (separate trips, but happened to be in the same place at the same time). My mom is coming to visit soon too

Teaching experience is hugely important if you want to be a professor eventually. Even if the subject is a bit alien you should be smart enough to pick up enough knowledge to be able to teach effectively. I know somebody who is teaching a calculus course right now who has basically had to reteach everything to himself as he forgot it all.