Have to take one more year undergrad to... QUALIFY BETTER FOR NSERC???

[Canadian_Lynx]

I applied for a CGS-M, and have received one no from one university department about moving my application forward, but am still waiting to hear back from the other university adjudicating my application (to put forward to the next level)....

 

I've been advised (by a representative of the Uni that said no) that in order to increase my prospects of landing an NSERC, I should consider taking another FULL YEAR of FULL TIME courses... 18 credits. This could be possible through online courses (about 9 credits worth) through BCIT, and some summer classes at UBC... I could probably do them all between April and August - but would have to either go down to severe part-time with my job, or just quit it entirely....

 

I work full-time right now at a consulting agency, am 28, and this just seems... ridiculous to me?

 

Is it basic practice/knowledge that I won't be able to get into a MSc program without an NSERC? most of the profs I have been corresponding with have been inquiring whether I have applied for funding, and it seems their interest in contigent upon my winning or having an NSERC already...

 

Did anyone else encounter this?

 

For a bit of background:

 

I have a BSc in Animal Biology; had some really bad courses (about 4-5) out of all of them, and they brought my GPA down... I think I was at 80% for my last full-year of school, and the year before that something around a 76%. It sucks, because within those years I have some of the best grades (even got the top score in one of my classes)... But whatever, the past is past, and now I have to deal with this situation.

I am in Vancouver, and my schools of choice were UBC-O (Biology Dept), UNBC (NRES), and UBC-V (Forestry - also Zoology but no one suitable for me)...

 

I am pretty frustrated with this... I am set up to register as an unclassified student at UBC for this summer, to get some classes if I need them, and I was already sort of planning on taking some GIS courses to increase my skill level - from BCIT, so I guess these would contribute, but... Has anyone else ever experienced this?

 

I have one co-authorship (4th author), and am working on a section for a position paper which will get me co-authorship as well...

 

I also have a ridiculously long list of all the relevant volunteer and paid research positions I have held... I am intensely qualified, it just seems... without the NSERC, no one will even consider you???

 

Please, advise!

[Canadian_Lynx]

Also - just thought of this...

 

I have taken all these undergrad courses which required us to write long papers (I did a Directed Studies course as well, which is all independent research)... The Directed Studies project was behavioural, in nature, and I am wondering, can these sorts of papers be re-written or formatted and possibly accepted into some journals? Does a publication in an undergraduate-level journal "count"?

 

Thanks

[geographyrocks]

Also - just thought of this...

 

I have taken all these undergrad courses which required us to write long papers (I did a Directed Studies course as well, which is all independent research)... The Directed Studies project was behavioural, in nature, and I am wondering, can these sorts of papers be re-written or formatted and possibly accepted into some journals? Does a publication in an undergraduate-level journal "count"?

 

Thanks

This last part I can answer.  Yes, publication in undergraduate-level journals count.  You have to go through all of the same processes as any other journal.  Just don't expect it to be a quick process.  I'm still waiting for my submitting paper to be reviewed...4 months after I submitted it. 

However, any paper that is submitted must conform to the standards of research so I would contact someone knowledgeable in your field to see if they could give you some advice.  You could even contact the professor of the Directed Studies course.  I'm sure they would help you out.