Congratulations! You probably clicked on this link wondering what kind of links the BGSA would have for you to procrastinate with. Well, instead of just some boring old links, we thought we’d make it more like a story of a shy undergraduate trying to figure out how to apply who grows up into a graduated grad student with a shiny new paper that says you can put more letters after your name. However, if you’re in a rush and don’t like stories, the links are roughly grouped as follows:

So, let’s start at the beginning. Let’s call this student Mal Adapted.

So, Mal was trying to figure out where she wanted to go as a graduate student. She starts off by exploring some of these sites.

McGill University

Department of Biology

Canadian Association for Graduate Studies

And so Mal Adapted think ‘Hey! This looks pretty cool. I think I want to apply to come to McGill. Hmmm, now how do I do this?’

Applying

So Mal Adapted applies, and low and behold, she get’s accepted!! Awesome!! This makes Mal a new student, of which there will be a lot of things to figure out. But as we all know, student (yes, even grad students), need to eat and pay the rent. But where to even begin looking for grants that would help cover my stipend? Well, it helps to know exactly what the fees are, and what a bio grad student at McGill can expect in terms of stipend.

Fees

So now that Mal Adapted knows what to expect, she decides to start looking around for different grant sources.

Scholarships & Grants

Note, as of 2010, if you are American, NSF grants must be held at a school in the USA

Scholarship Databases:

So if Mal gets this grant, how is she going to make ends meet?

So Mal Adapted is so excited now. She’s applied and been accepted, and… oh no! Montreal? She doesn’t know anything about Montreal. What is there to do? How does one get around? How do I find a place? What the heck is poutine?!?! Montreal

McGill Classified

Montreal neighbourhoods:

Sites to find an apartment:

Places to eat:

Getting Around:

Entertainment:

Music Scene:

Group Discount Coupons:

Mal Adapted moves to Montreal with her pet hamster, stick insect and Siamese beta fish and is itching to get started. She’s found a place, can get to McGill from there, and has food in her stomach. But McGill is kind of a big, confusing school! Where’s the library? Where can I get a beer? Where can I look to find information?

Grad Life at McGill

Room bookings

Mal realizes she wants to practice a presentation, do a mock quals, schedule a committee meeting – she needs a room! What to do?!

  • To book rooms in Stewart Biology (except the secure 5th floor), email Susan Gabel at susan.gabe@mcgill.ca
  • To book rooms in Stewart Biology secure 5th floor or Bellini 2nd floor conference room, email Elke Kuster-Schock at elke.kusterschock@mcgill.ca
  • To book rooms in Redpath Museum, email Sara Pimpaneau at sarah.pimpaneau@mcgill.ca

So Mal Adapted is settling in. She’s started her work as a graduate student, making friends and generally chugging along. And then she hits a wall. “OMG grad life is so hard! I’m all alone! I’m not going to make it!” she moans as she bangs her head against a wall. But she’s not alone…

Grad Student - Help and Advice

McGill Grad Life Blog: http://blogs.mcgill.ca/gradlife/

Grad student support: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/index.php

Great! Mal is settling in, doing amazing research, hanging out with her new friends she’s met through the BGSA, and decides she wants to TA. Awesome! Nothing like nurturing the next generation of graduate students.

Teaching Assistantship

Additional Resources

And so, Mal Adapted continues with her studies. Mal attended an excellent EEL seminar where information was provided about what a reviewer looks for in a paper. The speaker shared some excellent articles related to this.

How to become a researcher:

Publishing

And so, Mal heads off into the sunset with a slew of Science and Cell papers under her belt as she heads to a post-doc in a new and exotic location. Good luck, Mal Adapted!

If any links are dead, broken, or otherwise unclickable, please notify the web wrangler at schneider{dot}dw{at}gmail{dot}com. Additional links are also welcome, please pass them on.