Basic Guidelines to Graduate Studies in Canada

This document is originally written by Abdullah Al Maruf, PhD (University of Toronto).

Year of Publication: 2012

©PBSCU Any unauthorized use of this article, including copying or editing is prohibited. If you want to use the article, you need to take permission from us: pbscuadm@gmail.com or from the author and you must mention the author's name and the group's name in all cases.

First of all read this:

WHY CANADA?

1. http://www.canadian-universities.net/Campus/Graduate-Studies.html

2. http://www.livingin-canada.com/why-canada.html

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDELINES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES IN CANADA

STEP-1: Mind Set-Up

The first thing you need to do is set up your mind about higher studies in Canada (or any other place). REMEMBER don’t take any decision out of frustration. NOT everyone needs to go for higher studies. If you have potential in doing other stuff, you should do that. And never confuse immigration with higher studies. When you want to pursue a M.Sc. or Ph.D., you should consider the after study-job/immigration opportunities, but NEVER go for higher studies just to leave the country.

So how to set up your mind?

• Check your academic qualifications and typical qualification of an applicant [you can get idea about this after reading the document].

• Discuss with senior graduate students about the responsibilities of a graduate student. Check if those things seem interesting to you.

• Determine your aim in life depending on your academic qualification, financial status, family issues and overall your own desire.

Web resources:

1. http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/are-you-ready-for-graduate-school.aspx

2. http://westoahu.hawaii.edu/pdfs/career/graduate_school_information.pdf

3. http://www.uleth.ca/education/programs-degrees/graduate-studies/m-counselling/resources/self-assessment

4. http://www.american.edu/sis/undergradadvising/bamafaq.cfm

Step-2: Subject Selection

Obviously, you may want to pursue your higher studies on your undergraduate subject. However, not everyone may feel like that. Some may want to switch or go to different but relevant subjects. In those cases, you have to a lot of research on the criteria for admission on those subjects. However, in life, you may not always get what you like, so sometimes second best is the best option.

Web resources:

1. http://gradschool.about.com/od/choosingaprogram/f/choose2.htm

2. http://www.seekingsources.com/choosing_graduate_programs.htm

3. http://www.grad.ubc.ca/handbook-graduate-supervision/choosing-subject-study

Step-3: Program Selection

M.Sc. or Ph.D. or MBA? It’s a tough question.

For some engineering subjects, you can get a good job after M.Sc. And this also applies when you want to work in the company. If you want to be in academia, you have to a PhD. However, now-a-days, companies prefer PhD graduates if that involves drug research and development. However, in most of the Canadian Universities, professors try to take international students as M.Sc. Because if you are good, then they can let you to convert to PhD (very easy), but if you turn out to be bad (not suitable for working in a Lab), they can give you a M.Sc. and POLITELY ask you to leave. My advice, don't try for PhD unless you are overqualified. Try for M.Sc. which will increase your probability of getting an easy admission.

Web resources:

1. http://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/graduate-degree-masters-phd.aspx

2. http://scientopia.org/blogs/science-professor/2010/12/07/msc-en-route-to-phd

3. http://www.findaphd.com/student/study/study-16.asp

4. http://www.somewhereinblog.net/blog/ragibhasanblog/29279262

5. http://www.sachalayatan.com/mahbub/39267

Step-4: University Selection

University selection is very important. You have to decide which University you best fit. During choosing a University, several factors must be considered:

•  Is it Public or Private?

• What’s the world ranking?

• Geographical location and its financial status

Web resources:

1. http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011

2. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html

3. http://www.webometrics.info/top12000.asp

4. http://www.aucc.ca/canadian-universities/our-universities

5. http://www.somewhereinblog.net/blog/ragibhasanblog/29237266

Step-5: Self-Evaluation and Requirement Check

Now you need to evaluate yourself. Please read the following documents to get idea what is required for admission and how to prepare for that. And also browse different University's relevant subject's web page to get idea about what you need.

Check who got admission in Canada!

PBSCU HALL OF FAME:

Form Link:

Web resources:

1. http://www.canada-city.ca/canada-universities.php

2. http://www.4icu.org/ca/canadian-universities.htm

3. http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/current/enrichment/gradinfo.shtml

4. http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/students/prospective/resources.cfm

5. http://gradschool.about.com/od/admissionsadvice/u/preparation.htm

6. http://www.ehow.com/how_4494226_prepare-graduate-school.html

7. http://www.howtodothings.com/education/how-to-prepare-for-graduate-school

8. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/humsci/cgi-bin/gus/content/diversity-grad-prep

9. http://alumni.georgetown.edu/career/career_7.html

10. http://www.princeton.edu/engineering/undergraduate/current/jobs/preparing-graduate

11. http://math.arizona.edu/ugprogram/mcenter/gradprep.html

12. http://westoahu.hawaii.edu/pdfs/career/graduate_school_information.pdf

13. http://gradschool.about.com/od/interviews/Graduate_Admissions_Interviews.htm

14. http://www.studygroup.com/isc/ucd/graduate_preparation.html

15. http://www.admissions.graduate.ucf.edu/about_ucf/preparing_for_graduate_school

16. http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/application_tips.shtml

17. http://www.financialpost.com/executive/canadian-mba-programs/index.html

Step-6: Application Process

There are two types of application processes: (A) Through Professor managing (B) by central processing

(A) Through managing Professors:

Initial Professor knocking E-Mail:

Knocking Period:

Usually Canadian Universities open their admission for fall about 12 months earlier. Most universities open admission activity at the month of September. For this reason the best time for approaching to professors is the month of August.

Web Resources-1:

1. http://www.somewhereinblog.net/blog/ragibhasanblog/29355304

2. http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/advice/prospective.html

3. http://theprofessorisin.com/2011/07/25/how-to-write-an-email-to-a-potential-ph-d-advisor

4. http://projectgraduateschool.wordpress.com/tag/how-to-write-to-professors-2

5. http://ask.metafilter.com/100275/Advice-on-Emailing-Professors-When-Applying-to-Grad-School

6. http://gradschool.about.com/od/admissionsadvice/a/contact.htm

7. http://gradschool.about.com/od/admissionsadvice/a/contact.htmredbus2us.com/sample-email-template-to-professors-in-usa-for-graduate-school-research

8. http://chrisblattman.com/2010/11/08/students-how-to-email-to-your-professor-employer-and-professional-peers

9. http://mcnaircsueb.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/guide-how-to-contact-faculty-at-the-graduate-school-of-your-choice

10. http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/asis/agep/advsopstem.pdf

Web Resources-2:

1. http://www.careers.utoronto.ca/myCareer/resumeInterview/cv.aspx

2. http://gradschool.about.com/od/curriculumvita/Writing_Your_Curriculum_Vitae.htm

3. http://www.ehow.com/how_4881344_write-curriculum-vitae-graduate-school.html

4. http://www.eduers.com/Graduate/Resume.html

5. https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c8_p9.html

6. http://workbloom.com/resume/sample/student-graduate-school-admissions.aspx

7. http://www.eastern.edu/campus/career/pdf/How%20To%20Write%20a%20Resume%20for%20Grad%20School.pdf

8. http://www.indiana.edu/~psyugrad/gradschool/apply.php

9. http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/career-development/put-your-qualifications-writing/sample-resumes

10. http://www.students.ubc.ca/careers/students/get-career-guidance/job-search-skills/resumes

11. http://www.swarthmore.edu/documents/administration/careerservices/resume.pdf

(B) Central processing:

It's easy, but all departments do not go through this process. Go to their website. There you will get proper instructions. Usually, the steps are: pre-application, Final Application, Approved by admission committee and final admission. This process usually takes 6 months.

List of Documents available in PBSCU (subject specific):

http://www.pbscu.ca/graduate.html

Tips for Admission in Pharmaceutical Sciences:

My tips for all who wish to join Canadian Universities as a graduate student (Pharmaceutical Sciences/related) WITH funding:

Version - 2011

For this Fall, I got admitted to U of T (Ph.D.), UBC (M.Sc.), U of A (M.Sc.) and McGill (M.Sc.).

So I am sharing my experiences with you.

These are my personal views, there MAY BE EXCEPTIONS AND OTHER VIEWS ALSO.

University of Alberta and UBC:

• Background preparation: get IELTS >7.0, CGPA>3.5, A/O-Level (added advantage). [Don't get excited about minimum criteria, Indians/Chinese/Egyptians have an CGPA>3.5 and most private/public uni students in BD now have CGPA>3.5].

• Select 10 potential professors, read their papers, and email them.

• Be honest about what you know about research and discuss your desires/limitations.

• Don't show them more than 3/4 papers, because this will raise question about your country's ethical practice in research.

• Try for M.Sc. rather than Ph.D. (This is because Professors here like to take M.Sc. students. Don't worry! If you have the potential you can convert to Ph.D. easily).

• Never email Professors multiple times in a row. REMEMBER: these emails are read by the Professors themselves or by their graduate students. If they see the same email 3/4 times, they will just put you in the SPAM list.

• Get a good recommendation letter from someone who has good research background (whose papers are available in Pubmed). REMEMBER: If you get a recommendation letter from the most powerful person in DU, it will not matter! Professors here just put the name in Pubmed and search for the authenticity. Do not let you referee write bogus things too much. Remember they use the same format most of the times; your friend is also an expert in those so-called things who got a recommendation from your referee ;)! [This advice goes for applying to all Universities].

• In U of A and UBC, Professors are the main thing. So focus on them. [Tuition fess: International ~ CAD 8,000, Canadian/USA citizen: ~ CAD 5,000].

• Funding is moderate here, but expenses are less overall.

• Publications are not that much important. But it's always good to have some.

• Always apply for FALL Term i.e. September.

• REMEMBER: They don't care about your University's name. DU/EWU/NUB - it doesn't matter.

• For those who are doing M.Sc. in UK and Sweden, just apply here! They like Swedish and UK people.

• If you are a PR, have enough money, tell the professor that you want to study with self-finance.

Please do no tell lie in any stage. Remember, if they ever find out you are a fraud, they will just cut your funding.

University of Toronto:

• Background preparation: get GRE>1350 (old), IELTS >7.5/TOEFL>100, CGPA>3.8, A/O-Level (added advantage). [Don't get excited about minimum criteria, Indians/Chinese/Egyptians have an average GRE score of >1300].

• Publish at least 1 paper (for M.Sc.) and 3 papers (for Ph.D.). Remember, international students here compete with USA students to get admission. Your paper must be available in Pubmed and should have >1.0 impact.

• Select 10 potential Professors, read their papers and email them. They will tell you to apply. Many professors will email you back asking to apply. DON'T GET EXCITED, IT'S A RULE BY UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ADMINISTRATION THAT PROFESSORS SHOULD ENCOURAGE FOREIGN STUDENTS TO APPLY. WHY? THERE IS 110$ FEES.

• If you think you are not capable enough, then DON'T APPLY HERE. It will just be a wastage of money and your time. AND THE GEC ( Graduate Admission Committee) reserves copies of your application. So if you think, you can do better in 2013, don't apply for 2012. Don't rush!

• Be honest about what you know about your research and discuss your desires.

• At UofT, Professors have no power to hire students. You must apply to programs you like. The GEC will rank the students. Professors are only allowed to take students from that list. NO PERSONAL FAVORITISM WILL BE GIVEN UNLESS YOU ARE A CANADIAN/USA CITIZEN. Why??? The Professors have to pay extra CAD 10,000/year just to take you (international student). Why they should waste their grant money on you??? [Tuition fess: International ~ CAD 18,000, Canadian/USA citizen: ~ CAD 8,000].

• Try for M.Sc. rather Ph.D. (This is because Professors here like to take M.Sc. students. Don't worry! If you have the potential you can convert to Ph.D. easily).

• Funding is very good here and so are the expenses.

• Always apply for FALL Term i.e. September.

• REMEMBER: They don't care about your University's name. DU/EWU/NUB/NSU - it doesn't matter.

• There is no self-financed graduate program in Pharmaceutical/Medical Sciences in UofT or McGill.

• In very rare cases, like you have a full scholarship from Bangladesh Givernment or you have a super resercah profile or if you already have an MSc from somewhere in North America, GRE will be waived for you.

REMEMBER: PR IN CANADA does not signify you as a potential candidate, because the Professors think they are more interested in doing a job to earn money than studying. But, of course, they have advantages of paying the same amount of tuition fees as Canadian students. However, those who have done undergraduates, they are in a more suitable place to get the funding.

General Application Guideline:

REMEMBER: It's not good to apply to all places where you have seen other Bangladeshis have been admitted. Try the ones that suit you the best and apply to those only. If you apply to high quality universities with a moderate background, you will be sorry later, blaming your luck! And this happens!!

Finally, best of luck! And in some cases, LUCK is the only thing you need!

Step-7: VISA

Congratulations! You have done it. You have got conditional or unconditional offer of graduate/undergraduate admission. Now you have to start preparing for VISA.

VFS-Canada, Bangladesh:

List of Documents available in PBSCU:

http://www.pbscu.ca/study-permit.html

Web resources:

1. http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/bangladesh/visas/study-etude.aspx?view=d

2. http://www.vfs-canada.com.bd/index.aspx

3. http://www.students.ubc.ca/international/international-students/before-you-arrive/apply-for-or-extend-your-study-permit

Step-8: Preparation to go to the University

1: Contact or browse International Center's webpage to get all pre-arrival information

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BSAAC/417108291661080

2: look for Accommodation:

On-campus:

Go to the housing website of your University and explore different options

Off-campus:

(a) Check how to choose off-campus housing or what to check:

http://www.housing.utoronto.ca/rentalHousing.htm

(b) Take help from Bangladeshi students

3: Book your flight

Try to book flight as soon as possible. If you can book 1-2 months earlier, there is a chance to get discounted offers. Don't go directly to the agents first. Try to get an idea by using internet. To come to Canada, there are two main routes: (1) Over Pacific Ocean (2) Over Atlantic Ocean. The shortest distance is over Pacific Ocean. The shortest distance means, relatively less cost.

4: Shopping

Shopping List (Before coming to Canada)

http://www.pbscu.ca/post-visa.html

5: Arrangement of pre-arrival documents

DOCUMENTS THAT YOU NEED TO SHOW AT YOUR PORT OF ENTRY:

1. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/study-arriving.asp

2. http://www.students.ubc.ca/international/international-students/before-you-arrive/apply-for-or-extend-your-study-permit

First Time Entry to Canada (TO DO LISTS):

http://www.pbscu.ca/post-visa.html

Web resources:

1. http://www.sachalayatan.com/kingkong/17040

2. http://www.iss.ualberta.ca/en/PreparingForUAlberta/PackingforlifeinEdmonton.aspx

3. http://www.iss.ualberta.ca/PreparingForUAlberta/ArrivingInEdmonton.aspx

4. http://www.iss.ualberta.ca/PreparingForUAlberta/PackingforlifeinEdmonton/WinterinEdmonton.aspx

Step-9: Life in Canada

I think, if you come here, you can judge it. As life philosophy and perceptions vary person to person, it will not be good to give comments. From my understandings, its quite, systematic, well organized (relative to Bangladesh), healthy and secure enough. But you will miss your dearest ones obviously.

http://www.pbscu.ca/life-in-canada.html

DURING STUDY:

http://www.pbscu.ca/life-in-canada.html

1. PR Application

http://cie.utoronto.ca/Coming/Living-Here/PR.htm

2. Work-permit

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work.asp

3. Social Insurance Number

http://cie.utoronto.ca/Coming/Prepare-for-Arrival/Social-Insurance-Number.htm

4. Income Tax

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/internationalstudents

5. Study Permit Extension

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/study-extend.asp

6. Bringing your parents or grant parents to Canada

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/supervisa-how.asp

Step-10: Help others

Our initiative is a movement to help talented Bangladeshi students to get worldwide vision especially in Canada. It’s not brain drainage at all. If they cannot come out side, they will spoil themselves in nasty politics. First of all it’s for survival of potential future leaders of Bangladesh, who will return in future to Bangladeshi and will transfer the recent concepts and technologies which will be helpful for my motherland "BANGLADESH".

Join our team or just start to help.

After you get your visa, please join this group:

Canadian Alumni Association of Bangladesh:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanadianAlmuniAssociationBD

*All Web-resources mentioned here are referred to the original website and we appreciate and acknowledge them by directly linking their website addresses.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail us at pbscuadm@gmail.com