Higher Study Applications and Managing Funds in Canada – Same As USA?

Mustakimul Hoque

When you hear ‘maple syrup’, what comes to your mind first? That’s right, it is Canada. Aside from the famed maple syrup and poutine (a dish made of French fries and cheese curds topped with a meat sauce), Canada is well known for its higher study opportunities. There are numerous recognized universities in Canada with several of them regularly featuring among the top 100 globally. The country’s reputation for friendliness, pristine wilderness, and world-class universities has led to Canada becoming one of the world’s most popular destinations for international students, with numbers rising steadily each year!

If you are looking for higher study opportunities in Canada, you need to fulfill some prerequisites. The most common documents required to apply to Canadian universities are – undergraduate academic transcript, standardized test scores (GRE/IELTS), CV/resume, statement of purpose (SOP), and letters of recommendation (LOR). You can follow the formats of these documents provided in our videos of Shabash FakibajTM. Canadian universities mostly admit students during Fall (September) and Winter (January) term. Look out for application deadlines at the university websites!

Managing a full fellowship at the master’s level is quite an intricate task, and Canadian universities make it no easier. You must convince a professor (i.e. supervisor) who can financially support you through your graduate studies before applying for a thesis-based master’s (funded) in Canada. You will be required to submit a proof of financial support by your supervisor in order to apply for an MSc. degree. Financial supports are usually in the form of Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), Teaching Assistantship (TA) etc. similar to USA.

How do I find a professor? Well, there is no definite way to manage funding from a professor (i.e. supervisor). However, you can follow some simple steps which will guide you through the process. Almost all the universities post articles about different ways to find a professor and manage funding. Do not rush things. Take your time and browse through the website of your university of interest before starting your email journey. You will find so many information that can make the process easier for you. Many professors post funding opportunities and emailing process for graduate students on their faculty webpages and research lab websites. So, keep an eye out for that. Some universities impart unique approach for contacting a professor. They have a dedicated portal on their website where you can provide information about yourself and your area of interest under each faculty member within limited words or characters. If you can grab any professor’s interest, he/she will contact you through email, and you can discuss further opportunities in detail. To make things much simpler, you can follow the video of ‘University/Professor selection’ by our platform Shabash FakibajTM.

Please, DO NOT randomly start to email professors! Some students tend to send a common email to every professor on the list which is a very bad habit. A professor will never agree to offer you his grant money if he is not entirely sure about you. So, boring mass emails will do you no good. Read some publications, and if something interests you, talk about it with the professor in your email. Let the professor know that you are interested in his/her work indeed. This will NOT ensure your funding but will sure increase the chance. Some professors have a very clever way to verify whether you truly care about their research or not. On their research website, they provide a very small note at a corner mentioning the email heading or a random made-up word that prospective graduate students should use in their emails. This way, they can make sure that you have thoroughly gone through their website and have real interest in their research. If you want to learn more about writing emails, feel free to follow our video and sample email formats from Shabash FakibajTM.

“GRE is so scary! I heard that you do not need GRE to apply to Canada…”- I have heard this so many times. The statement is partially true. For many universities in Canada, you do not need to submit any GRE scores while filling out your applications. Although, it varies from department to department. However, you should remember that managing funds is all about convincing a professor. Some professors prefer students with good GRE scores. Are you willing to take the risk? I suggest that you should take the exam. Not only will it improve your profile, but also provide you with confidence. Besides, many Canadian universities are recommending GRE for graduate students nowadays.

“I hear that Canadian universities only accept IELTS, not TOEFL – is it true?” The answer is – No. Almost all the Canadian universities accept both IELTS and TOEFL scores. Previously, only IELTS scores were accepted in Canada study permit applications. According to the new rules, both IELTS and TOEFL are accepted now. No online language test (e.g. Duolingo) is accepted yet. Besides, almost all the universities in USA also accept both IELTS and TOEFL. The exams are not that different, and by taking either of them, you can consider your higher studies in both Canada and USA.

If you are a current undergraduate student, do not worry much about any of these for now. Just focus on your course studies and try to maintain good grades. I have seen some students worrying too much about GRE and other stuff before even completing their graduation. I am against this notion. Some think that only GRE/IELTS is everything about higher studies. This is not true at all. These are just prerequisites for higher study applications. They will never guarantee your admission or funding, rather just make you eligible for application. So, stop losing sleep over these and concentrate on your CGPA, even if you think you cannot bring significant improvement at your current state. Learn trending software and enhance your skill. Try to maintain a good relationship with your undergraduate supervisor, and if possible, publish a paper or two. You can understand more about it by following our videos on ‘Thesis publication’ and ‘Journal Metrics’ from Shabash FakibajTM. Never lose hope. Take one step at a time and walk towards your goal. All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.