Graduate school may seem like part of a distant future, but it’s never too early to start planning. As you look forward to earning your undergraduate degree, think about your next step; a step that could include a master’s or doctoral degree.
You are on the brink of an exciting future. Queen’s School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs can help you get there.
Do you have questions about grad school life at Queen's?
Get advice and guidance around applying to grad school, transitioning from your undergraduate degree, and insider knowledge of what your potential grad department and supervisor is like!
The Grad Mentor Program is a peer advisor program that supports you navigating Queen's resources, answering your questions, and sharing student support services and opportunities. Through this program, you as a future student can benefit to know more about Queen's graduate school through the voice of its own graduate students.
Do you know your professors? Do they know you? If not, get to know them. When it comes time to write a reference for you, it will help if they can write about you personally, instead of just listing your marks.
Volunteer to help with research projects or complete an independent project, directed reading or thesis course. It’s a great way to delve into a topic you might want to study at the graduate level and could lead you in directions you may never have dreamed possible.
Graduate recruitment fairs, information sessions and open houses at universities are a great way to learn about your program of interest, what it can offer, the funding opportunities, the research going on and whether or not you have the necessary courses to apply.
Contact the universities you are interested in and learn all you can about the campus, the city, the faculty and the staff. Talk to current graduate students and ask about their experiences. Find out if there are any special requirements before you start the applications process.
Don't wait until the last minute to get your final application in. Some scholarships and bursaries depend on you applying early. And make sure you keep on top of the deadlines. They have a way of sneaking up on you.
When you can concentrate on your studies without having to worry about where the next tuition payment is coming from, you will be able to appreciate and enjoy the experience that much more. This takes planning.
We recommend you get an early start. In the summer between your 3rd & 4th undergrad year, search the web and learn about scholarship opportunities including federal graduate awards (NSERC, SSHRC & CIHR) and provincial award (Ontario Graduate Scholarship). Often the application deadlines for these awards are early in the fall, even before the deadline for applying to graduate studies.
The School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs also has scholarships available.
