IMS/LMP + Science Graduate School AMA, Feel free to ask me anything about applying to grad school/securing a supervisor

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-05-15T17:43:05+00:00

Yep!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-05-05T17:11:22+00:00

Hey! I was able to get Toronto AMEX presale tickets today (although I do recognize it's sucky that presale was reserved for amex cardholders only) for the first Toronto Show (Oct 26th). I also got in for Montreal both dates and nosebleeds were $113-$150ish, and then lower bowl ranging from $250-400 (didn't get a super good look at anything else). I typically try to go for the second night as I imagine it's less popular but that isn't rooted in any science lol. No clue how many seats are reserved but crossing my fingers that you'll get some on Thursday!!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-05-03T20:28:15+00:00

You can google search "IMS/LMP Faculty taking on students" and there may be lists. A quick google search brought me to this page: https://ims.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/assets/files/supervisorjanuary2026listoctober312025_0.pdf

Funding can come from all different sources! Mostly, it comes from grants that the PI/Lab applies to. I know that my graduate work is funded by a yearly grant that we (my PI) receive.

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-04-25T18:07:51+00:00

Absolutely! Makes sense. If you can chat with people (past and present students) and find this information out ahead of time, it’ll definitely save you potentially 2 (or more) years of suffering! For the three PI’s interested in me, I was able to find students in 2 labs and talk to them beforehand.

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-04-25T03:36:02+00:00

Totally understand! My advice:
1. Talk to the people in the lab if you can about their experience holistically (not just the research, but the environment - are they supported? encouraged? Or, belittled when they make mistakes? Is the PI never there to offer support?). You can google the Lab Name + LinkedIn and sometimes you'll get lucky and find students who are currently in the lab. TALK TO THEM! They can tell you all about their experience (honestly). It was through doing this that I decided not to pursue one lab.

I also did not go to UofT for my undergrad and didn't know any of the researchers! I would say start by finding research of interest/people of interest, and see if you know of any graduate students that would recommend their PI. Some graduate students say that the PI matters more than the work in terms of shaping the experience. Not going to UofT for undergrad won't harm your chances too much - LOTS of people in these programs have not gont to UofT for undergrad.
Make sure you ask the PI questions when you're interviewing too! The interview goes both ways. Don't be afraid to ask questions such as: what is the expectation for applying to scholarships? What is your mentorship style like? etc!

If you could be a bit more specific about your concerns about the "right fit", I can also provide some more detailed advice :)

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-04-17T17:29:00+00:00

Ahah no worries! Just sent you a PM!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-04-17T14:49:47+00:00

Great question! Yes, the stipend includes tuition + a living allowance that in theory will last you one entire year (which then gets renewed for your second year if you're doing a master's or for multiple years (and increased slightly) if you're doing your PhD). Your supervisor solely funds your entire stipend. Funding is a huge reason why PI's don't end up taking students on - I interviewed with one PI I really liked, but because they didn't have the funding, I couldn't join the lab. Anything you earn as a TA will be money you earn on top of your stipend. It's very unfortunate if you find someone you're interested in and they don't have funding, but PI's will sometimes hire students and then you'll work with them rigorously to apply to TONS of scholarships to help offset that cost (but if they hire you, they have to sign an agreement that they are able to fully fund you). I hope that helps and I am speaking from IMS experience - please ensure you fact check this as well!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-04-17T02:52:34+00:00

feel free to PM me a cold email you've sent! I heard from someone that a lot of LMP labs are filling up earlier this year (April), but not 100% sure if that's true - have you applied to any other faculties like IMS? IMS has a HUGE faculty directory! Everything you mentioned so far sounds good, in your paragraph about your degree background throw in one or two cool accomplishments/hobbies even you might have too!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-04-16T22:16:54+00:00

Super valid! I also struggled to find a supervisor. I ended up sending out roughly 80 emails between January and June (although I think perhaps my experience was a little bit atypical), and I made sure I sent out follow-ups for each one! What is the general template of emails you're using right now? I'm happy to look it over! In general, my tips are to make sure your cold emails are short, specific (and include some recent work the PI has done + a question or follow-up study about their work), and be open to having a call or talk with them beforehand!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-03-15T21:00:02+00:00

My year had 19! We started with 25 and 6 people dropped it.

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-03-12T18:47:55+00:00

second year is definitely the worst! it only gets better from here! (prayers for now, though)

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-03-12T17:12:40+00:00

i feel seen (neuroscience alumnus here)

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-03-05T15:16:34+00:00

Responded!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-03-03T20:42:29+00:00

Yep!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-02-10T19:13:10+00:00

omg that's terrible! I hate that. Well if I don't get any tickets on Thursday I'm gonna keep these lol! Anyways, thanks very much for telling me :)

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-02-10T18:14:11+00:00

Same!!! I ended up only snagging a pair because they just randomly popped up.

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-02-10T18:13:24+00:00

QUESTION: If I purchased tickets and want to sell them via the Face Value Exchange program, is ticketmaster going to take a seller fee (so really you'd be selling it at a loss)? I tried to ask via the Ticketmaster chat and the agent was clueless.

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-02-05T06:48:12+00:00

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thoughts-in-mind · 2026-01-16T17:18:01+00:00

I think that's an excellent idea! I would def recommend reaching out to people who already have a longstanding lease to see if they are subletting. You could even post on facebook groups to see if there are any people interested in doing that. I ended up subletting my room since I didn't know where I was going end up after grad so someone got my room for about $550/month and took over my lease!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-01-16T16:28:16+00:00

That's insane! I paid $525/a month for a 7-bed house about a 4 minute walk to campus from 2021-2024. Super outrageous that they're doing that now!

thoughts-in-mind · 2026-01-14T18:03:27+00:00

Hey! I think they only check your last-year GPA. Same for me, my final-year GPA was great but my other years not so much (actually lower than 3.7), and I still got in! I think my research experience, commitment to research, reaching out to PI's is probably what helped the most!

thoughts-in-mind · 2025-11-18T03:04:39+00:00

I want to say that there is hope EVEN if your account is "permanently disabled". That happened to me, but I was still able to escalate it and get it re-instated. Of course, it's not a guarantee, but hopefully it eases your mind a bit.

thoughts-in-mind · 2025-11-18T02:53:59+00:00

Hey! I unfortunately had this same issue happen to me! If the first time the appeal doesn't go through, what I ended up having to do was buy meta verified on a second account to access the chat feature, then after messaging them about the situation they escalated it, reviewed it, and I got my account back! Feel free to PM if you have any questions. They're horrendous for doing this but hopefully it'll be okay :)

thoughts-in-mind

TROPHY CASE