Persistence Pays Off for Life Sciences Alum
Several qualities are key to succeeding at university, and persistence is one of them. Just ask Jingpeng Zhai.
Zhai worked hard and his grades climbed steadily. But he still fell short of the average needed to get into LIFESCI 4C09, a research thesis. He knew he wanted to do research, and this course would give him the skills and experience he needed for grad school. He asked for permission to take the course despite his grades, but got declined. So he looked for a different way in.
Zhai enrolled in LIFESCI 4A03, the 3-unit course component of the research thesis. He figured he would use the opportunity to convince the Life Sciences Experiential Education Coordinator, Dr. Sunita Nadella, that he was worth a second look.
In his fourth year, Zhai applied to the Masters in Engineering program at McMaster. Dr. Nadella wrote him a reference letter, and he got in. He’s now five months into the program, which has a strong focus on informatics, and looking ahead to Ph.D. programs back in the biological sciences.
