Global Health Scholars - Undergraduate FAQ Page

The McGill Global Health Scholars – Undergraduate program offers McGill undergraduate students the opportunity to learn about and gain global health experience through participation in research projects. During the summer, each Global Health Scholar is involved in a global health project either at an international or northern Canadian site or in Montreal or Gatineau, under the supervision and mentorship of a McGill faculty member. McGill Global Health Programs (GHP) provides funding to cover student travel, if applicable, and a modest stipend. During the academic year following their summer project, Global Health Scholars benefit from a variety of educational, training and networking opportunities organized by GHP.

Students can apply for up to two projects. In the application form, you will indicate your first and second choices from the list of projects offered. If you want to pick only one project, select it as both your first and second choice.

The Informed Investment in Health Innovation (IIHI) Scholars – Undergraduate Program is a special program initiated in 2024 within the McGill Global Health Scholars - Undergraduate program. IIHI provides opportunities for undergrads to learn about and gain experience in cost assessment, economic evaluation, and/or modeling through health research projects. There are three IIHI projects available in this year's Global Health Scholars program, all of which are Montreal-based. Students selected to work on IIHI projects are still considered Global Health Scholars and will participate in all of the activities and have the same program deliverables. Find out more about the IIHI.

No. This program matches students with vetted existing projects with McGill professors, so you must choose from the list of available projects. If you are looking for funds to support travel for your own global health project, you may want to look into our Travel Awards program.

We look for students eager to learn about health inequities and what is being done to develop innovative solutions to global health challenges. We look for students who see value in learning a wide range of skills, who possess humility, and who demonstrate the ability to be self-reflective. Make sure to look at our evaluation criteria as well. In addition to this, each project will have its own preferred set of technical and transferrable skills, so be sure to take those into account as well.

That’s easy! Visit our Awards winner page!

Nope! Students do not need prior global health experience to apply to the program.

Nope! There is no minimum GPA, but some applicants have mentioned their grades in their essays.

Indicate a willingness to learn by demonstrating how you taught yourself a skill or learned quickly in previous experiences. You can also try to pick up some skills and knowledge on your own. For example, at McGill, the Library, CaPS, SKILLS21 and Student Services offer workshops that might be relevant.

If one or more languages are listed as required for a project, you will likely interact with native speakers in a professional setting. For instance, you may participate in formal team meetings, interview study participants, or review academic, research or technical literature.

Unlike other skills, that high level of proficiency may be hard to acquire between now and the summer if you have no prior knowledge. The project description may also provide clues to how you will be using the language, so it’s a good idea to refer to it.

Yes, you can! Students do not need to have taken either course to apply for the Global Health Scholars Undergraduate Program. Many selected Scholars have not taken either course when they submitted their application. However, if you are selected, we strongly encourage you to take at least one of these courses in the academic year following your summer project.

Yes! Selected students must complete 240 hours of work (the equivalent of 6 weeks full-time) between May 1 and  August 31, 2024. Each project has its own timeline, and many are flexible. 240 hours can mean anywhere from six weeks working 40 hours per week on the project to 16 weeks spending 15 hours per week. We encourage you to pick projects that work with your schedule. If you are invited to do an interview, you should definitely discuss the work schedule then.

Yes. MDCM/medical students and DMD/dentistry students are considered undergraduate students and are eligible for the Global Health Scholars - Undergraduate Program.

Yes! There is no program restriction. All undergraduate students are eligible for the Global Health Scholars - Undergraduate Program, as long as you are not graduating in May-June 2024. In other words, you must be registered for a credited course either in the Summer 2024 or Fall 2024 term.

Now that most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, 2024 Global Health Scholars working on local Montreal-based projects are expected to work on campus (or in an affiliated location) for the majority of the time. Should COVID guidelines change such that on-campus work is not allowed, students would then transition to a remote work plan.

Yes! Students completing their project on campus or in the Montreal/Gatineau area will receive a stipend of $3,000. If a student is selected for a project that involves travel (either Internationally or in Northern Canada), they will receive an additional $3,000 to contribute towards travel costs. If a student does not travel, the stipend will not exceed $3,000.

Payment of the awards will be in two installments: 90% of the amount will be paid in May 2024 and the remaining 10% will be paid in March 2025 upon completion of all program deliverables as confirmed by the Scholar’s supervisor and the GHP office.

GHP cannot provide funding beyond the stipend for Scholars. While some faculty supervisors may offer financial support, it is not guaranteed. If you are invited to an interview with a faculty supervisor for a project that involves travel and you believe the funding will not cover your costs, you should discuss what additional support they can provide. If you are considering a project that involves travel, we strongly encourage you to check if you are eligible for the Enriched Educational Opportunities Program.

Students may be eligible for additional funding from the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. We encourage students to contact them early to see what funding is available for their unique situation. Please review this document and if eligible, you can apply AFTER your selection into the Global Health Scholars program. Note that the Global Health Scholars program has prior approval for Enriched Educational Opportunities (EEO) bursaries.

If a student selected for a project is unable to fulfill the required 240 hours by August 31, 2024 due to seen or unforeseen circumstances, GHP reserves the right to adjust funding accordingly on a pro-rated basis. Such decisions will be made at the discretion of GHP and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

When you complete this program, your participation in this project will be part of your McGill Co-Curricular Record.

Yes, we hosted an online information session on January 23, 2024, from 12:00-1:00 PM. You can watch the recording on YouTube.

You can create a PDF version of your unofficial transcript by choosing the "print" option in your web browser and then choosing “Save as PDF” or “Print to PDF”.

As long as you follow the Essay Guidelines in the "How to apply" section on the main Scholars page, you can format your essay as you please. Given that many projects seek students with strong writing skills, it's worth spending time writing and reviewing your essay to demonstrate your skills in this area!

That is up to you if you want to write one or two essays. Whatever you choose:

1. The page limit is still 3 pages;
2. We will not be separating essays before forwarding them to faculty supervisors. They will receive the full PDF that you uploaded with your application.

Please email studentaffairsghp.med [at] mcgill.ca and we will forward your question to the faculty member. Please do not contact the faculty supervisor on any given project. Students who contact faculty supervisors for more information may be disqualified.

Please send any additional inquiries to studentaffairsghp.med [at] mcgill.ca. Please do not contact the faculty supervisor on any given project. Students who contact faculty supervisors for more information may be disqualified. For more information on the program or to review what projects were part of the 2024 Global Health Scholars - Undergraduate Program, please go to the main page.