steeloatmeal

It's a school's choice on what type of students they want to accept. If you want a school filled with International students then look at an institution McGill who accept more International students than Canadian students who are out of province. Does that mean that McGill is xenophobic towards non-Quebec Canadians? No. They just designed their school around that format. What they gain from international students they lose out from not admitting non-Quebec Canadians who qualify for their programs. On the other hand, an Ontario school that prefers national will get the benefit of having many top quality Canadians. That also includes the other benefits that come from being an institution that networks within Canada (i.e more funding, more scholarship, more job opportunities... etc.) McGill has to work within Quebec's laws and has to create networks within Quebec... and if you graduate from McGill you'll have to learn French if you wish to have a professional job in Quebec (because you'll have to learn French for most professional jobs.) Many international students return to their home countries.. so that may be why it's more suited for them. But consider a university in Ontario that gets tons of funding, scholarships, networks, job-opportunities from all around Canada... it will make more sense for them to consider Canadians who qualify for those advantages. Some of the more higher ranking schools like U of T eventually get so reputable that they can intake from both international and national in fair numbers. I personally think the International component is important but it wouldn't be in the school's best interest to dismiss all the funding/networks/opportunities from the host country in lieu of it -it may even be unsustainable. Either way, those advantages are what made the school a great institution in the first place!

Thanks surefire.

Yeah that is odd. How did you find out you're on the waiting list did you email and ask? Was it from the POI or the committee? I haven't even gotten an email.

Ok, I know I've asked this before but I have to ask again. Is there anyone with anyone who has applied or has any kind of acceptance for a PhD at U of T's Faculty of Information? Like I've said before, I've only met one other person on these forums who has even applied and I feel very much like I'm in limbo as I don't even know if the first round of decisions were even released or not. I only heard that the decision *may* be made at the end of the month. My applications were prepared on January 15th (exactly 2 months ago) and I'm just as clueless as I was back then on where I stand.

You should also check out the "how old are you" thread a few threads back. You'll see stories of people who are doing their PhDs in their 30s, 40s, 50s...etc. some of them have similar stories to you and others have their own unique ones. I'm personally in my 30s and I'm only applying to my PhD now. I only applied to 2 schools and may not get in this year. That won't mean this year is a waste.. it's just a year to let myself publish more, go to more conferences, and study my field more. If I can attempt a horrible analogy I would say grad school isn't really like undergrad where it's a licence just to get on the highway and drive forward...don't think about grad school as a driver-licence but more like truck/motorcycle-licence... you can still always move forward in life with what you have and when you're ready (and lucky) you'll find a program that has the right fit as you move forward in your new vehicle. But you're always moving forward on the highway - it's just which vehicle you do it in.

I figured I should weigh in on this as a UBC grad who not only knows people currently in their program but is also aquantainces with some of their best profs. The UBC journalism program values high GPAs. Experience and all that helps, but I know for a fact that people who have almost no experience and yet have high GPAs make it in. I can't comment on whether there is regional preference, I never looked into that part. I imagine getting to know the POI offers advantages too (but that's always an advantage and never a guarantee). As for the comment about taking grad school "seriously." Well.. yes. But you guys shouldn't only be looking at how to get IN the program, or WHO gets in the program, or WHAT the program is.... you should also consider what the program DOES. I can't stress this enough. I'll break it down for you from the research I did two years ago: As for the type of program UBC does. It has a lot of vocational training and it also has scholarly training. Some of their profs are full-time journalists/editors and not very academic. You also do internships at UBC. It's kind of like Carleton in that regards. The other three Journalism schools you should consider are Western, Ryerson and Concordia: If you want more practical training look into Western and Ryerson and if you want more scholarly study of journalism then you should look into Concordia's Masters program. In fact, last I checked Concordia is the only school in all of Canada that provides a *purely* scholarly look into journalism (vocational training is only for the undergrads). What I mean by that is that at Concordia you don't do internships or any training, instead they require that you devote a year to complete a full on Masters thesis (so roughly speaking while UBC expects a ~30-50 page thesis by the end, Concordia requires a ~150-300 page thesis). So there is a wide range in what type of experience you get depending on what type of journalism grad school you apply to. I'm not going to make any judgements, but if you're applying to schools simply because they're the "top school" and not because of what they actually DO there then you'll be in for a surprise (i.e at UBC you'll find yourself actually on the field running around practicing interviews while at Concordia you'll never pick up a voice-recorder because you're studying Habermas and Foucault) However, that may not be a bad thing if you don't really know what you want to do and are open to either/or.

Thanks for that link emeleyes. I also heard PhDs will be given decision at the end of March (another week and a half of waiting!). It is interesting to see who is on the PhD committee. Do you happen to about how many PhD applicants they take on annually?

Is it #35 for your field, the US, or World? If it's #35 in the world then I think it's doing quite well. I don't think there is too much difference between #20 and #35 ..especially because schools can change up/down by about 4 spots per year and up to 15-spots dependent on ranking system. One of the school's I applied to is #10 in the program, #20-something in the world but much lower in some other ranking systems.

I would think that if it was a general "are you interested" it would mean the prof is checking a few applicants and looking for the best fit. If it was just you, they're waiting for the committee to first accept you. One prof's interest can make the difference but it doesn't guarantee admissions.

You wouldn't happen to know if that applies to PhD applicants too would you?

Funny.

Are MA students guaranteed any funding at U of T?

I was checking my email from 7AM- 3AM. I spoke to a POI in January and decisions can go on until April. So today I woke up and went for a bike ride. Just go do a physical activity like biking, walking, wheelchairing etc. It will help you get your mind off your application, enjoy the city/town/weather, and realize how many better things there are to do than staring at a computer screen... especially when you don't have a computer screen to tempt you.

Hey so I'm not the only one on here! Thanks for answering. Well, just like you, I have yet to receive any word. I still have the 'under review' status but people on this forum have said that I'm more likely to get an email first. Two people on here have already been accepted to the Masters program so it's nice to know that another PhD applicant is still waiting in the same boat. Congratulations on having an offer that you like! I don't have any offers yet, so you're probably a little more relaxed than I am.

Is anyone applying to iSchool's PhD program? Everyone on here seems to be speaking about their Masters applications. It would be nice to hear if there are any PhD applicants lurking this thread.