MatthewCasselman

Hey everyone, I have create a Facebook group for those who have accepted their offers to U of T: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SPPG2017/ The group name is: SPPG University of Toronto Class of 2017 I'm looking forward to September!

My two cents: I know people in the OPS who graduated from Ryerson, Toronto, and Queens. TBH I don't think it matters as much as people think where you go. However, with that being said, I think you really need to think about what you want to do afterwards and the efficacy of the degree in achieving your career goals. Consider the following: 1. Federal, Provincial, Municipal, or Private? I don't think it matters where you go municipally except perhaps Toronto. Private institutions care much more about institutional rep than public so choose Toronto or Queens if that's the case. If you're interested in federal I would unquestionably attend Carleton or Ottawa. OPS I would argue is more flexible, however, your network is what will likely get you hired. Seeing as most policy jobs in OPS are GTA based, I question why you'd leave Toronto for your degree. 2. 2 years is better than 1, in my opinion. I'm not in a rush and can afford to leverage some debt to finance my education. Others may be in a bit more of a rush. If you aren't, consider that a crash course where things are compressed in to 10 months won't allow you to do many or any extra curriculars to pad your resume and reinforce what you've been taught or attend networking events.

Hey all, I just wanted to provide a word or reassurance to people applying with lower GPA's. I applied to Waterloo, Ryerson, Queens, Carleton, and Toronto. I was ultimately admitted to all 6 programs earlier, and have decided to accept Toronto. (large grad cohort, international opportunity, OPS proximity, good institutional recognition) I'm graduating from the Laurier Business program. My fourth year is Jan till August so they haven't seen any fourth year grades. My 3rd year GPA was just 3.4, my final year will be significantly better (likely 3.9) but they can't consider those grades! It really is a holistic application process: I had 4 strong LRs (2 academic, 2 OPS), I was in Co-op so I had three OPS placements and one Federal, I applied in November, and I spent a lot of time on my SOP.My GPA didn't help, but other things helped! If people are interested in connecting, I'd love to join some sort of group on Facebook or something. Very much looking forward to meeting you all.

Hi all, I must respond to an offer within 21 days of receiving it. Looking at previous acceptance dates at other schools suggests that I may not hear back from a preferred school until April or even May. Could anyone let me know of their experience with this? Should/could I accept the offer now and later reject if/when I receive an offer to a preferred institution? Please advise!

Hey all, I would really love to hear from some of you who have some experience. I am DWELLING on theses numbers. I'm in a business co-op undergrad program and took a full course load. I took some additional courses during the work terms due to limited course offering. -- All MPA programs I'm applying to require a 3.3/B+ minimum. I have an 8.7/3.24 with final two years (full time only), a 3.3 when incorperating part time credits, and a 3.4 when just taking the top 20 half-credits in my last two years. How do you think the school will assess that? Will I still be considered? Do grades matter much beyond meeting the cutoff? (I have excellent extra curriculars, work experience, two strong academic and two strong professional references) Also, in my final year, since I am ahead, is it okay to take a 4 course load instead? or is this frowned upon? Sorry, lots of questions but look forward to any advice!