JTMurray

U of T is supposed to let in 80 which is the typical class size, but rumour is they actually accepted 100 and misjudged how many people would decline the offer. This likely accounts for why there didn't seem to be many second round offers. There was also an unusually high number of applications this year. They generally have a 10% acceptance rate so you could imagine how many applied.

I believe they look at applications as they come in, but I want to dispel the notion that it's first-come-first-serve. They take the most desirable applicants in the first round as any other school would.

Hey PoP, I'm not very knowledgeable about additional funding opportunities other than those you mentioned. The main thing I was surprised by was the actual extent of UTAPS. They really cover A LOT of expenses and it's really a massive grant (I got about $12,000). To get as much funding as possible, try to really beef up your financial need, without being excessive. I initially had planned to live in Brampton and commute, but my parents moved to Orangeville, making that an impossibility. I initially was awarded about 7,000 by UTAPS (my OSAP stayed the same as it was maxed out), but upon claiming my $900/month rent (this city is absurdly expensive. That's really on the low-end of things) they gave me an extra 5,000 which nearly offsets the cost of rent (Not quite, but once you factor in the price of the GO-train/bus per month it pretty much offsets itself). I would also recommend not working during the program, as this is going to lower your OSAP allotment, which then cuts into you UTAPS free money. Nothing about the system makes any sense. You will also have a job next summer in a policy capacity, so also keep that in mind. You'll likely make between 10 and 14 thousand. Try playing around with the OSAP/UTAPS assessment tool and see what you can do get as much funding as possible. You may have to move funds out of a savings account for instance, since savings are counted against you. I know you'll probably be worried about taking on more OSAP debt, but the more free money you get from UTAPS, the better off you'll be. At this point I personally am banking on this program providing me with a job in the end that allows me to pay off my loans within a couple of years. Also, if you're like me and have taken on an absurd amount of student loan debt, you'll likely be surprised in September when you get some loan forgiveness, which is pretty key. DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial advisor, and do not assume responsibilities for adverse consequences for any above-mentioned tactics to get more monies.

In case you were still wondering, my CGPA from my undergrad at Carleton was 3.8 on a 4.3 scale, but my CGPA at Queen's from my M.A. was 4.0/4.3 so that probably was the clincher for me. I highly doubt I would have got into the program right out of my undergrad. But we'll never know.

Hey Tyedye, I had a pretty high gpa in my second year but my first year wasn't anything that spectacular. I believe they give you an opportunity to explain mitigating circumstances for lower grades on your application. To be honest, the admissions committee takes a lot of things into consideration and I can't give you significant insight into whether you have a chance or not. My advice would be to apply anyway if the program is something you want to do. It's $150 but worth the opportunity. They also take other things into consideration beyond gpa so as long as you're above the cutoff, if you're an interesting candidate you certainly have a chance. Good luck!

Hey Scotch, I only applied to U of T but that's because my academic career was at a point where I was either going to get in here, or just try to start a career without additional credentials. I can't speak directly to Queen's program's quality, but I did a one-year master's program there the first time around, and that was intense. I can't imagine fitting in all the content contained in a policy program into a one-year intensive course. It's overwhelming at U of T. I can't imagine what Queen's students go through. Additionally, I think there's more of a focus on quantitative skills at U of T which turn out to be really useful when it comes to program evaluation and assessing policy through an economic lens. Because it's 2 years there's also an opportunity to get through all those core courses in first year, and then really get into the policy fields that you're interested in in second year, once you've gotten an idea of the policy landscape. As for living in Kingston, I actually really loved living there (live downtown but outside of the 'student ghetto' if you choose Queen's. It's marginally more expensive, but totally worth the experience). If you haven't lived in Toronto though, it's really really awesome. There's merits to both. Kingston has that warm hometown feel and the university is right on the water so it's really nice. Toronto is Toronto though. There's always so much to do here and the culture is a lot more complex and diverse. I recommend doing both tbh lol. U of T is a new school, it's constantly adjusting it's programs, and tweaking things. But it's also run by extremely talented professionals in this field. It also benefits from having an excellent reputation with Bob Rae, Dalton McGuinty, Mel Cappe, and Tony Dean on the faculty (among other very well-known and previously high-ranking officials in the Ontario Provincial and Federal Public Service). SPPG also partners with the OPS and, the Feds, non-profits, and private consulting firms to offer internships, and has a very good reputation for delivering them great interns and employees (and our reputation gets better every year. This year pretty much every ministry in the OPS was clamouring for a U of T intern). What the U of T offers that sets it apart from Queen's is a focus on that mandatory internship. That internship experience you get in the summer between year 1 and year 2 really gives you experience, but also an understanding of the kinds of work you want, or don't want to do in the future. SPPG alums have really good opportunities and placements after the program so I wouldn't worry about that. If you want my totally biased opinion, U of T potentially looks better. The program is more exclusive, it has a great reputation, it has the internship connections. I love Queen's and Kingston, and I think their program is fine. But U of T SPPG is great.

If it's still under review, give it another couple weeks. Hope is not lost for you yet, my friend.

Yeah, that actually sounds like a really sweet deal. You're probably making a really good choice. Good luck!

I'll give you my input as a person who did a thesis-based Master's program (in political philosophy at Queen's) and who's currently doing a professional master's (in public policy at u of t). After completing my thesis, I found job searches really difficult because I hadn't obtained the practical skills that employers were looking for. A professional program is going to give you those skills, especially if you want to get into government affairs. What you have to weigh is whether you want to go the academic route and leave yourself open to pursuing maybe a Ph.D or some other career path in the future, or whether you're deciding that this is going to be the last schooling you do. The grant/TA money seems nice now, but a professional program is a more concrete investment in your career. Just something to think about.

1. The admissions committee works in weird ways I don't think anyone understands. Don't presume to know what it means if you don't get an e-mail or if you're still 'under consideration'. It's, I think, purposefully cryptic. There's still another month to be sent an offer. 2. Don't get down if you have excellent stats, put out an excellent application and you still didn't get an offer. I hear they got their maximum amount of applicants this year. The program is more popular than ever. Probably why Carleton opened more spots this year. You guys are all very qualified and probably totally awesomesauce. The school has to make tough decisions. There are 750+ applicants and only 80 spots. Chances are that 81st person is just as qualified as anyone else. So keep on keeping on. You all have bright things ahead.

Hey guys, it's entirely possible that that was the entire first round. Could have been that they just had issues last year. I'm not the admissions committee, so my word isn't gospel. That being said, being on a waitlist, or being still under review means that there's still hope for you. You all seem to have really impressive qualifications so take solace in that my friends.

To answer your question, no that isn't all of the first round. Based on what I saw from last year's admissions, the first round went on basically all week. Don't be too worried if you don't get accepted right away. There were some really great people last year who didn't hear til the Thursday. There's also 80 spots in the cohort in case you guys were curious. Once the first round goes out, they'll wait to hear back from people so they know how many more spots they can open. A lot of people are (wrongfully) dissuaded by the price tag too, so admissions have been known to go well on into April. I even have a colleague who was let in in August.

They've phased out ROSI for new applicants, so if you didn't previously go to U of T you might get a 'not eligible' status on ROSI. Maybe try Acorn instead, which has replaced ROSI. You might see it under 'Enrol and Manage', but I'm not sure.

Congrats! Invited means you'll be getting a very exciting e-mail later this afternoon. Can't wait to meet you in the fall!

Hey guys, don't tell anyone I told you, but rumour has it that U of T was finishing up acceptance decisions yesterday afternoon. There's a very very good chance you'll hear tomorrow.