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not true. supervisors regularly give their graduate students top ups in the form of a bursary

man just book a longer flight - submit it to the first interviewer. ask the hotel for 2 bills - 1 for the first interview and the other for the 2nd you don't have to mention the 2 interviews - tell school #2 that you will be in california on such and such date. If that first date is no good then book it for the day before school #1

UBC accepted here. So is $21000 (tuition is covered) per year enough to live comfortably in Vancouver?

well now the entire department is going to be audited!

After 6 years, occupational health and safety has finally gotten wind of the state of our research laboratory. Now we is in big trouble!

there's no harm in asking. these people are not gods and are used to all kinds of ridiculous requests.

If you really think that your answer to one question would result in a rejection then yes. otherwise, it is kind of desperate.

given your lack of success the previous 2 times, i'm surprised that your referees were willing to write letters for you this time without giving you specific feedback on your application. did you even ask? i also wonder whether or not they are writing good letters. If you don't get in this time, I suggest you take as many graduate level courses as possible before reapplying and possibly volunteer as an RA some place. There must be something seriously wrong with your application or qualifications if you can't get in 3 years in a row. Your referees could be the problem and you should make an appointment to discuss your app with them ASAP. Many universities, particularly in Canada, are still taking applications. If you can identify the weakness in your application, it is not too late to apply to more places. If your dream is graduate school, forget your top choices.

In the same boat here. My MSc thesis will have 2 manuscripts and a lit review. My 1st MS is submitted, my 2nd MS is about 65% done. The lit review is maybe 5% done and slow going. The trick really is to not get hung up on editing. If you get stuck on a section, start a new one. You don't have to write linearly. I always find that the biggest barrier is starting a section but once I have completed a first page (double spaced with 12 pt font), I start making progress. Keep at it everyday and accept that some days you just won't be able to write. In those cases, do something else but don't stray too far from your computer. Also keep a notebook beside you and write any brilliant phrasings that come to you - if I don't write them down, I usually forget them quickly. Finally, don't get sentimental over your prose. A brilliant paragraph at one time may no longer fit in a completed section. Don't try to force the text to fit, put it in a new section!

man you shouldn't have any clue what's in that envelope - including the signature so i really wouldn't worry about it.

you have not heard from any of them because most of the canadian schools do not send out admissions offers until at least the end of feb. it could be as late as mid-april.

You can circumvent this adviser by an endorsement from the dean or university president. If you have faculty support, I would go see the department chair who would hopefully go to bat for you with the dean.

just enjoy yourself. you're on an adventure. go visit, meet people and expand your mind.

I would be embarrassed to attempt this. You should go to the interview, if only to network. You will probably encounter this professor or his graduate students at conferences and you will have already cleared the hurdle of introductions. Get used to traveling and meeting new people - it's part of your new job description.

uh your fear is baseless - you said so yourself.

If you have an offer from the school of graduate studies, the department deadline is moot and arbitrary. I highly doubt the offer will be rescinded. It sounds like they have another qualified candidate but not enough funding. Too bad for the other guy. It is completely reasonable to wait for a visit. However, if I were you, I would simply skype with the supervisor and some of his or her graduate students and accept asap. it is only a masters, 2 years goes by fast regardless of whether or not you get along with your supervisor.

you have a kid and are massively in debt - it doesn't sound like #1 should even be an option.

You will have to pay tuition from your stipend at McGill. Your salary will probably be higher than at other schools but that's because it is adjusted to account for international student tuition. Most Canadian universities do not have tuition waivers for PhD students. I don't know it works for the spouse of a graduate student coming to canada, but from what i understand of the reverse circumstance, it is difficult for a spouse to work.

it's hard to believe that the majority of your professors were PhD candidates. Have these referees obtained their doctorates and are they now professors? If I were you, I would make sure to have at least 2 faculty members.

In graduate school you will suffer countless rejections with a few victories. get ready to pound your head against the wall. if you can't get over it now, there is no sense in continuing. I am absolutely serious. Even professors with excellent publication records sometimes lose their research grants and have their manuscripts turned down. Take this as a very good lesson in composure.

do you have an advisor who is willing to supervise you? if so, given your record, i would say that you have a pretty good chance of admission. lots of people get their bachelors and masters degrees at the same institution - i am.

it takes all types. as long as your hair is clean and well presented, your hair is unlikely to make a negative impact. in my department (ON THE EAST COAST) there is even a professor with hair down his butt and somehow he got tenure. many professors look like hobos.

keep in mind that these programs get an s-ton of terrible applications

e-mail the grad secretary - apart from missing documents, it could say incomplete for any number of reasons

Subheadings for technical writing - yay; for a short personal statement - nay