nugget

Congrats Jaylynn. Glad to hear this year had a better ending for you.

You could conceivably get called off of the wait list any time between now and the start of the new school year. The unexpected can happen and sometimes people's plans change for all sorts of reasons (ie: hospitalization, new career opportunity,etc). However, considering that second round offers have already gone out and deposits were paid, it seems less likely that someone will drop out now due to lack of interest (although, it certainly isn't impossible). I'm sorry, I'm sure this isn't what you'd like to hear. Perhaps while you are waiting, you could keep your mind distracted by finding ways to make yourself a stronger candidate for the next application season (such as volunteering) in case you do need to apply again next year. If you end up getting an offer of admission, volunteer work (or working on some sort of project) will give you further preparation for the program and you will have more professional contacts in the field. In the very least, it will help you keep your mind occupied and busy so this isn't constantly on your mind for the next few months. Good luck to you! I hope this will be your year.

I think that if I were in your situation I would respond to the email by confirming that the quizzes are indeed factored into the final grade and reminding the student that you explained this on the first day of class and it is also stated in the course outline. If he attended every class, he had the opportunity to approach you after class or during the break to inquire about the value of the quizzes if the course outline was unclear in any way. Perhaps the student would be eligible for disability services. But in order to register, students need a diagnosis and doctor's note outlining their condition and accomodation needs. Then students need to make an appointment with an advisor before officially registering. All of these steps could take weeks to complete (especially if a formal assessment is required, as is often the case for learning disabilities) and might only benefit the student next fall, assuming the student has a disability and is interested in getting an assessment and diagnosis. Perhaps consider sending a general email to all the students in your class with a list of useful services on campus such as counselling, health services, the writing centre, and the disability office. I'm in a human service field and all of my profs provide a list of useful services on campus in their course outlines in case a student needs such services and isn't aware of their existance. You may want to consider doing this in the future for all of your courses to cover your bases if a similar situation occurs.

DeafAudi, If you're looking for summer work/volunteer experience to find out if you want to live and study in europe, you may find something of interest on these websites: http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/ http://www.swap.ca/out_eng/destinations.aspx There's also a good magazine called Transitions Abroad that has lots of great ideas and suggestions. I haven't read it in a good number of years so I'm not sure if it's still in publication, but I just found out they have a website. Hopefully it's just as helpful as the magazine used to be. http://www.transitionsabroad.com/

The best stream is the one that you are the most interested in. If you're not sure what that is, then try doing some more volunteer work to help you figure it out. Your stream will dictate the courses you take and the practicums you get, which will impact your resume and make it easier to get the sorts of jobs you want to get after graduation. If you like more than one stream and can't decide, consider attending a program with broader stream offerings or even no streams at all. If you apply to a school like U of T with more specialization options, many people pick the stream that they have the most experience in so they can build a strong argument as to why they should be offered admission. Sometimes people who have extensive experience in a particular area related to social work want to try something different and use school as an opportunity to do so. So they discuss the extensive experience they have in the field and explain why they are interested in learning about a different branch of social work. It still looks stronger to get a bit of experience or volunteer work in the new area of interest, so I'd still recommend volunteer work no matter which of these categories you fall into. Putting together a strong application is usually a lot of work. It's good that you are getting an early start on this for next year. Good luck!

Have you considered putting your plans on hold for 2-3 years when you have more financial stability and the means to pay for some extra undergrad courses? Having a semester or 2 of strong grades would strength your application, in addition to having a few more years of relevant work experience, and would help compensate for a GPA that's on the lower side. I think it's worth waiting in order to increase your odds of getting into a higher ranked school, IMO. Good luck!

Hopefully you will have some sort of training when working with aggressive or violent patients. Some things I've learned in a previous training.... -Don't wear necklaces/chains around your neck (for men, neck ties would be included) -Don't turn your back on a person that is behind you (ie: if you have to leave the room, walk through the door sideways) -Sit or stand close to a door (and make sure the walkway to the door is clear) -Do not put yourself near a corner that you could be backed into -Stand slightly to the side (left or right) if you think you could be punched in the face Keep in mind that the media perpetuates a lot of negative stereotypes about people with mental illness. The risk of being injured by a person with mental illness is probably a lot lower than you think. I find that treating people with mental illness with a lot of dignity and respect can go a long way and help them to feel more comfortable around you. But if a person is known to be violent of aggressive, the risk is there to a certain degree. If you keep the above points in mind and get training and instructions on safety and violence reduction from your practicum supervisor, I'm certain that your level of safety will be greatly increased.

You also want to be compensated fairly for your time. Calculate the amount of time it will take to do all of the tasks, find out approximately how much money you will be saving be living there (by finding out the fair market rental value of the room) and figure out the hourly rate for your household duties. If you are not happy with the hourly amount (or if it is below the local minimum wage), then do not move there. I personally think it is much simpler to find a part time job. Do you have permission to work on or off campus? If you do, I'd opt for this route because you can easily quit a job you don't like but it's more complicated to enter and leave this living arrangement. Why would you want to add more work and stress to your life when you are beginning a brand new program in a new country that is (I'm assuming) conducted in a second language? I would only seriously consider this arrangement if money is a problem and you do not have legal permission to work in the country - and only under the conditions mentioned in my previous post.

I would only consider it if your tasks were very clearly outlined in a contract. ie: walk dog 3 times a week, one hour each walk. Wash dishes twice a day, 5 days a week. Vacuum entire house every Saturday morning. I would not agree to babysit because if the parents return home late it isn't ethical to leave them home alone and you are not likely to be compensated for extra time spent baby sitting. There should also be a clause that if any changes need to be made, both parties need to agree, otherwise the contract is null and void. I'd also add a clause stating that if both parties do not agree to making changes and one or both parties no longer wishes to continue with the original agreement (making the contract null and void), the original terms and conditions of the contract will continue for maximum period of amount of time (perhaps 2 or 4 weeks) to give yourself time to find a new place to live. You should also have a clause that states that any party can withdraw at any time for any reason if someone no longer wishes to part take in this arrangement providing a certain amount of notice is given (perhaps 2 or 4 weeks). I would also have a clause stating that you can install a lock on your bedroom door and not give the family a key to the door to ensure your privacy. Furthermore, I would also have this document signed in the presence of a witness or notary.

I wrote a detailed list on this thread, if you're interested in seeing it.

I just want to clarify an earlier post I made about the med school programs at McGill and U of Western Ontario. This person I know who got into U of Western Ontario's med school program and also applied to McGill's (but wasn't accepted) had a low GPA for his first bachelor's degree (around a B average). He did a second bachelor of science and was only required to do a total of 2 years of coursework. When he applied a year ago, he told me he researched all the med programs in Canada and these are the only 2 schools that will only look at the grades of your second bachelor's degree and will not penalize you if you did not do as well on your first degree. However, to get accepted into a med school program, you would need to have a GPA that's quite high as these programs are quite competitive to get into in Canada. I would not recommend applying with a GPA that isn't at least a solid A- as anything lower is not likely to be competitive compared to other candidates.

Hang in there. You are doing all the right things by consulting with doctors, advising your profs and connecting with the disability office. Until you find more answers, remember that daily physical exercise is very helpful in managing stress and can help improve memory and concentration. If you aren't already getting daily exercise, I'd highly recommend it.

I completely agreed with everything Takeruk wrote above. Psychology programs work the same way. Your first step is to get in touch with a prof you are interested in working with and indicate your interest and qualifications. While I'm not in your field, I'd be surprised if criminology did not work the same way. As your post was brief, I was curious to know if you have read any books on applying to grad school or attended any workshops at your school or consulted with an academic adviser for information and assistance on applying to grad school? If not, I'd highly recommend doing the above to learn about how the application process works and how to create a stronger application. Excellent grades alone aren't enough to get you in and sometimes candidates with lower GPAs will get chosen over candidates with stronger grades due to other components of their application. Having a thorough understanding of the application and selection process will help you put together a package that will make your application stand out. Best of luck!

I personally would go with the money, unless you plan to earn over $90,000 then perhaps I'd consider UBC, and even then only if there were significant differences between the two programs. $20,000 might not seem much on paper but the reality of it strikes when you have to make monthly payments and your money could be going into your savings account instead, towards a car (which you may need for your first job) or a down payment for a home. It also looks much more impressive on a cv if you have funding - it makes you stand out from other grads in your program. The profs you TA for will also know you better than profs for your coursework. So you'll have 3 extra profs who can provide references for you after you graduate because they'll know you better than if you were simply a student in one of their classes.

In a psychology textbook in undergrad, I recall reading that dentistry is one of the most stressful occupations around. Perhaps this link will be of interest: http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/news/stress-in-dentistry--it-could-kill-you/1000214585/?&er=NA

What about asking to borrow money so that you could buy the things you mentioned? If you explain your school plans, the fact that you have been working hard for years, indicate your career plans and how this program will be of great benefit, followed by a list of things you need to buy.... You may find that relatives will just give you a monetary donation to help you out or buy some of those items on the list as a gift. Good luck!

I would be extremely surprised if he didn't check his email every day, even while on vacation. People in these sorts of positions normally don't just disappear for a week or two and not check on their emails. Good luck on the request.

When I was a TA I was told by the prof that if you give plenty of feedback on assignments and clearly point out what was wrong or lacking in the assignment then you will get less complaints. Of course, this doesn't eliminate complaints completely but it will help a lot.

If your POI is very well known in the field and he's a big name, I was once told by a PhD student that it's not that uncommon for students to not get a lot of time and attention from the POI. This is the downside of working with someone who is involved in a lot of projects and (most likely) has a bigger lab and more students to supervise than others that publish less and get less funding. The upside, of course, is that you will get the chance to work on a lot of projects and get a good number of publications in before graduating. As well, you can benefit from a generous funding package. I think you need to make a decision; no one here can make it for you. Clearly you do not plan to work with him for very long so you need to decide if you'd rather 1) do research on work you are less interested in or 2) apply again next year and see what happens. Are you willing to devote the next 5+ years to working on a project that isn't your top choice? Are you certain that other POIs you are considering have a more compatible mentoring style and devote more time to their students? Are you willing to delay your life for a year or two to get a better offer? What can you do in the upcoming months to give yourself better chances of getting more offers next year?

1. Your offer will not be revoked by asking for an extension (unless it is done past your Wednesday deadline, of course). The worst that can happen is that you might get a no. You will need to come up with a reason, though. Is it a fully funded offer? If it isn't or if the money isn't generous perhaps you could say that you need more time to give your final answer because of some financial matters that need to be considered first before you can make a firm decision (the financial matter, of course being taking another offer if it gives you better funding). If it is a generous offer, I think you will need to be honest and say that it is difficult to make this important career decision as you are still waiting on your last school. But remind them that you are extremely interested in their offer and sound excited about it so they know they're not your back up plan. 2. Perhaps he is waiting on funding. Perhaps you are an alternate and the other candidate hasn't accepted and there are doubts that this person will accept. Your guess is as good as mine. 3. Are these both Canadian schools? Are they 2 different programs in 2 different universities? If you answered yes to both then I believe you could technically do that but do you want to be burning bridges with people in your field? You are bound to meet at conferences in the future as a grad student and it will be clear why you backed out of the offer. If these are US schools, you need to ask an American.

A couple of other questions to ponder... What if the OP wanted to try out a school for the first two weeks into the semester and confirm his decision then? If he decides to continue and immediately drops the deferred offer 2 weeks into the first semester (and several months before next year's deadline) is it still unethical to do this? Or if he decides to withdraw from the first school after trying it out for two weeks and go with the deferred offer next year, is that unethical? Curious to hear everyone's opinion on this scenario. What do you people think?

rising_star: Good point that it should be based on 2013 calculations. But they could ask for the income in 2013 of both people. Instead of all this speculation, if there an online loan calculator that you could use to come up with your own estimate or could the loan office speak to your situation more generally and tell you what typically happens to people in this situation?

As a tip, I also like to reference my stuff after my papers are done (a procrastination thing as I don't like using APA). So I print off all my journal articles and number them. Then, in bold, I put the number of the paper after every quote or reference. ie (Ref.4, p.10) It prevents you from confusing sources and the bold text prevents your eyes from missing your notation and forgetting to fill it in with a reference after your paper is done. Good luck!

McGill is in the top 3 in Canada and they only take 185 out of 2,500 med school applicants worldwide so it does not seem that average grades would cut it, in my humble opinion. What grades are other students in your classes getting? Since you will be competing with other science students and not liberal arts students it doesn't really seem worth the while to compare yourself to them. They are not your competition.

On second thought, I looked back and saw your uGPA was a 3.1 and in the master's program you have some Bs. I don't think it is competitive enough to apply to med school at those two schools in Canada. If you do two more years of schooling and get straight As or very close to that during the entire two years then you will have a chance of being accepted. Good luck!