nugget

Failing grades do not look good at all. Do you know of any med schools that only look at your courses from the last 2 years? Medicine is not my domain, but my hunch is that this would be your best be of getting in somewheret. A failing course is likely to impact the tier/ranking of the schools that you would have a chance of getting into. If you want to attend med school, a student I know who was applying to med schools in Canada told me that McGill and U of Western Ontario are the only 2 med schools in Canada that only look at your last 2 years of study. You may want to investigate these options and look for other US schools that have a similar selection process. Good luck!

I don't think it's hard to maintain a B average in an MSW program. If your grades are good enough to be accepted that means they believe you are capable of handling the work. If you put in your best effort you should be fine.

No, Waterloo is not a good place for a new grad to find work. It's hard enough to find internships for so many social work students, let alone paid employment. The area is saturated with social work students and new grads every April. The trend is for new grads to take on multiple part time jobs or contracts in the early years. After a few years of experience it becomes easier to find permanent full time employment. There is a lot of well paid employment in Northern indigenous communities for new grads. Alberta also has a great job market and I've heard there's a shortage of MSW's in BC (to the point that sometimes BSW's are hired instead).

Good luck with that. I don't think you need to mention the other offer you already accepted. Just say you've crunched some numbers and it's not financially possible for you to attend the school therefore you have to decline the offer.

Why not send an email and back out tomorrow and see what happens?

So you're considering $100,000 of debt (not including interest) for all of your schooling for a job that pays $50,000/yr... That's really a lot of money. I'd think about it very carefully before taking on such a large amount. BTW, I sent you a pm earlier. Good luck!

Hi soapaddict, I can't comment on all the questions you're raised but I'll answer what I can. U of T is more research based and also has an excellent reputation in training qualified social workers. I'm not sure what the employment stats are for U of T but something to consider is that if grads aren't willing to leave the Toronto area this could impact post-grad employment rates. I've heard that many job offers in Toronto require at least of couple of years of full time social work experience which would make it difficult to find employment in the area immediately after graduation, if this is actually true. (A quick search on a couple of job boards would confirm whether or not this fact I've heard is true). I don't want to burst your bubble, but if you don't have a lot of volunteer or work experience it will be very difficult to get into Laurier. You need a minimum of the equivalent of 2 years of full time experience in a related field to be a competitive candidate. U of T is a good option for students with little professional experience and strong academic performance. Out of all the 2 year MSW programs, I would wager that U of T is the most forgiving of people coming up short on the number of work hours (at least from what I've heard on this site and through other people who have been accepted and refused). Windsor is a generalist program (they gear their focus on the interests of the incoming class) but it can be a good back up option. One thing good about this program is that they seem to go through a lot of people on the wait list. For this reason, I get the impression that Windsor tends to be a back up plan for a good number of applicants (perhaps because of geographic reasons??). Far more people get called off the wait list at Windsor than Toronto. Personally, I'd apply to all the programs you are interested in if application fees aren't a problem for you. Better to give it your best shot and see what happens than to wonder what if and not give it a try. But if fees are an issue, I'd wait until you have at least 3000-3500 hours of experience before applying to Laurier because they like to pick students with lots of experience.

Check if your school has a centre for students with disabilities and try to register with that department. They will be able to get you set up for special accommodations in case you need any or notify your profs that you have medical/health condition with special needs (without disclosing your condition, of course). You will need a doctor's note to do this so find out what you need first and bring it over with you when you fly out there to make it easier to register. You might want to arrive 2 or 3 weeks early to familiarize yourself with the school and neighbourhood. This will take some stress off of you if you feel settled in by the time you start school (like finding out where the grocery store is, the post office, public transportation) and have all of your furniture bought and bags unpacked and organized. You may also want to look for an international students group or one for South American students in case you feel a little homesick and just want to chat with other students in your mother tongue. Congrats to you and best of luck!

Here is a list of some monthly expenses to help get you started on living cheaply, but you'll need to come up with some figures as I don't know local costs of each of these things: -groceries (to eat cheaply, cook from scratch and do not buy frozen dinners; bring a thermos for your coffee instead of buying a cup every day; get a thermos that will keep food hot for hours to take to school; always keep some non-perishable snacks handy at school in case you stay late so you're not tempted to buy take out ie: nuts, microwave popcorn, granola bars, etc; buy foods on sale like meat that are about to expire and put them in the freezer until needed; eat local produce that's in season for cheaper prices) -cell phone (comparison shop when getting a cell phone plan; don't just take the first one that looks good because you may stay with this company for a few years) -rent (obviously cheaper with a roommate, tendency to get cheaper the more roommates you have, especially if you want cable, internet, etc as bills can be shared - how many roommates are you willing to live with?) -cable? internet? -transportation (weigh the pros and cons of living walking distance to campus - free transportation costs but perhaps higher rent) - cost of monthly bus pass? car? (insurance, gas, monthly parking pass, winter tires if there's snow, maintenance and repairs) -moving expenses (will you be taking furniture and large items with you?) -travel costs - do you plan to go home and visit at some point in time? how often and how much will it cost? -furniture (some places are furnished but they are generally more expensive, weigh the pros and cons of each) -pots, pans, dishes, microwave, coffee maker... (if shared accommodation some of these things might already be there) -bedding - blankets, sheets, pillows (curtains too!) -clothing (maybe a thrift store if you're on a really tight budget - new seasonal clothing if you'll be in a very different climate ie: winter boots, coat, hats, gloves, scarf, etc) -school supplies, books - do you need a new computer? -health insurance (medications, etc) -gym membership? (perhaps it's free at your school) -cleaning supplies (dish soap, laundry detergent, kitchen cleaning supplies) -toiletries (shampoo, bath soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, tissue, etc) -long distance phone calls (free if you use Skype!) -emergency money -money for personal spending - recreation, socializing ie: movies, restaurants, drinks, etc....

I think a combination of a good mix of personalities and lifestyle habits are most important in order for it to work such as being tidy vs.messy, noisy vs. quiet, respectful of others vs. inconsiderate, etc. That being said, some things I've noticed with some male roommates is that some leave empty beer bottles piled up in the kitchen and dirty dishes in the sink. Some also aren't into having weekly chores and they might not take too well to having a female ask them to chip in with the chores. But I've also had some very tidy male roommates who were tidier than me. Guys also tend to be less complicated and more upfront in general, which I like. Some females are into having a weekly set of chores and dividing tasks while others can be messy and let dishes pile up. But I haven't really seen any issues with empty beer bottles piling up in the kitchen in my experience. It really varies. If there are any problems in the relationship, some females aren't comfortable expressing disagreement directly to you or having confrontations which can lead to passive aggressive behaviour. But if you don't have any major problems or if the roommate is flexible, adaptable or assertive then the living arrangement will go much more smoothly, IMO.

It sounds like from a financial perspective, it would make sense to decline the master's offer and pursue work with your bachelor's degree. Would you be happy and professionally satisfied if you worked in this field? What inspired you to apply to this master's program? If you wouldn't be satisfied working with your bachelor's degree then I think it's important to find a way to reach your professional/academic goals in a way that you are comfortable with. You seem to be quite hesitant about going into debt. Have you considered other options that are available to you? Here are just a few that I've come up with: you can accept this offer and get a loan, defer for one year and try to get a federal or provincial scholarship, work for 1-2 years first to save money and pay for your studies yourself, try again next year and only apply to funded programs, work full time while studying part time or online (at this school or another one), etc. Consider the pros and cons of each option that appeals to you - write it down in a chart if you need to. Seeing it visually help make it easier to decide, rather than trying to weigh the pros and cons in your head. Hopefully this will help you see the situation more clearly and help you choose the most appealing option. Good luck!

duck1990, My guess is that personalityresearcher gave you advice as a graduate student that is also given to undergrads but can be useful to you as well. If you expect to earn $60,000/year after graduation then taking out a maximum loan of $60,000 is considered acceptable by some people. But it is not recommended to get such a large loan if your expected annual income will be lower, such as $45,000 for instance. Keep in mind a lot of your income will be taken away due to income taxes so your take home pay might be $42,000/year give or take with a $60,000 salary, depending on which province you work in after you graduate.

I understand that it sucks to pay extra money to retake the course. But have you considered that you are fortunate to have the option to retake the course in the summer? A lot of courses aren't offered in the summer and if you were in that situation this 56% would be included in your cumulative GPA and you'd need to take a completely different course in the summer in the hopes of raising your GPA. Not only would it be harder on you to learn brand new material, but because your 56% would be included in your overall GPA and you'd have to do really well on your course in the summer to compensate for it. By taking the exact same course in the summer, only the higher of the two grades will be included in the cumulative GPA (the lower grade will still be included on your transcript though) so even if you get a 60% or 70% you'll still get to keep your honours designation. I'd take it as a lesson and move on. Next time, remember to drop your course if things are going really badly, even if you lose the money. Better than risking your chances of going to grad school.

I agree with the comments posted thus far. I also think your idea to do a postdoc elsewhere is a good plan and a way to diversify your background and experience. Best of luck!

At this point, do you know which country you plan to work in after you complete your studies? Are you hoping to do a PhD later on? I think what's most important is the way your degree will be perceived in that particular country either in the industry you want to work in or by academics if you plan to apply to PhD programs afterwards.

I've heard from people in thesis/research based psych programs that it's much easier to work around once all your coursework is completed. So in the case of the people I was talking to, that would be anytime after the first year of the PhD program. (Translation - 2 years for masters, 1st year of PhD program, afterwards easier if pregnant) But sometimes you just have to roll with it. If a pregnancy comes earlier than expected then you will find a way to make it work for you and your supervisor.

Could you clarify what you mean about not having the necessary background? Do you mean your grades are low, you don't have any publications, or your financial background? This will make a big difference in your options.

cwasson, I think you would need to ask the grad school that question. Best to ask now when you still have a chance to do something about it, rather than after your bachelor's degree has already been conferred, as it would be quite difficult (perhaps impossible) to get them to go back and change it. At my UG insitution for instance, once your degree has been conferred it's a done deal, no changes can be made. Perhaps your grad school would be fine with a 4 year degree that isn't an honours program. My department didn't offer students an honours option, for instance. I didn't explain the situation when I applied to grad schools and they all wanted an honours degree. I simply completed 4 years of course work and managed to get a few offers. Speak to the graduate admissions department and find out what their policy is. You could even frame it as a hypothetical question or ask more generally about students in this situation as you seem to be hesitant about asking them. But I think that if they absolutely want an honours degree, you are taking a risk by enrolling without one. It might be more costly, but your safest bet would be to delay your graduation by a few months and retake the course in the summer so that you will get an Honours designation. I wish you luck!

I agree with what some others have said here. I think you would have better chances by speaking to your prof about the issue. Perhaps you could do an extra assignment and have it bumped up to 60%. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but I've often heard that when students receive a conditional offer dependent upon outstanding coursework, none of your outstanding grades can be below a B (in other words 75%). I would double check the policy on this with the school that gave you a conditional acceptance. If this is the case, perhaps you could petition the school you want to attend to allow you to retake the same course in the summer, include the new grade and overlook the 56% using the letter you posted here. If a psychologist or physician can can attest to your mental state of health and provide a medical letter during that period of time your case will be stronger. Good luck!

I disagree on these points... One course is not reflective of one's ability to handle graduate level work (as the rest of the courses were strong enough for the OP to get an offer) and I'm not clear on why the assumption was made that the OP was slacking? (Unless it was stated elsewhere on this site, in which case, I retract my last point). Good luck cwasson!

You have made some great points, juilletmercredi. This is the only one I disagree with. Sometimes no program perfectly suits your needs, or people only get into programs that are a fairly good match. I think if a school is at least an 80% perfect match, it's possible to be happy accepting an offer that's lower on the wish list. Depending on one's life circumstances, accepting an offer that isn't the dream school is a better option than applying again the following year.

That sounds frustrating considering how hard you've been working. If things don't start to improve soon, remember that you could take a leave of absence until you get some answers and solutions to your problems. Best of luck!

Last year I recently went through a phase of watching X Factor and Canadian and American Idol on youtube nearly every day.

I think it would be a good idea to get assessed by a clinical psychologist, as some people have already suggested here. Have you noticed a difference since you started taking medication? Medications often cause side effects and I wonder if the medication could be impacting your scholastic abilities...

I see where you're coming from. It sounds like this opportunity is a lot better than what you were doing before. I hope the job prospects in your field are promising. Best of luck!