nugget
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Posts posted by nugget
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It sounds like quite the learning experience. You did not get the art experience you wanted, but you may have learned some life lessons at this institution instead that can used for a greater purpose, moving forward. Any bad situation or negative life experience is lined with a good learning experience, imo, and I hope you will at least find this amidst your disappointment.
Your post left me with a few question marks that I think could impact how people in your field would advise you to proceed...
-Are you attending your current institution with full funding and are you graduating debt-free? How close are you to completing the degree?
-Are you considering fully funded, partially funded and unfunded offers to a new program or just funded ones?
You also didn't get into your future career goals and this is important to reflect on and consider as you plan your next steps.
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Hey I have a suuuper general question about U of T.
It seems to be the "it" school for Social Work on this forum as it's many people's first choice and I was just wondering if this is for specific reason, is it substantially better than other programs or is it more about location?
I will be reapplying next year and I'm really hoping to bone up on my experience so I have a better shot at getting in since I think my grades are competitive
trying to feel optimistic!In addition to what's been posted above... U of T seems to be the most forgiving in terms of lack of work/volunteer experience. So this is a plus for applicants with excellent grades, research experience and no-so competitive work hours. You also cannot under estimate the significance of the location. Toronto is the most populated city in Canada and there are multiple ways for people to travel to Toronto in nearby communities such as the GO train, GO bus, etc so this will make the school a desireable one for many to attend. U of T is also the number 1 university in Canada and is in approximately 20th place worldwide (with slight variations from year to year). It is also the only university in Canada to offer so many specializations (something generally only seen in the US) so this makes it unique for people who want a more specialized degree. They also have lots of hospital placements, while such placements can be fairly scarce and competitive at some other schools. I am also impressed with the efficiency of their social work department, they have a great website and Angela Umbrello seems to be excellent at her job. This would only make the program even more appealing in my eyes.
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If they aren't wiling to overlook your GPA, ask them if you can take an extra course in the summer to boost it to 77%. Good luck.
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With a bachelor's degree in health sciences, you could try to get a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep (giving samples to doctors and trying to sell the company's products) if you could see yourself doing this kind of work. I knew someone who also did this kind of work for a (disposable) contact lens company and he was quite successful. The best ones can earn a six figure salary annually. I'd also recommend volunteering in a research lab if you still want to try to get into grad school one day.
If you want to go ahead with the nursing plan, try to work as a personal support worker for a while (preferably in a hospital or long term care facility for seniors) to give you a taste of the field before pursuing it further. It will also look good on your applications to have this kind of experience. You will probably need to take a course first to work in a hospital. But working for a temp agency, privately or (I think) a long term care facility should not require a certificate of several months. A short one of perhaps 2 weeks should suffice. Temp agencies pay low but the good thing is that they will give you training at no charge and they sometimes hire people without experience.
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I fully agree with the above comments that generalizations cannot be made and it's best if you can go into the situation with an open mind.
The only concern I would have about an international student is what would happen if their visa was not approved or arrived too late for the them to attend school in the fall. While this is a rare occurrence it can happen and could cause you to scramble for a new roommate at the last minute.
If you have any food insensitivities or allergies then this could be an issue, as certain cultures have tendencies to cook dishes with certain ingredients. For instance, I hate the smell of fish so if I had a roommate who cooked fish multiple times a week it would be really hard for me to live there. I also do not like the smell of excessive curry in my home. For others, being a carnivore, eating pork, or storing and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in the home could be problematic. But these issues can arise regardless of one's culture.
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I see your first option as an alternative to working for a year. You have no interest in it. But the "salary" of $33,000 (if I understood your post correctly) would be comparable to the salary of an entry level office admin position, after tax deductions. It would also help you accumulate savings to fund your future econ degree, which is ultimately what you want to be doing. The question is, would you be motivated and interested enough in the course content and research to work hard at this program? This is important to ask yourself, as you will need to submit transcripts for all of your studies.
The second option seemed like the best one because it is a professional degree. In case research or academia doesn't work out for you right away (something to be prepared for as jobs have become more scarce over the years or temporary and contract-based), you could work in this field and earn a good living until you find something more closely aligned with your interests later on.
But then you bring up two other important considerations: health problems and similarities between this program and an MPP. Is your health condition stable in the sense that over the course of the year you should get a good sense of what you can and cannot handle? Or does it fluctuate so that you will not nor ever be able to predict when your health will get in the way of your studies?
If it is unpredictable, I would decline both offers and get a job and once you have the money saved up go into the program you like the most. If your academic performance isn't at optimal levels in the upcoming year because of your health, your grades and the possibility of getting strong references from your grad program could jeopardize your chances of getting into your dream program later on. In your dream program, you can register for accessible learning services which would make it easier for you to reduce your course load, drop down to part time or take a medical leave of absence if needed. So I wouldn't worry about this at all.
Have you inquired to find out if you could get course exemptions in econ by taking the Public Admin degree? (Sorry if this is an obvious question. I am not in any of your fields). If you could and if this might reduce the length of time your next degree takes to complete, this could give you an added incentive.
All in all, when all things are considered, I would personally decline the first offer and ask for a one year deferral to the second one for health reasons IF you could find a job in the upcoming year that would allow you to save the money you need to attend your dream program. If you get too sick to work in the upcoming year, you can take a break from work, reassess your interest in Pub Admin next year, delay completing your dream degree and not worry about burning bridges, tarnishing your record or reducing your chances of acceptance into your dream program.
If you know now that you will not be able to find a job with a good salary that will allow you to save money, this is where it becomes tricky. Not knowing about your health situation makes this tricky to give my opinion on. I think I might learn towards option 2 because if this is all you can handle due to being unable to predict the future of your health (or if you know your health condition will slowly deteriorate over time) then delaying might not be an option and at least you could walk away in a good position to start a new career whereas option one is simply the equivalent of a one year job with few benefits for your future.
Congrats and good luck with your decisions.
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Guelph is not remote, nor is it barren in the winter. Guelph is only an hour from Toronto, has winters incredibly similar to Toronto, and is far from barren! It has many wonderful green spaces, and is a wonderful place to live if you like being outdoors, due to the numerous parks, running paths and cycling paths.
Guelph has GO train service to Toronto during the morning rush hour (and service back at the evening rush hour) so you do not need a car nor do you have to rely on Greyhound buses. Guelph transit is great for getting around Guelph, but Guelph is incredibly bike-able, and much, much more bike-friendly than Toronto!
I think that Guelph is barren because there is lots of grass and there are lots of parks. Any land that has lots of grass and trees on top of it and no infrastructure I would call barren. But it's all a matter of perspective.
In the summer, it looks prettier if you like parks. But in the winter, when the grass is covered in snow there are lots of long roads and the scenery looks quite bland, in my opinion. It's definitely a place I would not live in without a car.
You can take the GO train but keep in mind it only operates between Monday to Friday. 2 trips leave early in the morning towards Toronto and 2 trips return in the afternoon, a schedule meant to accommodate people who work business hours in Toronto.
But this is all relative. If you grew up on a farm, for instance, Guelph would probably seem like a busy and active place. If you are a city person, it would be a bit of an adjustment to live in Guelph, imo.
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I know nothing about those programs but can comment on both cities, if this is of any importance to you. Do you like living in a big city with great access to restaurants, public transportation, shops and amenities or living a remote location (that, in my option, looks barren in the winter) and requires a car to travel to most places, or a greyhound bus to go anywhere outside of Guelph including neighbouring Cambridge and Kitchener?
It's a matter of personal preference. If you like remote locations with a little downtown core, go for Guelph. I know I would prefer the first option, not to mention U of T is ranked 16 world wide (although I cannot comment on the ranking of your particular field).
Congrats and good luck!
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What are your career goals exactly? I think it would be easier for people to advise you regarding the job market if you could provide them with some concrete examples.
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I don't really know much about the feasibility of this, but I have heard of people changing schools to follow their adviser. Do you think this might be a possibility? Is this person leaving this year or next year?
But perhaps this is only done when someone is further along into their research and thesis.
If you could tough it out for a couple of years, you could attend and leave with a masters. Then apply for PhD's that are a better fit.
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I only read the initial post made by the OP. That being said, I would give feedback on anything written and areas for improvement without giving the students the answers. If the ideal points aren't mentioned on the paper you could point this out, it is up to the student to figure out what is missing.
In undergrad, I wanted to do well on a particular course that I was having trouble with. So the prof agreed to read my drafts and she said she would comment if anything sounded off base or if I was off track, but she would not tell me what to replace it with to make it better. I think it was a fair approach to take.
As long as the instructions are made clear and students have the ability and tools to do well, it is up to them to do the work.
I might also tell the student to do their best and you will do your part by grading it thoroughly and fairly. If their best is A quality work, they will get an A. If it isn't A level work, they will get a fair grade and they should be proud of it because they tried their best and you can't expect any more from yourself than that.
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Since nothing is guaranteed I'd consider the worst case scenario of GW and what that would look like and if you'd still attend if it happened. If this means no funding at all, is that a risk you want to take?
You also did not mention how long the funding would last at GW if you get funding. Consider that you would be working full time and working towards your PhD either parttime or fulltime if you can manage 2 fulltime jobs over a number of years without burning out.
If you do not do the workload of 2 fulltime jobs, your progress towards the PhD will be slower and it will take longer to graduate than you originally expected. If you get the funding you're hoping to get, would you be guaranteed this funding for the duration of your time in school, even if your graduation is delayed? Is there a guaranteed tuition waiver for the entire degree or is there a chance you could get a decrease in funding (or no funding at all) and also be on the hook for paying tuition out of pocket if it takes you an extra year or two to finish?
This all sounds too risky to me. I personally would go with UMD based on the info you've shared here. If you still want to consider the offer, try to talk to current students in the program and see what they have to say about this.
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I think the first one means you are unofficially on a waitlist. If all spots get filled up then you will receive a rejection and should a spot open up then you might get an acceptance. The second one could mean the same thing or it means you are rejected. At U of T, for example, you get the same message (no decision has been made) if you are not accepted.
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Not my field, but if both programs are comparable in terms of ranking, I'd go with UW if lack of funding is not important to you. If you need to take out a loan or if it would be a struggle to come up with the funds, then go with U of T.
If you stop after a masters, a 2 year program would likely give you more preparation for the job market. If you go for a PhD, you would also be more prepared and it would look better to admissions committees to be in the longer program (assuming you make the most use of that extra year in school and have something to show for it).
If you think your odds of getting into a good PhD program won't be compromised by a 1 year masters (if the program is a great reputation and if it's enough time for you to amply build your cv), then I think you should seriously consider it.
(That being said, I personally would take it. Why pay for an education when you can get one for free? But that's just me because I hate debt).
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U of T is typically a very desirable school for MSW applicants. Perhaps all those people attending U of T who were on the wait list replaced candidates who applied to other programs like counselling or clinical psychology and the MSW was a backup. It's not uncommon for psych applicants to do this since their programs are far more competitive to get into than MSW programs and some of them like to have a back up, just in case.
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Consider randomly calling up a few in your local area and asking for a few minutes of their time to ask them questions about the field. Some would likely be more than happy to help answer your questions.
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I think Windsor usually does rolling admissions until all the spots get filled up. So it would likely vary from yer to year, but you might be able to find out the average wait time from the secretary.
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If you want to get into academia, the top 15 program for sure ( as long as you will be ok with the research options and will be able to finish without wanting to drop out or become depressed, or something else along those lines).
If you go with the top 50, your employment prospects may be limited, which might defeat the purpose of completing a PhD.
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I've heard of people having 2 advisers from different departments. So it's been done before. These people did not switch departments in the middle of the program, but I definitely think it's worth investigating.
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You've not mentioned how much scholarship, if any, the universities have offered you. Disclosure: I have absolutely no idea about your field, but sometimes it's the money that can help the final decision.
I would have to disagree. If funding amounts aren't significantly different, I think career prospects and fit are more important to consider than a difference of a few thousand dollars. Try posting this question in the subject specific forums and you may get more informed responses. Good luck!
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If you change, do it before April 15. I think it's worth investigating because you seem to like option 2 more and it has more name recognition.
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Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2015 admissions
in Social Workers Forum
Posted
Heif1, what are your areas of interest?