nugget

Thanks, maelia8! I'd upvote your post but I've reached my daily quota.

Hi Dawnzi, Here are some things to consider about both schools... -At Laurier you pick your top 10 choices for practicum and you may get assigned to places low on your list. I've heard of advanced standing students getting placements they aren't interested in. Sometimes people are quite disappointed in their practicum site, but this is not always the case. Some students end up being luckier than others. -At UofT, you pick your top 5 and students often get assigned to their first or second choice. -UofT also has many more hospital placements than Laurier, in case this point is of interest. At Laurier, hospital placements are competitive as there aren't enough to go around to most interested students. -Laurier is more of a generalist program and UofT allows you to focus in on a specific area of interest. -I'm pretty sure that UofT's program is shorter than Laurier's by a couple of months (may be worth double checking). So the workload is likely to be more hectic at UofT if this is the case. -UofT has an outstanding reputation in Canada and internationally. Laurier's got a great reputation for social work in Ontario but is less known elsewhere, particularly outside of Canada. -Laurier gives you the opportunity to do a practicum in another country but I don't think this is available at UofT (again, worth looking into if this is of interest to you). -Laurier's Kitchener campus is tiny (in an old high school) with no gym facilities, medical clinic or career resource centre. There's one working printer for 300 students. The library is one room that's about the size of an apartment with extremely limited hours. Quiet study space at this campus can be very difficult to come across. -Laurier tends to be a commuter school. So if you're moving into town from far away (too far away to make regular visits back home to see family and friends), be aware that some of the new friends you make will only be in town during class hours - at least a third of the program or more. However, this can be a good thing if you're hoping to car pool and save on gas money. Unfortunately I cannot speak to this point regarding UofT. But at the end of the day, everyone at both of these programs is in the field because they are awesome people who want to make a positive impact on society, so wherever you choose to go I'm sure you will meet lots of great students, colleagues and professors who will make your learning experience very rewarding and enriching.

I would have to disagree with the above comments. If you cannot get the interest waived during grad school, 4-5 years of interest for a private loan could take you into a considerable amount of debt, perhaps even into the 6 figure range, depending on your amount owed. I would hate for you to ruin your credit rating or potentially file for bankruptcy after grad school if your debt load becomes too difficult to manage, or to be paying off your loan for the next 20 years. Not to mention, if you have any plans to have a family sometime in the future, carrying a heavy debt load could greatly decrease your quality of living and disposable income in the future. You know what you can handle and are best to determine your priorities in life - school vs. debt. Having a PhD does not guarantee financial stability, nor does it guarantee you a job in your field, and financial considerations are important to consider when making this decision, as well as your future goals

haha... I accidentally gave myself a negative reputation on my last post. Anyone know how to remove it?

I think it all comes down to priorities. Do you value convenience, less travel time and more free time every day (being able to go home for lunch or go home if you accidentally forget something at home ,etc) or do you want more space for yourself and space to entertain guests (providing that the location is easily accessible by your guests, of course)? If you like convenience, consider space saving furniture like a murphy bed, loft bed, sofa bed or futon, for instance. Some murphy beds even have a built in desk that swings under your bed when it's open - you don't even need to remove your books from the desk! There are many options out there if you look around for this kind of specialty furniture. ie: coffee tables that open up into a large dining room table, etc. If the apartment has lots of storage space, shelving, or if you have the ability to store out of season clothing at a family members' home then a bachelor suite could work for you. If you enjoy having parties or want to invite your lab, friends or date over for dinner or drinks on occasion, a one bedroom would be better as long as it's not too far away or difficult for your guests to get to, which would then defeat the purpose. If you do not have a car or don't want to use it daily, also consider local bus routes. If you live in an area with poor bus service your social life could be negatively impacted and buying groceries and running errands, etc will become a lot more inconvenient if you live further away.

In your case it is likely that you would receive a conditional offer due to your outstanding coursework. If they had to wait for your grades to come in then everyone's offers would be delayed until all the grades came in because they wouldn't be able to rank the candidates otherwise. They make a decision based on the academic information they have by the application deadline. Good luck!

Another option to consider is deferring for a year to work and put all your money towards the loan, if one year is enough time to pay it off. You might also consider getting a part time weekend job to make payments, if you could sustain that sort of workload while in grad school. Or do both suggestions and defer for a year, pay as much as possible and make smaller payments while in school through weekend employment. However the interest would accumulate considerably with smaller payments, so this might not be feasible. If you refuse the offer, remember that you got in once so you can do it again after your loan is paid off.

If you know the deadline for people to respond to acceptances, a second round of offers will probably be released shortly afterwards.

You seem to have many reasons to feel angry about this situation. Before taking further action, take some time to assess your priorities and what outcome you realistically hope to achieve given the current situation and what you know about your professor and the department. Then plan your steps to getting there. You may have many valid reasons for feeling angry and it's important to get that anger out. However, when communicating with your supervisor, it may be wise to temporarily put the boxing gloves aside and work towards agreeing on a plan that keeps both you and your supervisor satisfied. Perhaps you both won't get 100% of what you want. But if you can agree to a solution that is acceptable and satisfactory to the both of you that would seem to be a win-win situation. The PhD is your ultimate goal. Remember that sometimes losing a battle is worth it if it helps you win the war.

I agree with Mathcat. If the OP is having difficulty making ends meet on that budget, chances are a lot of people who receive the same offer on their waitlist will be in the same position. It is important for them to receive that kind of feedback from students. Perhaps this will encourage them to try harder to find more funding in the future. After all, you do need to eat and you can't sleep in your car at night in order to attend their program. There is nothing wrong with being honest about the situation in a professional and respectful way.

Have you considered doing the engineering program and applying for a second masters later on? If it's a question of not being competitive enough for this program, sometimes having a masters degree in another field can help you stand out as an applicant. If you are missing prerequisites or related work experience in this field, then it would make sense to take a year or two off to work on these areas. We don't know much about your academic and professional background so it's hard to suggest how you might proceed.

I think you should let them know as soon as possible if you get an offer and decide to go to Syracuse. If you explain what happened in a professional and courteous way, the outcome is likely to turn out better than you think. They may be disappointed or irritated that you changed your mind again, but it's an important decision to make and I'm sure you aren't the first nor the last student in this situation with two different deadlines and acceptance dates. On another note, you initially expressed interest in both schools and indecision about where to go. However, after accepting the first offer the prospect of the second offer became more appealing. Are you genuinely more interested in Syracuse than Waterloo or have you become more interested in it because you shut the door on that opportunity before fully thinking it though? Just some food for thought.

I think you should consider where you wish to work and live after graduation when making this decision. Are you planning to remain in either country after you graduate? As I am not in your field I cannot comment on the quality of either school. What do you perceive to be the pros and cons of each program? Best of luck on your decision.

I like your system of reasoning. Congrats on your decision! U of T is a great school.

Do you begin school in the fall? Have you considered spending a few months in the UK before grad school begins (working or volunteering) to get it out of your system, and attending U of T after you return? Based on all the factors you mentioned and all the great points others have mentioned here (cheaper living costs, opportunity to learn new skills, networking opportunities, as well as proximity to your girlfriend) my vote is for U of T, but the choice is entirely yours to make.

If you get a few more offers this decision might be a lot easier to make. It's helpful to think about it now, but waiting on other schools might make your decision much more obvious. Good luck.

To live in Toronto on $16,000 you would probably need to have a roommate and use public transportation instead of a car. It could be done (depending on whether or not you would have to pay extra for health insurance and how much that would cost). $16,000 could cover the basics and any additional money earned as a TA would cover emergencies, airfare, vacations, a new computer, etc.

If you live in Hamilton the quickest and least stressful commute to downtown Toronto would likely involve the GO train. The closest stop would be Union Station.

Perhaps MBA programs and other professional degrees. At WLU in Waterloo, for instance, lots of international students attend MBA programs, particularly from China. I'd be surprised though if you heard this about research based programs

Try sending an email. At Laurier, most staff rarely answer the telephone when it rings.

Sorry to hear this has been difficult for you. I hope you will find a job soon. I wanted to comment on your points made about your grandmother. You are an adult now and your grandmother is not obligated to house you (and perhaps cook and pay for your groceries too, you did not say). This is why it does not surprise me that she refuses to lower the volume on the tv. She clearly does not want dependents in the home and does not want to change her lifestyle, which she told you last summer before you even moved in. I hope you will find a job on time and that the loan will come through quickly. If things get really bad, you may wish to consider taking a leave of absence for a semester to sort out your troubles, as it seems to be impacting your academic performance (based on a couple of things you mentioned here). Best of luck.

I have one roommate who is often gone for the weekend. This works out pretty well for me. I get her company during the week and privacy on the weekend. Perhaps you could find a similar situation, or rent a basement apartment in a house with students renting out rooms upstairs. Where I live, there are lots of student rentals with this kind of set up. In that sort of situation you might be able to hang out upstairs sometimes and retreat to your basement apartment when you want privacy. Something I've learned from experience is that if you have more than one roommate, you will rarely have an entire day or weekend home alone unless it's during holidays. The odds that all of your schedules will coordinate perfectly for that to happen are not too high and it will be a rare occurrence.

I think the answer to that question will vary depending on your profile and the strengths and weaknesses of your application, in addition to how many years you are willing you go to school. A college level program will not be included in your GPA or strengthen your application academically. If your grades and course work are solid but you greatly lack relevant work experience or don't have a clear focus on your career goals, then you may find this option beneficial. Keep in mind, this route could delay your social work plans by a couple of years or more if you are doing it to find a way to attain relevant experience. If you are quite young and need 2 or 3 more years to get experience and some focus in life, then it might be a good option for you. Otherwise, I'd personally opt for the BSW and/or MSW route. If you're having a hard time finding work in the field, try to think outside of the box. There are jobs you could do that require very little training, such as a personal support worker in a shelter, group home or a hospice, for instance that could look attractive to admissions' committees, depending on how you write about it in your SOP and you would not need to attend college for 12 months to qualify for such work.

Heif1, You can prove your attributes by highlighting examples of when these traits shone during your work or volunteer experience or by explaining why certain traits are required in past work you've done and how those same traits are relevant to social work. If you give it more thought, you should be able to come up with other ways to do demonstrate your traits in your SOP. Hope this helps. Good luck!