sarah-bellum

I had a similar problem. I was accepted to one program about 4 hours away, and a couple that were much closer (40-60 mins by car). The mindset for grad students (and academics in general) is usually not very family-oriented, so a lot of people will tell you to just accept whichever program is better, regardless of distance. But that's not always realistic. I'm very close to my parents and siblings, and the idea of only seeing them once a month (as I would if I went to the further school) is not a happy one for me. This was a significant part of my decision when I chose my school. Your well-being is important. If being close to your family will make you happier or less stressed out than being in a new city (and the programs are comparable), then it's probably worth it!

Accepted (I somewhat expected all of these): Western University Queen's University University of Guelph Declined interview: University of Waterloo (I didn't expect to get an interview with them, since I didn't hear anything for months. Surprisingly they contacted me a couple days ago asking for an interview - and apparently the delay was not because I was on a waitlist, but because of unforeseen issues on their end. I unfortunately had to decline the interview as I've already accepted another program). Rejected (thought I had a shot at both of these, but since I was an international applicant, wasn't really surprised): Cornell U Michigan

I've been told this is important. However, I didn't contact any of my POIs before sending in my applications (basically just because I got busier than I'd anticipated in August/September, and ran out of time to do the research I needed to). Anyway, I got interviews with 4 of the 6 schools I applied to (and at the other two I was an international applicant, which of course has its own set of circumstances). So I don't think it's a catastrophe if you don't contact them, but it's probably helpful, especially if you're not sure how strong your application is.

Accepted: Western University Queen's University University of Guelph Rejected: Cornell University University of Michigan

I had one post-acceptance visit this year, and I saw people wearing everything from bright red jeans to a formal suit. Personally I wouldn't go with either of those extremes - I wore dark jeans, a formal-ish blouse and a nice sweater. My policy is usually to avoid a full suit if it's not necessary, because I find formal wear really uncomfortable (and you usually have to be there all day). But obviously if it's a real interview you'll have to dress up a bit.

I just found this website - damn, this would have been great in the past couple weeks when I was trying to make decisions! Anyway, figured I'd chip in and see if this helps anyone. I've received acceptances from Queen's, Western and Guelph (although my Guelph letter only arrived a couple days ago by mail, so it was pretty slow). The only Canadian school I haven't heard back from yet is Waterloo, although I've heard they've sent out a round of acceptances already. Also, for those asking about the CPA date - schools can and do ignore that date sometimes. I had to make my decision pretty quickly because Western sets a deadline of March 20th.