Caylynn

That's interesting TakeruK. When I asked graduate admissions at my undergrad university about diversity, they told me that they aren't allowed to discriminate on the basis of race, cultural background, sex/gender, religion, age, ability/disability, etc., because to do so would be in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They told me that bursuries and scholarships targeted at various minorities were to encourage such students to apply and to pursue graduate studies, but that they had no bearing on admissions. Supposedly if the admissions people looked at an individual's race, background, gender, age, etc. then their decisions could be challenged through one of the Human Rights tribunals. I'm no legal or admissions expert, but that's what I was told when I inquired whether it was in my interest to self-declare in certain categories. Maybe it differs by institution or province, but they seemed pretty clear it was a Charter issue.

I'm happy to exchange and critique essays. This is my first time applying, however, so I don't know all the ins-and-outs of SOPs. I'm told I'm a decent writer, however.

Plan A: Combined Masters/Dietetic Internship Plan B: Stand-alone Dietetic internship Plan C: "regular" Masters (no internship) My plan C is already secure - my fourth year honours thesis professor will happily have me as an MSc student. The only problem is I can't become a registered dietitian that way - I need to complete a dietetic internship in order to do so. The good news is that out of all the MSc students at my university, only one hasn't managed to secure an internship after graduation with their Masters degree. Plan A is definitely my preferred option. As a non-trad, the sooner I start work, the better.

Yes, definitely contact professors ahead of time if you are interested in their research. At my undergraduate institution, you don't need to have contacted a professor ahead of time, but when the admissions committee meets, if you have contacted someone, and they would like to have you as a student, then you have someone who can advocate for you. They can say, for example "oh yes, I remember so-and-so contacting me, and I would like to have him/her as a student." It is perfectly fine to contact professors regarding a Masters program. In Canada, it is extremely rare to go straight from undergrad to a PhD program, so professors are quite used to students contacting them regarding Masters programs. Canadian schools do not have affirmative action. There are some programs in place to help aboriginal individuals pursue higher education, but you would need to be a member of a Canadian Aboriginal group, with the appropriate documentation to demonstrate you were a status Indian, Inuit, or Metis. I've never heard of anyone getting Canadian permanent resident status by going to graduate school. And I'm in Ontario. Glad to hear you've talked to a lawyer about it. (As for the GRE and writing sample, I'd never heard of either until visiting these forums. None of the Masters programs in my field in Canada require them!)

TakeruK is correct. Most of the programs I'm applying to (all in Canada) will look at my most recent 2 years to compute my admissions average (so third and fourth year if they were full-time, if not, they go back as far as they need to in order to get the same numbers of courses that you would normally take in 2 years). In my field, they don't really care what level those courses were or which courses they were - although they do assume everyone is following a "typical" course sequence for a Dietitians of Canada accredited program. A few programs also look at your grades in specific courses, such as statistics and research methods (they want to see at least a 75% in those courses, in the past three years, and if you don't have that, your application will be thrown out). The programs won't look at the third and fourth year courses I took in second year, even though they are relevant to my field, because they weren't taken in the past two year full-time equivalent. Yet they will include the unrelated first year required course I had to take in third year (a ridiculous first year computer course that is required to graduate, but has nothing to do with nutrition or dietetics). That's just the way things work.

My first app is due Jan. 2nd and my last one Jan. 21st. I'll be finishing my applications after exams, so polishing my letters of intent and CV during the second and third weeks of December. One LOR has already been submitted to each of the programs by one referee and I'm still waiting on the others. The earliest I will hear back is in mid-February. It could be March or April, however, until I've heard back from all the programs.

I guess it depends on the field and the program. I've been told by some of the programs I'm applying to, for instance, to definitely address my career change in my statement of intent. They will have all my transcripts, after all, so they will see that my first degree is in engineering, and that years later (and I mean many years) I returned to university to complete a second undergraduate degree in nutrition/dietetics. I am applying for mostly professional programs, however, only one thesis-based (ie. research) program. So it may be different for research-based masters and PhD programs.

We have a lot in common! My husband is a member of the Canadian Forces, and up until now, I've followed him around (one of the reasons I was never able to get my PEng). We've moved around a lot. Once I'm done with school, he'll be happy to follow me - we just can't afford for him to retire from the Forces until I'm done with school (especially since dietetic internships are unpaid and the graduate programs I'm applying for are all professional programs, so they tend to offer much less financial support). I'm old enough to be the parent of my current classmates (in fourth year of my second undergraduate degree). I remember when home computers were new (the Commodore Vic 20 was my first computer). I remember having to listen to lectures (during my first degree) and decide, for myself, what I was going to write down, since I couldn't scribble fast enough to write everything the prof was saying. I remember when email was newly introduced to the university. I've lived on two different continents, in four different provinces, have travelled to over 20 different countries on four continents and I speak three languages. I've held full-time jobs where I was responsible for supervising other personnel, for managing budgets, and for ensuring projects were completed on time. I've had to deal with my husband being deployed to places like Afghanistan and Eritrea. I have more in common with my profs than my classmates, and I'm actually older than a couple of the profs I've had. In one case, I knew more about the subject than the grad student teaching the course, and had to really watch what I said so I wouldn't "overshadow" the instructor. I enjoy my studies, however, so wouldn't change a thing. I just hope my life experience is worth something when my applications for dietetic internships and combined masters programs are evaluated. It's actually kind of ridiculous: I actually think I have a better chance of being admitted to the combined internship/masters programs, as opposed to the stand alone internships (which should be easier to gain admittance to). Why? I'm limited to a 2-page, 12pt Times New Roman, 1" margins resume for the internships (so can't include all my work and volunteer experiences - I've lived too long to condense it down to 2 pages) whereas for the grad programs I can include a CV with no page limit! I'm also limited to a 1 page SOP for the internships, but have 2 pages for the combined programs. Since the combined programs are my preference, I'm actually okay with that, but I just find it weird. It's clear that the requirements for the internships are based on students who went straight from high school to university to internships.

I agree with Monochrome Spring. For example, for one of my applications, there is an "academic intent" section that is part of the online application, but the program also wants you to email them, separately, a statement of intent. Now, in this case, they are kind enough to let us know that the statement of intent is supposed to be an elaboration of the academic intent portion of the online application. I suspect that the academic intent portion is viewed by the Graduate admissions department for the entire university, whereas the statement of intent is viewed only by the program to which I'm applying. Your case might have something similar.

Thanks all! Appreciate the different points of view and suggestions. They definitely help!

Check out what GPA various programs look at. Some only look at the last two years or most recent 30 credits. For those programs, you'll obviously have a better chance than the programs that look at your cGPA. The Global Health program at McMaster is actually very competitive. I've spoken with numerous individuals who have applied to that program (and some who have been admitted) and it is very, very popular. I'm in Ontario, so haven't heard much about the programs in other provinces. With your experience and publications, I think it is worth applying, especially to those schools who look at your last two years or last 30 credits.

Thanks Loric! That definitely helps. I guess I'll have to work on a better way of phrasing the lifelong learning bit for the programs that state that are looking for candidates who demonstrate initiative, self-direction, and lifelong learning skills.

One piece of advice I received from my university's career counselling centre was to include the "so what?" when creating my resume. So, when describing what I achieved or what I did, I was told to indicate why it was important, or what skill I demonstrated or developed by doing that task - the "so what?" piece. And, as previously mentioned, make sure you use strong action verbs. Here's one list I was pointed to: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/sites/default/files/files/Action%20Verbs.pdf

Okay, so I know for the statement of purpose it is better to "show" than "tell." But is it always bad to say things such as "I enjoy such and such..." and then give a concrete example of a situation where you demonstrated that enjoyment? I'm finding it awkward to just introduce my examples without a preface stating what I'm trying to demonstrate. For example, is it okay to say "I am committed to lifelong learning. As a xxxxx at yyyyy I have continued to expand my knowledge of zzzz and my skills in aaaa through attending workshops and conferences several times a year, such as Big Name Confernce in the field." Thanks!

Thank you for your service! I'm a military spouse. Hubby's been in since long before I met him and is still serving as an engineering officer in the Canadian Forces. He's done a lot of missions: the first Gulf War, Afghanistan, peacekeeping tours in Haiti, Bosnia, Eritrea, and several domestic ops.

As I mentioned before in this thread, all the people I know who were in a rush to get married after university or in their early 20s all ended up getting divorced. Those who waited longer (I didn't meet my husband until I was 27) have had much more successful marriages. As others have said, people do grow and change a lot in their 20s. When I was 22, 23, I actually didn't have a boyfriend. At 22 I was still doing my undergraduate studies (we had grade 13 in Ontario when I went through high school, so I didn't start university until I was 19, since we had to do grade 13 to be able to apply to university studies). At 23 I was starting my first job, too busy getting settled with that and making new friends to worry about a boyfriend. Enjoy your time in grad school. Meet new people, socialize as much as you have time for, but don't go in with the mindset that you will meet your future husband. That will likely not be successful. If you go in with the mindset that you are open to meeting new people and enjoying grad school as much as you can, you are far more likely to meet someone. If you meet someone and end up in a longterm relationship, then great. If not, you still have plenty of time. Don't try to rush things - that usually don't work. Let things happen naturally. Be open to meeting new people and new experiences, but don't try to force or rush anything.

For PCs, Lenovo makes good quality laptops. Depending on the model, though, they can be rather pricey.

This. I met my husband when I had stopped actively dating after getting tired of the whole dating scene. I was just working, having fun with my friends, and enjoying life, and lo and behold, I started meeting interesting guys, including the man who would later become my husband. I've heard it so many times from others as well - they met their significant other when they stopped trying "so hard" to be in a relationship. And, FWIW (although we all know that anecdotes to not provide valuable data) just about every couple I know that was in a rush to marry after university, or in their early 20s, is now divorced. The marriages that have lasted the longest are those who weren't in a big rush to tie the knot (I'm 41, so I've seen plenty of relationships in my peers come and go). Also, most of my friends were in their 30s, some even in their early 40s, when they started having children. All of them have healthy children, including a good friend who didn't have her two kids until she was in her early 40s. Yes, the risk for certain conditions and diseases increases the older you get, but you aren't considered higher risk until you are 40+. There are also plenty of us who live a very happy life without children. I realize that most women do want to have children, but there are those of us who don't need children to have a very full, very fulfilling life.

For some people it certainly is. I know some people who have gone to the US for grad school, including MPH programs. For me, personally, it's not an option. First of all, I want to practice as a registered dietitian in community/public health nutrition, so I need to attend a program that is accredited by the Dietitians of Canada and that incorporates the dietetic internship as part of the MPH program. In Canada, there are only two such programs. The third program I'm applying to is a combined Masters/internship but without a focus on public health (but it still has far more public health and far less clinical dietetics than stand-alone internships, so it's appealing to me). Then, personally, I'm restricted in terms of geography due to my husband's career. We've done the distance thing many times before (he's an army officer) but right now we just can't afford to be living apart! For me, if I don't get into one of the MPH programs, I'll just do a stand-alone internship (without a Master's degree), assuming I get into one (they have a 30-50% success rate the past couple of years). After that, I'll probably enroll in one of the online MPH programs that I can do part-time while working. My backup plan, should I get into neither a combined internship nor a stand-alone internship program is to do an MSc, then reapply for the internships (standalone or combined). The prof I'm doing my fourth year honours thesis with has said he'll take me on as an MSc student, so I have that to fall back on should all else fail!

I'm only applying to three schools, and four programs. I'm limited geographically due to my husband's job - he supports me while I'm going to school, pays the mortgage on our house, etc., so we aren't going to be moving anytime soon. We could do the distance thing, but we just can't afford to pay my rent/living expenses at another location (although one of universities I'm applying to would mean we will be separated geographically, but I'll have free room and board at that location, so it's feasiable. Unfortunately, I'm applying to competitive programs (they get hundreds of applications for 12-18 spots) but I have a solid back-up plan in place. The prof I'm doing my fourth-year honours thesis with has said he would take me on as an MSc student. So I have that option should I not get into the other programs.

I have no idea how things work elsewhere, but for the MPH programs I'm familiar with, there are several factors that come into play. First of all, there are a limited number of universities that offer MPH programs in Canada, and they have a limited number of seats (the ones I'm applying for only admit 12-18 students per year, for example, because they simply don't have the internship placements for more. They have hundreds (~300) of students applying. Granted, I'm in dietetics, a very specialized field, so other MPH programs do have more seats, but still not a huge number.) Second, Canada has a LOT fewer medical schools than the U.S. For that reason, there are a lot of medical school-hopefuls who have very good GPAs and MCAT scores, who don't get into medical school on their first, second or even third try. It's crazy, but I've know students admitted to top 10 medical schools in the U.S. who couldn't gain admission to a Canadian medical school! Anyhow, a lot of these students will apply for MPH programs as a back-up, in case they don't get into medical school, and this pushes the average GPA higher than it would be without these pre-meds applying (we see the same thing happened with PT and OT schools in Canada as well, sadly). Really, it comes down to supply versus demand. There is a high demand for a limited number of programs in Canada. That makes it very competitive.

Love seeing all the photos of everyone's pets! Here are our three crazy cats: My husband is allergic to cats, but fortunately isn't allergic to Sphynx! (Some people with cat allergies can tolerate Sphynx, some can't.) As I type this, the youngest is curled up in my lap, purring away. They are the sweetest, most affectionate cats I've ever met.

I had some similar issues coming up with my C.V., although I was working in an unrelated professional field when not in school. I was told to include my work experiences, but frame them in such a way to emphasize the skills I learned that are transferrable to my new field of study. I do have a functional resume that emphasizes the skills I have learned, but most of the Masters programs I'm applying to specify how they want the C.V. to appear, so I'm following their format. For the ones that don't specify, I'm using a similar format, but with emphasis up-front on the experience I have in the field I'm moving into (nutrition/dietetics for me) and my research experiences. Finally, I have a chronological resume that only emphasizes my relevant experiences to nutrition. Some programs have asked for a two-page chronological resume in 12pt font, 1" margins, where it is impossible to list all of my professional experiences so I've focused on the recent, relevant work and volunteer positions. So I think you can definitely include your experiences as a waitress/barista, and frame them in such a way as to emphasize the skills and abilities you've gained in those positions (provided you have room to do so, after including your more relevant internship/freelance experiences).