Jump to content

RunnerGrad

Members
  • Posts

    292
  • Joined

  • Days Won

    1

Posts posted by RunnerGrad

  1. Thanks for all the recommendations so far!  I will need to check and see which ones I can borrow from the library (municipal or university) and which I want to purchase to have on hand.

    I have my basic research proposal formulated (I needed to do so in order to apply for scholarships such as OGS) but it definitely needs to be refined (and will be over the summer, as my advisor wants me to apply for CIHR funding this fall).  And I still have one paper from my master’s that I should really edit in order to submit it to journals.

  2. There are numerous books out there about academic writing, surviving the PhD process, etc.  I’ve read through the Amazon reviews of a number of them, but I thought I would ask here if anyone has found any particular books useful?  I’m not talking about discipline-specific books, but more general guides, such as How to Write a Lot by Paul Silva.

    I’m in the Health Sciences if that makes a difference (non-wet lab work) and both my future advisor and myself think I’ll be doing mixed methods research.

    Thanks!

  3. Hello fellow Canadian applicants!  I was just accepted to the second PhD program that I had applied to at Queen’s University.  Now I have a tough decision to make:  which program?  I’ve made a list of pros and cons, but both programs are still pretty much tied.  Needless to say, I need to sleep on this and think some more.  But it’s a wonderful problem to have!

    I hope all of you waiting to hear back will have good news soon!

  4. Is there anyone else who will be attending Queen’s University in Kingston this coming Fall?

    I’ve been accepted to the PhD program in Aging and Health and have accepted my offer.  I’m very excited to begin my studies this fall, having been working as an allied health professional since completing my master’s in 2016.

    I’m currently living in Kingston, so it won’t be a huge change for me.  I definitely enjoy living here! 

  5. I couldn’t be more different from my parents, but I am adopted.  My parents finished high school, and that was it.  I was the first person in my family to attend university and to pursue graduate studies.  It means there’s a lot of things I didn’t know about, especially during my undergrad.  It also means my parents really never understood me, as I’ve always been a “good student” and driven to excel academically (perhaps because I am adopted, I felt I had to “prove” myself).

    Compared to many of my peers (who had parents who were professionals who had degrees or advanced degrees) I’ve definitely felt at a disadvantage.  There are lots of things I had to figure out myself, and some that I never really figured out until it was much too late for it to make a difference.  Somehow I’ve managed to do well in my studies and I’ve been accepted to a PhD program.  My family may not understand why this is important to me, or the value of my education, but others (such as my spouse) totally make up for it.  My spouse is so incredibly supportive.  I would not have been able to make it this far without him.

  6. For those of you worried about the lack of thesis at UofT MPH:  I was just accepted to a PhD program with my MPH from UofT. I did complete an optional research practicum during my MPH, and chose research-oriented electives.  Had completed an undergraduate thesis and done research via an NSERC USRA.  Only two publications (neither first author), but otherwise very strong dossier (4.0/4.0 for both undergrad and MPH).

  7. 2 hours ago, SwagMaster said:

    @sheisgreat

    There are also many research-based MSc programs in public health. So that's another option for people interested in public health research. 

    Even at UofT MPH, where it is a course-based program, you have the option of completing a research practicum and/or a research-based independent study course.  In my stream (Nutrition and Dietetics), I did a research practicum, and some of my class mates did a research-based independent study whereas one of them did both the research practicum and a research-based independent study course.

    I also chose my electives to have a research focus (i.e. nutritional epi, statistics for nursing research despite not being a nurse).

    I’ve currently been unofficially accepted to a PhD program, pending funding. So it is certainly possible to be accepted to PhD programs without completing a formal thesis.  Sometimes you have extra hoops to jump through (i.e. you have to show “extensive” research experience, or you have to have so many publications, etc.) but it is certainly possible.  At least in my stream (Nutrition and Dietetics) I know many individuals from past cohorts who went on to complete PhD studies in health, public health, nutrition, dietetics, or related fields, even though they lacked a thesis.

  8. I’ve finally had some contact with my POI!  We had a lovely chat, and the POI will be happy to be my PhD supervisor if there is funding available from the department (as they guarantee all PhD students minimum funding).  My POI thinks I’ll be competitive for external scholarships as well, so if I’m accepted, I’ll be applying for CIHR funding and CFDR funding.

    I’m trying not to get too excited, because it’s not a firm acceptance, and it is contingent on funding being available, but it is progress!

  9. I was accepted to Guelph’s MAN program, UofT’s MPH in nutrition and dietetics, and a stand-alone dietetic internship.  Ultimately I chose UofT’s MPH.  Anyone with questions about UofT’s program, please feel free to message me.  I’ve worked in community nutrition and primary care since graduating from UofT, and it was the best choice for me at the time.  I’m happy to answer questions about the MPH at UofT, or about Guelph (I have two degrees from Guelph).

  10. 3 hours ago, pancakes8 said:

    Guelph or Queens for general MPH - thoughts? 

    Both are great universities.  It really depends where your interests in public health lie, and which school offers more opportunities for you to pursue those interests, whether through practica or courses.

  11. 34 minutes ago, pancakes8 said:

    Saying that people are already rejected when admissions just started going out is not the attitude you should have. That's pretty discouraging to people who may have worked very hard and applied. You don't work on the admissions board, you cant say people should assume they're rejected.

    Personally, I think it is best to hope for the best, but plan for the worst.  Applicants haven’t been rejected yet, since only the first wave of acceptances have been sent out, but, as a UofT MPH grad, I think it is best to consider yourself on a wait list right now if you haven’t received an acceptance.  Putting your life on hold because you haven’t yet been accepted or rejected is not a good idea.  Planning for the future, in case you are rejected, is the best approach.

    I’m still waiting on a decision from Queen’s re: two PhD programs. If I assumed I would be accepted, I wouldn’t be doing anything right now to improve my application or to ensure that I remain licensed as a registered dietitian.  As I don’t have an answer yet, I am proceeding as if I were rejected (even though I haven’t been), and securing myself employment in my field so that I can maintain my registration.

    I think it’s good advice to start planning for the future, in case an acceptance doesn’t come through.  If people later receive an acceptance, that’s awesome!  But I think it is very important to have back-up plans.  I was fortunate to receive admission to UofT’s MPH on the first day of acceptances, but I already had three other back-up plans prepared (including an acceptance to an MSc program) in case the MPH didn’t happen.  I think that’s prudent planning.  YMMV of course.  I like to plan and to have back-up plans so that I’m not left in limbo. Others may prefer to wait and see what happens before making alternate plans.

  12. 21 minutes ago, Danielle49 said:

    To all those who have been offered conditional acceptance to U of T, where will be doing the stastics prerequisite over the summer? Please help! 

    The people I knew in Health Promotion at UofT who had to take a stats course took this one from Guelph (offered online): https://courses.opened.uoguelph.ca/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=18978

    I believe Athabasca also offers an online stats course.  You can also check and see if any local universities offer a summer course in stats.

    You can also check out the Canadian Virtual University: http://www.cvu-uvc.ca/courses.php?page=subject&language=English

    If any of you have questions about UofT, feel free to ask.  I graduated from the Nutrition & Dietetics stream, but took several classes with the other streams (including Intro to Public Health and CHAM I & II).

  13. 4 hours ago, aboiledegg said:

    I'm having the same problem. I'm a Canadian citizen living in the US (permanent resident and all that), so I'd like to know pretty soon if I've been accepted or not so I can start planning my move back to Canada. I've also been applying to a zillion jobs over the past couple months as a backup plan so I'll have something to do after graduation. It's a little stressful (a lot stressful) not knowing where I'll be living or what I'll be doing 3-4 months from now.

    Also, Queen's is a fantastic school so I hope you get in! My dad went there for med school and kept insisting I apply, but my GPA is nowhere near good enough.

    I see you applied to Guelph.  I have two degrees from Guelph.  Love the university and love the city.  My husband and I would have been happy to stay in Guelph forever, but the army had other plans!  I hope you hear back soon!

  14. Wow, @TakeruK, you’ve certainly had some incredibly disrespectful experiences!  It’s awful that people actually behave that way.

    I’m currently working as a health professional, and where I work, we have a lot of clients who are new Canadians.  Quite a number of them have names that can be challenging for anglophones or francophones to pronounce.  When I call them for their appointment, I always make a point of asking them how to correctly pronounce their name.  Sometimes my mouth just can’t get it right (subtle differences in pronounciation that my ear just can’t pick up), but I’m not intending to offend - I just can’t “hear” the correct pronounciation.  Most clients understand; after all, they may have problems with some English or French words!

  15. Oh, how I really wish Queen’s would release their decisions.  I’ve just been offered a job that would be absolutely perfect for me, but I would much rather do a PhD.  However, if I don’t get into a PhD program, working is what I want/need to do!  Do I accept the job just to potentially leave in August (I would feel horrible doing so)?  Do I bug Queen’s to ask when they might release decisions?  Argh!  I’m delighted to be offered the job (the interview felt horrible, so I actually thought I didn’t have a chance), but the PhD is my priority!

  16. How adept are you at learning new languages?  It took me one year of intensive language instruction (8-4 every day in a classroom, learning German, plus homework in the evenings) to reach ILR level 3.  Note that’s a full year of doing nothing else - it was my job to attend language school.  Other students at the language school, who were expected to be able to work competently in the foreign language, had similar training (one year).  Those learning more difficult languages (i.e. Korean, Arabic), had a minimum of two years of full-time (8-4 plus homework) language instruction.

  17. Toronto is a very expensive city to live in.  Have you looked at what you would have to pay for rent and living expenses?  I did my master’s at UofT (not in English, though), and lived outside the city as we couldn’t afford (and didn’t want) to live in Toronto.  So I had a long commute and wasn’t able to be involved in a lot of university activities, due to my schedule being dictated by the GO train.  Toronto does have an excellent reputation in the U.S. (although I’m not in English, so can’t comment on that). 

  18. 21 hours ago, Allbert said:

    Hey, fellow Canucks !

    So far no newzz whatsoEVER ! Like, I am sure that i won't make it to OISE, for instance. However, this lack of news always sparkles an irrational hope. As for the other ones, who knows..

    But hey, cheer up ! Spring is about to set in :D

    I hear you.  I’m trying to be patient, since one program I applied to only had applications close a month ago, and the other doesn’t close until this Friday!  So even though I don’t expect to hear back yet, it’s hard to resist checking the application portals, where “application complete” is still front and centre!

    I did receive notice of a job that I’m qualified for, so I’ll be distracting myself by completing my application materials for that!

    With snow currently on the ground, I really hope spring arrives soon!

  19. Realize that no matter how hard they try, some native English speakers won’t be able to correctly pronounce a non-English name.  My maiden name is French Canadian, and the vast majority of anglophones mispronounce it.  As for me, despite years of intensive German immersion, I still can’t hear the difference between a “u” and a “u umlaut” in German.  My ear and brain simply hear the same sound for those distinct German sounds. On the other hand, when we lived in Germany, the majority of Germans could not pronounce my husband’s name, which features a sound that does not exist in the German language.  So I think it is important to be kind and realize that people are usually trying their best to pronounce a name correctly.  They may just not be able to actually hear, or to pronounce, the correct sounds.  Despite living for many years in Germany, the “u” and “u umlaut” in German still sound exactly the same to me.  Intellectually I know they are different sounds, but I just don’t hear (and can’t pronounce) the difference!  I don’t have problems with the other umlaut vowels, however; it is unique to “u.”

  20. When I did my master’s degree, two of us were already married (in a class of 14), and one other student married between first and second year.  I don’t think I would have been able to make it through my program without my husband’s support, although it was stressful when he was deployed to the Middle East during my second year!  I’m also limited geographically in terms of the PhD programs I was able to apply to, as my husband’s income is significantly higher than mine at this time (and my current contract ends soon).

  21. I’m pretty much the definition of older student.  Earned my first bachelor’s degree traditionally, an engineering degree.  Loved studying engineering, hated working as an engineer (too much misogyny).  Ended up doing programming and web design for many years, but got tired of sitting at a computer all day.  Went back to university to earn a second bachelor’s degree in nutrition/dietetics.  In Canada, in order to become a registered dietitian you need to have an undergraduate degree from an accredited dietetics program.  So I did a second undergraduate degree.  After that, I completed my dietetic internship through a combined masters/internship program. Worked as a dietitian after completing my master’s and internship, and now I’ve applied for PhD programs.

    I’m geographically limited due to my husband’s job (he’s an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces), so I did not apply to many programs. With my transcripts clearly showing the dates of my first degree, I’m hoping ageism won’t work against me, as I’m over 40. It didn’t for my second bachelor’s or my master’s, but I’m told the PhD is a different beast altogether.  I have excellent grades (4.0 in both undergrad and grad), strong letters of reference (which I haven’t seen, but they said they would be strong), but I have no idea how my letter of intent and experiences stack up with the other applicants. I have two co-authored papers (no first author) but plenty of research experience (both qualitative and quantitative).

    Really hoping I get into a PhD program, otherwise I’ll be looking at a second master’s, which is crazy!  I want to maintain my registration as a registered dietitian, and to do so, I need to be working or studying in dietetics or a closely related field.  Since dietetic jobs are hard to come by, and again I’m geographically limited, if I don’t find one when my current contract ends this month, I’ll need to do something to keep my registration. A second master’s would be the easiest way to do so, even though I know that likely won’t help future PhD applications or future job applications!

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use