Kaitri

Has anyone applied to U of T's PhD program in public health (at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health)? Only one person has posted on the results page indicating that he/she had been rejected. No other info is available; I haven't seen anyone posting about U fof T's public health PhD programs in the Public Health thread. Am I the only one on this forum who wants to attend their program (does that say something bad about their program...)?

Make some time to get outside and do something at least mildly active. It will clear any lingering stress away, and will better prepare you for the onslaught associated with the first year of coursework. Last summer, I spent as much time as I could walking, riding my bike, and generally soaking up the sun. All of those things are free (or inexpensive if you don't have a bike), so they shouldn't cut into your budget for the year. (I do *not* look forward to having to do another year or two of courses. You learn so much, but the workload is just way too heavy at times. BLEH.) This summer I'm finishing my MA thesis, but my funding ends in April, so I'm wondering if I should get a job to help pay the bills until the fall. For those of you who have written MA theses or MRPs, is it possible to work and write? I'm not doing any fieldwork, so I don't have to worry about travel breaking up my summer.

I'm completely unfamiliar with Grad House, so I can't answer that question. Sorry! The area has a decent nightlife. What are you looking for? You're within walking distance of a number of inexpensive bars, and there are lots of hotspots nearby as well (accessible by TTC or a longer walk). There are TONS of sushi places near campus, but none of them rival the sushi you get on the west coast. Nearly all of the salmon served here is of the Atlantic variety, and very few places serve wild-caught or sustainable sushi. Sushi on Bloor or New Sushi Island are probably the best budget options nearby (google them for their locations), while the better quality places are further from campus. Jabistro is one of the best in the downtown core, IMO.

While we're all riding the (entirely deserved) high associated with offers of admission, I'm wondering if any of you are interested in meeting at the AAA conference in November (or at the conference in 2016). I remember using this forum as a haven last year while I was waiting with bated breath to discover whether I would be able to quit my terrible job and return to university, but I stopped checking the site in the summer. I only returned after submitting my applications for PhD programs this year. My guess would be that many of us will do the same, and few of us will check the forums very often in the future. However, after going through the trials of admission season two years in a row with many of you, I think it would be amazing if we could organize something (coffee? a drink?) at the AAAs this year. After all, we're supposed to be building our academic networks, and since we've already started making connections here, we might as well work with what we have, right? Feel free to reply here, or PM me if you want to exchange emails. I may also post a separate thread if there's interest here. I would love to have the chance to meet up with some of you, especially those of you (i.e. NOWAYNOHOW) who are med anthro students.

That's the BEST news, NOWAYNOHOW. I remember going through the frightening and disappointing admissions process with you last year, and I'm so glad you made it in this time around. /highfive

That's an example of a school admitting people off the waitlist, not waiting to send out the first round of acceptances.....

I think lots of schools don't officially inform people that they're on the waiting list, but it seems unlikely that the first round of acceptances would go out in a trickle. Maybe they'll arrive or be sent out over a few days to a week, but why would an organization send out some admission packages and acceptance emails, then wait a few weeks, and do it again? It makes terrible sense from a business or organizational perspective. These institutions aren't haphazardly run by children; they're managed by professionals. I know universities often have outrageously stupid or backwards policies, but no organization would waste time putting together only HALF, or SOME of the admission packages unless they absolutely had to. People have to physically photocopy and sign the paperwork, stuff envelopes, etc. And if approvals and notifications have to go through broader schools of graduate studies, then why would departments purposely slow their process down by only requesting approval for some of their first round of admissions? It's harsh to hear this, I know. Unfortunately, if you have evidence that at least some acceptances have gone out, then you're probably stuck on the wait list for the next month or two, or you're going to get a rejection letter. EDIT: for context, I am a current MA student at U of T, and I got an offer of admission on the same day as 3 other people from my cohort. We all got our admission packages on the same day as well. And yet, because only a few of us got offers, many of our classmates have wondered the same thing as you, Daisy, but it just seems unlikely. I've watched the department go through all of the necessary processes (initial emails, sending out packages, scheduling the on-site visit, etc.) and it's pretty clear to me that they have a set process for everything. And they made it clear to me that they wouldn't send the admission packages out until they were all ready, regardless of the fact that I'm a current student there. Remember: once the adcomm makes its decisions, then the administrators take over. These tend to be very efficient people, who have a good understanding of the university policies, and who wouldn't send out only some of the emails/admission packages while spitefully sitting on the others.

I just wanted to chime in and say congrats to everyone who has received an offer from one of their top choices this year. This particular thread is definitely more positive than last year's, which is fantastic. I'm sure many of you will continue to get good news in the coming weeks too.

I TOLD YOU. GUYS, DIDN'T I TELL HIM/HER???? Welcome to our hell.

Don't go there. Just don't. It'll consume your life.

This is just... /facepalm ....the worst.

Congrats, museum_geek! I think I posted my acceptance here before I told my partner, my parents, or my friends. Members of this forum have a better understanding of how hard it is to put these applications together (and how much stress we feel while waiting!) than our friends and family do.

That's what the current MA cohort is starting to think. To the rest of you on these boards: do any other schools do acceptances in waves like this?

Did you just get the email yesterday, or on Friday? I received my email on Monday, so it's nice to know they're still sending out admissions offers. It's particularly good news for some of my friends (who are still hoping to get offers). To answer your question: there is a standard funding package, and I don't think it varies much. It's usually $15k + tuition/year.

Congrats! Are you the most recent PhD admit on the forums, or have you not posted there yet? Where are you from? Re: your discussion of funding in Toronto Your assessment isn't really accurate. There are fewer independent funding opportunities for international students at U of T, but your offer will be fully funded for 4-5 years depending on whether you have a master's degree or not. This will include coverage for your international tuition (so international students actually get better funding packages than Canadian students, hence why it's harder to get in as an international student). What you may not have access too are the external funding opportunities that aren't tied to TAing that are very difficult to win, even for Canadians. Many Canadian students complete their PhDs without that finding, so you won't necessarily be behind. The last thing to consider (when assessing funding) is that the current level of funding for U of T students is not easy to live on. Rent in Toronto is expensive. So is a metropass (for the TTC, our transit system). Rent gets cheaper the further from the downtown core you are, but then you will need a metropass to get to school. I live close by, and I walk or bike year round. The graduate student union is currently trying to negotiate higher funding packages for students - they've been frozen since the recession in 2008 (shocking, I know). They may be successful in time for you to join the cohort at U of T. ALSO, FYI - I'm completing my master's in anthropology at U of T right now, and I love it. My cohort is amazing. The classes are a mix of master's and PhD students. If you PM me your POI's name, I might be able to tell you more. EDIT: I'm totally biased, but I would personally rather live in Toronto than Minnesota.