timeisticking

That's because she's from Canada.

All right, good luck to you!

Hope you don't mind me asking you this, but which other master's programs have you applied for?

Thank you for responding to my question. I think the APSIA accreditation designation will help you if you are moving outside of the Canadian sphere, since it is recognized internationally. However, if you are planning on staying within Canada, then I don't think it matters at all. Personally, since you already have a good relationship with the professors at GSPIA, I would suggest GSPIA over NPSIA. It means that you can build rapport with them and further your relations with them. Note that if you are in NPSIA, you'll also be competing with students who are equally eager to network with professors. Not only this, but since you want to stay local, I believe you already have an advantage over other students if you were to choose GSPIA.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this way! It's so hard to choose, since both schools are located in Ottawa and I believe co-op opportunities will be hard to get for both programs. Personally, I think if you want co-op placements, I think NPSIA would be a better fit, given its connection to the federal government and prestige in the foreign affairs department. As for internships for NGOs and international organizations, I'm sure both GSPIA and NPSIA equally have numerous positions, given that most of them are unpaid or low-paying positions. In terms of connections with professors, which school would you say is a better fit for foreign policy (as opposed to security)? I'm really interested in that and I don't know whether GSPIA or NPSIA have a better faculty with respect to this field.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Try not to be too disappointed about it. I'm sure something better will come up. Good luck!

First of all, congratulations on your offers! Personally, I think it depends on where you want your career to lie. If you want to go into the Canadian government, then NPSIA makes perfect sense. However, if you want to go beyond that (American think tanks, international organizations, NGOs, etc.), then I think Johns Hopkins would be a better fit. Although it's true that Johns Hopkins is more expensive, it is without doubt that the reputation of Johns Hopkins exceeds NPSIA. Given that, having a degree from Johns Hopkins would open a lot more doors and opportunities than a degree from NPSIA. Hence, I would stick with Johns Hopkins, even if you do not get any funding.

I'm glad that you know which direction you would like to take, and I do agree with you: the reputation of University of Toronto is far greater than Carleton or University of Ottawa and I think it will give you an advantage over NPSIA and GSPIA. I still feel that the networking opportunities at the University of Toronto seem somewhat limited as opposed to NPSIA (with regards to the government), although I reckon there will be plenty of networking opportunities available with the vast amount of events going on at Munk. I also agree with you on the co-op opportunities. It is competitive and it is expected that students will fight over such positions, but I think the flexibility of the co-op programs allow you to extend your search beyond government jobs, since internships for NGOs are available as well. Furthermore, there are several NGOs in Ottawa that one could work for, given the fact that Ottawa is the national capital and several academic councils and organizations are located in Ottawa.

I do not believe that the "Ottawa advantage" is being overemphasized. While it may be true that you might not be able to directly get into DFATD solely with a MA degree from NPSIA, the network opportunities with other government departments (that will eventually get you into DFATD) are worthwhile. I can attest to this, having spoken with a few students from GSPIA at the University of Ottawa. On another note, even though Munk charges exorbitant tuition fees, I do believe that Munk shouldn't be discredited, since it seems like its program is academically-oriented and will provide good global opportunities in the field of international affairs. I personally think you are on the right track. Remember that there is more than one way of getting into the foreign service. Although NPSIA seems to be the most direct way, remember that there are other schools that will equally give you access to the foreign service. Provided that you do not get in, you can always go to other schools like GSPIA or Munk. If you have a change of heart, then I would recommend applying for the MPA program or a Master of Public Policy, which can be used as stepping stones into the foreign service.

Most co-op jobs in the government require you to be a Canadian citizen, so I would say yes. I believe you will be able to work if the job requires a basic security clearance, but if it exceeds that level, then it will be really difficult for you to get a job within the government (unless you have been staying in Canada for at least 5 years). However, I think there will be co-op positions available for NGOs, so don't be too discouraged.

I suppose Chinese does have grammar, but I see it more as sentence structure. Good luck on passing Japanese! Just note that you can be easily confused with the kanji when you are reading the Chinese characters, as they have different meanings.

Do you know if there are other opportunities to work in Canadian embassies other than the US, based on accounts of people that you know? I can confirm that the rate of pay will be around those figures, based on the TBS website here. I believe Japanese and Korean are the easiest East Asian languages to learn for English speakers in terms of pronunciation and alphabet. However, if you want to master the language, then I believe Chinese would be easiest, given that Chinese does not have any grammar structure.

Do you know if the internship is paid or not, by any chance? I know that both GSPIA and NPSIA offer co-op, but I don't know if they differ in terms of the quality of the program.

I heard about that as well. I wonder if anyone could tell me if GSPIA at uOttawa, despite being a new program, would provide the same opportunities into the government (in particular, DFATD) like NPSIA.

Just received acceptance for GSPIA this morning!