MtlGal

Just out of curiosity speechful, who did you contact to get feedback from McGill? I didn't think that the faculty offered any feedback to applicants, but it's great that they do!

Congrats on being invited to the MMIs! I went to them last year, and it was a great experience. You should be receiving an email shortly that includes a prep document as to what MMIs are and some sample questions that could come up. I prepared by answering those. I then went online to check if there were other questions I could use to practice, but many of them are WAY too hard/irrelevant, so don't stress out too much over those. If you have other questions, feel free to ask!

Our class is 23 this year, which is fairly smaller than the usual 27. We were initially 24, but someone dropped out before September due to extenuating circumstances. Best of luck everyone, and looking forward to meeting you! For those wondering about Western and how to find out about their application status, I received an email on March 13 last year that included my student ID. You must create an account for the Western portal in order to view your application status. Come midnight on April 1st, you should be able to see the decision they've made on the portal. I don't think ORPAS displays any decisions, at least not for U of T, Western, or Ottawa.

If they haven't changed the requirements from last year, it should be the same character limit for each section. I think it was indicated after each question.

Don't worry if your file doesn't seem updated. Last year, they sent out an email around the end of January stating they'd received all my application documents, but my online summary never indicated that my application was complete. I think it was only the references section that was left blank, but at least those were submitted online so I didn't have to worry that they got lost in the mail or something.

Hi speechful and kats, when I applied last year, I think I listed my other volunteer experiences (research assistant, volunteer at a hospital with geriatric population) and also described the more relevant ones in more detail in my personal statement. For paid experiences, I just described them in my personal statement. I don't quite remember what I indicated for 'activities supervised by aud/SLP', but I do remember writing a short sentence to describe what the position involved to make it more clear. If anything, you can probably indicate N/A. Hi AngeSim, I think you're on the right track since you've already shadowed an SLP. As for not having completed some prerequisite classes during your undergrad, you can always take them as an independent student afterwards. I was in the same situation, so I took classes part-time (linguistics, a biology class to fulfill the physiology criteria for certain schools, and a stats class) for 2 years while I worked on getting more research and volunteering. From my experience, taking those classes really helped me feel more prepared this semester (I'm currently in the program at McGill), and the extra SLP-related experiences made my application much stronger the second time that I applied. As for your pending teaching position, off the top of my head there are at least 2 people in the program now who taught English for a few years before applying. I don't think that it's a bad thing to postpone applying to the program to gain different skills. If anything, your teaching experiences might set you apart from the people who apply straight out of undergrad. If you have any other questions, or want to know more about the program at McGill, don't hesitate to ask!

Hi papillonbleu! I applied to Ottawa for the previous application cycle and got accepted, but finally decided on McGill instead. Feel free to message me any questions you might have!

I would say it's safer to start earlier than later. Editing those statements gets exhausting when everything starts looking the same. And between school, work, volunteering, and whatnot, I definitely dragged it on for a while. Not to mention that it had to be perfect Best of luck!

I agree with Missthang that keeping things organized and having good time management are essential. If you're just applying to UofT, Western and McGill, it's not too hectic though because there are a lot of similarities in terms of what's required for each application. First, it would only be 1 application through ORPAS for UofT and Western, but the statement of intent is slightly different for each, although there's great overlap. In my case, I just adjusted a few sentences here and there between those 2. Second, everything that's required for all 3 schools can be sent electronically, except for the reference letters for ORPAS (your referees snail mail them). All of my referees who've submitted references to ORPAS several times before have told me to not worry if the reference arrives a couple days late though, that it really shouldn't make a difference, but I totally understand that it's nervewracking until you have confirmation that they've been received properly. It's a good idea to keep a checklist that includes everything you need for each school; that way you can easily check things off. You should also research exactly what it is you need for each school ahead of time, so that once the applications open, you can just focus on filling out the forms. From there, it's just a matter of how long it actually takes to write your statements of intent. You're limited to a certain amount of characters for each statement though, so the real challenge is gettig everything you want to say to fit, while making it succint and well-written. Hope that helps and good luck!

Hey feminist_slp, your situation sounds similar to mine when I applied. My GPA from undergrad was 3.41 and sub GPA was 3.67. I also volunteered in a hospital in the TR department and realized I wanted to do SLP after graduating, so I took the remaining prereqs which boosted up my GPA (on ORPAS they appear as 3.50 for overall GPA and 3.79 for sub GPA). I also did research on bilingualism and got more field experience by working with children and adults with language disorders, and was accepted at UWO, but decided on McGill (my first choice). I'd say you seem to have pretty well-rounded experiences. Make sure to mention your work with clients on your ORPAS application though, as there isn't a section designated for work experiences, but they can definitely contribute to making your application stronger. And if you have any particular questions about GPA, feel free to message me!

Haven't heard anything yet. Join our group; someone said we should be receiving more info soon! https://www.facebook.com/groups/556354367817467/

Ditto what slpdreamer said; I didn't have a 3.8 either. I think generally if you're worried about your GPA, take more classes to boost it up if possible and/or work on getting relevant volunteer/clinical/research experience, which will also lead to great references. Having a well-rounded application will most likely increase your chances of getting in. And definitely don't give up! If you apply several times, with each application getting stronger and stronger, it shows that you're determined about getting in and that you've acquired more knowledge and experience about the field.

I was just about to post the same thing, but I actually declined through ORPAS and she still emailed me. Good luck to those on the waitlist!

I've emailed someone who's currently in the program at Western and it seems like their curriculum is similar to McGill's, which is usually 2 full days of classes and one full day dedicated to practicum. So if the modular structure is what you're looking for, perhaps UofT is a better option. However, for McGill, you get June - August off after year 1, so that allows you to relax/work/do research, whereas you only get one month off in the summer for both UofT and Western. Hope that this helped a bit, and congrats on getting off the waitlist!

For those going to McGill, I just made a Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/556354367817467/ Looking forward to meeting you all!

Since you have most of your prereqs completed already, I wouldn't worry about finishing the last one in Winter 2015 if you're applying for Fall 2015. I got accepted to Ottawa and I'm completing the syntax and anatomy prereqs right now, so this is just speaking from experience. In any case, for the Canadian schools, most of them give you until August to complete any missing prereqs.

I'm not sure about the other applicants who got accepted at Ottawa, but I just declined my offer through ORPAS last night, so that's one person less! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, and best of luck!

I JUST GOT IN AT MCGILL!!!!!! Definitely have all of you guys who declined to thank! So my spots at UofT, Western, Dal, and Ottawa will be freed up! If anyone going to McGill would like to meet up or start a Facebook, let me know!

I love you all and I hope I'll hear from McGill soon!! Congrats on your acceptances!! I just wanted to say that I love the combination of your screen name and your avatar

Can anyone offer advice as to how to choose between Western and UofT (e.g. differences in the program, living downtown vs. in a smaller town, etc.)? Or what factors made you choose one over the other? Edit: Wooo caffeinated status unlocked!

Is it possibly in your spam folder again? I hope things get sorted out soon for you! Edited to add: just realized you said it wasn't in there either. nvm!

Ahh yes, that's what I meant, maybe I wasn't clear. I think being able to submit a portion of the application online, yet having to submit the rest by mail seemed strange. But yes, I totally agree with you, they seem to want to get to know you better as a person.

I'm considering doing it really old school and faxing it hahaha. I've never actually faxed anything before!

I also got waitlisted for Dal, but I can say for sure my spot will be freed up, as it's my last choice! Does anyone else think Dalhousie seriously needs to update their application process? I remember reading on ORPAS that OT/PT have a later date for sending out replies, some time in May I believe. Don't give up just yet!

Congrats on acceptances in Ontario! And I'm sooo happy to hear that! Can I ask what made you decide to stay in Ontario? It's also inspiring to learn that you've been working toward this your whole life basically. It's still just sinking in that I'm going to be an SLP! For those who are waitlisted or rejected this application cycle, definitely do not give up on the dream! That feeling once you find out you've been accepted, it's worth the wait and time and effort you put in.