out.to.sea

I just want to say how so far with my experience of applying to a Canadian university, emailing and calling for assistance, and then getting accepted, I have come to the conclusion that the staff of U of A are so nice. I received an email earlier saying that the U of A is going to give my $50 CAD to cover the costs of sending my transcripts to Canada (I'm from the US). I mean, that is very thoughtful of U of A. Perhaps this happens in the US too, but I don't think so. I'm excited for my experience and for all of the nice people I'm going to meet! =) Funny story, while I was an English teacher in the Republic of Georgia there was a group of Canadian teachers going around giving foreigners 'Canadian Spirit Names'. Some of the names included Beaver Tail, Bear Tongue, and Moose Knuckle, which was mine. Sheltered me didn't know what that was, but I later googled and discovered that this particular Canadian was just pulling my leg. So I won't fall for that again.. =)

Hey! So I, like you both most likely, received an email two weeks ago asking me to set up Bear Tracks and saying all correspondence would continue through my U of A email. At the bottom of one of those emails, I read about being able to talk to someone about my courses. So I email Shona and we're meeting next week on Skype. I'm also sending my transcripts in next week also. Transcript requests are so annoying for me because I've been to three separate universities already... Yeah, I received my official letter on the 28th, but it's just a formality so I wasn't too worried. In several of their previous emails they mentioned how my admission was guaranteed, so I wasn't sweating it. I have my immigration papers now, so honestly, things are looking pretty good. I just need to find housing. I'm coming up two weeks early though and couchsurfing, so I'll finalize housing then. But of course I'll look early.

Have you had your meeting with Shona yet? I'm scheduling mine hopefully for next week and then I'll sign up.

Hello! I'd look through this forum and find people who have mentioned applying to U of T and then perhaps message them privately and ask them about someone to contact directly regarding your status. It's almost June, so you certainly should have an answer soon.

MPHMe Haha, yeah, there are tons of good ones. I hope you enjoy!!

One more thing, you get a certificate if you take the free one, but it's not verified. There are also just some fun classes. I took a class on how to raise backyard chickens and there are actually tons of public health classes. Also type in public health in the search engine. I've taken several ones from European universities and they've all been great. The University of Manchester has some great courses...Again, just type in 'public health', 'health', 'statistics', really anything and see what comes up. Some are go at your own pace, while others you'll have to follow a schedule.

Yes, there are actually. There are several courses that teach you how to use R, although I found the first one to be incredibly difficult and I dropped out. I'm going to reattempt it though and see how I do. Just type in statistics in the search engine and see what comes up. Just to explain about payment. With Coursera you can take all the courses for free. Or, you can pay $50 per course for a 'verified certificate'. What that means is that you'll get a certificate with your name, your grade and the university's name on it. And you'll have an electronic transcript with a description of the class on it. After you've taken a 'verified' exam, you have to type some sentences in a box so they can make sure it's you (they check your typing style..weird, I know) and then they also take your photo. I have taken only two certificate classes, but about ten free ones. I wouldn't pay unless you absolutely need to show transcripts to someone and only if that person has said he or she wants to see a transcript.

Just in case some people don't want to spend the money, I've taken several stats courses on Coursera. They're free and while not always the best, they're generally pretty good. This course starts June 1st. I took it and the second one also. https://www.coursera.org/course/statreasoning

Just wondering if anyone might know. My undergraduate degree was in international relations, and stupidly I took no stats classes. I am, however, studying fervently now and attempting to prepare myself as much as possible before September rolls around. I am going for an MPH in Global Health. However, I would, of course, like as practical of a degree as possible. It has been pounded into my head by so many people in the global health field that I need as many solid classes as possible and as few fluffy ones as possible. I will directly ask the university this question, however I thought I'd run it by you guys. For people doing the MPH in Global Health, we'll be taking Fundamentals of Epi, instead of Epi I, and Statistical Methods of Health Research, instead of Biostats I. Would it be unheard of for me to take Epi I and Biostats I instead of the less difficult ones? Or will it really matter after I graduate? Also, any idea of what statistical package U of A might be using? Or universities in general in Canada or no way to predict? I've played around a bit with R and Stata, but that's it. I'd like to know which ones I'll be expected to use just so I can try to prepare. Again, I'll ask the people at U of A all these things, but I'm pretty sure they're all scrambling to finish the semester.

Hum, I applied in January also though. Are students from India required to take an English-fluency exam? I know most Indians speak English fluently, but I am just wondering. What exam did you have to take? Was your score pretty high? Did you apply for an MPH or an MS? All I know is that many many foreigns apply to Canadian universities and it is tough to get in. I was lucky I think. Quick question, again, don't take offense. I mentioned in my interview that I had the money to pay for my studies. You see at the U of A I cannot take out loans to pay for university. I must pay cash. So I mentioned that I had enough money and that I didn't need scholarships. Do you think that helped me get in? I don't know really. Again, just thinking here. Another thing, I spent about a month on my SOP. Seriously. Next year, must prepare months in advance, get many many people to read it, perhaps even some Canadians that you might know, and be very clear as to why you picked Canada. Speaking of that, why did you pick Canada? Why not the UK or Australia? Just curious.

Now, If I just happen to meet a hunk of a Canadian and we happen to decide to settle in Canada, I would love that! But you know, it sounds like you have a great career ahead of you in India, so I don't know really. Have you asked the universities?

Hello! I am not Canadian, but I was accepted to the U of A. My story is a little different from yours however, because I am from the US so I did not have to take any sort of English exam. It sounds like you have great stats and I'm also puzzled as to why you haven't been accepted. Other than getting great scores on your English exams, having more than one person review your application, essays, and CV, there might be a few other things you can do. I had to interview for U of A. The man asked me at least three questions that pertained to why I chose Canada. Why not the US? Why not Europe? Why that program specifically? I had also looked up information about Edmonton, about how my degree would transfer back to the US. Now, I may be completely wrong about this, so please don't take this the wrong way. When I applied, I made it very very clear that I was not going to try and stay in Canada and become a permanent resident. I'm sure you mentioned in your application how you want to return back to India to work, or at least work outside of Canada, but in case you didn't, you might want to try that next time. I read that suggestion somewhere online and I used it with my application. Apparently students come to Canada and then use it as a way to become citizens. Now, the universities may not care at all what you want to do after you graduate, but maybe they do? I don't know. I called the U of A. If I attend full-time, I can work full-time. However, if I attend part-time, I CANNOT work full-time. Basically, from what I understand, if you work full-time in Canada for one year in a skilled job and you accumulate enough hours, you can apply to become a permanent resident. So, from what I understand, U of A has made it to where you can't study part-time and then work full-time to attempt to count those hours towards your application to become a permanent resident. Again, I don't know how things work but I would make yours reasons for choosing Canada very clear and then your future path outside of Canada very clear. Good luck!!

Congratulations everyone! A bit off topic, but does anyone know of a website/facebook page for international students going to Canada? I have some very basic questions to ask and I'd love some advice. If any of you happen to know the answer to these two particular question, please advise. If you'd rather PM me, that's fine. I'm from a very warm area and will be moving up to Edmonton for my MPH. So, any particular vegan coats or jackets to recommend me to buy? My mother insists I'll need down up there, but I'd rather not support the down industry if possible. Any brand of boots to recommend? I'll try my best not to be that wimpy foreigner always complaining about the cold, but I think some good clothing might help me out. =)

Thanks for the help! I'm going to email someone and tell them I'm a foreigner and I have no idea what to do. I'm sure I'll find someone to guide me. I'll also need some helping finding warm clothes, because it doesn't even snow much where I'm from. =) Thanks again!

It's nice to meet you Diana! I'll PM you with my email address so we can talk more easily.