out.to.sea

I got the same letter too!!!! =)

dmonsta, the person who interview you said 'in the next couple of weeks'? Wow, my person told me this week. I'm hoping to hear today, but maybe that's wishful thinking. Man, I need to get away from the internet and distract myself. You applied to U of A and which other universities? Thanks for the apartment info btw, it helps tremendously. Any idea about all other expenses? I'll have to pay for health care, but other than that, do you think $1,500 monthly would be enough? sh722709, I think I'm going to check my emails only once a day at six pm from now until I hear from universities. I'm becoming a little paranoid about checking.

So I'm going through with price estimates and I was wondering if any Canadians could give me an idea of how much do you think I would spend per month as a graduate student in Edmonton? I did the price calculator on U of A's website, but they gave me $1,200 for a single apartment, but I'd hope to find something much cheaper. Do you think I could keep my monthly expenses to about $1,500 a month or would that be extremely tricky? I am a very cheap person. I don't even own a smart phone (I have the cheapest month-to-month service I could find), I don't go out often, and I generally buy my clothes second hand. Basically, I can be super cheap and I think the most money I would spend would be on food (I'm gluten and dairy free). Thanks so much!

Just finished my interview for U of A Global Health. Wow, so glad it's over. He asked pretty general questions like what job do you hope to have in the future, tell me about your past experiences, etc. But then there were some tough ones. "The skills you just mentioned that you hope to gain from our program you could gain from several other programs, in the US and other parts of Canada, why specifically ours?" and then he asked, "So why specifically public health, and not an MBA or a management degree?" I answered but he kept pushing for more specific answers. So yes, be prepared to answer exactly why that field and exactly why that university and exactly why that program if anyone else is doing the interview this week. I know there is at least one other person on this forum. Also, I found speaking on the phone to be a bit awkward because I couldn't see his face, or his reactions, so yeah, but I guess that is to be expected.

Wow, only five people? Oh no, now I'm really worried. I hope they accept at least ten people this year, which is what they implied in the email they sent us. So you're interviewing next week also? Good luck, even though we're competing against each other! =) I am preparing for the interview now. I also get really nervous for these things, and my blood pressure always goes through the roof. I've picked up a few books on meditation, so I'll try to put my new knowledge into practice this week.

I just checked my SFU profile and no changes. Perhaps I've been rejected. =( Hopefully I'll find out a certain answer this week.

Wow, thanks for your input. How can they objectively pick ten of the best candidates from everyone who applied? That must be a difficult process, but yes, greater transparency would make me feel better right now. =)

Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. I have written all this down and I am starting to prepare now.

Thanks! I am going for Global Health, but I will try my best to prepare as much as possible.

Thanks! I'm not Canadian, so I'm just wondering how these programmes choose how many Canadians and how many foreigners to accept?

To be honest I have no idea. I wish there was more transparency in the system. I am also applying to the UK. One university I just looked at guarantees a yea or nay two weeks after the due date. Hopefully we'll have some clarity soon!

Hey! What kind of questions did they ask during the interview? I'm getting interview at U of A, but they might ask similar questions.

Hey! Thanks for the advice. So do they have room for only ten students in GH or have they already picked some and we are the ones on the waiting list? Any idea of what they'll ask for the interview? Are you have your interview next week also? Or are those interview times just for us foreigners? I suppose they have a quota to reach of how many Canadians they accept and only after that do they accept foreigners. Or how does it work in Canada? You're Canadian, right? I'm also applying to the UK. The UK would be much, much cheaper, but the only issue is that no programme is CEPH accredited. If I just work in Brazil it wouldn't matter, but I might have to work in the US so I have to be prepared. Thanks!

I forgot to add. On the short list, there are twenty of us for ten open spots. I'm from the U.S. and last year I did two internships in Kyrgyzstan. One for an NGO that helps children with disabilities where I was an assistant program manager and another at UNDP-Global Fund. After the interview, any idea of how long it will take before I know if I've been accepted or not? I also applied to SFU, but I see that some people have already received acceptance letters, so perhaps I've been rejected or short-listed? Canadians. If you had to choose between SFU and U of A, which one would you choose? I will either be working in the US or Brazil, where I have citizenship, so I'm looking for a university that will stand out the most internationally. Btw, I chose SFU and U of A because they are CEPH accredited and I might have to work in the US. Thanks again!

Just received an email a few minutes ago that I have been short listed for the University of Alberta. I have my interview next week for MPH Global Health. Any idea of what they'll ask? If this has already been discussed, just guide me to the post please. Thanks!

I currently live in the south and I can attest that people like that do exist! I went to a town hall meeting in my local city and the topic was health care. I had a guy spit on me and tell me to move to f-in Canada. You can guess I was pro-change. I've applied to Simon Fraser MPH and U of A. Hopefully I'll get into one of those. If so, I'm pretty excited!

Canada has two universities that are CEPH certified! I've applied to both of those just in case I decide to ever live here. Yeah, I understand the difficulty in applying abroad. Another thing is that I've done the math. Even after paying out of country prices for grad school in the UK, I will only pay about $25,000 to $30,000 for my MPH. Not a bad deal actually. But none are CEPH certified, that's true. The ones in Canada will be more expensive, because they are two year programs, so I'd pay around $40,000. Decisions, decisions...

Page 228, I'm glad you didn't encounter too much negativity. I've dated a Korean, French and a Brit, and I had an extended Couchsurfing experience with an Aussie. I have found that it really depends on the person. Where in the UK are you applying? Are you looking at Scotland and Ireland also? Thanks for the reply MathCat!

Hello, A 28-year-old American/Brazilian here. During university, I studied abroad in Denmark. After graduating from university, I worked abroad for the next five years in Brazil, South Korea, the Republic of Georgia, Iraq, and Kyrgyzstan. Living abroad forever changed me. I made friends from across the world. For various reasons, I don't see a future for myself in the US anymore. As soon as my parents retire, we're moving back down to Brazil, where my father is from. I am currently applying to MPH programmes in Canada (Simon Fraser and UofA). I am not applying anywhere in the U.S. due to the exorbitant cost and also I don't plan on living in the US anymore. I am also considering applying to programmes in the UK and perhaps other parts of Europe. Here's my problem. To be honest, out of all of the places I have lived, Denmark was the most difficult. I endured constant criticism from strangers, and even from my fellow classmates and professors, for being American. Whilst living abroad, I tend to encounter the most anti-Americanism from Europeans. They are very comfortable expressing their disgust with America, and hence their disgust with me. Thank goodness I was born just across the Canadian border close to Winnipeg. Winnipeg, I have claimed to be from you quite often. I understand it happens the other way around. I know it does, I have witnessed it. I hate that it does and I'm very sorry it does. According to Wikipedia, foreigners find Americans "aggressive, arrogant, ignorant, overweight, poorly dressed, materialistic, obsessed with making money, too moralistic, and generally obnoxious." I quote my non-American flatmate in Kyrgyzstan, " I like the Brazilian side of you, it's the American one I hate." I hate talking about America, but it seems all foreigners do when they go to pubs. The problem is that everyone expects me to talk about America, defend it, explain it, excuse it, and I just don't like doing that. Canadians and Brits, I have never lived abroad in an English-speaking country. Will I just have to duck my head and zip my lips for the next year or two years until I can make it to Brazil? I wouldn't go to university in your country unless I thought it was better for me but do I have a chance of being accepted? I can pull of a Winnipeg accent pretty well, so I'm prepared if not. Thanks.