JTMurray

U of T is supposed to let in 80 which is the typical class size, but rumour is they actually accepted 100 and misjudged how many people would decline the offer. This likely accounts for why there didn't seem to be many second round offers. There was also an unusually high number of applications this year. They generally have a 10% acceptance rate so you could imagine how many applied.

I believe they look at applications as they come in, but I want to dispel the notion that it's first-come-first-serve. They take the most desirable applicants in the first round as any other school would.

Hey PoP, I'm not very knowledgeable about additional funding opportunities other than those you mentioned. The main thing I was surprised by was the actual extent of UTAPS. They really cover A LOT of expenses and it's really a massive grant (I got about $12,000). To get as much funding as possible, try to really beef up your financial need, without being excessive. I initially had planned to live in Brampton and commute, but my parents moved to Orangeville, making that an impossibility. I initially was awarded about 7,000 by UTAPS (my OSAP stayed the same as it was maxed out), but upon claiming my $900/month rent (this city is absurdly expensive. That's really on the low-end of things) they gave me an extra 5,000 which nearly offsets the cost of rent (Not quite, but once you factor in the price of the GO-train/bus per month it pretty much offsets itself). I would also recommend not working during the program, as this is going to lower your OSAP allotment, which then cuts into you UTAPS free money. Nothing about the system makes any sense. You will also have a job next summer in a policy capacity, so also keep that in mind. You'll likely make between 10 and 14 thousand. Try playing around with the OSAP/UTAPS assessment tool and see what you can do get as much funding as possible. You may have to move funds out of a savings account for instance, since savings are counted against you. I know you'll probably be worried about taking on more OSAP debt, but the more free money you get from UTAPS, the better off you'll be. At this point I personally am banking on this program providing me with a job in the end that allows me to pay off my loans within a couple of years. Also, if you're like me and have taken on an absurd amount of student loan debt, you'll likely be surprised in September when you get some loan forgiveness, which is pretty key. DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial advisor, and do not assume responsibilities for adverse consequences for any above-mentioned tactics to get more monies.

In case you were still wondering, my CGPA from my undergrad at Carleton was 3.8 on a 4.3 scale, but my CGPA at Queen's from my M.A. was 4.0/4.3 so that probably was the clincher for me. I highly doubt I would have got into the program right out of my undergrad. But we'll never know.

Hey Tyedye, I had a pretty high gpa in my second year but my first year wasn't anything that spectacular. I believe they give you an opportunity to explain mitigating circumstances for lower grades on your application. To be honest, the admissions committee takes a lot of things into consideration and I can't give you significant insight into whether you have a chance or not. My advice would be to apply anyway if the program is something you want to do. It's $150 but worth the opportunity. They also take other things into consideration beyond gpa so as long as you're above the cutoff, if you're an interesting candidate you certainly have a chance. Good luck!

Hey Scotch, I only applied to U of T but that's because my academic career was at a point where I was either going to get in here, or just try to start a career without additional credentials. I can't speak directly to Queen's program's quality, but I did a one-year master's program there the first time around, and that was intense. I can't imagine fitting in all the content contained in a policy program into a one-year intensive course. It's overwhelming at U of T. I can't imagine what Queen's students go through. Additionally, I think there's more of a focus on quantitative skills at U of T which turn out to be really useful when it comes to program evaluation and assessing policy through an economic lens. Because it's 2 years there's also an opportunity to get through all those core courses in first year, and then really get into the policy fields that you're interested in in second year, once you've gotten an idea of the policy landscape. As for living in Kingston, I actually really loved living there (live downtown but outside of the 'student ghetto' if you choose Queen's. It's marginally more expensive, but totally worth the experience). If you haven't lived in Toronto though, it's really really awesome. There's merits to both. Kingston has that warm hometown feel and the university is right on the water so it's really nice. Toronto is Toronto though. There's always so much to do here and the culture is a lot more complex and diverse. I recommend doing both tbh lol. U of T is a new school, it's constantly adjusting it's programs, and tweaking things. But it's also run by extremely talented professionals in this field. It also benefits from having an excellent reputation with Bob Rae, Dalton McGuinty, Mel Cappe, and Tony Dean on the faculty (among other very well-known and previously high-ranking officials in the Ontario Provincial and Federal Public Service). SPPG also partners with the OPS and, the Feds, non-profits, and private consulting firms to offer internships, and has a very good reputation for delivering them great interns and employees (and our reputation gets better every year. This year pretty much every ministry in the OPS was clamouring for a U of T intern). What the U of T offers that sets it apart from Queen's is a focus on that mandatory internship. That internship experience you get in the summer between year 1 and year 2 really gives you experience, but also an understanding of the kinds of work you want, or don't want to do in the future. SPPG alums have really good opportunities and placements after the program so I wouldn't worry about that. If you want my totally biased opinion, U of T potentially looks better. The program is more exclusive, it has a great reputation, it has the internship connections. I love Queen's and Kingston, and I think their program is fine. But U of T SPPG is great.

If it's still under review, give it another couple weeks. Hope is not lost for you yet, my friend.

Yeah, that actually sounds like a really sweet deal. You're probably making a really good choice. Good luck!

I'll give you my input as a person who did a thesis-based Master's program (in political philosophy at Queen's) and who's currently doing a professional master's (in public policy at u of t). After completing my thesis, I found job searches really difficult because I hadn't obtained the practical skills that employers were looking for. A professional program is going to give you those skills, especially if you want to get into government affairs. What you have to weigh is whether you want to go the academic route and leave yourself open to pursuing maybe a Ph.D or some other career path in the future, or whether you're deciding that this is going to be the last schooling you do. The grant/TA money seems nice now, but a professional program is a more concrete investment in your career. Just something to think about.

1. The admissions committee works in weird ways I don't think anyone understands. Don't presume to know what it means if you don't get an e-mail or if you're still 'under consideration'. It's, I think, purposefully cryptic. There's still another month to be sent an offer. 2. Don't get down if you have excellent stats, put out an excellent application and you still didn't get an offer. I hear they got their maximum amount of applicants this year. The program is more popular than ever. Probably why Carleton opened more spots this year. You guys are all very qualified and probably totally awesomesauce. The school has to make tough decisions. There are 750+ applicants and only 80 spots. Chances are that 81st person is just as qualified as anyone else. So keep on keeping on. You all have bright things ahead.

Hey guys, it's entirely possible that that was the entire first round. Could have been that they just had issues last year. I'm not the admissions committee, so my word isn't gospel. That being said, being on a waitlist, or being still under review means that there's still hope for you. You all seem to have really impressive qualifications so take solace in that my friends.

To answer your question, no that isn't all of the first round. Based on what I saw from last year's admissions, the first round went on basically all week. Don't be too worried if you don't get accepted right away. There were some really great people last year who didn't hear til the Thursday. There's also 80 spots in the cohort in case you guys were curious. Once the first round goes out, they'll wait to hear back from people so they know how many more spots they can open. A lot of people are (wrongfully) dissuaded by the price tag too, so admissions have been known to go well on into April. I even have a colleague who was let in in August.

They've phased out ROSI for new applicants, so if you didn't previously go to U of T you might get a 'not eligible' status on ROSI. Maybe try Acorn instead, which has replaced ROSI. You might see it under 'Enrol and Manage', but I'm not sure.

Congrats! Invited means you'll be getting a very exciting e-mail later this afternoon. Can't wait to meet you in the fall!

Hey guys, don't tell anyone I told you, but rumour has it that U of T was finishing up acceptance decisions yesterday afternoon. There's a very very good chance you'll hear tomorrow.

This is true. Though consider that the U of T program includes a mandatory paid internship. Historically over 45% of us have done summer internships with the Ontario Public Sector so it really depends where you want to go. I'm working as a policy intern at the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services this summer and it's a real foot in the door to work for the OPS long-term. Especially since many of the Senior Policy Advisors and Managers that will be hiring you will have MPPs from U of T themselves, and the degree holds a lot of weight and provides a lot of networking opportunities in the public sector (many of the profs here are former ADMs, heads of the public service, and two of them are former Ontario premiers). I'm not getting paid or prompted to promote the program. I'm just giving you guys the advice that I wish someone had given me at this time last year. I have a colleague at Carleton, and one at UVic, and they both find their respective programs very valuable in their own rights so it's really up to you to decide what's best. I'm just saying if U of T is your first choice and you're worrying about the affordability, you should know it's not nearly as bad as you think.

Hey guys, I'm James, a first year MPP student at U of T. I was just thinking about how nerve racking it was last year around this time, and I just wanna tell you guys a few things if you're waiting on U of T: 1. We found out March 6 for first round last year, but since the application deadline this year was a week later, I'm guessing the first round will probably go out next Monday. 2. If you're worrying about funding, don't freak out. I honestly wouldn't let that determine whether you pick another university over U of T. If you qualify for student loans, you will likely receive A LOT of grant money from UTAPS. They didn't really make that clear last year, and there was a lot of anxiety. My OSAP assessed need was $23,800, OSAP maxed out at 12,000, and UTAPs forked out $11,800. You don't have to pay that back. Also, if you already have loans, you'll probably have some of it forgiven by OSAP. I had $4000 forgiven last year. You'll also likely get a $3000 entrance scholarship. All-in all, if you're like me you'll only pay a couple grand out of pocket plus living expenses. The network that the University has with the public sector is amazing, and your job prospects out of this program will be well worth the investment. 3. You have the ability to ask other schools that have accepted you if you can hold off on answering if the deadline for accepting is before the first round at U of T goes out. They're usually really nice, and it doesn't hurt to ask. Shoot me a message if you have any questions about the program, or you need someone to tell you it's all going to be ok. We have a tight-knit grad network here, and we're eager to help you out. Good luck!

I figured someone ought to get a meet and greet forum open for those of us doing a graduate degree at U of T in Fall 2015. I'll start. My name's James and I'm entering the first year of the Master of Public Policy program in September. Previously I attended Queen's where I did a one-year intensive MA in moral and political philosophy. My thesis concerned the morality of defensive killing and moral desert. If you happen to be going into an MA in philosophy I'd be happy to chat. I did my BA at Carleton (don't judge me) also in philosophy. I live in Brampton so I don't know how well commuting everyday is going to go, but I'm going to give it a shot. I don't visit Toronto often, but I figure I should start to if I'm going to be down there several times a week. Anyway, if anyone else wants to go ahead and tell us about themselves, please validate my talking into the void. I figure we'll see more people around here as they accept their offers. I look forward to hearing from you all. James

Hey DBT, thanks for the info. Very helpful.

Hey everybody, on the topic of the internships and financial matters, does anyone know what happens if (god forbid) a person in the program doesn't get an internship? Is it the case that you have to pay for more school until an internship is completed? I'm just trying to decide if going to UT is an economical choice. Obviously it opens a lot of doors, but I'm nervous about all the contingencies. I already have about $20,000 debt from my two previous degrees, and now it's looking like that number will be closer to $50,000 when all is said and done. Does anyone know how many students fail to get an internship in the summer? Also, does anyone know exactly how UT's loan program works? They claim to cover the difference of what OSAP does, but do they have similar interest rates? Regardless, I think I'm going to accept my offer at UT since I didn't apply anywhere else and finding a job with my MA in philosophy has been difficult to say the least. Anything someone can tell me to ease my mind about the cost would be super appreciated.

I got the same e-mail. Just trying to figure out how to pay for it now lol. $3000 as well.

So aside from the bureaucratic mishaps, the broader question is whether it's disadvantageous to go to the same school for grad school as your undergrad. I'm also in Canada. I did my BA at Carleton and my MA at Queen's. I've discussed this with a professor of mine when I was deciding whether to do this and she said basically that it doesn't matter where you do your BA because most Canadian University programs are pretty much interchangeable. It does matter where you do your MA because some programs are better than others, but if a good program is at the same school you did your undergrad at, it looks fine. BUT you should NEVER do your Ph.D at the same school where you did your BA if you also did your MA there. In short, pick the program that has the best reviews and/or the best funding.

@Ozone and Poliphilo, check U of T ROSI. Log in with your student number (listed on your application) and you can check to see if you were invited. I was so that's probably a good sign for everyone else for whom a decision was made. Good luck!

I just finished a graduate degree from Queen's University a few months back and I am looking for work. What's difficult is knowing what transferable skills to accentuate on my resume, and more importantly, what jobs to look for. I'm interested in Canadian politics and public policy with my academic focus having been in moral and political philosophy. Anyone have any thoughts other than telling me to do a Ph.D or to be a professor? Those things aren't going to happen.

My status changed to 'Decision Made' today and I haven't received an e-mail, phone call, or snail mail either. I have an MA in philosophy from Queen's with a 4.0 in that and a 3.85 overall GPA from my undergrad at Carleton (both on a 4.3 scale). I'm somewhat confident but the program is so competitive that I'm still wondering if they do any rejections this early on.