blueivy

thanks everyone. i've contacted the department to see whether a deferral would be possible. a one semester one isn't possible due to the program structure but a one year one may be possible. i'm going to have to figure out what to do with my time in the year off other than recovering if i do end up deferring. and tell all of my profs and the people who i've consulted with that i may not be going to grad school in the fall, which won't be fun but i guess it's better than starting and then getting so sick that i'd have to withdraw

So I went through the long process of applying to grad schools, being accepted/rejected by programs, and deciding between them. I even went through a prolonged period where I felt like i didn't deserve to go to grad school and felt unprepared, which ended up being a sort of imposter syndrome thing and which i reconciled with persistent studying of the material and realizing that i both could "get" it and also be interested in it. So I'd picked a program and was starting to get excited about going, only to get sick. Without getting too much into the details of the illness, it's something that i'm going to be in treatment for, for a while. i've been advised against going to grad school or doing anything too stressful until some of the preliminary stuff gets sorted out, and it's unlikely that i'll be at 100% come September. Has anyone started grad school while dealing with health issues? I've heard of people developing health problems in grad school and then dealing with those then, but i'm wondering whether it might be a bad idea to start while still unwell. I'd hate to go through the process of reapplying all over again and delaying by a year but i'd also hate to start and have to leave because my illness wasn't under control or because the stress of grad school made it worse. Has anyone else encountered something like this right before beginning?

Hi, so long story short I applied to a bunch of Econ MA programs and somehow got accepted to all of them. I realized much too late, however, that these programs were all theory based ones that are meant as stepping stones into top PhDs, and I don't have an interest in pursuing a PhD in Economics and would be looking for more applied economics programs. My undergraduate training used very applied economics and mathematics, which is the kind of work I enjoyed. I was accepted to good North American econ programs but i feel like an applied focus program might be better suited for me, and the only more applied program that i was accepted to (in the UK) is unaffordable. I wanted to take a year off to focus on health and personal issues since i've been having a flareup recently, so this would be for a following year hopefully at a school close to home. I was wondering which schools would be good to pursue, and also what to expect in terms of the course coverage compared to a regular MA econ program. I know that McMaster has a master in applied economic policy program that seems interesting, and Dalhousie has a Master in Development Economics that I assume would be more applied. Would McGill's econ program also be applied? it's overall one of canada's top ranked schools but not very highly ranked for economics and i wonder why that is---are the programs geared towards applied work (and thus not produce as much research as theoretical programs) or is there another reason for this? Are there other good schools to consider for applied economics? I'd be interested in 1-year programs at schools where there is a focus on development, labour, health, or environmental economics in particular, in central Canada so i would be close to home.

Ah i'm in a similar boat having a hard time weighing Toronto MPP vs Queen's MPA. Toronto's faculty seems much more academic (though each course seems to be taught by 3 or 4 profs so i don' tknow how much exposure we'd even get), but the cost difference between the two is enormous. Queen's is 12000 + probably 14000 of living costs (generous) so 26,000 total, whereas Toronto is $33,000 for tuition alone plus about $24,000 for living costs for two years, so more than twice as expensive plus an extra year. i don't know whether the courses would have a different focus, with one being a master of public administration and the other a master of public policy---i wonder how much of that is just naming conventions. I do like that queen's has much more in the way of electives---we could take really specific courses in law, economics, social policy, environment, development, etc. whereas Toronto has only 3 electives it seems over the two years. A few of the toronto mandatory courses also don't appeal to me that much, but i think the work-life balance would be much healthier with toronto than with queen's given the timelines.

any current info on grad residences or apartments in kingston? Anyone live in John Orr or An Clachan have any advice (either way)?

What are people selecting as their start date? I'm confused as to whether I should pick May 1st or September 1st...can I even choose May 1st if my program starts in late August/early September?

congrats! I suspect many more of these will come in the next few days since the accept deadline for initial offers is this tuesday.

I am looking for help in deciding between a Master in Development Studies, and a Master in Public Administration (through a Policy Studies program) at a Canadian university. If it seems like an odd tradeoff, it is. I don't intend either to be my terminal degree as I have decided to postpone my initial study plan (Master Economics) to the following year for personal and financial reasons. These are the relative tradeoffs to the program: Development Studies: Pros: - Small cohort (<15 students) - Close interaction with professors (two supervisors, one main one) - More than fully funded (tuition and living costs will be <$20,000 total for the year and I have been offered $13,000 more than that) so I would have less than 0 debt and in fact some extra income - Lighter courseload, though significant amount of work in readings and writing (which I don't mind) - Interesting classes, though not particularly well suited to my interests though I can take 2/6 courses in other departments if I so wish - A graduate program (as opposed to a professional program) so it leaves the door open for further academic study - Progressive ideology (which I do value) - Leaves the door most open for further graduate study (either at a Public Policy program which interests me more, or for law school or Economics grad school) - Get the chance to do an independent research topic over the summer - Get the chance to work as a TA (great because teaching is something I love doing) - Very good complement to my intended econ program (development economics) - Gives me a bit more time to do training/personal preparation for the MA Economics Cons: - The courses are not particularly useful/interesting to me judging by what I have seen. I could do the readings and the work but I think I would struggle with the idea of "why am I learning this when I could just read about it on my spare time?" - Three of the professors who are generally regarded as the best in the faculty/superstars in the field will be gone next year (though a few good profs do remain) - If this is my terminal degree, it does not give me much to go with in terms of employability. Doesn't have very many "useful" skills aside from critical analysis, unless I stay within the field - No professor specializes in my area of interest (economics) in particular - Worry that it may be seen as a "But why?" degree - May make me specialize too much into a particular area (development) compared to a more general policy program MPA/Public Administration: Pros: - Much more useful and employable, especially if this is my terminal degree - Get to take some courses that really interest me (public policy analysis, health policy analysis, economic policy analysis) - If I decide not to continue with my studies after this degree, it offers the opportunity to take on a paid work placement (internship) for some students - Might give me a chance to keep using my quantitative analysis skills so they don't get rusty - Chance to attend professional conferences and networking events - Diverse topics and core course areas that could bring a practical/applied focus to my more theoretical econ degree Cons: - More expensive (would cost $24,000 and i would have $20,000 funding, so $4000 out of pocket), which is not that bad unless i decide to continue with my plan of doing my MA Economics abroad in which case it would be comparatively $17,000 less to work with (because the Dev Studies would offer me $13,000 surplus) - I've heard that the quant/economic content of the program isn't that strong so I might not be challenged in those areas/have the preparation I think I might - a professional program rather than a graduate program---doesn't leave any doors open for future research or studies within the field itself directly as it is not an academic program - a bit too many courses focusing on management and administration (which doesn't interest me in the slightest) - If I did this and decided not to pursue the Econ graduate degree, then my backup option (an MPP at a school which interests me a bit more) would not be possible as it would be too similar of a degree - Heavy workload (12 courses vs 6+ dissertation for the other program) - No direct professorial supervision, from what I have heard. So basically I am trying to reconcile the benefits and costs of the programs, which becomes a bit difficult because my end goal is a bit unclear. Right now the intent is to go on to an Econ graduate degree (at a University which will cost me a LOT of money which I do not currently have). If I go that route, then the relatively $17,000 additional funding of the Dev Studies program makes a lot of sense and it would be the natural option. The problem is that I am not 100% sure I will want to continue with that...part of this year is the chance to be able to see whether I can handle full time study (i have some health issues that worry me). If I decide that it is enough schooling after this year, then the MPA is the far superior investment because of its employability.

i've been told that MPA students aren't offered funding unless you have an external source (SSHRC, OGS). there are no TAships, but the possibility for small RAships (2-3000) do exist. i'd be interested in hearing about student experiences

just turned down UBC SSHRC. Hope someone on the alternate list here gets it and it makes their day!

you might be able to speak with your school. Toronto has had a really high acceptance rate for their SSHRCs this year, so while in the past people still did get offers on the alternate list into may or june or around the 3rd week of april most commonly, this year they said that it is highly unlikely that anyone still on the alternate list would get an offer. which means that other schools might be in the reverse scenario if everyone is accepting toronto. i will be turning down ubc in a couple of days, in case anyone is on the alternate list there and hanging on

same boat. i received my college placement to cambridge in early march (and my acceptance in late jan/early feb). don't know why oxford is taking this long

i don't imagine many more...their acceptance rate has been quite high in the past so they probably account for that since the program is really meant for 25 students and occasionally they'll take up to 30.

My program accepts 30 people out of about 230 applicants...makes it harder to turn it down

thanks guys for the responses. I've been hearing from a lot of people that this might just be an impostor syndrome thing, but i've honestly looked at the program materials and realized that for the core courses i am way in over my head. The elective courses i could excel at because they are the applied versions of what i already know, but the core courses just have such a huge jump in terms of conceptual difficulty from what i am used to that i think i would honestly fail. i really don't know how/why they accepted me when they can see that my technical background is so weak. I think they might have thought that a lot of my econom courses were more technical than they were, which is incorrect, sadly. I didn't realize how out of touch i was until I actually got my hands on the course material a few weeks ago. I couldn't even understand the material, let alone grasp it enough to pass the course. If I had taken 3 or 4 more years of math I might have been able to handle this, but with only calculus and some statistics it just seems unfathomable to me.

Important Question: Is it possible to transfer schools or departments/fields of study with a CGS-M? The award holder's guide suggests it is possible to do both, but we need the approval of the school(s). I've realized that i have no desire to pursue my original degree plan anymore and am looking to see whether I could be admitted to a different program at the same school. I only have 8 days to accept the award however, and i'm unsure what to do. Has anyone ever heard of someone switching their degrees/programs? They'd both be SSHRC (social science) related areas with connections to economics, but i don't know if i have heard of anyone doing this before.

I'm really freaking out now. So I applied to five schools for a specific field (master's level) and was accepted to all 5. I received full funding at two and partial funding at the third, and no funding at the other two. My top choice had been the school with no funding. Problem is that I've come to realize that I'm not cut out for this field anymore. I made a huge mistake, overestimated my abilities, and now I don't know what to do. If I accept these schools, I'd go in and spend a lot of energy and time and money (the research grants would need to be re-paid if i didn't complete the program) doing something I no longer enjoy doing, and also jeopardize any future chances I have of getting in to grad schools in other fields if i'd have a fail or a drop-out/incompleted master's on my record. I'm starting to think that I shouldn't even be in this field any more and switch into something that I am much better suited towards. On the other hand, if i turn all of these down and waste a year, then how could I possible ask my referees for more letters next year? I will have wasted their time and effort in writing tons of letters for me. How could they talk approvingly of me when I have acted like this? I won funding at top schools and am turning them down for the reason that I don't think i'm able to do them any more. A big part of my motivation for not continuing IS that i have health problems that would make stress like this really harmful to my well-being. An older medical condition I was recovering from is starting to re-surge and the stress of this may be part of it. So i'm wondering whether it might be possible for me to change departments within a school. Like accept school A and transfer into a different department. Do a degree that i'm less interested in but that I can handle for a year, and then apply to other programs. I don't know if this is even possible at all so I am wondering if anyone has done this before.

yeah two of my schools said i'd have to turn down internal funding if i accepted the SSHRC, while one said that I could keep my award and my SSHRC. Two schools also offered "top-up" funding (1K and 5K) on the SSHRC alone. I think TAships are still permitted, but the internal scholarships might be lost depending on the schools. PS weird question but would it be okay to write down an award you were offered but turned down, on your CV? I've been offered a SSHRC at two schools but my top school only listed me as an alternate (unlikely to receive it) and i'm wondering whether i could still include the CGS-M on my resume if i turn down the award

Questions for Oxford students on housing: 1) uni housing says we can't apply until we receive our college admissions...does this mean we'd have to wait until may/june? 2) how likely/unlikely is it to get college or uni housing if you are a graduate student (overseas, if that makes a difference)? 3) what the heck do i do if i don't get my college or uni housing? When would you even find out about that? I have never rented an apartment before (lived in residence for my undergrad) and am scared about being left homeless or too far off campus 4) what is a reasonable budget for housing costs? I'm a single student but i'd prefer not to have too many roommates. I don't mind sharing baths or kitchens with several people, but i'd like to have a quiet, private bedroom

did you find out an answer for this?

i'm trying to figure out this exact same dilemma. i have two program offers (one fully funded, one partially funded) and am still waiting to hear back about admission to one program and funding for another---unfortunately they said that this might take as long as May. The UK schools seem not to follow the Canadian and US deadlines, which really sucks. I don't want to miss out on my offers in case I find out no funding or no admission at the schools i'm still waiting on, but at the same time I think it would always gnaw at me to think about how i might have missed out on a chance at my dream school. I don't want to burn bridges with schools but more importantly i also don't want to be "locked in"---does anyone know whether a school can legally bind you (paying tuition, a fine, a deposit, etc.) if you accept them and then withdraw for non-"legitimate" reasons (e.g. pregnancy, health, family)? it's really a last resort but i want to know what the possibilities even are

Also, is it possible to apply for a CGS-M for a second master's degree? I know that in the old system (pre 2013) it was explicitly delineated that this must be our first graduate program, but the new eligiblity rules don't seem to mention this unless I have missed it. Did anyone here apply (successfully) with another master's under their belt?

That's what i'm struggling with...would it look better to accept UBC/Queen's because they gave me a formal government research grant (the SSHRC), than to accept Oxford with no funding? Or Toronto with only a departmental scholarship? Oxford I think is where I would be happiest, but it would also be considerably more expensive.The difference in cost (with tuition, living expenses, flights, etc.) is considerable. With Oxford I'd finish in 9 months, but it would cost $65,000 out of pocket/loans. UBC I'd finish in two years with $28,000 out of pocket (but the SSHRC on my resume). Toronto I'd finish in 1.5 years (but graduate in 2) with $15,000 out of pocket, but no SSHRC. Queen's I'd finish in 1 year with 0$ loans, but they don't offer many courses I am interested in. I think if Queen's had offered the courses I wanted (Development, Environment, Labour, Natural Resources, Health, etc.) I would take them since they're the second shortest in terms of time (Oxford beats them by a couple of months since it's a 9 month program), and by far the cheapest option---if I could keep my living costs low I might even finish with a little extra money in my pocket, especially if I took up a TAship. BUT I found out that they really aren't offering many/any of the electives I'd want so I'd be stuck in courses which don't interest me too much. I think public economics, cost-benefit analysis, and economic analysis of law might be somewhat interesting, but aside from public econ none of those really "inspire" me, and my other elective would have to be something i have absolutely no interest in (finance, for example). But I would be able to finish in a year, with $65,000 more than I would from Oxford, and I could start more schooling straight away or start work straight away with a degree under my belt. Toronto is second cheapest and would be closest to home with a nice balance of courses I'm interested in, but I would still only get my degree two years later (though I could work for a couple of those semesters off I suppose). UBC should have been my natural choice---a prestigious well known department, excellent in my field (Development), a prestigious award (SSHRC), great city, and a lot more affordable than Oxford, but the program structure is so inflexible that I don't think I can actually do the program. So it might be off the list. And then there's Oxford. Really interesting courses, highly prestigious school, but incredibly expensive. $37,000 more than UBC, $50,000 more than Toronto, $65,000 more than Queen's. It would be the shortest program so i could conceivably start work or further schooling straight away, but the debt I would incur would mean that I would be really restricted in what I could possibly do---i'd have to live at home (in Canada) and work for a year at a sub-optimal job most likely to be able to afford further schooling, so i'd probably be held back by a year again. Agh. I'm sorry, i'm rambling. It's just so hard for me to pass up on Oxford, but I know that is the smartest thing to do---I could get a degree from a good Canadian school for free, or from a great Canadian school (that is recognizable worldwide) for about 50K less so really i have no reason to feel bad about that. But I worry that fifteen years down the road when 50K may not seem like so much (hopefully...) I might still kick myself for never having gone to Oxford.

does anyone know how many people are on the waitlist at toronto? Or even who to call to ask?

I've already gotten extensions twice from each of the schools, I don't think they'll extend me any further and yes all of the offers have some sort of funding attachment (SSHRC at queen's and ubc, entrance award at toronto). still waiting on one program for admission, and oxford won't release its funding information until later this month and may. damnit i wish these schools would do a better job of coordinating between them