litzzie

I agree, Need Coffee in an IV! If it was just the two of us I guess we could handle, but with a child in tow it is a lot more complicated...certainly don't want her to see her Daddy only over the holidays...

Hey Hemmelig! Thanks! But funding isn't looking so good. The POI told me the fellowship is more like 5000 here and 3000 there...wont' make a huge difference; and he couldn't get the funding he was hoping for. He would have to reapply and until his funding came through I would have to go unfunded. He said I could still apply for other scholarships but they super competitive. In the meantime my husband got a job offer in Switzerland and it complicated things even more (seriously!!! the timing!!!!) I am still thinking what I should do... So sorry to hear that you didn't get into UBC. I am with you about how things looked just a few weeks back -- things did look pretty positive. That said, UofC is a very good uni, and the lower cost of living in Calgary will be a plus. Do you mind if I ask about the funding you are awarded? I just kinda want an idea what is considered acceptable. I asked about whether TA-ship comes with tuition remission, but was told that we don't get TA-ship at all...is it even possible???

Hi lackingpatience, thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it. My husband thinks I should reapply next year and if I got an offer again, apply for deferment for a year, and in the meantime he would try to look for jobs and see if we could go with at least some financial support. It's not ideal but I guess that's just what we have to do now...thanks for sharing your experience, once again!

Yes, rising_star! The husband is offered an attractive enough package, and he isn't willing to pass that up. Fair enough...I guess I will discuss with the prof and look into deferment. Thanks for your input!

Yes, you are right. It's a huge risk to take. I think the choice is pretty obvious...thanks!!!!

Hi, I got into UVic (BC, Canada), but my GPA isn't competitive enough for me to be qualified for the fellowship, so long story short, no funding at this point. The grad secretary gave me a bunch of info regarding bursaries and funding that are due in June and August. I have 2.5 weeks to accept the offer. Should I accept first and see if I could somehow secure some funding between now and September??? Or it's just way to risky? I have a 4yo child and will go with my child and my husband if I accept. Thank you in advance for your insights!

Hey Hemmelig, any news? I got into UVIC, but no funding at this point... sigh...not sure what I should do...

I did, MathCat. They replied really quickly. Funding isn't available at the moment but the secretary gave me a bunch of deadlines between now and September. I know it isn't a lot of info for you to work on but do you think I should give it a go and try to get funding along the way? Would appreciate your input. Thanks.

Good luck to you, Nirvik. My POI confirmed his funding application didn't come through. But he said he would continue to apply for fundings in summer and fall. It's just that RA-ship is probably out of question at this point. I wonder if there's still possibility of funding coming my way between now and September....

Hi, people who are in the know, please help!! I got an offer from UVic yesterday and for the formal acceptance letter today. On the info list of my offer the funding info was listed as 'unknown'. What does it mean? Does it mean 'none'? Or does it mean the department/faculty didn't offer such info so I should contact them directly? Or does it mean I will know later? I heard that most offers from Canadian unis come with a funding package. If I don't get it at this point does it mean it's likely to be an unfunded offer? When I put together my application my potential supervisor mentioned making me his RA if his own funding came through. Does graduate studies admission handle this sort of funding as well? Or it requires me to find out on my own? Thanks for you input! We have to make up our mind pretty soon as I would either have to go with the PhD or with my husband's job offer, and the job offer won't be around forever. Would really appreciate your thoughts on this! Thanks again!!!

Hi Tianmeihua, when you said UVic didn't offer funding, do you mean they didn't offer funding with the initial offer letter? Did you ask if it means no funding at all, or funding info to follow? I just got my offer and there was no mention of funding...just wondering what I should make of it. Thanks!

Hi! Congratulations on your offers!!! Good for you to apply to OISE!!! I didn't because a couple of faculty members told me funding opportunities are very limited for international students, and I really don't wanna fund my way through the whole programme. Did they also offer a funding package? I just got a formal acceptance letter from UVic, but am still waiting to hear from them regarding funding...the waiting doesn't seem to end....

I most certainly hope we can meet in person!!!! Fingers crossed!! Congrats, Cayella!!!

Hey Hemmelig, fingers crossed for you! I supposed it does take a while for all the results to be sent out...hang in there!

Hey Cayella! You don't know that! Won't know until you hear back from them! Crossing my fingers for you!!!

Thanks, Hemmelig! I I was a little disappointed that I didn't get UBC, but like my husband tells me all the time, there are always more rejections than acceptances, and I shouldn't lose my heart. I saw an acceptance in Language and Literary Education! Guess that's you??? If so congratulations! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for UVic as well. But to be honest I am not betting my hope on that at all...I guess I should start thinking about another round of apps next year

It's probably a good sign...I heard they usually hand out the rejections first... sending you good vibes!!!

Hey Cayella! Thank you for your post!!! I am in the habit of checking email first thing I wake up in the morning, so I saw the message this morning even before I got out of bed! I had thought that I would be bitterly disappointed if I got rejected but when I read the message I felt more relieved than anything...at least I know the result now and know that if I got admitted into UVic that'd be it...if I didn't then well...at least I have tried! How about you, Cayella? Have you heard?

Hey Hemmelig, just got my rejection email today! I hope you will hear good news from them soon!

Hi Hemmelig! Glad that the interview has gone well. Your conversation with your potential advisor sounds very promising! When I spoke to the prof that I would like to work with, she didn't ask me much about funding. It was mainly about my area of interest and hers. I hope it was because the conversation was in November and she thought funding wasn't the most pressing issue back then...Do you feel the prof you spoke to is somebody who would work well with you? When you say you like the size of the department, do you mean you like it small, medium sized or large? What do you think are the advantages of departments of different sizes? I still find it a little hard to judge which place is a better fit for me. For UBC, because it's a bigger uni, I'm sure there are more opportunities, but UVic isn't exactly a small uni either...I really have no idea how to rank the two places... UVic's application was Feb 15!!!! I am pretty sure I won't hear from them until April. But if I did receive an offer from UBC I might just email them and see if I could hear from them a little sooner... Let's stay in touch!

Hi Cochleah, I had the same question when I put together my applications. I emailed the secretaries of the departments directly explaining that I graduated from my BA and MPhil a long time ago and the only prof with whom I had stayed in close touch with just passed away. Both schools replied saying that for mature students they handle the references differently, with the understanding that it might be impossible for people who have left school for a long time to obtain any references from their teachers. They both said professional recommendations will work just fine in my case. So my suggestion is email them and explain your situation, and see what they say.

Thanks for the info, Cayella. Looks like we will know by March after all! Fingers and toes crossed!!!!

Hi collegebrandi83, did you check if they require experience before applying? You may not have much teaching experience, but your academic qualifications sound quite strong. Not too many undergrads have co-authored a published paper. I can understand the application fee issue. Before I started putting together my applications I thought I would go for 5-6 programmes, but the app fee worked out to be quite unaffordable. So I decided instead of applying to all of them blindly I decided I would put in an application only when a faculty member agreed to support my application, and that's what I did. So in the end I only applied to two. As far as I remember UBC didn't mention anything about not encouraging international applications. OISE of U of T specifies on their website that they don't take in many international students and don't have much funding for them, but out of the 6-7 places that I have looked, it seems like they are the only place that specifies that. Not to say other schools don't have the same policy, but the website of UBC certainly seems to want international students to apply...

My thought exactly!! I am in my late thirties and sometimes I feel it's a little crazy to wanna go back to school at this age--most people my age will just get on with their lives and devote their energy and money on houses, children's education, and, if they have some spare cash, family holidays. But I have always wanted to take on the challenge of a PhD, and I would like my daughter (she's four) to know that her mom isn't afraid of going out of her comfort zone and making unconventional choices to go get what she wants. Hopefully, it will be a good example for her to look back on when she gets older and wants something that doesn't look like it is immediately within her reach. My husband and I are also taking the cost of living into serious consideration. I have applied to two schools in BC, Canada. Even as I was putting my applications together I already knew that the cost of living there is quite high there. However, juggling between two jobs and a high-need four-year-old, I made the decision to only focus my energy on schools in which I could secure faculty support, and I only managed to secure the support of two faculty members in UBC and UVic. I don't think in terms of cost of living Vancouver and Victoria is going to be much different, but I am leaning towards Victoria for the slightly lower cost of living...once again, if I got accepted in both... Did you ask them to put you in touch with other student parents after they had made you an offer? Or do you think I can start asking now? Have you made up your mind on which programme to enrol?

This is really helpful of them. Perhaps I should email the schools and see if they could put me in touch with anybody whom I could talk with regarding childcare as well. I never thought of that. You are right--going for grad school is a huge decision for everyone, but for people with family it's a much harder one as we are also making decisions for our spouses and children. I actually haven't asked many questions on the childcare front--perhaps I should look into it even before I hear back from any of the schools. The only problem is that I have no idea who to write to. I have emailed a couple of people (e.g international office) and they kept referring me to other departments....