Kaspara
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Posts posted by Kaspara
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I can't comment about UCSD or John Hopkins, but the MGA is located in Toronto, which has a significant amount of opportunities in consulting or finance. Additionally, I'd suggest looking at the MGA/MBA Joint Degree; it's an extra year, but you get an MBA as well, which is big for finance or consulting.
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Hey folks, just wanted to bring up a couple of points you might find useful:
1. A poster above was mentioning finances, particularly UTAPS. So you should know, UTAPS does not cover any expenses for the MGA. A decision was made a year ago to discontinue UTAPS funding for all professional programs at U of T, since it was apparently costing too much. It really blows, I know. There are a few opportunities for funding, but they are honestly pretty limited. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
2. The course list has recently been posted on the Munk website: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/mga/courses/mga-courses. There are some serious changes from this past year, so I suggest you take a look if you were particularly keen about a course. Because of the change-over, there is obviously some uncertainty on how different the classes will be. Nonetheless, I'm happy to answer questions about it.
3. So you're all aware, I'll be the MGA Student Association Director of Internal for 2018-2019, so if you have any questions about Munk, the MGA, etc., feel free to let me know and I will do my best to answer. It's a very exciting and stressful time (it was for me) in the summer before classes start, so I'm happy to help you all out!
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FYI, the first round of applications were sent in mid-March last year. I was first round, and received it March 16, 2017. Expect a similar timing this year.
If you don't get first round, however, the offers will come in at random times afterwards (one student got an offer in mid-August).
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On 2/13/2018 at 4:55 PM, lily22 said:
Would you mind sharing your other stats (i.e. personal statements, experience outside of academia) that you believe helped you get admitted to Munk? Thank you so much!
As I said, I applied with about a 3.79 from U of T. I had two great references that I knew very well from class (this is key). My personal and research statements were what you would expect; just telling them about myself, why I was a good fit for the program, what I wanted to do after grad school, and what my areas of interest were.
In terms of experience, I have very little prior to the MGA. A few jobs, only one of which was even tangentially related. A couple of extra-curriculars (eg: Model UN), but nothing stellar. From what I gather the selection process, from most to least important is:
-Grades (to filter out applicants)
-Statements
-References
-Other experiences
I know some people in my cohort who have a lot of really good work experience since they have been out of school for a while, so that would be weighted more heavily.
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On 2/12/2018 at 2:50 PM, mppmgaapplicant2018 said:
Hey! Thank you so much for your time!
Are there any particular internship opportunities especially unique to Munk?There are a ton of great opportunities to choose from. They are broken down into Public Competitions, Public with MGA Connections, and MGA Exclusive. There are a lot of the ones you would expect (UN, WB, GAC, Ontario Ministries), some consultancies, NGOs, some banks, and some more specialized opportunities. You also have the opportunity to search out your own internships if you don't want or get the ~150 opportunities listed on our platform.
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On 2/12/2018 at 1:30 PM, sunshine18 said:
Is it easy to make friends? are you renting in toronto or commuting from the GTA?
You will be in a cohort of 80-ish people, so it isn't difficult to make friends if you want to.
My situation is a bit different than some. It's probably a 60-40 split between renting in toronto and commuting from the GTA.
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28 minutes ago, sunshine18 said:
Would you say that you regret your decision?
Overall, no. It's a phenomenal program, by and large. The program opens up a lot of doors that most Master's programs won't. The internship (there are a lot of really cool opportunities) and capstone are great opportunities, and the people and classes are mostly great. However, as I stated before, finances are a huge issue. If you don't think you can pay the tuition without racking up a ton of debt (and stress) and you have other options, seriously consider NPSIA or GPSIA.
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17 minutes ago, limbsun said:
Hi @Kaspara What made you choose Munk over programs like GSPIA? also, would you happen to know the average undergrad cgpa and final year gpa of those who were accepted to the Munk program last year?
Thanks!
Munk has, far and away, the best reputation of all the professional IR Master's programs in Canada. It has the best course selections, the best instructors, and the best professional development opportunities (workshops, networking, internships, etc.).
However, think very hard about which program you choose if you get multiple offers. I love the program, but the MGA has many glaring issues.
First and foremost, the cost is absolutely insane. You will be paying $50,000 for the two years, so you either need to be rich, get a lot of external funding, or be willing to accumulate huge student loans. I got offers from both NPSIA ($27,000 scholarship) and GSPIA ($10,000 scholarship), and there are times where I seriously wished I had chosen them. If you think that money will be a concern really think about other options, since Munk is super expensive, and will not give you much support (particularly after cutting UTAPS funding last year). There are other issues with the program, but I'll stop there for now.
In regards admissions, it is tough to say. In all reality, you want to have an A- average to be competitive, and even that may not be enough. I got accepted to Munk with a $5,000 entrance scholarship with a 3.79 CGPA and about a 3.9 final year GPA. You can still be competitive with a bit less than this, but you are going to need strong references, a strong personal statement, and other compelling experiences. The current cohort is a mix of people fresh out of undergrad and people with a fair bit of work experience, so you have a shot even if your grades or your work experience are a little lacking.
Hope that helps.
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Hey folks, I'm currently an MGA1 at Munk. If anyone has questions about admissions or any aspect of the program, let me know!
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3 hours ago, thedevilsarered said:
Hey everyone!
Firstly, congratulations to all those who've received acceptances and good luck to all those still waiting!
I'm relatively new to this forum, so I apologize in advance if my questions are naive. I'm interested in applying to Munk, NPSIA and GSPIA this fall. However, I'm worried about the econ requirements. That, and I have 3.1ish cGPA. I have a very strong upward trend, though - a 3.7+ L2 GPA (last two years) and ~3.9ish final year GPA. Most of my poor grades were clustered in my first year where I was enrolled in a different major. I had trouble adjusting to uni life and did really poor academically. During this time, I also had enrolled myself in introductory macro and micro econ courses but ended up with really poor grades on each (like, C-).
I understand that Munk primarily focuses on the final year GPA for admitting students, but NPSIA and GSPIA seem to focus on the cGPA and look closely at one's grades in econ courses. How much do you think my cGPA (and grades in econ) will affect my application - especially for NPSIA and GSPIA? I find both those programs attractive because of their funding options/reputation, but it seems like I won't have a competitive application for those schools. I'd also appreciate if anyone could provide me with some insight on my chances for Munk.
Looking forward to your reply!
Thanks in advance!
If I understand you correctly that your final year GPA is 3.9 and your CGPA is 3.7, then I think you have very good chances of getting into all of those programs. As I mentioned in an earlier response, these programs (I know Munk the best, but I think NPSIA and GSPIA are the same, if not easier to get in to) look at marks first, then your personal statements and reference letters, then your work/volunteer experience. Munk's minimum average is a B+, but competitive applicants have A-, which you seem to have. As long as you can write a concise, interesting, and passionate statement(s) and can get strong letters, you are golden.
As for economics, don't sweat it too much. I got a 70 in an econ course, and it didn't seem to affect my application. You can always take it again during the summer before or during the grad programs.
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. -
12 hours ago, diplomaniac said:
I'm a little worried about this thread, it seems like everyone's application is solid (A averages with conferences, publication and NGO experience, when and where did you have the time?! that's admirable).
But I am not on that boat. I have my eyes set on MUNK because their year 2 flexibility allows me to explore topics on diplomacy and security (especially their geopolitics of cyberspace course!) but I have a B+ average, cumulative and last year. I took an extra year (i'm in my 5th year) because I had undergone family emergency in my 4th year so I had a good amount of mid B grades which brought down my average to a B+. I didn't get any Bs this term, but since they take only the last 10 credits my other better grades from 3rd year (i'm in my 5th year) but since they'll start counting from this year and into my last year where I had terrible grades (they weren't bad, for what I was going through it's pretty good but that's not something grad chairs look into).
Therefore, I need to supplement with extra-curricular, but how do I know if what I do is enough? So far I'm presenting at a department colloquium, summer job at a local community centre as an outreach worker, Amnesty international volunteer (office volunteer and campaign volunteer), and now I'm doing an internship abroad in Uganda for 3 months for transnational governance and refugee integration NGO.BUT i feel like I still need some assurance since everyone's application seems too good to be true. Anyone here applied with a B+ and got in? What'd you do?
Hey diplomaniac, did you get a response from Munk? Are you on the waitlist?
I got a first-round acceptance offer, and, I can tell you, I do not have the stellar application stats that you listed above. I have no real volunteer experience and no work experience that relates to global affairs. What I did have was a strong GPA (A-, 3.77/4.0), strong reference letters, and (I think) strong personal statements.
All that said, I can't really tell you what your chances are. From what their program coordinator told me, the order of importance for them is GPA > Personal Statements & References > Work & Volunteer Experience. I personally think you have strong volunteer experience, and your GPA is solid if you can maintain or boost a B+. The difference, I think, comes down to your statements and your references. If you feel confident about them, I see you having a good shot of being accepted some time in the coming months.
I wish you the best of luck!- diplomaniac and bambing
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1 minute ago, harmanationn said:
Officially declined my NPSIA offer and accepted Munk. Hope I helped out someone on the waitlist!
Good luck to everyone still waiting. (:
Hey Congrats! If you or anyone wants to join the Facebook group for Fall 2017 Munk students, here is the link:
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18 minutes ago, Nupur11 said:
Hello, I got waitlisted at NPSIA. Is waitlisted a way of sugar coating the rejection?
I can't speak for NPSIA, but I know Munk will offer rolling acceptances through until August to those on the waitlist as spots open up. I'm sure it's the same for NPSIA, so I wouldn't be discouraged, unless you have other offers that you need to respond to soon.
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29 minutes ago, IA2017 said:
Have any of the people that were accepted into Munk and were told via email that they would be contacted later if they were to receive an MGA scholarship heard anything back?
I received a scholarship in one of the PDFs that they sent in the email offer.
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4 minutes ago, Hopeful2017 said:
GSPIA has offered me 28,000.... NPSIA offered me 19k,
Now i'm more torn than ever.
Wow, congratulations!
What makes you interested in NPSIA more than GSPIA? From all I've heard U of O seems to have the better program, and they gave you the better funding package.
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27 minutes ago, YellsHeah said:
Hey everyone!
So I had applied to Munk, GSPIA, NPSIA, UofT's MPP, and Queen's MPA. I got offers from every program, but, after spending the past two days in Ottawa touring campuses, I think I'm going to have to go with NPSIA! Best funding, better co-op opportunities, a fantastic department on a very comfortable campus... I think it's the best fit for everything I'm looking for and think I'll be starting there in the fall!
I'll give it a couple days to sink in before accepting anything, but to anyone on waitlists for the other programs - there's at least one more spot opened up there.
Looking forward to meeting people at NPSIA! (And I'm not on Facebook, otherwise I'd join the group!)
Congrats on all the new offers while I was gone!
You can't go wrong with NPSIA. The program is renown, and the funding package was really excellent.
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For any and all who are planning on attending Munk in the Fall, feel free to join the Facebook group:
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Got the Munk acceptance too!
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1 hour ago, Hopeful2017 said:
I haven't gotten my official offer yet but yes I am surprised. @Kaspara got a huge offer from NPSIA but then got 12k I believe for GSPIA? To be honest, I thought it would have been the opposite.
My decision depends on what funding GSPIA offers - but from the looks of it, they're mostly giving out 12k
I agree. It is a huge difference. I wish they were reversed, honestly, since GSPIA is ahead of NPSIA in my rankings.
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21 minutes ago, thebigcheese said:
Congrats on the UOttawa offers
On a side note about Munk, no email today, but my status on ACORN updated! I'm taking it as a good sign...hopefully tomorrow will be the day we hear back. My status is still 'Under Review' though.
Awesome, I hope you are right!
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44 minutes ago, Hopeful2017 said:
Finally some uOttawa love on here haha
Congratulations!
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5 minutes ago, PoliticalNerd2017 said:
Congrats! Did you just get an email right now or during the working hours?
No email yet, just an update to UOzone.
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Got admitted to GSPIA as well, with $6,000 in funding!
Edit: $6000 per year.
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9 minutes ago, Hopeful2017 said:
Which do you think is the best funding offer? For some reason, my MPPA offer seems better than this NPSIA one. But they're still the same amount of money?
NPSIA
Funding Award Name: Domestic Entrance Masters Year Fall Winter Summer Total 2017/18 $1000 $1000 $0 $2000 $ 2000.00 Award Name: Scholarship Departmental 2 Year Fall Winter Summer Total 2017/18 $1750 $1750 $0 $3500 2018/19 $1750 $1750 $0 $3500 $ 7000.00 Award Name: Teaching Assistants Year Fall Winter Summer Total 2017/18 $2572 $2572 $0 $5144 2018/19 $2572 $2572 $0 $5144 $ 10288.00 Grand Total: $ 19288.00 MPPA
Funding Award Name: Scholarship Departmental Year Fall Winter Summer Total 2018/19 $3750 $3750 $0 $7500 $ 7500.00 Award Name: Scholarship Departmental Year Fall Winter Summer Total 2017/18 $2500 $2500 $2500 $7500 $ 7500.00 Award Name: Scholarship Departmental Year Fall Winter Summer Total 2017/18 $666.67 $666.67 $666.66 $2000 $ 2000.00 Award Name: Domestic Entrance Masters Year Fall Winter Summer Total 2017/18 $1000 $1000 $0 $2000 $ 2000.00 Grand Total: $ 19000.00 Honestly, it really comes down to which program you prefer and whether you want to TA or not. You're getting more free money with the MPPA, but if you like the idea of being a TA, then the NPSIA plan is better.
Applying to Munk 2019, NPSIA, GSPIA, BSIA etc.
in Government Affairs Forum
Posted
Hey all, popping into this thread to offer some advice and guidance for anyone who needs it. I've just graduated from Munk, so I've got lots to say about the program (I also got accepted to NPSIA and GSPIA).
I'm happy to answer any questions you might have!