lorax

How is the roommate search going? I know someone who might be looking for a male roommate in the upcoming year so please PM me if you're interested

I'll be living on Robson and Cambie. My future roommate and I are pretty much strangers; we talked for 5 minutes while viewing the apartment to make sure neither of us were insane, but that's about all we know about each other so here goes nothing! I'm moving August 3rd, so I'll be up for any time in August. Last week of August sounds like might be a good time for a meet and greet...when is everyone else moving?

Congrats! I also found a place: a rental apartment downtown with a roommate! I feel very lucky, even though I'm facing a 30 minute bus commute to school, and no car/parent to fall back on for rides on late mornings...for the first time . It sounds like you'll be walking distance from campus: lucky! As an aside, how would everyone feel about a collective coffee and/or beer date with all the newbie UBC grad students from thegradcafe forums sometime before school starts? I think it could be fun to see each other in person!

I haven't heard anything specifically about Thunderbird, but people seemed to enjoy living on campus in general. I have a question for everyone: I'm hoping to visit Vancouver for a long weekend in the second week of July: do you think this is enough time for me to find a place? I have two places lined up so far through AMSrental and craigslist, and intend to keep looking until then. Let me know if you think this is a ludicrously short visit for apartment hunting! This is my first time apartment hunting and I have no idea how screwed I am!

Overall, I think you have an okay package. I agree that a higher GRE would boost your chances. I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it might be good for me to halt all my efforts to meet the deadlines for the programs I'm applying for"; does that mean that you're thinking of quitting your work to put together your application? I don't know if you'd be able to get a publication out by December, but I think with enough work you'd for sure be able to have a few conference presentations or posters by then, so I think it'd be beneficial for you to focus on that this summer. I don't think most people expect applicants to have a publication, so it'll be a plus if you do publish, but it won't really make you look bad not to have one.

Will do! I hope you'll do the same! My parents suggested a system(?) similar to yours, where I live on my own for the first year to get used to the city and the program without stressing over roommate issues, then move in with friends I've made over the year. I'm more concerned that without roommates, I'll have a hard time meeting new people and making friends. I suspect I'll end up living on my own unless I find a great place that comes with a friend-of-a-friend roommate or such. I'm thinking of downtown Vancouver/Kits: I will be doing some off-campus practicum work around town, so I'm trying to be near public transportation hubbubs. I wouldn't want to rent a place I haven't seen, but I guess I might have to unless I start househunting harder...eep! :|

Received my yes in Edmonton yesterday! Good luck to everyone still waiting! Congratulations to all the lucky ones: we're da BOMB....ardier!

I haven't checked this thread in a while! Hello, fellow Vancouver newbie! I've been casually apartment hunting on craigslist, kijiji and AMS, but since I'm also planning to move in August, I'll only start being serious/desperate around mid June/early July. Because I've never lived with strangers before, I haven't decided if I'd like a roommate or if it'd be better to pay a little extra to be on my own; I think it'd be great if I can find a group of graduate students living together and squeeze in with them, but it doesn't seem too likely. (Wishful thinking inspired by too many sitcoms? ) I'm also planning a short visit in early July over Canada day weekend to look at places!

Cucumber slices and "working" at my desk job!

Could this just be a conservative estimate accounting for the Master's notices, which will be distributed later? I bet you Doctorals still might be getting news within the week! Anticipation!

ARRRGH!

High five! Which areas are you looking at?

Thanks metasyntactic! UBC is one of the nicest campuses I've ever visited and I'm stoked to go/live there! I will be doing practicum work in schools in Vancouver and surrounding suburban areas. Is the transit system good for the outskirts of Greater Vancouver as well? Also, did you live on campus too?

Hello hello! I am off to UBC in the fall, and was wondering if anyone else was headed that way. I've visited twice, but still don't know enough about the city to feel comfortable moving there in a few short months! How is everyone else doing with finding housing, estimating costs, debating necessity of vehicles, etc.? Is anyone else as scared and excited as I am? I go between both extremes three times a day!

I'll be (90% sure) starting an MA in the Faculty of Education as well (School Psychology). Mind if I join you guys in your boat? I'll be sure to keep you posted if I find out anything useful, so please feel free to do the same for me

I get to explain the difference between school psychologists vs. school counselors, which seems like a small difference but actually matters a lot (to me!). School counselor: NOT a psychologist, NOT trained to handle psychometric instruments, NOT trained for therapy, usually a certified teacher with further training, generally doesn't go beyond Master's, doesn't do research. Practices within schools only. Addresses career counseling, vocational assessments, behavior management, education and awareness, and referrals among many other services. School psychologist: Certified school psychologist, as well as a registered psychology associate or psychologist with the provincial regulatory body (at least in Canada), trained to handle psychometric instruments, can provide therapy, is an MA or PhD, is NOT necessarily a certified teacher, more likely to be involved in research. Practices in schools but also in hospitals, jails, clinics, social service areas or private practice. Addresses psych/psychoeducational assessment, group/individual therapy, consultation, education and awareness measures, education planning and sometimes deals with unrelated work that they are not trained for because people are confused about their exact roles. Oh well, they get paid about the same so most people aren't terribly interested in the distinction.

Thanks so much for the information, everyone! My (Master's level) application got forwarded by my institution and I thought I had about a 50% chance from there but now it looks like my chances are even better! I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get SSHRCed after I found an article that completely refuted the basis for my research proposal but now I have more reason for hope

spacegirl, did you get notified via snail mail or email? More importantly, congratulations!