[UoAlberta MSc Multimedia or McMaster MEng Software engineering and virtual systems design]

3 hours ago, tallestfinder said:

Thanks for the reply! 

I've taken all factors into consideration regarding professors I desire to work with, living conditions, funding, etc. and still was really confused about the decision, hence this forum post

McMaster does seem like a better option overall considering it's nearer to Toronto, so it'll be easier to get some work experience in my non-course terms, also the weather seems a bit more liveable. While alberta is a better university when it  comes to CS, both universities are pretty much neck and neck when it comes to game development and other related applications (ex. HCI), but the mcmaster program is more oriented towards direct game development applications (real time systems, etc.) while the Alberta program is much more general.

The main problem with the mcmaster program is that it's already way too late, any more delays and I won't be able to get all relevant documentation done on time before classes begin. So I'm really inclined towards Alberta right now, even though I'd prefer mcmaster...

Really need some advice whether it's worth the wait, or if someone has any idea when McMaster will be rolling out final decisions.

I think it's better to send an e-mail to your supervisor and explain your situation. Tell him/her that you need to prepare documents for visa and you need the official letter of acceptance. Professor can make things be done faster, I think. I have an offer form McMaster, too (Master in Computing and software) but I received my offer like one month ago. I think it takes about 4-5 weeks for international students to receive their visa. I am not sure, but I think this time varies from country to country. Where are you from?

[UoAlberta MSc Multimedia or McMaster MEng Software engineering and virtual systems design]

I don't know by the time I am writing this what has happened, but generally there are lots of factors you should consider before making a decision.

Which of the professors you are more interested in working with? Is funding important for you (I am 90% sure it is because you are an international student)? Do you have any financial support rather beside university (family, friends, ...)? You should also notice the weather of the city in which the university is located. I've heared that Edmonton is colder than Alberta. I think the overall ranking between these 2 universities is not very different but UofAlberta has better ranking in CS, right?

 

[mcmaster conditional offer]

9 hours ago, cowgirlsdontcry said:

I guess the link broke when I copied it. Paste this into search on the top right and it will come up: Admitted as Undeclared/Non-Classified Student

Thank you. I read the thread but I didn't realize what happened to that guy  Was he admitted?

[mcmaster conditional offer]

7 hours ago, DiscoTech said:

It sounds like the school saw these grades, decided they were willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for one semester of poor grades, and admitted you anyway. The condition sounds like their way protecting themselves in case a semester of bad grades turned into a year of bad grades. 

It doesn't matter that your overall GPA is higher than their minimum requirements. Schools reject the vast majority of students who barely meet their minimum requirements. If they thought of you as someone who can only meet the bare minimum requirements, they would not have admitted you.

 

 This is a stressful situation and I am sorry that you are in it. However, schools CAN rescind their offer if you don't meet their stipulations. They can obviously choose to waive the condition, but I don't see why they would. Conditions like this usually aren't added by individual faculty members. They are usually added by your department or, more likely, the Department of Graduate Studies.

This is only my guess, but based on everything you've posted I imagine this what happened. Your professor liked your application and wanted to add you to his/her group even though you had low grades in one of the semesters in your final year. Your department/Graduate School initially refused to admit you, but your professor really pushed and they relented but wanted to add a condition to admission to ensure that the bad grades were an anomaly and not a trend. 

You can e-mail your professor about the condition, but I would assume this is out of his/her hands. Worse, they might have no desire to fight for you again if you complain about it.

Thank you for your answer. I think my explanation of the situation is a little misleading. When I applied for this university, I had not finished fall 2016 semester yet. It was in February  and I was in the middle of final exams (final exams of fall 2016 - the semester with low grades) so I sent them my "good" transcript, the one with no low grades. So they are still not aware that  I made a mess last semester Even my professor is not aware of that. Now, I am in the middle of my final exams for Spring 2017 and I am trying hard to meet the condition, but I am not sure about it.

[mcmaster conditional offer]

2 hours ago, cowgirlsdontcry said:

Yes, the admission letter that comes from the grad school after the offer letter from the department. One was based on my overall GPA and degrees being conferred, and the one I actually accepted, was based on official transcripts showing degrees conferred. Because they had seen my grades, which were high, I never thought about it twice. Every university is different. You definitely need to speak with someone about this.

BTW, look at this post. It's about a conditional admission.        

<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1280028528720225&ev=PageView&noscript=1" />

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Follow 1

 

Advice Needed: Admitted as Undeclared/Non-Classified Student

I cannot open the link

[mcmaster conditional offer]

17 minutes ago, cowgirlsdontcry said:

I received offer letters from each department, then a formal letter of acceptance from the dean of the grad schools. One formal letter stated it was conditional on my overall GPA and receipt of degrees and the other said in order to remain registered and to finalize admissions, they must receive official transcripts that showed my BA/MA degrees being conferred within six weeks of semester beginning. That sounds pretty official to me and as soon as I graduated with MA and it was on my record, I forwarded official transcripts showing degrees conferred. You need to be talking to someone now, because all hope is not gone. Don't wait!

So, your condition was based on your overall GPA, am I right?

Is it a good idea to talk to my professor about it? I'm afraid it will have a bad impact on him and it will create a lazy image of me in his mind.

[mcmaster conditional offer]

Hi every one. I have a question and it's kinda emergency. Can you please help?

I got the admission for Mcmaster university for fall 2017 master program and I accepted the offer, but the problem is that the offer is a conditional one. It states that (here is the exact sentences from the offer):

        This offer is conditional upon the receipt of an official transcript confirming that your Bachelor's degree has been conferred with at least a B- average in the final year (in the discipline you  are entering)

I assume B- is equal to 2.7/4.  I understand that B- is not a high GPA but the problem is that last semester, I did not do well at all. Currently, I am studying for my final exams (for the last semester) but I'm afraid I cannot meet this condition. My professor is very interested to have me in his research group and my overall GPA is still above the minimum required to be accepted in McMaster, but I predict my final year GPA will not be so good. I am really worried about the situation. Will my offer really be rescinded if I don't meet the condition or I can do something about it?

Thank you