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alexma63

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  1. alexma63
    Hello, I am looking to apply to a PhD program in Political Science in the Fall for the 2020 term. I am interesting in applying to Canadian and European schools. Academic background: I have a BA (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Ottawa, MSW at Carleton University, and am in the process of completing a second Masters in Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. I am looking for a research supervisor who is interested in studying LGBTQ2+ health and resilience in the international context, particularly in regimes where governments do not respect the rights of LGBTQ2+ people. I have looked around but wanted to check in to see if anyone had suggestions of professors/researchers who are interested in the topic in Canadian or European political science departments. Thank you, Alex
  2.    alexma63 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  3. alexma63
    @sandradee Uppsala is an exceptional program internationally. It is held in a very similar regard to the International Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin. I strongly considered it because I'd actually like to work in Europe post graduation.... I'm crossing my fingers that this will still be possible with NPSIA and/or my MSW. One of my Icelandic friends is working as a Brexit exit specialist in London, which is pretty interesting. Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Benefits for me include: fulfilling my lifelong dream of living in a Nordic country (I have a thing for welfare states), and being part of an exceptional program with a strong research base. As part of my investigation in picking schools, I got in touch with an Austrian woman studying at Uppsala and Jean Daudelin, who is a professor at NPSIA (Associate Director of the program as well). The Austrian student I spoke to described the program as having a strong research base rather than policy base.... very focused on methods and conducting research. When I spoke to Jean Daudelin he said: "The Canadian government recruits broadly, but one of the best ways to get in is the coop option which a number of Canadian university programs, many of them at Carleton or Ottawa U., offer. They give students an opportunity to gain experience in the public service (and more mundane things like a security clearance) and they give government departments an opportunity to assess the qualities of a potential employee over a significant period of time. In addition, it significantly lowers the cost of graduate studies as students are paid the salary of the position that they occupy (coop jobs in government are NOT minimum salary jigs). Remember also that most Canadian universities have exchange programs that enable students to spend time and study abroad. Many of our students, for instance, complete their programs with a semester at the Sorbonne in Paris. Lastly, and although you have done your undergraduate degree at Carleton, EURUS and NPSIA should rank high in your list of options. Both programs have an excellent reputation, a coop program, they offer exchange options, and they have been very successful at placing their graduates in the public service." Jean's comments helped me conceptualize the cons of going abroad which include lack of career connections and also the potential for significant debt (which might not be the case for you). Honestly, if I was given full room and board and full funding, I would be highly tempted to choose Uppsala. But given the lack of an opportunity for me, the pull of a potential job opportunity here, and also opportunity to go abroad pull me towards NPSIA. I hope this is helpful
  4. alexma63
    I'm still debating between GSPIA and NPSIA... so I've joined both Facebook groups . I also got notice from the Swedish application system that my application to Uppsala University has been accepted (finally) and is being reviewed. I think I'll still end up going to NPSIA or GSPIA and do an exchange which seems a lot more financially feasible. PROs to GSPIA - International Office has connections with schools abroad (e.g. University of Iceland, Geneva, etc). - International Office offers 1000$ scholarship to anyone completing an exchange. - Economics course can be done during the program rather than prior to. - There are couple of professors who have very similar interests to my own (e.g. human rights, conflict, health and social policy, comparative policy) - Funding package offers 2000$ more. - Embassy internship seems like an exceptional opportunity. - uOttawa is a 10 minute walk from my apartment. CONs to GSPIA - Maybe less opportunities throughout the program to go abroad outside of the embassy internship and exchange. I spoke to the admin and she told me that does not typically send around opportunities on a regular basis. PROs to NPSIA - Admission into the conflict studies stream, which is highly in line with my interests. - The connections with the civil service and government work are hard to compete with... I think NPSIA's reputation on its own is a significant pull towards the program. - Frequent opportunities to go abroad (from what I've read on this forum). - International Office has some exchange connections to schools of interest in Netherlands. - Empirical focus on statistics courses will like be of benefit in the future. - There are couple of professors who have very similar interests to my own (e.g. human rights, conflict, health and social policy, comparative policy) - EURUS courses CONs to NPSIA - My sense is there may be less of an emphasis on human rights and social justice than at GSPIA. I mean... people like Niki Ashton completed the program, so maybe I am wrong on this front? - Less money provided in general and for an exchange. - I'm already over economics and I've only completed half of a course... my general sense is that NPSIA has a greater focus on it. Can any former GSPIA or NPSIA comment on these or have anything else to add? My apologies for coming back to this debate but I can't seem to make a decision. @ChuupaAlso in terms of housing, I've lived in Ottawa for quite some time now and could probably provide some advice. I live in Centretown (downtown) and am paying 1150$/month plus hydro for a small renovated one bedroom apartment. Old Ottawa South often is a sweet spot in terms of affordability and location. Deals in the Glebe and Centretown tend to be harder to find but exist for sure. The last few places I've rented I found either on PadMapper, Kijiji or had someone refer me. Feel free to ask any questions or DM me for more info. Good luck with the apartment/house hunting everyone!
  5. alexma63
    @LoopyLex thanks for the information, it is really helpful for my decision making process. I know that GPSIA has a wide range of embassy placements available to their students... do a lot of students end up being able to take up these opportunities? One other question I have is the format of the program itself. I know NPSIA is 2 years long but I was wondering if I might have the summers off or is it likely that I will be working during that time? Thanks again!
  6.    alexma63 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  7.    alexma63 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  8.    sunshine18 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  9. alexma63
    @LoopyLex Thanks for your support and advice. It is really helpful! To be honest, the French courses seem a lot less intimidating only because I am (functionally) bilingual. I've started learning Swedish and Norwegian as per my own interest, but as expected, neither program offers courses in these languages. I like the fact that Carleton has EURUS as I am really interested in European issues (e.g. refugee crisis, Brexit). Do you know how difficult the conflict economics course is either from your own experience or the experience of your classmates? I have to hire a tutor this summer just to survive the introductory economics courses... so I'm anxious about that to say the least! Stats was drilled into my brain during my psych undergrad so I'm not too worried about that. Can you provide any input on the international opportunities available during the program? As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've heard from faculty that many students go to the Sorbonne. I'd also ideally like to do an exchange abroad - have you or any of your colleagues done so at NPSIA? Would you also be able to speak to the job opportunities for GPSIA vs. NPSIA students? My friends working for GAC have told me that NPSIA is still considered 'crème de la crème' when it comes to government work. Thanks again
  10.    alexma63 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  11.    Flyflyaway reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  12. alexma63
    I got my official offer from NPSIA. Got my second choice in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution stream which is great. Connects well with my primary interests in advocacy and human rights. Decent offer but GPSIA is offering me 2000$ more without an RAship attached to the funding. I'm getting the sense that NPSIA might be worth it despite financial temptation. The RAship might provide me with some valuable experience as well. Congrats on everyone else who has received an offer. I am rooting for those people still waiting as well I hope you hear soon.
  13. alexma63
    Hello everyone, Hope you all had a nice weekend Mine has changed to "Review in progress by Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs", and my specialisation is conflict resolution and analysis. Looking forward to getting our official offer letters.
  14. alexma63
    Hi all, I know this has been brushed upon already, but I was wondering if any current NPSIA students or alumni have anything else to add about the economics requirement. I am currently taking a microeconomics course with Ryerson at a distance while finishing off my MSW this year. I'm really finding it difficult and scored a 45% on my last quiz... which has been hard to swallow since I typically have good grades. The course through Ryerson uses the McGraw Hill Connect system ... which has great practice questions but I find the materials have not prepared me well for analyzing the graphs. I'm just wondering if people who have taken the Carleton course can speak to how it is organized. Alternatively, if anyone has suggestions to make meeting this requirement easier (a different online course? Athabasca?) that would be greatly appreciated. The benefit of taking the course with Carleton is that I would not have to pay any extra tuition. I know I have the summer to complete this requirement, but I'm getting antsy as I may have to drop the course I am currently taking. Thanks!
  15. alexma63
    Yes, crossing fingers for good funding packages. Good luck @sunshine18 and @Npsia2018
  16. alexma63
    Thanks @Npsia2018this is very helpful!
  17.    alexma63 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  18.    alexma63 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  19. alexma63
    @Corenn I was also told the same by GPSIA. I spoke to the department on the phone and they said I could also alternatively accept the offer and cancel my acceptance very easily.
  20.    bambing reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  21. alexma63
    I am curious, like @sandradee, about placements. I am particularly interested in human rights advocacy through policy change. I would like to do a placement abroad or even better, an exchange for a semester... living in Oslo or Copenhagen for a semester would be a dream. Also, I spoke to Prof Jean Daudelin about international opportunities and he mentioned that many students end up studying at Sorbonne... can anyone speak to this? I wanted to offer some comfort to anyone who is not receiving TA funding on their offer. I'm a student at Carleton right now and there are a substantial amount of Out of Priority TAships (OPTAs). I did not have funding as part of my current program but have had a TAship fall and winter both years of my MSW. The only catch is that you might have to apply to a variety of disciplines. I also wanted to say I'm rooting for the people who haven't received any confirmation of admission. I'm crossing my fingers for you guys! P.S. A lot of administrative staff went on strike today at Carleton FYI. Not sure how this will impact admissions/program administrators but I am fairly certain they're not functioning at full capacity.
  22.    alexma63 reacted to a post in a topic: Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  23. alexma63
    @sunshine18 Congrats on your offers Ah okay, so it is online? That's helpful as I will be completing an internship this summer. I will also already be paying full time tuition to Carleton so at least it shouldn't cost me anything extra. Yeah, I think a tutor might be necessary... I'm just not sure where to find reliable ones... from what I've seen of ads on Kijiji I'm not impressed. Any ideas?
  24. alexma63 started following Applying to NPSIA for 2018
  25. alexma63
    Hi everyone! Just catching up on this thread now. I received an acceptance email from Tabbatha (NPSIA) on Feb 23rd and from GSPIA in early February. I still haven't gotten word on official funding from NPSIA yet... hoping to hear back next week. My biggest struggle at this point is the economics requirement. I am still in the process of completing my MSW at Carleton (@sandralee - so nice to see another MSW accepted to the program) and am finishing it in July. I am taking microeconomics online through Ryerson right now, and I can't say it's been easy... that being said I'm juggling 4 grad courses (not including the microecon course), working outside of school and two part time TAships. I am concerned that I might have to retake the course over the summer... numbers and particularly anything algebraic have never been my thing. Does anyone know what the course offered by Carleton over the summer looks like? The benefit of accepting GSPIA's offer is that the econ course is included in the program and it seems like, as indicated on the offer letter, that I do not need to complete any extra course work prior to starting the program. Would anyone be able to provide some advice on NPSIA vs. GSPIA? I realise it's quite contested, but I'd love to hear what your opinions are. My understanding is that GSPIA has more international opportunities (uOttawa's international office is seemingly on point) but I could be very wrong in that. Thanks!
  26. alexma63
    I also forgot to mention that I speak French, English and basic Swedish.
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