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Delidas

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Everything posted by Delidas

  1. Delidas
    @StrawberryFields67 Yeah, the MPPA is a pretty versatile degree, so I'm sure you could pull off a career switch if you wanted to. I decided to go the MIA route after doing some research in Mexico this past summer; spoke with a lot of would-be economic migrants (and in some cases refugees), and felt as though my areas of interest were more international in scale. Honestly, I applied to Queens on the advice of one of my referees. I'm a small town, blue collar kid. I was the first member of my family to do anything after high school, so I've been riding on the counsel of a very involved professor for the past few years. When she told me Queens would be a good idea, I figured $95 was a small price to pay. Besides, I had most of the paperwork done/compiled already, being as I'd already applied to five other schools. There really wasn't a downside to going for it.
  2. Delidas
    @StrawberryFields67 I applied for the MPA at Queen's, but not Carleton. I wouldn't be surprised if others on this forum applied to it, though. Was there any reason you opted for the MPPA over the MIA? I mean, we might as well shoot the breeze while we waste away and wait, right? @Omie Mine hasn't changed either; I think they might be progressing alphabetically. I'm an 'M', so I'm holding out hope that they'll get to me soon. If they truly are planning on getting first round offers out by the third week of February, I'd hope to be at least 'recommended for assessment' by next week.
  3. Delidas
    @Issa The only thing you would possibly need to worry about is whether or not your references vividly remembered you, and were able to write good LORs. Work experience, especially of the international variety, can only be a good thing. Aside from that, we've got people in this thread alone who are fresh out of undergrad (like yours truly), while others are applying for their second MA. I think the age range is pretty diverse.
  4. Delidas
    @Chuupa I was pretty surprised about Sciences PO as well, but I can't say that I was at all disappointed! I, too, had a hard time overlooking the cost of living in Switzerland, but decided to apply on the hope that I may be granted a scholarship. From what I hear, IHEID does a pretty good job of providing financial aid to those in need. I just hope that I fit the bill, in that regard. @LoopyLex That's some good news! Waiting until mid-March may very well have been the death of me. I don't know how you guys managed to keep sane.
  5. Delidas
    @Chuupa I applied to Oxford, Sciences PO, and IHEID. IHEID's my first choice, followed by NPSIA, and ironically it's the only international school I haven't yet heard back from. They tell me decisions for my program go out in March, regardless of nationality. It's going to be a long wait. @canuck103 Have you slept at all in the last two years? All kidding aside, it's a pretty impressive feat to have finished your undergrad so young. I'm only 22, and already feel like I've overstayed my welcome. I think you'll find a pretty wide age range amongst the applicant pool here. From my understanding, MA's see a lot more diversity with respect to age and life experiences than do BA's. I wouldn't worry about it too much. So long as you're old enough to grab a drink, I can't imagine that anyone will care too much about how many times you've circled the sun.
  6. Delidas
    @Chuupa I think you might be on to something with international students hearing back sooner. As a Canadian, I've already heard back from two of the three European schools I applied to. That being said, I still need to wait for funding offers to go out. That's the real trick, ain't it? @sunshine18 I've completed both micro and macro. I'm not a numbers person, and I did fine. For those who might be lurking - I know it's what I've done in years past - I'd say this; keep up to date on your reading, and do practice questions whenever they're offered. A lot of economics builds off of itself, so if you're having trouble in the beginning, odds are you'll keep having trouble down the line. If you keep on top of it, though, you'll quickly know when/why you got an answer wrong. Very little subjectivity, which was a decent change of pace for a Liberal Arts major like myself. If you have a choice as to what order you do them in, start with micro. IMO, it's a lot easier to comprehend how people act individually before you start talking about aggregates. Maybe it's just me, though.
  7. Delidas
    Everything's all finished and submitted for me. With that, I've resigned myself to the waiting game. Hopefully, I won't need to wait too long. @LoopyLex Glad to have you here. I'll shoot you a question right now; do you have any idea how many TAships are offered each year? Do a good percentage of students manage to get one, in your experience? As a starving student (tm) trying to keep myself from fretting over my submitted application materials, I've started to fret about funding instead.
  8. Delidas
    @abibret Thanks for stopping by; I'm sure you'll receive a few PMs in the coming months, as we all roll over to the waiting period!
  9. Delidas
    @LeoRV 30%-40%, eh? That's actually not too bad. I mean, if we're talking realistically, I probably don't have any hope of actually going unless I qualify for funding, so my chances might be a bit more slim than that.
  10. Delidas
    I'm in, too. I applied for the MIA, so I probably won't hear back until March, or something like that. I haven't found too many threads about the program (or the school, really), so it's hard to know if I'm competitive or not. I mean, I could always start a thread myself, but for now I think I'll carry on in ignorant bliss for a bit!
  11. Delidas
    Man, I figured this thread would have been a bit more active right about now. I'm not applying to Munk per say, but I've applied to the dual degree program offered between Munk and Sciences PO, so I'm sort of relevant to this thread, I guess. I'll do my part to resurrect it and see if anyone else is giving it a shot.
  12. Delidas
    @Sagnik_G A lot of people recommend contacting/listing profs, but I didn't do it myself. I'm still not entirely sure whether I'll be doing an MRP/thesis or not, and so didn't want to pester a prof just to possibly bolster my application. That being said, if you have a firm idea of what route you'll be taking once admitted, and have a strong idea as to what you'd like to research, contacting potential advisors can be a great way to figure out if you're a good match for the program.
  13. Delidas
    @Sagnik_G @ZayyQs The language proficiency test, from what I gather, is something you only need to worry about once you get into the program. I think sometime in the second year you need to sit a test to prove proficiency in a second language of your choice, and you'll have the entirety of your first year to practice knowing this. I wouldn't worry too much/let it dissuade you from applying.
  14. Delidas
    @Sagnik_G I didn't include any citations in my personal statement. I wrote it as more of a personal essay, and structured it like a narrative. I talked about what my research interests are, obviously, but didn't go so far as to write the thing like a flat out research proposal.
  15. Delidas
    @sandradee You're right to say that the competition is fierce; hopefully we all manage to make the cut! With roughly a twenty-five percent chance, I think we probably all have a decent shot. As to my selection of international programs, I applied to Sciences PO for a dual degree with Munk in Public Policy and Global Governance, Oxford for the Msc in Global Governance/Diplomacy, and IHEID for the MA in International Affairs. Pretty standard stuff insofar as IR schools are concerned; I think I hit all the big ones except for LSE, but I'm not independently wealthy and so have no false pretenses there. Domestically I've got applications all but submitted for NPSIA and Balsillie, but I'm starting to consider Queens' MPA as well. In the end I'll follow the money, as they're all pretty good schools.
  16. Delidas
    Man, lots of "NPSIA or bust" folks from the looks of it. I only applied to two Canadian schools, but I took a shot at a few international ones too, just for shits and giggles I guess. Realistically, I won't be able to attend without full funding, so I might as well be NPSIA or bust, too! Like most people here, I'm thinking GAC after graduation. I'd like to work as an FSO, pretty cut and dry. Probably the political-economic stream. @Irwi you should be all good to apply. I've finished most of the stuff on the portal, registered my references, and just need to send it all off, really. Committing to sending it off is the hard part though, and knowing then that it's all out of your hands....
  17. Delidas
    @xioaping Maybe I'm off the mark, but you could always state research intent despite wanting to do the coursework option. I don't imagine they'll hold you to the contents of your SoP, as I'm sure people naturally change their minds after admittance to the program, completion of a semester, etc. I mean, that very well may prove the case for me if I end up getting in. And I'm curious about the streams/concentrations too. I've pretty well settled on conflict analysis/resolution, as it seems pretty widely applicable across sectors. But Intelligence and Global Governance tempted me. All in all, I don't think you can really go wrong. I'm pretty well done my SoP, and I should have all of my applications in by the end of the month at latest. The wait just very well may kill me. Did you guys apply to any other schools, or are you NPSIA or bust?
  18. Delidas
    @Chuupa Nice to have you onboard. I think you might stand more of a chance than you think, given your linguistic aptitudes and international experience. I mean, I'm no authority on the matter, but I'd definitely give it a shot if I were you! Just make sure you get your English up to snuff before September. Statements of Intent can be a royal pain, for sure, but I find it's easier to think of them as a personal narrative more than anything else; just be frank. I'm sure you have a reason as to why you want to go to grad school, so just tell it like it is.* You said you had a bad first year? Well if you have a good reason for that (personal problems?), you can include that too. Though an upward trend alone probably looks pretty good regarding CGPA. The more specific you can be as to what you want to research, what professors line up with such, etc. the better. Given that both @sandradee and @xioaping already have MAs, they might be able to shed more light than me. I wouldn't overthink it all, in either case. I wasn't working off of a formula when I drafted up mine, and it turned out alright. Hopefully you get it all sorted out; you still got lots of time. *Unless your reason is "I want a salary with more figures than my SIN number, and this is my next best bet if law school doesn't work out." Don't be one of these people.
  19. Delidas
    @sandradee I might not be much help here - I took both micro and macro last year, and so already have them under my belt. I wouldn't worry too much, honestly; I'm no numbers guy, and I managed to pull off 90+ grades in both. Just make sure, if you're not taking them concurrently, to do micro first. I found macro a lot harder, and appreciated the background micro gave me going into it. Either way, they're decently accessible. I wouldn't sweat it. And if you want my opinion, I'd start them sooner rather than later. You're going to need them if/when you get accepted, and even if you don't get into NPSIA, it doesn't hurt to have a basic understanding of economics tucked away in your mental repository. Honestly, it's pretty practical stuff: I can't imagine you'd ever regret taking them.
  20. Delidas
    @xioaping Definitely the co-op and networking opportunities. I've spent the last four years (entire life, come to mention it) in a small town, and my undergraduate institution isn't so big as to offer much in way of networking unless I'm willing to drive an hour either way, give or take maybe fifteen minutes for traffic. I'm looking forward to being in a diplomatic hub. Co-op is also a really exciting prospect. As it happens, I'd like to get a job out of this degree, and co-op seems as good a means as any to get my foot in the door at places like GAC or DND. Speaking of which, what does everyone want to do after graduation? (I know, I know. jumping the gun a bit here). I figure a lot of us are interested in the foreign service, but I'm sure there's bound to be a few of us looking to go into consulting or something. What are we all thinking long-term?
  21. Delidas
    @sandradee Phew, looks like my keen sense of intuition has saved me once again! I'm almost at the end of page 2, so I'll just make sure to refrain from adding in any more. Hopefully you don't have too much trouble editing yours down - I always find it tougher to remove verbiage than to add it in.
  22. Delidas
    @sandradee No citations here. I wrote mine more as a narrative than anything else, and I figure (hope?) that my transcript/CV will demonstrate my academic aptitudes satisfactorily. Like you, I'm a bit torn in regard to what specialisation I want to bid for. I'm leaning towards conflict resolution/analysis right now, but who knows, that might change in the coming weeks. Unlike you and @xioaping I'm going to be fresh out of my undergrad next year; I've no additional MAs or foreign job experience under my belt. But my CGPA is high, I have good ECs, and some international research experience. Hopefully my referees have something good to say about me. I'm pretty curious as to how admissions is going to weigh each component of the application, and what section is most determinant of funding offers, etc. I'm cheap and poor (ie an undergrad) so funding will probably play a big role in deciding where I'll go
  23. Delidas
    It's nice to finally see this thread up - I've been a lurker for like the past two years following these things. Speaking of such, if you want an idea of who generally gets accepted, just check out some of the older application threads. Most people post up their stats, so you can cross reference them with their acceptances (or rejections, as it sometimes happens to be). I just finished my personal statement a few days back. At least, it's finished for the time being. I'm applying to a few schools, so I felt like I better get a head start on everything before I'm up to my neck in scholastic anxiety. For NPSIA, I'm running a bit over 1000 words. Like, maybe 1200. I'm circumlocutory at even the best of times though, so it won't surprise me in the least if mine ends up being on the longer end of the spectrum.* Hopefully more people stumble upon this thread. It'd be nice to see what concentrations people are leaning towards, whether they favour the MRP or coursework option, etc. I mean, having an online emotional support group can't be all bad, either. *For those who watch Archer: Phrasing. For those who don't - well, just ignore me...
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