megtree

Congratulations! That's so exciting! I'm happy for you! ?

I called again today. It's my new weekly tradition! (god dammit-hah) I was told they're still waiting to hear from the second round? That doesn't make sense to me because I know that the second round went out at the beginning of April... Candidates were only given 10 days to respond, so I'm not sure what the hold up is. Maybe extensions have been granted for 1 or 2 applicants who are waiting on other offers (although, I think most f/t programs have wrapped up now)? Or maybe the grad assistant has been instructed to placate inquiries until UVic gets around to sending final rejections? Or maybe they have no intention of informing rejected applicants because they derive pleasure from our anxious inquiries. Or maybe I've gone crazy. Maybe the program doesn't exist at all. Maybe this whole experience is just a figment of my imagination. I have no idea. It's bewildering. All I know is that despite sitting on applications for 4 months, UVic states that they still haven't filled their small 25 person cohort, they've apparently made no progress in the last month, and they're no longer offering decision timelines... ಠ_ಠ

Yes, I assume so. I only inquired about the on-campus program.

FYI: I just called UVIC's grad secretary to confirm they finished sending offers. She said they are still waiting on some responses and if there are any spaces remaining by the end of the week, then they will send final offers out early next week.

Hah! I'm an islander and the program's structured series of co-op terms are what attracted me to UVic too. I'd also like to bridge into the BC provincial government (currently work for the federal government). I'll be moving to Winnipeg for U of M's MPA program if I'm rejected from UVic, so I'm REALLY hoping for a miracle. I miss the mountains and mild weather already and I haven't even left the west coast yet :'(

Our backgrounds sound very similar. I completed a Diploma of Public Admin after my BA and I received a 4.0 GPA, but I don't know if my college transcript is even relevant for admissions. I also have experience managing non-profit organizations in addition to my public sector experience, but again, not sure how much UVic cares about professional experience... I've received decisions to all of my other applications a month ago; at this point, it feels like I've been waiting for Uvic for 100 years.

I'm in the same boat. I know the first two rounds have gone out. The second round of offers went out last Monday, and applicants have 10 days to accept the offer (today). I think the third wave will likely go out tomorrow or Monday, and I would expect wait list and rejection notices to be sent out by the end of April... In short, if we haven't heard from UVic by Wednesday of next week, I think it's reasonable to prepare for a rejection letter. EDIT: My bad. I misread your original post. My answer pertains to the on-campus program. I'm not sure what the deal is for the online program, although I have heard that online offers tend to go out a couple weeks after the on-campus offers.

I don't have personal experience, but I know someone who reached out to a school and asked for feedback. She explained that she was very interested in attending the program and intended to reapply the following year. She asked if there was anything she could do to strengthen her application and improve her chances of being admitted in the future. They gave her some personalized tips to improve her application, and she was happily admitted the following year. I'm not sure if that's typical. I imagine most schools wouldn't have the resources to respond to every rejected applicant's request for feedback. However, if you keep it courteous and complimentary, I don't see the harm in requesting feedback... just anticipate that you may not receive a response, or the response you're looking for, and to leave the matter alone if that's the case.

Interesting. I remember reading a statement on their website that suggested applicants with relevant professional experience could expect to be competitive with an essentially non-competitive GPA, so that lead me to assume that they really valued professional experience. However, I double checked my U of Man application and you're right; I didn't upload my resume... weird. Anyway, your academic background and GPA are much stronger than mine, so their selection criteria is evidently a complete mystery to me. Also, thanks for providing your background! It was helpful because it sounds like you're a very strong candidate both academically and in terms of your professional experience. There are so many degrees of separation between us that I think it would be a fool's endeavor to continue holding my breath for UVic. The anxiety over whether I'd hear from them in time was causing me to lose a lot of sleep, so I think I'll rest easy tonight now that I've accepted that it ultimately doesn't matter when they respond to my application. I think I've somewhat been avoiding making a decision because I've been holding out hope that I'd hear from UVIC, so untangling my hopes from the tangible options that are actually available makes this decision feel much less complicated. Anyway, thanks again for your advice =) It was much appreciated!

As you guessed, U of Manitoba is option B. I think you're right; If I were primarily interested in indigenous policy issues or defence policy issues, then the University of Manitoba would be a much better fit for me. I was hoping to have a concentration in economics/tax policies, however, and Manitoba's grad program doesn't really offer their MPA students economic electives unless they already have a bunch of undergrad pre-requisites. I have completed a couple of the economic pre-requisites during undergrad studies, but I would seemingly have to apply for transfer credits to be exempted from these pre-requisites (during my undergrad, pre-requisites were semi-optional, as I could email the course's department chair and petition for direct registration. I was never denied). This doesn't seem to be in option at U of Man. So, by the time my requested transfer credits are approved, I'd be knee deep in the MPA and juggling multiple 2nd yr. economics/math courses. I don't know if that makes any sense. I just don't want to delay graduation to complete multiple non-credited undergrad pre-requisites which are seemingly required to tailor the program towards my interests. Maybe I could find another work around to this issue? I'm not sure. I recognize my UVIC hopes aren't completely dashed, but it's not looking like I'll know either way until after I've committed to a program. The University of Manitoba has been really attentive and accommodating to my requests/inquiries, so I really don't want to accept their offer and then have to decline them if UVIC gives me an offer, you know? I was in their first round of offers, so I've already put off responding to them for an unreasonably long time. I think they must prioritize professional experience when screening applications, because my BA is irrelevant for a MPA and my GPA is weak/borderline for grad school. However, I have a decent amount of experience managing non-profits and working in government, so I think that has been my saving grace for both Option A and U of Man. May I ask about your general academic background/GPA/professional experience? I'm curious how UVIC has prioritized applicants and your background might help to give me a better idea. I appreciate your advice btw; it's nice being able to evaluate my options with someone outside my own head

I'm going to follow your advice to the letter. Thank you. As for my attitudes towards the advisor's assistant, I appreciate your comment and just wanted to emphasize that I share your sentiments. I've been an assistant to a department head so I recognize that an unrealistic workload is a totally plausible circumstance that could result in a lack of response. I've been a little paranoid that the lack of reply indicates that I'm not a candidate for consideration (so a non-existent priority), but I've tried not to jump to conclusions as I recognize that there are a million different circumstances that could have influenced the lack of reply. For example, one of the other school's assistants also didn't respond to an inquiry, and I later learned that the website had outdated information and an ex-employee was incorrectly listed as the point of contact. Anyway, rest assured that it was just a flippant remark and I hold no resentment towards this school's individual. I've worked in client-services for over a decade so I'd never be rude to someone who has failed to meet my expectations; I recognize they're likely trying to meet a hundred other expectations which are completely invisible to me. Cheers!

You've described my reservations with Program A. I don't want to have any regrets and I'm afraid I'd regret the decision to take on a massive debtload. Best case scenario in terms of post-grad employment, I land a high paying job that allows me to pay off my loan within 10 years. Even in this best case scenario, I recognize that these massive monthly repayment cheques would prevent me from seriously saving for retirement until I'm in my forties. That's insane. With that said, I'll likely work for the government post-graduation, and my government does offer incentives to pay off their employee's government student loans. I could also land a one year internship at program A that would allow me to pay off my second year living expenses. In this best case scenario, my principle debt would hover around 55,000. That's a much more tolerable number for me, but it is also a best case scenario! Thanks for sharing your experience. It'll definitely weigh into my considerations.

Thank you for your advice! Coincidentally, UVIC is my top choice. UVic's program structure is really attractive to me and I love living on the island; some pals recently graduated from the program and they had great jobs waiting for them as a result of their co-op terms. One of my top considerations is the opportunity to obtain professional experience developing public policy, so UVIC's numerous co-op opportunities are my biggest pull. I didn't receive an offer from them yesterday (I saw that you were given an offer yesterday), so it's looking less and less likely that I'll be accepted. I was rejected from my other top pick last week. I think my mental health will suffer more under the weight of debt than under the weight of a temporarily terrible living situation (Winnipeg - ugh). I could live in Antarctica if they had a program that I was excited to attend, but unfortunately Option B's less than favourable location is paired with maligned program concentrations. I think I may have the opportunity to leave the province during my one year internship, but I'm waiting to hear back from the MPA co-op advisor about typical internship opportunities. If national/global opportunities exist, than Option B becomes somewhat more attractive, so I'll see what they have to say about that. Ultimately, I'm no closer to making a decision and my deadlines are now days away. I'm planning to strip my emotions from my considerations to try to take a more rational policy approach to decision-making (hah!). I'm going to list my criteria, weight them, and evaluate each decision on a matrix before week's end. I don't know if this approach makes any sense, but I'm not sure what else to do at this stage. I don't feel good about either of my choices, but as you said, I really don't want to go through this application process again. Despite the writings on the wall, I'm still desperately hoping UVIC will save me from having to make this decision. Ugh. Anyway, thanks for your advice and congrats on SFU! =)

Thank you both for both of your feedback! I wish I could just email, because I feel so awkward trying to blurt out my situation on the phone, but the grad advisor's assistant failed to respond to a previous inquiry last month and I've heard my experience isn't unique; this person regularly doesn't respond to applicant/student questions. The grad advisor's assistant is the suggested point-of-contact (according to the department's website), but since she seemingly sucks at her job, would it be acceptable for me to email the grad advisor directly? Or is a phone call best in light of the weird email situation?

I have two program offers that are about to expire on Monday and I'm still waiting to hear from my top school (which is in my hometown). I've already extended both offers as long as possible, so Monday is a hard deadline and I have to make a decision before then. I know my top choice program sent out first round offers mid-march. I learned that at least one second round offer went out yesterday, but I'm not sure if the second round is being sent out in bulk or in gradual waves throughout the week. Based on previous timelines, I expect all final offers will go out by the end of April (this school's admission process is notoriously slow), but obviously I can't wait a month to learn my fate. Would it be kosher to visit the department, explain my approaching deadline, and try to glean some information about my specific application? I would hate to commit to another program and learn a couple days later that I had ranked well enough to receive an eventual offer. I'm not sure if it would be unreasonable to ask the grad advisor if she can give me a general sense of how I've ranked; I figured I'm more likely to obtain this information if I show up in person, but I'm not sure if that's too pushy or potentially harmful for my application. If I'm a definite reject, then I just want to know so I can confidently chose between my two offers, you know? What should I do?