[MA in Political Science- University of Toronto]

Institutional change is generally viewed favorably (if you are planning to apply for a PhD in the US at a later stage). But if UofT means debt, then I would not do it.

Maybe talk to some of the current UBC MAs who also did their undergrad at UBC and hear their perspective.

[The subtle art of emailing to ask about admissions decisions]

Good question and I agree with the answer of TakeruK.

That is the situation that I was/am in.  School A would like to have my decision next week, but I have yet to hear back from my other top choices.  So I contacted Schools B, C and D about my decision timeline yesterday.  I did not ask about the outcome of my application specifically, only about the timeline of the decision.  I also informed them about the School A deadline.  Schools B, C and D answered immediately informing me that I could expect a positive outcome and that they would speed up the process in my case.  For two schools, I contacted the DGS.  For the third school, I asked the POI because it is not clear who is heading the admissions process.

My take is that if a school wants you, then they will extend an offer to you even if you contact them (assuming that you have a good reason to do so).

If you are certain what your top choice is, you may only need to contact one school. However, I really like all the programmes, which is why I contacted more than one.

(PS: That reads as if I had been admitted everywhere, but trust me, I have received rejections as well.)