PsychedelicBreakfast

I am considering accepting an offer of MEng from uWaterloo. However, what I actually want is an MASc and hope to transfer over while I'm there. A professor has said he would like to see how well I do academically and could then consider transferring me over. What else can I do besides doing well in course work to transfer over to MASc?

I'm an ECE who is wants to specialize in Computer Vision but i'm completely lost in trying to decide between these (I should add I'm an international student.) 1) MASc (research) in ECE at University of Ottawa 2) MEng (taught) in Systems Design Engineer at University of Waterloo (I applied for MASc) I do not want an MEng, primarily because I want to learn how to attack open-ended problems and conduct research. However, I can potentially transfer to an MASc while at Waterloo. I got in touch with a professor too late but he commented that while his team for 2018 is complete, I have an interesting background and to stay in touch for 2019. After I was offered a spot for an MEng, I contacted the professor again asking if would consider me for 2019 (so I can transfer to MASc) and he emailed back a few mins later stating that 'we could see how well you do academically and consider switching you over to an MASc'. I feel that is the best response i can hope for and I should make the best of it. I'm good at course-work so I'm confident I will be able to manage. In addition, there are 7+ professors at Waterloo doing research in Computer Vision so I feel I should be able to convince at least one. My reservation is that I don't have any publications but the email from the professor didn't mention anything as such. On the other hand, I have a firm offer from Ottawa but no funding. If I transfer over to an MASc at Waterloo, I will be funded entirely. Ottawa isn't a bad engineering school and it has a decent Computer Vision lab but Waterloo is a different league. The research at Ottawa is interesting though not as broad as Waterloo. Should I take the 'risk' and go to Waterloo? It's entirely possible no advisor agrees to take me on and I have to graduate with an MEng. However, would that MEng help me in anyway when applying for MASc in the future? I understand nothing is stopping me for going for a PhD even with an MEng but because I won't have enough research opportunities with an MEng, I am not sure how strong my application would be.

I haven't been admitted to anywhere else. Just waiting on my last rejection for Ottawa.

rejected

Yes, this is the struggle, isn't it! Sorry about that! They may not weigh TOEFL scores that much because it's just a language score. As long as you score near their requirement they will probably move forward and look at more relevant things like research, LOR and GPA. Just my idea, I don't really know!

With a profile like yours they might make an exception. Did you ask them when applying? Thank you! Was your interview via Skype? What sort of questions did they ask you? I haven't had any request for an interview.

Thank you. I really hope so. McGill is my top choice - though I have applied to other schools I think McGill is my best shot. If not, I guess there is always next year. I am very sure with your profile you will get in. I would be very surprised if you are rejected. Good luck! I think they will finalize all admissions this week.

Hi, I was informed last week that all decisions will be made by this week (1st week of April). What is your profile? Mine is: GPA 4.0 (82% from UK), no research experience except bachelor project. Work experience is six years in the field i'm interested in working. LORs are fairly strong but come from a different culture (UK) SOP elaborated on my work experience. My track is Intelligent Systems.

Hi, has anyone here applied to McGill's Electrical & Computer Engineering program for Fall 2018? Anyone received any admits or rejects yet?

Unfortunately, this is not possible for me. I live in a different country than my referees. I can hope to explain it to them via email but my fear is that they'll be offended and I won't have any other referees to go to. I am very fortunate they remember me at all after six years! I like the idea about a fact-sheet, is it possible for you to elaborate on that? Regarding the SOP: Actually, all the schools I applied had SOP in a Q&A form in the online app. So in one section I answered about my work experience and in another I presented a problem I want to research in my masters. Unfortunately, one school's app didn't really give me enough space to really elaborate so I could only relay what I wanted to work on by quoting a few papers of a professors. I'm not sure how clear my vision was because even though I have worked in the area before I still don't know what is the 'cutting edge'. But for the next round, I will have a huge amount of time to prepare and familiarize myself with the cutting edge work and hopefully prepare a more focused SOP.

I'm an international student waiting to hear from McGill, Ottawa, Queens and Waterloo. I have applied for a researched based masters program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) with a specialization in Computer Vision. My application was done somewhat in a rush (under 8 weeks). I also didn't realize that contacting professors is necessary to get into a research based program so I'm somewhat skeptical I will get in. My profile is: GPA: 82% (First Class) from a UK university. Every university seems to make their own equivalency but my guess is it ranges from 3.7 to 4.0. Research Experience: I do not have any formal research experience unless we count my project in my Bachelors. I do, however, have extensive work experience (6 years) in the specialization I am seeking (Computer Vision) which I elaborate on in my SOP. It is extremely difficult for me to gain research experience before the next cycle due to 1) my job 2) next to no opportunities in the country I live in. Letters or Recommendation: Very strong (I think). However, the culture of writing letters in the UK is very different compared to what is expected in North America. The letters are brief and mention my ability to take on a graduate degree and that I was a good student. One letter is from my advisor for first 2 years of my degree and another is from the head of department. 3rd letter is from my employer. No GRE. SOP: Strong, elaborates on my work in the past 6 years. Question: how can I make my profile stronger for the next cycle?