flatwhiteplease

Hi everyone, I was all set to travel to Paris to start a two-year master's in economics and psychology, but during my last week at home I started getting some serious doubts about my decision. I'm looking for some rational advice on this topic because I have no idea what to do. Background: Econ and math BSc from top Canadian university, 2+ years of experience in digital consulting. Working remotely as a translator for the past year due to COVID and family issues. Pros of program: - Additional skills - Filling a gap in my resume - Waiting out the pandemic while doing something useful - Opportunity to live in Paris - Social environment Cons: - 2 years away from my family, uncertainty about future border closures - Loss of potential income, and I still have 3k+ debt that needs to be paid off and no funding for program/living costs - Locked into a program for 2 years, with no chance to change course during this time - Potential issues related to COVID-19 - This summer, I discovered my passion for writing again, and have finished a draft for a novel that has some potential. I've started a professional creative writing course and I might not have time to pursue it during my master's. My plane was supposed to leave earlier this week, but it was cancelled last-minute. My next plane leaves this weekend. I've had some serious anxiety considering this decision, and I have no idea what's best for me... Please help?

Hi and thanks for starting this thread! I'm a bit surprised that there haven't been more responses considering the size of the school, but then again, these are uncertain times and many people are probably waiting it out. Congratulations on the acceptance! I haven't fully decided yet, but I have been accepted into the Economics MA for Fall 2020 and I'm leaning towards going. Based on what I've heard from profs and advisors in the department, the situation is still quite ambiguous. The first half of summer classes have been moved online, but they seem to be keeping their options open for the second half of the summer. When I inquired about changes to tuition fees and TA compensation due to online classes / overall impact of Covid-19, I was told that no such changes can be expected. What do you think about the impact of the pandemic on the admissions cycle (for this year and the next) and the Canadian job market in 2021? I'm Canadian, but I've lived overseas for the past couple of years, so I don't have much information on the current situation, and I'm a bit nervous about the direction that the market might take. I've heard that admissions will probably get tougher next year due to funding cutbacks, so it's best to start your program this year rather than defer it any further into the unknown, but I'm also worried about entering the job market in 2021 with added debt from my master's.

Hi everyone, With two weeks left until the decision deadline, I'm having trouble making up my mind about grad school. I have received an offer for the Economics MA at the University of Toronto, with partial funding in the form of guaranteed TA hours, however in light of the current pandemic (and my personal finances) I am afraid to make the wrong decision. My background: Econ and Math specialist from UofT, 3.47 GPA, followed by two years of work experience in Big 4 consulting overseas, then half a year without a job, freelancing for personal reasons. The master's program was supposed to be a fresh start to make up for the huge gap in my resume and potentially break into the Canadian job market. However, now that the pandemic has changed everything, I am afraid that if I decide to attend, I will end up with a lot of debt with job prospects that are no better than my current ones. Accepting would likely leave me with approx 10,000 CAD worth of debt. On the other hand, if I don't accept, I'm worried that I will lose my last chance at a master's degree (references were tough to come by), plus the 2021-2022 year will be even tougher in terms of admissions and funding. The big question: what would you do if you were in my shoes? What is the best decision in the current economic climate?

Not yet, and I'm getting kind of anxious about it Received an acceptance from UofT about a week ago though. Have you also applied for an Economics MA at Queen's?

Hi everyone, first time poster here. I applied for an MA in Economics: - University of Toronto - Queen's University Queen's is my first choice, but in the end it all comes down to funding. I did my undergrad in Math and Economics at UofT.