I applied to both GPSIA and NPSIA and received rejection from both this week Wondering if anyone who got accepted has any pointers as I'm considering re-applying next year.
I honestly don't know what I would need to do to improve my application:
- Was it because I did an undergrad not in Poli-Sci (I have a BCom)? I did take the mandatory Econs courses and have also taken some 1st and 2nd year Poli-sci courses as electives. My average from my undergrad is a B.
- I have 2-3 years work experience related to international development and global health.
- My letter of intent focused on what I wanted to do in my career, should I have focused on research instead?
I've reached out to NPSIA to see if I can get more details but none were provided, only that the program is very competitive.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello!
First time poster here, I was thinking about posting my background anyways since I have a somewhat unconventional background for these programs too!
So I applied full-time Fall 2021to GSPIA, NPSIA, and Munk for context. I got accepted into NPSIA (generous funding) and Munk (no funding), and got rejected by GSPIA.
My background:
Undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce graduating in April this year
CGPA of 10.3/12 (and have gotten some worse grades in my last two years if that helps at all
No international exchange or work experience
Co-op at big 4 accounting firm
Extensive volunteer experience in social entrepreneurship and cultural clubs
Fluent in urdu and semi-fluent in arabic
In general, I thought I had a non-competitive application and was shocked to have gotten accepted in the first round to both UofT and Carleton. I think some factors that boosted my application were firstly I was lucky enough to have some great reference letters. One was from a prof I TA'd for and had studied under having completed her courses with an A and A+. She spoke to my academic abilities but also my team work and professional skills since I had served under her as a TA. Second was a prof I did a year-long seminar course with where we worked on starting a business in Tanzania that boosts women's health and addresses environmental concerns. I think they both played a major role in my application package since I don't have the traditional academic background.
Secondly, when I wrote my statement of intent I actually had put off for quite a while so I wouldn't say its my best piece of writing, but I focused on a couple of different aspects of why I would be a good candidate. Firstly I have lived in several countries in my life, so I spoke about that since I know these programs take an international focus. I also talked about why I studied business at the undergraduate level, and that although it may not be a social science they're usually looking for, a lot of the skills I gained could be beneficial to my graduate degree. Through those two points, I rounded out my letter on the third point about why I was applying to all the schools, which is that I believe they're major skill is building diverse and qualified cohorts. Although I admire them for many reasons, I focused on this point because I was then able to say that although they make look at my application and think it a bit unconventional, at the end of the day I have a unique academic background and international exposure that I believe could bring a very diverse perspective to their schools, and since they pride themselves on diversity, I believe I would be able to not only gain significantly from there programs but also have much to offer to the conversation. I spoke about my research interests briefly but since I knew I didn't have an extensive research background I more or less glossed over my interests. I knew I could focus on the diversity aspect because that's where I could speak to what exactly drew me to the schools and why I thought I would make a good fit.
WOAH sorry for the information overload but I hope this helps other students applying in the future who are worried about not having a polisci background. I'm really sorry about your rejection but I'd say don't let your BCom background discourage you from applying again!
Munk School, NPSIA and GPSIA 2021 Admissions
in Applications
Posted · Edited by mhcarleton
Hello!
First time poster here, I was thinking about posting my background anyways since I have a somewhat unconventional background for these programs too!
So I applied full-time Fall 2021to GSPIA, NPSIA, and Munk for context. I got accepted into NPSIA (generous funding) and Munk (no funding), and got rejected by GSPIA.
My background:
In general, I thought I had a non-competitive application and was shocked to have gotten accepted in the first round to both UofT and Carleton. I think some factors that boosted my application were firstly I was lucky enough to have some great reference letters. One was from a prof I TA'd for and had studied under having completed her courses with an A and A+. She spoke to my academic abilities but also my team work and professional skills since I had served under her as a TA. Second was a prof I did a year-long seminar course with where we worked on starting a business in Tanzania that boosts women's health and addresses environmental concerns. I think they both played a major role in my application package since I don't have the traditional academic background.
Secondly, when I wrote my statement of intent I actually had put off for quite a while so I wouldn't say its my best piece of writing, but I focused on a couple of different aspects of why I would be a good candidate. Firstly I have lived in several countries in my life, so I spoke about that since I know these programs take an international focus. I also talked about why I studied business at the undergraduate level, and that although it may not be a social science they're usually looking for, a lot of the skills I gained could be beneficial to my graduate degree. Through those two points, I rounded out my letter on the third point about why I was applying to all the schools, which is that I believe they're major skill is building diverse and qualified cohorts. Although I admire them for many reasons, I focused on this point because I was then able to say that although they make look at my application and think it a bit unconventional, at the end of the day I have a unique academic background and international exposure that I believe could bring a very diverse perspective to their schools, and since they pride themselves on diversity, I believe I would be able to not only gain significantly from there programs but also have much to offer to the conversation. I spoke about my research interests briefly but since I knew I didn't have an extensive research background I more or less glossed over my interests. I knew I could focus on the diversity aspect because that's where I could speak to what exactly drew me to the schools and why I thought I would make a good fit.
WOAH sorry for the information overload but I hope this helps other students applying in the future who are worried about not having a polisci background. I'm really sorry about your rejection but I'd say don't let your BCom background discourage you from applying again!