mavka

Does anyone else have blanks for Offers of Admission on ORPAS? Even after I was rejected from McMaster, it never updated ?

I got rejected from McMaster and McGill last year and have been accepted to U of A this year. I had (very) low grades in my first 2.5 years due to a lack of motivation and mental health reasons, so I went back to York after my rejections as a non-degree student and took several courses (psychology and psycholinguistics related) which I made sure to do well in. I don't recommend taking random GPA-boosting courses that aren't psychology or linguistics related because some schools won't even consider them in their GPA calculations if you're going back as a non-degree student. Confirm with the school you'd like to apply to because each one has different requirements (e.g. has to be psychology or has to be a 3rd/4th year course). You mentioned that you have a linguistics and literature background, so taking some psychology or psycholinguistics courses would be a great way to strengthen your application. Not sure which school you're planning on doing your minor in, but I graduated from the cog sci program at York so you can message me if you have any questions about it! I spent A LOT more time writing and editing my SOI with a strong focus on EDI and had multiple people review it. I'm pretty sure I went through over 30 drafts. Also, I continued volunteering and got a new position to broaden my experience to working with kids since I had only worked with adults throughout my undergrad. Also, think about your references and how confident you are in their ability to write you a strong letter. I only had 1 academic reference last year when I applied because I didn't build any other prof relationships throughout my undergrad. Taking additional courses this year allowed me to change that and I made sure to attend every Zoom class, ask questions, and occasionally show up to office hour sessions. If you're planning on taking additional courses and requesting references from those profs, make sure to review their academic rank prior to enrolling because the ranks are weighted differently. Lastly, I recommend seeking a volunteer or paid research position. Perhaps the hospital that you work at has opportunities? You can find postings online for both remote and on-site positions and I'm not sure if you're in Toronto, but UHN offers a lot of research opportunities. Even if the posting specifies that they require experience, still apply because I got interviews for paid positions with SPSS certification and no research experience. I also recommend taking courses such as SPSS, R, or Python because knowledge of statistical software or programming will help your resume stand out to schools and employers. You can find them online (Coursera offers some free courses for students) or most universities offer them as short/certificate courses. Most importantly, don't lose hope!! Last year's rejections spiralled me into a dark place for some time. For those who did not get accepted this year, allow yourself to grieve but then get back on that grind and start working on your application EARLY. For those who may not have competitive GPAs, don't allow your grades to define you. I was on the cusp of the GPA cut-off and was in denial when I received my acceptance letter. Focus on enriching experiences (volunteering, work, extracurriculars, certificates) that make you a strong candidate and highlight what you learned from each one and how it would translate well into your success as an aspiring SLP. Sorry for the rant lol. Crossing my fingers for your remaining applications

I believe it's around 50 students

I am from Ontario and heard back from U of A as well! The email was in my junk folder lol. Wishing everyone the best!

Yes, mine are also registered as complete.

Regarding U of A's omission of Winter 2020 credits, York's transcript indicates academic sessions as fall/winter or summer. There are no identifiers for fall or winter. Are transcripts from other schools similar? I'm curious as to how U of A would know which courses to omit, but also don't want to email them about it yet because if they don't include my 3 As from Winter 2020, then my subGPA would fall below the requirement ?

It's really unfortunate and I'm sure many others have assumed the same. The amount of additional courses we have to take to satisfy individual SLP program requirements is already overwhelming and McMaster not considering Human Physiology as a course that satisfies their Human Physiology prerequisite is pretty silly. Most undergrad programs do not offer specialized anatomy and physiology courses for SLP areas. This is something that should be taught in grad school imo.

Correct! As long as you submit your transcript request as part of the application by tonight, it will satisfy the deadline requirement.

Yes I confirmed with them and they said that neither KINE 2011 nor PSYC 3250 (neuro course with a section on language) satisfy the prerequisite, only NATS 1675 Did your friend get accepted last year?

Anyone else from York applying to McMaster? I find it ridiculous how they're the only school that doesn't accept KINE 2011 Human Physiology as satisfying the human anatomy/physiology prerequisite because it doesn't include an area on speech and hearing. Instead, they suggest NATS 1675 Human Development whose syllabus doesn't even indicate a section on speech and hearing. Debating if I should still apply regardless.

Thank you so much for your response!

I was wondering this as well! Can anyone who is applying to U of A please confirm if we can add the required documents after submitting and paying for our application? The school is closed so I have been unable to call them and confirm.