NikolaSLP

If you are worried about getting a W on your transcript you can apply for the two month extension up to three times which would give you an additional 6 months to finish the course.

I got waitlisted at Western and haven't heard back from the UofT either.

Well that's a bummer, I wonder why they changed it?

Yes, that's correct they do not disclose waitlist position but, you can inquire about whether you are in the top or bottom of the waitlist from what I remember last year.

It came in an email from mscslp@ualberta.ca, which I think Vicki manages but it is signed by the coordinator of graduate admission.

In order to get a mark-sheet with your transcripts you have to get an official transcript from the registrar. If you go to the request transcripts tab there will be a form you can fill out to get your official transcript. Fill it out and then send it to acrec@athabasca.ca. They will process it and then send you your transcript with the mark-sheet in about a weeks time.

I'm also from Alberta!

I also just received my acceptance letter from the UofA!! I was shocked when I saw it in my inbox because I convinced myself it wasn't going to be released until next week!! So I am so excited the the UofA is my top choice!

I remember last year people with 3.5 sGPAs were accepted to Western, granted they had really well rounded applications. I think Western takes a holistic approach to evaluating thier applicants, as they have rejected people with really high sGPAs, in favour of people with lower sGPAs with good SOPs, experince, and references. It's hard but try not to stress. What happens now is out of your control. Trust in your hard work and know that if it doesn't work out this go you can always try again!

I don't think the UofAlberta has sent out any offers yet. I think the person that posted that they go into the UofA was referring to the University of Arizona, because many US school sent out their decisions on Mar. 7th & 8th. As for Dal they have been for the last few years very sporadic and random in how they send out their acceptances. Any school that goes through ORPAS for their applications releases their decisions (accepted, rejected, waitlisted) all on the same day, usually the first Monday of April, which this year is April 3rd. So that includes Western, UofT, and McMasters (if you received an interview).

I haven't applied to Dal myself, but if I remember correctly from last year acceptances and waitlist were sent out over a couple of days.

It varies from year to year. A few years ago it was as early as March 9th, but the past two years they sent out acceptances and waitlists in the last week of March anywhere between the 23rd to the 27th. Rejections were typically sent out a week later.

So the reason the last one says average is because if they can only take one or a few courses from a semester to complete your last 10 full credits they will average the entire semester instead of picking out just one course. So for example if you had taken 3 courses in a semester and one was a 3.3., the other was a 3.7 and another was a 3.9 instead of picking out one they add them all together and divide by 3, which gives you a 3.6 GPA with a weight of 3.00 credits for the last needed course(s).

All the documents in your application are locked now, so you won't be able to change it yourself, but you can email Vicki your updated transcripts and she should be able to attach it to your file from her end.

Sounds like you have a good plan in place. Best of Luck!

I wouldn't worry about what your undegrad major is, as people with several different kinds of majors such as linguistics, biology, psychology, sociology, education etc. have all been accepted to the SLP masters programs. Whats more important is your GPA and making sure it remains in the A to A+ range for your last two years of your undergrad. While you can apply to Dalhousie and see if you get in, keep in mind Dalhousie only accepts 13-20 students a year and receives upwards of 500 applications for those spots. It's quite competitive. My advice would be spend an additional year as an open studies student getting the pre-reqs for the other schools, and accumulating volunteer hours. It will save you time and money in the long run as you will be able to put forth your best application to all the schools in one go. I say this because I jumped on applying right away last year, could only apply to one school, and got rejected because my application and GPA was sub-par. If I had taken a year to boost my GPA and focus on getting the pre-reqs I likely would have had a better shot. But of course thats just my two cents, do what works best for you in the end!

Sounds like you know this is the career path for you, which is great! To be honest applying to grad school is kind of a crap shoot (excuse my language). But I do think your best bet of improving your application would be to improve your GPA. Volunteer hours are great, but most schools still heavily favour GPA. Retaking courses is an option but I would say you are more likely to do better and stay motivated in a course you are actually interested in, so take a course you think you be fun. The great thing is that you can apply to grad school as many times as you want! My advice would be don't put your life on hold while you try to get into grad school. Go travel, take a job you are interested in, have hobbies etc., otherwise you are more likely to burn out and give up if everything is ridding on getting into grad school.

It's just means they are in the process of putting together all your application materials. The other stages are under review and decision. I will say though last year when I applied mine stayed in the screening stage up until I received my rejection letter, so its not the best indicator of what stage your application is in. Not sure if they will be better at updating it this year but probably more likely to receive your acceptance, waitlist, or rejection letter before it is updated.

My references for the UofA have all submitted their letters days ago, however two of them have not updated on the application to submitted. Has anybody else had this issue? Usually there isn't such a long delay.

The fourth department check is for Saskatchewan applicants only. I believe it is to prove that they live in Saskatchewan.

It's just the university marking sheet for transcripts. Its comes with all transcripts, basically a legend of how the school determines letter grade + GPA

I don't know too much about Dalhousie as I haven't really looked into their school or application process, but my guess would be that they likely weigh GPA more heavily as they have less ways to differentiate candidates. I was in the same boat last year, could only apply to the UofA as I didn't have the other schools pre-reqs. If getting rejected last year taught me anything is that things don't start and end with getting into grad school! Having a plan B will take the pressure off and you can always reapply.

I don't think it matter so long as the marking sheet is included.

I had the same thing happen to me. I received an email saying my application fee had been processed while it was still loading on the browser. I clicked out and reopened my application and it was all payed for. As long as you get the email conformation you should be good!

I wouldn't say the UofA is the easier school to get into necessarily. I think it depends on what each school values and if your application lines up with those values. For example the UofT values research and a high GPA more heavily, so if you have those things you might have a better chance of getting in. Western values experience and volunteer hours more highly than just having a great GPA. McMaster is initially entirely based on GPA, so it has to be high to make the short list of 125 candidates that will then go on to the MMIs, then you have to stand out in the MMIs. The UofA on the other hand wants a more holistic application, meaning you need to have good GPA, experience, good SOI, good pre-req marks, good references etc. While you may be able to get into the UofA with a lower GPA than what the other schools might accept you still need to shine in the other parts of your application. My advice would be to pick out the schools that align with the strengths of your applications, and of course the schools you want to go. Then apply to them. Honestly, it is up to you whether doing the stats course is worth it or not, but the UofA is by no means the easier school to get into. Hopefully this does not come across harshly, I believed the same thing when I applied last year, and I wish someone had told me otherwise! And keep in mind plenty of people have gotten into schools they didn't believe they stood a chance of getting into. At the end of the day it doesn't hurt to send in an application and see what happens (except maybe your bank account haha). Best of Luck!