Henry Hudson

congratulations to all those newly accepted! I'm hoping to hear back from my other two within the week.

congrats! I was going to apply there, but didn't.

Accepted at Simon Fraser U! Maybe not a top tier prog, but a supervisor tops in her field.

New York is full of people with all sorts of accents, including in academia. If I were you, I'd find a way to practice more, either with a local club (if any exists), Skype, iChat, or that website that connects you with complete strangers (I forget the name). You've got the classroom use down, That's great. You can obviously communicate well in writing. The hardest parts are over. You just need to use it more socially, so you can show up with confidence (even if you don't get such a chance to practice, I'll bet you'll do fine anyway).

I'll be out snowshoeing.

night school

I didn't get home in time, but apparently had a phone call from Simon Fraser University. No message left. I know the committee was meeting earlier this week, and I anticipate good news.... but now it'll be a loooong weekend of wondering.

me, too. one of my LoR writers got to the first one (early Dec) but apparently blew off the two due in January. She's been actively avoiding me, I've come to realize. trying to line up a replacement. One school is good with that, haven't heard from the other yet. but I'm rather annoyed.

congrats! I've also applied to SFU in History, but haven't officially heard anything.

It's a competitive time for grad admissions. Even apps that would get accepted in recent years are being turned away. The odds are that even some top-tier apps are not going to get accepted at every school. 2 out of 15 is too few to leap to conclusions yet.

Strip-o-gram! That way even a rejection will have something good to it! but seriously, email for acceptance, snail mail for rejection.

Alien Nation

great stuff!

I'm currently revamping/updating part of my undergrad honors thesis for a conference presentation and an article. I'm presenting at an international conference in March that's a pretty good fit on my specialization; I've been avoiding smaller/local general-history conferences so as not to take away from the MA thesis writing any more than necessary.

not true, in my experience. I've seen far fewer barriers than I expected.

Indigenous North America, especially 20th Century.

agreed. at this point, there are so many more specialized associations that are more useful and interesting to me. Maybe I'll join when I'm a prof.

I'm 42, and know plenty of grad students older than me. Some possibly into their 60s. It doesn't really seem to be a big deal; people with all different 'real life' backgrounds seem to be making it work.

I have an informal acceptance already, but won't consider it real until all the Is are dotted an Ts are crossed. My future supervisor, who is also the grad department head at one of the 3 schools I've applied to, told me on the phone that I'm in.

I did a year there in 07-08. loved it. great people, fairly easy to get around car-less. enough going on, but yet not mega-city hectic. beautiful parks, coasts, architecture. There are parks and walking paths that permeate the entire city, especially near MUN. Rents are fairly cheap, and you can find decent places close to campus. the weather was a bit damp and drizzly. My year there, I was told it was the third snowiest winter on record (it seemed to me not so bad, slightly on the heavier side of an upstate NY winter). I had no problem with it (except that my bus stop didn't have a shelter), but on a couple days I was drenched to the bone heading to campus; most rains were light but some were deceptively heavy. it's a very pedestrian-friendly city, except for winter. It's very bike-able, as long as you don't mind hills. There are some really good recreational trails right in town and nearby. Politically, it's a bit maverick-ish. There's been a lot of support for the local Progressive Conservatives but dislike for the federal Conservatives. It's not really hardcore in any one direction. MUN seems generally well regarded. It doesn't carry the prestige of McGill or Harvard of course, but it's no slouch. I don't know Ohio costs. Rent-wise, it seemed cheap (you can do well enough in the 400-600 range). food costs can be a bit higher to varying degrees. Beef is cheap; chicken isn't. Dairy is pricey. only a few little things came as negatives: Miracle Whip seems to be a default for sandwiches. Food prices can be a little bit higher, and fresh veggies/fruits especially. Some brands/staples we are used to may not be available at all. Fun and odd little quirks: when you order a coffee/tea, you may be asked if you want fresh cream/milk, or tinned. No one uses household garbage cans; in warm weather you put out your garbage under nets so the birds don't get at them. In winter you just put the ads out to the curb. Most flights to the rest of North America seem to leave around 5 am and arrive after midnight (cab companies are used to this, luckily). Local CBC news does lots of live shots of MUN.... from its front lawn next door - it makes it seem like its out in the field when it's not. If you need a winter hat and aren't into tuques, bring one with you or buy online; don't bother looking for variety in the stores. Everything shuts down in a snow storm, even the buses. The best bakery in town is a little place in a neighborhood called Georgetown, in between downtown and campus (but closer to downtown). There's a great little seasonal tea/sandwich shop up on Mount Scio behind the campus, tied to the botanical garden facility. There's a great specialty foods shop downtown, that carries cheeses, imports and all sorts of neat stuff. The bar scene is legendary, and the restaurant scene is not bad, always getting better. Growing arts scene too. MUN is not a bad campus. like many places, the science and business buildings are newer and have more put into them; the arts buildings are showing a little bit of age (and are less likely to have current classroom tech) but are still okay. Much of the campus is connected by all-weather walkways, some underground (the MUNnels), some elevated. They are color-marked and one can follow various 'lines' across campus. The grad student pub isn't bad, and they have traditional celtic music on Mondays and/or Tuesdays. The dining hall is not particularly inspiring. There is a fast food court between two buildings, elevated over a major street. Many buildings also have small coffee shops in their basements, offering drinks, soups, sandwiches and mediocre pizzas. These are extremely convenient. There are also two Tim Hortons on campus. There isn't a lot of food nearby otherwise; a McDonalds (inside a gas station), a decent motor inn pub, and (a lil bit further) a small plaza, Churchill Square, that offers a little bit more variety. that's off the top of my head. Feel free to ask me anything more specific.

quiz show

In Canada, Master's programs tend to be completely separate from PhDs. In may cases, you're expected to have a Master's (or be in the process of completion) before you apply for a PhD. Yes, there tends to be great funding (except for the rare place like U of Saskatchewan, which instead offers cheap tuition). In some cases, Internationals get the same deal as Canadians; in others there is an International tuition differential (which may or may not get waived). I don't know about sciences, but admissions can certainly be competitive, depending on where you apply to. Canada has a full range of schools, ranging from world-class to tiny. Those that might be the easiest in terms of being 'safety schools' might not be the ones looking to attract international talent, and thus may not offer the full differential waivers.

I've been told some of the shorter programs (like the 3-year PhD in the UK) is frowned upon in North America, as it generally doesn't involve much more than the research project. You also miss out on GTAing (or comparable experience).

Blue Hawai'i

if your LoR writers has the option to submit electronically, I'd ask them rather than ask the school.