tigerlily104

The University of Ottawa has a lot of things going for it -- a great city, lovely campus, good connections for international, NGO and gov't work, solid roster of profs and research chairs (in my subject at least) and competitive funding. The administration there, however, has so many problems that it might severely derail your uni experience. Think classes getting cancelled at the last minute, poor communication about university deadlines and regulations, and some seriously questionable responses to campus issues. As with any university, but particularly with U of O, it might be a good idea to look into campus culture and some of the ways the university has been in the news in the process of making your decision.

Hi, fellow hopefuls! Can someone please clarify the SSHRC/OGS terms regarding outside employment? I've heard a few conflicting things. The common perception seems to be that you must only work 10 hrs a week and that those hours are usually taken up by TA/RA-ships. The OGS conditions are certainly phrased in these terms -- must be a maximum of 10 hrs. On the other hand, the SSHRC award holder's guide is less definitive: "SSHRC expects award holders to devote the majority of their time to the timely completion of their degree programs. As a guideline in this context, the Council strongly suggests that award holders limit the number of hours of employment per 12-month period to 450. Universities may, however, set their own guidelines. Please contact your university for further information." A hypothetical, then: If you were fortunate enough to get a SSHRC/OGS, but absolutely had to supplement your stipend for family reasons, and were likewise fortunate enough to have an accommodating and reasonably well-paying job (home office, set your own hours), would the "other employment/sources of income" clause prevent you from working part-time in addition to TA-ing?

Thanks for the info, crutch. I wish you the very best. Do you mind if I ask -- are you an American applicant and are you applying directly from your BA or from a MA? Since I've asked so many questions of the fora, I'll share some of my own stats. I'm at a Canadian UG. My GPA for the last two years is ranked first in the department, but there's a huge gaping wound in my transcript prior to that (a situation that requires so much explanation that I could not bear to take up 150 words of a 500 word SOP with it and so... just didn't. And I'm now seriously second-guessing that decision). Beyond that, I have only a few little essay awards, strong LORs from two UofT alums, and what I think is a good fit in a collaborative program. Direct entry to the UofT Ph.D. was rather a glorious pipe dream, but I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll go the more usual Canadian pathway -- a MA with at least partial funding, and a larger round of applications next year when my fiance has a better idea where his career will take him.

Thanks, Tybalt. I've heard of a waitlist email from a friend of mine as well. It seems likely that all the Toronto acceptances have gone out then. Lenz, congratulations on your admit! Has your status on the SGS website been updated to "Decision Made"? Mine has not, and I suppose I'm looking for any reason to keep the faith.

Wow! Two more acceptances and a waitlist posted in the last day or two. I wonder if people are being emailed by their POI?

That's a really nice thought, vitaminark! They do say that (non-racialized) communities are forged through fear, pain, and persecution, but kept together by love. Or, in this case, a shared exasperation with pop culture and fondness for grammatical sentence construction. (I don't have FB or I'd take you up on your offer. I hope lots of people do.)

Hi immaterial! Congratulations on your acceptance! Toronto is an expensive city, but you should be able to manage comfortably on that stipend provided that your (international?) tuition doesn't eat into it too much. If it's that stipend + free tuition -- wowza! You'll be a king amongst grad students. In any case, there's lots of good advice on this board about where to look for housing. A reasonable price for a one bedroom appears to be $800-$1000 and up, depending on where and how nice the place is. Look for a place that has heat and hydro included -- paying for those, especially if you have baseboard heating, can run you hundreds of dollars in the winter. If you want to walk to campus, you'll probably be sharing a place. If not, look for somewhere along the subway routes as a couple of stops from campus will be cheaper and arguably just as convenient. As for eating out a lot, Toronto is a fantastic foodie city. You'll love it. Don't miss Summerlicious and Winterlicious twice a year. Having a three course lunch at Auberge du Pommier for $25 while all your 9-to-5er friends are stuck at the office is a lovely student experience.

Thanks for the insight, lapelosa! Glad to hear you had a good experience with the Medieval Studies gatekeeper. I know it's early days yet for Toronto, since the materials deadline for a lot of programs was late January. The early acceptances are exciting but disconcerting. Any other UofT hopefuls lurking on the fora?

Congratulations, UofT English PhD admits! I see two results up. Would anyone be willing to share details for those of us still avidly waiting? How were your stats; how did you find out; are you a current UofT/Canadian student; what is your subfield? Direct entry or got a MA? Anything you can tell us without comprising your anonymity would be welcome. And again, congratulations! An admit to the best school in the country is a wonderful achievement!