CanPlan

Thanks! The deadline is May 1st. edit: Sorry! The date I first gave was wrong, but it is correct now.

Accepted from the UBC wait list! I accepted another offer already, but I'll be awkwardly forfeiting that deposit. edit: I'm not on social media so I won't be joining any of the groups for incoming students. However, I've lived in Vancouver for 6 years and immigrated to Canada from the US. If anyone has questions about the city or moving across borders, definitely reach out!

Still no word from McGill for me! Email or did you check your application status? I'm sure mine is coming.

Same! No updates, but still in review. We'll hear soon.

Waitlisted at UBC!

For those of us waiting to hear from UBC, here is how I am rationalizing it: We didn't receive an acceptance email - BAD We weren't rejected - GOOD We didn't receive a wait list email - WHAT? Based on the other programs I was admitted to (and from when I first went to grad school), admission emails typically come from our potential advisor. Unfortunately this is not coordinated well, so they are sent at various times throughout the day. So maybe the faculty member we may work with is a little behind on their emails? I hope! I'm trying to stay optimistic. Edit: Someone said the rejection email came from Leonora Angeles, and it looks like she is the faculty member in charge of MCRP admissions. So, I assume that was a generic email that went out to everyone waitlisted and rejected. I think that is a good sign for everyone who has not heard.

Congrats! Was it an automated email, or a personal message from someone in the department?

I'll DM you about SFU. I just talked to a grad of the program and have some info you may be interested in.

UBC is taking so long and giving me so much anxiety that I actually forgot I applied to McGill and am still waiting haha

If you received a better offer (financially speaking) elsewhere, it is best to approach UofT with that information and more details about your circumstances. Note that I am not speaking from experience, but this was recommended to me by a professor. You've got nothing to lose by asking, so go for it!

Not sure if it will be the same, but my other offer from SFU asked for a response within 21 days.

Yeah I had previously emailed Meg before about something and she was great, and also responded right away. I heard from someone else this time. For now I only received the email. Based on how my MRM application went, we'll receive an automated email/official offer letter from the Dean. At that time the application portal updates and we have the options to accept or reject our offers. It took a few weeks to receive the official MRM offer, but I think that was because that program is very on top of things and was in touch with me about everything a long time ago (before the university was sending official offers to anyone). I assume the official M.Urb offer will come in a few days.

I guess I just had to be patient, because my offer came through a few minutes ago. I appreciate it wasn't an automated email as they actually mentioned many of the specifics from my application (but spelled my name wrong). Or maybe we all blew it and that's why we aren't hearing back haha

I haven't received anything, but that's OK since I'll be declining this one anyways (if an offer comes through). It will be the MRM planning program at SFU or SCARP for me. Still waiting for SCARP.

I've been telling myself any day now for the last few weeks!

Unless you need to pay a deposit, I wouldn't worry too much. If Plan B has an upcoming deadline but you are on the wait list for Plan A or waiting for funding, accept Plan B. If Plan A eventually comes through after you accepted Plan B, withdraw your offer from Plan B and accept Plan A. I used to worry about this type of thing, but I currently work in higher ed (a different field) and see this all the time. It's not a great move, but it also isn't anything out of the ordinary.

We're all waiting! I don't think anyone has heard anything since the interview.

I haven't done this myself. However, a faculty member recommended that it is possible if another school offered me more money. So, you can go to UNC and say "this other school offered me $$$ more than you, is there anything we can do to close that gap? UNC is my preferred program, but it may not work financially."

I think UofT is the only one that actually offers a concentration in transportation planning. UBC does through their build your own concentration approach, but to be honest their transportation planning faculty is a bit lacking (there are a few, and even then it seems like transportation planning is secondary among their interests). Otherwise I think Ryerson checks all of the boxes and is a great program. If you want to stay in Ontario then I wouldn't worry about the name of the school. Ryerson is an awesome program, and it would have been my top choice if moving to Toronto was an option.

I think it depends what you are looking for. Tell us your interests and motivations and we can maybe help!

I'm still waiting for SFU'S Urban Studies program as well! The MRM Planning program is different, and they do a terrible job promoting it. I honestly applied on a whim because it's an accredited program and they have several planning faculty members, but I didn't know much else about it. I was expected to find a supervisor before applying. The MRM program skews strongly towards sustainability and environmental planning. For what it is it is probably one of the most respected programs in Canada, but definitely not for everyone.

Speaking as someone who is in their 30s and has been working in the "real world" for a number of years before applying to go back to grad school, my advice is take on as little debt as possible. Go to whatever school is most affordable for you. Seeing people talk about taking on 40k+ in debt saddens and scares me. It's just not worth it, and that debt is going to hang over you for a long time. I know a lot of milestones in life seem like they are a long ways off, but they aren't. That debt will get in the way if you want to buy a house, travel, have kids, take a leave of absence, decide planning isn't right for you, and everything else.

I hated it. Not at all what I was expecting, and I was able to answer each of my questions in 2 minutes or less. I panicked and started recording as soon as I had a thought. I wish I had taken it slower, but hindsight is 20/20. I guess we'll see what happens!

I haven't seen anyone ask about this program and I know it isn't common here, but if anyone is wondering I was accepted into the planning program in the School of Environmental and Resource Management at Simon Fraser University today. I was notified personally by my potential supervisor, with an official offer coming from the university at a later date.

That's great. Congrats! I guess I'll keep obsessively refreshing today.