KayOwd

I think you're alright. my informal email from the director was dated Apr. 7. Email from SGS came the following week. My letter was dated Apr. 8. Didn't get my letter until the 20th. had to sign and fax in a formal acceptance form. I think my account still reads UNDER REVIEW. they are slow, but i would call the grad dept and talk to someone. you should be fine though. congrats!

I went with a gift basket from lonestargiftbaskets.com.. arrived today, w00!

^ hmm, didn't realize it was posted on their website. in any case, it seems you have options. good luck.

even though i've received an unofficial accept from the program director, i had also sent the SGS an email a full week ago about my status and this is what they replied with: Hi, The admission decisions vary by department, and are usually affected by the number of applications received (i.e., volume of work). Some early offers of admission have been sent out in January or February; however, the majority of offers would come in March or April. SGS generally advises applicants to expect a response by late April, although decisions continue to be made after this point. The University of Toronto requires that all applicants receive a written response to their application, whether that response is a refusal or an offer of admission. The decision will come from the department you have applied to. "Under review" means that there is no decision made yet; your file is being reviewed. SGS Admissions might be old news, but hopefully it clarifies their position for some. "late April" is pretty crushing to some with other offers and decision deadlines...

^ i agree. everyone is different and has different motivation, but this is my take on the situation: when i finished my MPH i felt like i was done (for the time being). i had shot through a Bachelors and Masters with no break. when i was about to wrap up the masters i felt it was time to start applying some of the knowledge and skills i had learnt. i wasn't ready for the PhD. as an aside, both my brother and father have PhDs, along with a host of friends. the one thing i took from observing them is that you **DO NOT** jump into it until you are certain you a) want to do research and are completely infatuated with the topic and area of study. there WILL BE a point (never fails) where you dream of waking up in the middle of the night and taking a shotgun to your dissertation.. you passion for the topic and research is what will see you through. remember, it may not be well advertised, but there is a sizeable proportion of people who just cant complete. if UMAS has a program that fits your needs, has supportive supervision and research opportunities AND you are absolutely ready for the PhD --> go for it. But just ask yourself: "Am i making a compromise?" Sure there will be compromises along the way, but if they threaten your career goals and research objectives think carefully before you commit. As for working, like i said before, i finished the MPH and wanted to work. i have had two great years working in the public sector for two big population and public health authorities. i wont name drop because that's not the point. the point is i have been able to observe how public health operates at a very high level and experienced first-hand the beauracracy within which it is embedded. if you want to do applied research in PH of any kind, learning the ideosyncracies of the beauracracy is essential. why am i doing a PhD now? Now that i have a comfortable income and a secure job. simple. i want to do my own research and build myself towards a leadership role in PH. at the moment i have hit a ceiling. i already have the knowledge and skillset to do much more, but the PhD (for better or worse) is the credential/proving ground that allows one to do independent research credibly. Re: non-US student funding. if you are canadian there are several lucrative sources for funding, including the Vanier and maybe even a Fullbright scholarship. check www.cos.com for more opportunities. good luck in your decision! my tally thus far Official accepts: 1 Unofficial accepts: 1 (no letter yet, coming soon hopefully) Pending: 1 (probably a rejection) Total apps: 3

ya, that sounds familiar. I must have spent 2.5 months preparing my SoPs. I got a lot of feedback from many different parties, which was GOOD and BAD. Deciding which advice to weigh more was a bit nerve wracking.. when i finalized my statements and submitted them i would go through periodic phases of reading and re-reading, trying to guess how they the adcomm would interpret them.. "did i use a term that red flagged my application?" "did i represent my interests adequately?" "did i have too much professional experience and not enough research?" and so on. my final assessment is that i did a lot of things right and some things less-right in my statements.. i believe this is the area that needs the most elucidation by past applicants for future ones. as a side note, i found the following article to be the most insightful in my investigation to write the 'perfect' SoP (even though it is in a different discipline): http://wcx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/3/242 I have the full pdf version if anyone cannot access it. just pm me with your email.

^ was at work when i got the word.. felt like screaming out.. instead i emailed my brother in CAPS, hehe.. close enough. I still won't feel totally secure until i receive the official letter (esp with my other accept deadline coming up on the 15th), but i'm still confident, happy and greatful. Sometime soon i want to document all my steps and experiences througout this process on the forum. Hopefully it will help other have an easier time than i did (felt like i was feeling my way in the dark at some points..). I'd encourage others to do so as well. Ours is a discipline unlike many others and from what i've been able to find, it is one that requires more coverage with regard to the application/review/admission processes. anyway, im sure once it's sunk in, i'll find something else to worry about (ie. moving across the country). At the moment, i think im finally ready to be productive at work again, hahah!

just got my 'congratulations' email from the program director at the University of Toronto (Dalla Lana School of Pub Health). Should be getting the official letter in the mail soon. im so eff'ing happy! 2-0-1 still waiting on McMaster, but I think I'm set for TO.

received a congratulations email from program director today.. said i should be receiving an official acceptance letter in the mail soon. my guess is late this week or monday (13th). geez, i think all these endorphins are giving me a headache ..who cares though, my day has been MADE!

I would understand if i was on a waiting list, but why would the dept. head say a second review process was underway? whatever, I guess if they have a solid apr. 15 deadline we'll see. maybe i will contact the DGS and see what is. Im also waiting on Mac and the grad coordinator said "it's way too early to know whether your application has failed".. i should be more greatful for the acceptance i have received, but i still feel like a carrot is dangling in front of my face. mocking me. waiting for me to formally accept.. then PLOP, there it is in my lap. :|

im in the same boat. 1 accept, two pending.. ARGHHH! i wrote to the program director and he said the adcomm was going through a SECOND review process. this was last friday. my one accept has given me until apr 15 to make a decision.. does UT conform to a solid deadline? or do they make these soft one's up (ie. april 3rd) to test my mental and emotional resilience?! when i wrote my potential super, i was told that scheduling meeting times for the adcomm may delay the decision process..

^pretty much said it. my other referees will get a 'thank you' card. my old super is different. from the very beginning she has gone out of her way to support and mentor me. a thoughtful token of my appreciation for this most recent example of her support and all else that past is the least i can do. Acceptance or not, a gift and my thanks are coming her way. ko

Great, thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely look into the gift basket idea!

so i've been accepted into a program i will likely end up enrolling in. My roller coaster ride is nearly finished. The time has come to thank my Referees! Chief among them is my old Master's supervisor, who just so happens to be a Texas gal.. Being Canadian, it is a bit difficult to decipher the ideosyncracies of a Texan outside of the usual stereotypes, etc. Therefore, i need your help (if you have insight) in choosing a unique gift idea that she would appreciate--something that may remind her of her original home. as a side note: It is VERY difficult to purchase firearms, so if you were thinking ivory-handled six-shooters that is probably a no go..

can i offer a different perspective: if you stayed, your husband would continue to work and i imagine your combined household income would be higher than the 18K a year in a new town (considering no guaranteed job prospects for your spouse). have you calculated your moving expenses? this can amount to a few thousand dollars. everthing else being equal, except the issue of funding, it seems the first choice is better. one year of funding is enough time to look for more lucrative sources anyway. if you are looking for money, your department should have people there to help you find it. I would also visit http://www.cos.com and look for available graduate scholarships and training awards in your discipline. good luck!

-I received email notice of acceptance to UBC. very flattering letter, which made me wonder if they indeed were talking about me Need to send my decision my Apr. 15.. -had a phone call with Mac. I hope they decide on my status soon. -no news yet from the centre of the universe (ie. UofT). not optimistic about this one. Ithink they said next friday (Apr 3) was their deadline for sending out letters. on a side note, i saw that one person was accepted into the Dalla Lana Behavioural Health Science PhD. Also a person reported being accepted to the Health Policy PhD at Mac. Would the guilty parties care to share their stories?! congrats to those with options and continued good luck to all! this circus is almost over!

thx for all your comments, everbody.

no, this is a different school. I'm still waiting for word from DL. my guess is that first week of April a letter will come from them. good luck

hi, thanks for the reply. to clarify, im not really looking for advice. im just curious to hear if anyone has experienced a similar situation and what happened. i agree with you. all i can really do is wait. cheers, ko

hi, so a week ago i got an email from a prof (not previously indicated as a supervisor candidate on my app) asking to schedule a telephone interview. in the interview i am asked about my master's project. she then tells me about this prospective project etc. she gives me resources to do a little more investigation on the opportunity and tells me to contact her in a couple days when i've had time to think things over. a couple days later i send the prof an email with some additional questions. in response to one of my questions she replies that she cannot accept me into the program (only the school of grad studies can) but that she can offer her recommendation. HOWEVER, turns out she also hasn't completely review my transcripts and ref letters--she says she will do this shortly. her review will determine her recommendation. i send her another email thanking her for addressing my questions and tell her i am interested in the program/research opportunity and would like instructions on next steps, should my application gain her recommendation. this was almost two days ago. still waiting for word. **has anyone been in this situation?** what was the outcome? what are your thoughts, generally? note: my application exceeds the requirements for entry and some. my profile aligns well with the proposed program and research, but in these "tough economic times" i'm worried about sgs. im not coming in with money. program guarantees funding, but sources vary on a case by case basis... whatever that means. :?:

Hello, first time poster.. cool forum, would have been helpful for my grad apps.. i just finished submitted application to three programs in canada: - health and behavioural science PhD, Dalla Lana school of pub. health, university of toronto - health policy PhD, McMaster University - Health Services Research PhD, school of population and public health, university of british columbia it was a long, time consuming process and i'm glad it's over.. although i rather be working on it than waiting for a couple months. hehe, btw for those US grad applicants out there.. prior to submitting my application to UBC i wrote the program head a letter discussing the lack of merit GRE scores have in predicting graduate success (stating my own research and MSc demonstrate this more effectively). I even tabulated other major university programs in public health sciences and their GRE reqs.. all of which had none. in the end, the school removed the requirement. for those interested, my academic background includes a BA in sociology and a MSc in population and public health (equivelant to an MPH). good luck to all of us going through the upcoming round of admission reviews!