Jump to content

Izimbra_

Members
  • Posts

    11
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Izimbra_

  1. My friends there live downtown, so I'm usually not going far by cab whether it's from Whyte Ave. or somewhere else downtown. It's not too expensive when we do it. Maybe $10-$15. It would probably be that or even less if you're just going from Whyte to south of campus, because Whyte is just a stone's throw from U of A. Good time to look for apartments? Like I said, I've never actually lived in the city, but two weeks is cutting it pretty short for my tastes. Anywhere I've ever lived in this country I've always started my housing search at least a month ahead of time.
  2. Kingston could be really nice or really crappy for you depending on what you look for in location. Are you a big city person? If yes, then Kingston might not be the place for you. Kingston life basically revolves around three things: Queen's University, the Royal Military College and the Kingston Penitentiary (don't worry, the convicts are safely locked away!). So it's a college town with a population of 150,000, pretty homogenous and not a whole lot of action. However, if you're a college town type person, Queen's might be up your alley. Most people coming to Queen's are going to be migrating there from other places and will be living pretty close to campus. The upside to this is that you will have a strong sense of community and a downtown strip oriented towards student life with lots of cool pubs, coffee shops and restaurants. The downside is that, well... if you want a break from that community, there are not very many places to escape to in the city. Although you will be within close driving distance of Montreal and Toronto (3 hours) and Ottawa (1.5 hours), which might help ameliorate any small-town isolation when the opportunity presents itself. For what it's worth the Queen's campus, I think, is one of the nicest in Canada with a lot of really neat and tasteful limestone architecture. Kingston also used to be Canada's capital back in the early 19th century and so also carries a little bit of history and interesting architecture with it in its own right. You should also know that Kingston is notoriously bad for housing. Most of the undergraduates also come from out of town and therefore scoop up most of the housing around campus -- the so-called infamous "Queen's student ghetto". Queen's undergrad also has something of a party reputation, so you may be forced to live further from campus if you want to get away from the ruckus. The demand for housing also seems to outstrip demand because of the university, and thus you get quite a few run-down/overpriced places and some jerk-off landlords. Now, I do know people going there for grad or law school and they've all been able to scoop up some pretty sweet places that are quiet and nice, but just be prepared to do some serious looking and research before/if you go there.
  3. Izimbra_

    Calgary, AB

    MKI and Diospyros-- I'm not a Calgary resident -- I live closer to Edmonton and go there more often -- but I can tell you that Calgary isn't cheap. Rents might have come down a bit with all this economic mess business, but they were also inflated to begin with. I can't tell you much about utilities or anything, but food is generally a little pricier in Alberta than more central parts of Canada as well even if you adjust for the lower sales taxes (5%). $11000 CAD is pretty thread-bare for living in Calgary. As for good places to live -- you could try to find somewhere close to the C-train which runs you right up to the university. There are two lines, one going from the university southeast, and one that goes to the northeast part of the city. (the airport is NE, fyi, which is a downer, but might also yield cheaper rent). You could live downtown, but that will be really pricey. The NW part of the city near the C-train is probably your best bet, though I'm not sure exactly what rents are like there. Beyond that, I'm not familiar enough with Calgary to make any further suggestions. Calgary is a really cool city, though, especially if you're an outdoors-type person who likes to get away to the mountains every so often.
  4. I was about to give you a reply in the City Guide thread, actually, but then happened upon this and so figured I'd chip in here. Evaluating pros/cons of location is such a subjective enterprise, and while I don't totally discount the claims of the other posters here, I do feel you should get the other side of the story too. Yes, Calgary is very suburban in nature, kind of cookie cutter, with a downtown that is mostly a corporate centre. Compared to its northern cousin, Edmonton, it's also not nearly as funky, artsy and liberal if that's your scene. However, I think Calgary also has a flair that is lacking in a lot of other cities. It has a lot of "western" character. It has a young population, an active population, is very clean and has a totally exhiliarting natural backdrop. Now, if you're not into looking into the mountains everyday, taking in those prairie summer skies, or visiting the badlands for a hike in the summer, then, well... maybe this doesn't matter to you, but I think it's a huge plus myself. And no, you will not -need- a car to get around Calgary. Yes, the transit is crappy compared to large eastern cities and less than ideal, but so long as you aren't living somewhere too far from the university or downtown and get a place near the transit routes you'll probably find the buses and c-train more than adequate. Cost of living. $11,000 is the figure I think you posted in your other thread. That's a pretty paltry sum for Calgary, to be honest, even if one lives a thrifty lifestyle. Rents are pretty high there as is the cost of living generally. I'd think pretty long on this when comparing offers. Weather always comes up a lot when talking about Canadian cities so let me assure you that it's probably not as bad as you think. Yes, the days are really short in the winter months and the winter will certainly be colder and longer than what you're used to. But it's also a dry climate in Alberta, and a "dry" -20 feels a lot more tolerable than a "wet" -20. There are also chinooks that regularly blow over the mountains and bring in some quite mild temperatures. The summers are not "really hot". Again, there is very little humidity, so summers are actually quite comfortable (if short) and in my opinion, downright awesome. Lots of sunshine.
  5. It's pretty well impossible to assess anyone's chances of getting into programs on the basis of quick dossiers like yours, because no one can really give an informed opinion without looking at your writing sample, letters and statement of purpose. Even then assessments are still a crapshoot and highly subjective. But if you're asking whether or not your GPA and undergraduate institution are "competitive" for those schools, I'd say yes. Your GPA probably won't induce any eyeball popping, but it will get you in the door and give you a chance to impress committees with your writing sample, letters, etc., which are the most critical parts of your application. Your language experience also seems excellent for your research interests. Modern Germany is also my field, so I might also suggest that you look at Friedlander at UCLA or Jaraush at UNC-CH. I think your interests would probably congeal well with those Profs./programs. Those will be reaches for you (as they are for everybody), but it's worth a shot. MA programs. Yes, that is a good idea, especially given how competitive it was to get into funded PhD programs now as evidenced in this very forum. I didn't apply to any MA programs this cycle for my own reasons and so can't offer up any specific suggestions, but as you might already know, a lot of higher ranked programs either don't offer terminal MAs or don't fund MAs. Therefore you might be best to look at lower ranked schools (probably lower than the ones you listed) to find somewhere that will give you funding. Lots of people have great experiences with lesser-known funded MA programs that give them a chance to write a great thesis and get into really excellent PhD programs. Sorry if that's kind of a wishy-washy response, but I don't think anyone can really tell you for sure what your chances are until you take the plunge yourself. Best of luck to you.
  6. haha, well unfortunately, "higher frequency" and "night service" are two phrases that don't go well together when discussing Edmonton transit. That's why when I'm out with friends there we usually just get a cab. You're probably looking at a 20-30 minute frequency for most routes in the later evening hours. But if you're catching a bus right from the Campus hub there will be warm areas for you to wait when it gets really cold. So you'll just have to be strategic with your apartment search and look for a place south or east of campus that you can access easily from one of the routes that come through the university. That way you won't have to worry about transfers or long walks. I don't think you'd have a problem finding such a place, as there are lots of nice and safe places to live in this area, and 3-4 routes, I think, that go through campus. You could also live downtown somewhere where you have convenient access to the LRT (light-rail) which runs quite frequently - and underground - for those cold windy nights. Also, speaking of the LRT, I forgot to mention in my last post that there is a new extension going from the university southwards that should be up and running in a year or so. That's something you could take advantage of after your first year if you're going to be there for the longer term. If you lived within easy walking distance of that line then you'll have much higher-frequency transit at 10-15 mins. than you would with the current bus routes. Plus, I imagine you'd be catching the LRT in the underground as well. To give you a better idea of what you're working with since you seem to have pretty specific preferences, you can also access the ETS website at http://www.edmonton.ca/transportation/e ... m-ets.aspx which is pretty handy for routes/schedules/maps. As for cost of living, again, I don't want to comment too specifically since I don't actually live in the city and have no idea how much rents have fluctuated in the past year. I can say, however, that 10k is definitely stretching it unless you're going to be living frugally and rooming with 2-3+ people. 13k sounds more realistic to me.
  7. StrangeLight offers great advice -- there are lots of great funded M.A.s here in Canada. Especially at UBC where you have a renowned faculty AND funded M.A.s. I should say, however, that the other three heavyweight History Departments in Canada (McGill, Toronto, York), do not fund M.A.s much if at all. I could be wrong about McGill, but I don't think they even give full funding to all their PhDs, so I don't think this bodes well for M.A. hopefuls there. Still, I do highly second the recommendation of looking at Canadian M.A.s. Also, an added plus: for those considering doing a PhD in Canada, you will get credit for your M.A. So you will only have one year of coursework for your PhD as opposed to two.
  8. I've never actually lived in Edmonton, though I've lived in Western Alberta for about a year and a half now and have spent a lot of time in the city and some time on the campus, so I'll see if I can help you out some. The weather. If you're used to 10C, YES, it's going to be cold (and dark) for you here. However, it might not be as cold as you might think. I used to look funny at people when they tried to explain to me the difference between a "dry" and "wet" cold, but you really do notice it. I've lived in Toronto where winter temperatures frequently dip to -10 and -15C and, for me at least, this feels at least as cold (if not colder) than -25C in Edmonton because of the (lack of) moisture factor. Now, there will be times in January and February when overnight temperatures dive down to -40C (and sometimes even -50C). Now that's cold, whether wet or dry. But that won't be even close to most of the time. You also get some chinooks that roll over the mountains and bring temperatures above 0C (sometimes well above) in the winter months, giving you something of a respite from time to time. Also, for what it's worth, I think summers here are very short, but awesome while they last. Lots of sunshine, no humidity, and comfortable temperatures in the 20s. Those 20 hour-long days are also really wild in June and July. Cost of living. Again, I don't actually live in the city, and as such I'm probably not the best person to ask this for this very reason. I'm not sure what impact the recent economic crash has had, but before last October Alberta's economy was soaring and demand for housing far outstripped supply in most cities here, including Edmonton, thus leading to some pretty inflated rents. As for where to live, there are lots of decent neighbourhoods in the U of A area. The area just south of the university seems pretty safe and liveable and is probably your best bet. There are also bus lines that can give you a short lift to campus. The city's west end (Stony Plain Rd., etc.), however, is notoriously bad and very sketchy. Northeast of downtown is probably the worst part of the city, but also far from the university anyways. Downtown is also kind of dead at night and gives me the creeps, but otherwise is probably still relatively safe. Public transit is kind of shitty if you're used to bigger cities, but still serviceable. I wouldn't want to depend on it to commute across the city, however. (waiting in shelters for bus transfers in the winter is not my thing). In general? Edmonton's a pretty cool city with both pluses and minuses. The downtown, as I mentioned, is surprisingly dilapidated for a city undergoing a "boom" of sorts (especially in comparison to nearby Calgary) -- and this is in part, I think, due to the prominence of the West Edmonton Mall which negates a lot of demand for retail and leisure space in the downtown. In this way, the West Ed Mall is something of an albatross for the city, particularly if you're someone who, like me, hates malls with a passion (I am, however, a big fan of the waterslides at West Ed -- sooo much fun). However, the Whyte (82nd) Ave. strip, across the river from downtown and adjacent to campus, is pretty funky derives a lot of energy from the university. There are lots of pubs, coffee shops, record stores and book stores to keep you occupied. There is also enough of a theatre/art/music scene in Edmonton to distract you if you're into that sort of thing.
  9. In lieu of any responses from McMaster people and true Hamiltonians, I can offer you a little bit of info as someone originally from Toronto/Southern Ontario who occasionally ventures to "the Hammer". Others might be able to help out more, but I'll give you a brief pro/con list in the meantime. Pros: - I always thought the McMaster campus was quite nice and easy on the eyes. It's self-enclosed. Everyone I know who went there for undergrad loved it. - Cost of living/rent is quite low and affordable compared to cities of a similar size, especially in comparison to Toronto (though I think this might also depend on where you want to live, how close to campus, etc.). You'd probably be able to score some pretty sweet 1br.-2br. apartments at a good price for you and your partner. - proximity to Toronto (45 minute drive), or Niagara Falls/Buffalo (~1 hour drive) if you want a getaway. Cons: - As a Steeltown Hamilton is sort of quasi rust-belt. It's still a safe and liveable city - don't get me wrong - but downtown is kinda dead and a little sketchy, to be honest.
  10. I am in at Toronto as of last week for Modern Europe. If you were admitted to the program, you probably would have received an e-mail from the grad director last Friday. The timeline might be different if you are medieval or near east, however. Whatever you do, don't rely on the website, because there's a significant lag with the updating (I'm also still pegged as "Under Review"). Also, I do think admissions are somewhat rolling, so you might still get offers as others turn down, etc. Not sure if I'm going yet as I'm still waiting on a few other schools and have a few other options on the table aside from History PhDs, but there's a very good chance I'll be there in the fall. But hey, if any of you other Toronto prospectives here are seriously thinking of (or are) going there this September, get in touch! I did my undergrad there and know the department and university quite well, and also know a few current/past PhD students. I'm also a long-time Toronto resident and can give you the lowdown on any questions regarding places to live, cost of living, the city itself, etc.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use