talific

I think everyone has doubts about it. And, as emmm said, the debt is definitely legitimate.... But for me, it was like 3 hours of celebrations after getting accepted and then "OHMYGODWHATAMIDOING" set in. So, yes, I think some anxiety/self-doubt is normal. Especially if, like me, you think about being stuck in school for the next 6 years or so and that it may, to some extent, put other things in your life on hold.

Not really sure what is considered a good stipend. I'm in psych, so it might be a bit different, but for my MSc I was offered $18k (plus guaranteed another 2 or 3 thousand for TAing). For the MA I was accepted to it was lower, about 14.5k and no TA work.

I don't have to wear orthotics, but I have a bad back so I have to wear quality shoes. I really enjoy Clarks. They're super comfy and they have some cuter styles.

Email the other school. That's what I did, I'm in the same position. I also emailed the school that accepted me and asked for an extension on the date by which I need to respond. So, they granted me an extension and the other school notified me that they want to accept me, but are waiting on some things that are out of their control at the moment. They were glad that I let them know my situation, though.

I'm originally from Vancouver (well, Vancouver area)... yes, it's beautiful (though rainy) but it is quite expensive to live there. And as was mentioned, UBC is kinda stingy with the money. However, UBC is a great school. I would say it has one of the best reputations among Canadian universities, but I may be biased, being from BC and all.

Hi guys, I'm hoping to get some help with a similar problem. I applied to two schools. One, I have received an official offer with funding. I need to accept or decline by April 15th. The other, my top choice, had not contacted me so a few weeks ago I emailed my POI (with whom I've been in contact with over the past year) saying that I had received another offer and inquiring about the status of my application. She told me that the department was waiting to hear back from SSHRC/NSERC so they knew how many of their students had external funding. The dept. guarantees all students a certain level of funding, so they need to know how many current students they need to fund before they know how many new students they could admit. She said that my application had been viewed favourably by the ad comm, but I would have to wait to hear back until SSHRC had sent out offers..... Now, I looked around the forums and it looks like most people don't hear back from SSHRC until AFTER April 15.... what do I do? Should I email her again at the beginning of April? I don't want to be a pain, when she has clearly told me she will let me know when she hears anything, but I don't want to lose out on any offers... ack.

As an international student your tuition is likely very expensive. I'm guessing once you pay tuition, you will have very little left. The two schools I applied to will cost $8000-9000 in tuition (for fall, winter, and summer), and that's for a Canadian student. You'll be able to pay your tuition with that stipend, but you will need some other way to pay for living expenses, I am guessing. EDIT: Nevermind, I just looked at Saskatchewan U's website and international tuition is only about $5000 a year! Holy crap! I'm jealous. So you should have plenty of money for tuition and living costs!

Well, I think Eigen's suggestion was also good. Unless that seems like way more than what you think you worked.

Why not just figure out how many hours you spent on it and then figure out how many of those hours were unnecessary (spent off-track or whatever)? That way you have an estimate of how much time it *really* took you of actual work.

Checked Carleton's website today and it finally changed! "Institutional Acceptance"! Huzzah! I have not been contacted by the dept of grad studies yet though, so no word on funding.

3/2: Junk mail and a card for my partner from our alma mater (probably asking for donations). Woo....

self worth

Ah, okay. Confusing. My POI contacted me around Feb 9... but I have no idea when the committee met - perhaps they hadn't yet. I guess I will just have to (try to) be patient. Thanks for the info

Hi sabb, who did you hear from at Carleton? The DGS? I was told by my POI (in psychology) back in Feb that she agreed to supervise me and that I just had to be approved by the DGS. Was that the phone call you received this morning? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just anxious to hear back.

Well, the thing is, they didn't make an offer. The professor said that she had accepted his application, but the application still has to go through the DGS. I don't know what US schools are like, but Canadian schools generally make it very clear on their websites that although students may be contacted by the department/professor they are applying to, it is not a formal offer and it's not binding. The only offer that is official is the one from the DGS. I'm not saying this doesn't suck, but it's not the school's fault. The professor probably should have looked more closely at the requirements, etc before notifying anyone.

Ouf, yeah that is hard. It's difficult to balance academia and family. If I get into both my schools, I'm going to have to choose between a better fit and a school that is much closer to my and my partner's families. I can sympathize.

I think you should try to be happier for you fiancee. The admissions process is confusing and complicated. As you said yourself, applying out of UG and out of a Masters are two different things and Education and Psych are different fields. While I understand that it's frustrating that you had to work hard and reap little from your efforts, you need to understand you two are in different circumstances. I don't know any of the specifics, but I think Education programs tend to put more emphasis on experience and stuff rather than research. Plus, she hasn't been accepted yet, she just got interviews. Look, the bottom-line is, even though it was difficult, you did get accepted to a PhD program, and it sounds like she is well on her way to achieving the same thing. I think you need to push your bad feelings aside and be supportive of her and her accomplishments.

A notice from Canada Post that my mail forwarding is going to expire soon... yay.

Boy, the internet is fun. We regret to inform you: Bellefast doesn't appear to have any issue with the content of your posts, but rather the way you conveyed that content. Your posts lack what some may call tact. Your second post was, in my opinion, fairly rude. I don't want to get in the middle of an internet argument because it's really not worth it and I think in this case was probably merely a misunderstanding. So I suggest we follow bellefast's suggestion and drop it, as this conversation is no longer relevant to the post or forum.

Agreed, that was totally uncalled for We Regret to Inform You.

My month consisted of a *lot* of stress about hearing back from schools. I also wound up in the hospital with appendicitis and had to have surgery. I suspect my body had had enough of my stressing about grad school and decided to give me something else to focus on, haha. On the upside, I did receive an unofficial acceptance from one of my two schools, so maybe the month wasn't toooo terrible. I'm certainly glad it's almost over though. I never knew one month could feel so long.

I know it's highly unlikely, but has anyone out there heard from Dalhousie's Experimental Psych program? I emailed the DGS last week but they just said that my application is still being reviewed by the department and no decision had been forwarded to them yet. Sighhh...

I think it's worth a shot. I don't think the schools would be annoyed, because it's a perfectly legitimate concern/request. The worst that could happen is that they have not gotten around to making any decisions. Also, they may be more inclined to look over your application first if they know they have a deadline. If you're unsure though, you could always wait until the beginning of March or so and if you still haven't heard anything, then send them an email.

I'm not totally sure, but from what I've seen elsewhere on this forum, it's not unreasonable for you to politely email the other schools and let them know the situation. Have they had a chance to go over applications yet? When was the due date for the Boston schools and when does the website say to expect a response?