mirandaw

Reading this thread, I found that there are a LOT of variously marginalized people going into public policy, which is fantastic. There was a post somewhere in here from 2009 that echoed my experiences almost exactly, right down to how they ended up deciding on policy. I hope that lived experiences will give me an edge in being more compassionate, open minded, and understanding when it comes to my own policy analysis.

I only applied to SFU's MPP program and was accepted April 17th. I was certain I was either rejected or waitlisted, so sometimes no news is good news.

I've had a few jobs that were incredibly busy and required me to work all the time. I had almost no social life. Since then, I've befriended a lot of people who work in social services and now understand the importance of self care time. My partner is doing her undergrad through distance ed and has a really good system of self care and scheduling. She's really dedicated about it. When I was in UG, I was nowhere near as dedicated and worked whenever I felt like it, which usually meant last minute deadlines. This time around, I'm definitely going to follow her example and schedule my time to be more productive so I don't crumple into a mess of anxiety or burn out.

To specifically address your concern about PTSD: if you've done work around your PTSD already, keep that work in mind. identify your triggers and make plans for how you handle those things best (ie: if your tendency is to freak out and spiral into a pit of doom like mine is, work toward proactive positivity. I do this by making lists of what is REAL, rather than all the bad what-ifs)

Is this drug use amongst "minority" populations? (A better word here would be marginalized, hence the scare quotes)

For support and a sense of community. Why do some posts smack of judgment and condescension?

I was an undergraduate TA in which I did primarily grading for a very popular humanities elective course. Marks were less dependent upon grammar and spelling and more upon the development of ideas and understanding content. I had many non native English speakers and international students who varied in their grasp of the English language, but since it was not an English course, I established a baseline for their papers based on in class reflective writing assignments, response papers, and research papers and would keep these in mind when grading or recommending additional help. There were a few students whose writing I really could not understand, so I talked with them individually about their ideas to help work through language barriers and to ensure they understood the content of the class. A funny side note: the non native english speakers who, even after weeks of tutoring in the writing center with little grammatical improvement, at least understood that "feminist" and "sexist" are NOT synonymous. 4th year graduating seniors without the language barrier did not. Take it all with a grain of salt and grade based on content unless grammer is of utmost importance.

Actually, while I was applying to my grad program, my only academic reference was from a TA. One of my majors in UG was interdisciplinary and taught almost exclusively by adjunct professors or TAs. I ended up taking several different classes with one of them in addition to some activist work in the community. They were the most qualified candidate to discuss not only my academic progress but also my passion for my intended field. I was unsure whether it was acceptable to have a TA as my only academic reference, and I was told by my program that I should choose the strongest references who were best equipped to answer the standard questions, regardless of source. What I read in most of the comments here is that everyone is making the assumption that the perception of the relationship between TA and student is the same from both sides. The fact is, while a student may seem unremarkable to you, you have no idea what they got from the class or what they were going through at the time. Maybe they were touched by you or your class in some way and so they are reaching out because they feel you understood some facet of their work or personality that is applicable to their request. I find it best practice to give the student the benefit of the doubt. If you're unsure, ask more questions, determine a set of criteria, and then simply accept or decline.

I'm definitely not applying to grad school as a way to avoid the workplace. After being unemployed or severely underemployed for almost 2 years, my partner told me it was definitely time to take the next step in my career development, rather than waiting like we had originally planned. As someone experiencing this outside the confines of academia (been out of school for a couple of years, first generation post secondary as it is, no other friends currently applying) forums like grad cafe were very helpful in feeling like I had community support.

For real! I was getting pretty nervous. Thanks!

My program difference isn't much of a leap, but I did an interdisciplinary degree in English and Gender Studies in undergrad and was just accepted to a Public Policy program for my masters. When I finished UG, I got started in local politics and made my way up to campaign management, so this was applicable experience for a public policy degree. I feel like the discipline is different, but the analytical nature of an english degree provides transferrable skills, so it isn't too different.

WOO! I heard from SFU's MPP program today and I got in! So happy!

You applied there knowing nothing about the program or the university?

"decision" sounds like he has the final say. He doesn't. If hes interested in having you, and if the funding is there, youll get in.

Unofficially, yeah. The adcomm will have a prioritized list of people to send acceptances to, so as their offers are declined, they'll simply move down the list. I still havent heard back but i know at least one person from the program I applied to (I only applied to one, too, Michelleelleh, so I feel your pain!) had an acceptance deadline of April 16th, so it may be a bit before I hear back yet.

ohmygod I havent been checking my spam folder. (but no, really, this made my heart skip a beat)

I'm back around to wanting to follow up again. If I don't get in to this program, I think Im going to apply for UG again and get a degree in a different field (while this is definitely not my first choice, it's probably the best option at this point), and deadline for UG is coming up soon. How should I phrase an email to them requesting my status? Im not trying to decide on another program, and this is the only one Ive applied to so its certainly my priority, but how do I convey that I'm trying to make plans for fall without sounding flippant or desperate?

No, I dont think you can. I moved from Portland to Vanouver and quoted prices and they wont take things across the border for you due to customs.

I called the school the same day I posted this originally and was told by the department coordinator that I should hear "in the next couple of weeks." She said the first round of application review had been done and that the adcomm was meeting shortly, but that was it aside from a vague timeline. I'm thinking I'm either waitlisted or rejected (but of course, this is a Canadian program, so it's all up in the air since there is no real hard-and-fast deadline as in the States) but I really wish I knew either way.

Ditto this. There is no "results" tab up top where there usually is. At least not in this thread.

Also getting the "my content" glitch.

Im just waiting on MPP SFU and there, unfortunately, aren't many active folks on the forum who have applied to this program. Funding for MPP? Really? For some reason I was under the impression that standard practice was most professional programs don't fund.

The rain on the coast is drastically different than rain inland, as well. It's more misty and all encompassing than drizzley.

This is really complicated for me. I'm originally from Michigan, where I was advancing fairly quickly in local politics and campaigns immediately after finishing undergrad in English. I went from volunteer coordinating on issue campaigns, to campaign management for a state house position. Then I met someone across the continent, fell in love, and decided to leave it all behind in order to move to Canada (let me tell you, immigration is a ridiculous process). I finally immigrated, but after nearly 2 years of basic unemployment - my education and work history make for a fairly unconventional resume, to the point where I was applying to jobs i wasn't really qualified for and not getting them and applying for jobs I'm overqualified for and not getting them - my partner encouraged me to finally apply for grad school. We had been waiting for her to finish her degree and for me to get a little more experience, but I wasn't having much luck anywhere. I need some sort of further education to continue in the field I want to work in, because what I've got now isn't cutting it. Especially considering i don't have the network here I had back home. So. I honestly have no idea. I only applied to one program, because it's the one i really want. If I don't get in, I wait? Apply again next year? Reconsider my options? Keep working in retail until something finally clicks? Keep volunteering in order to grow my network and experience? All of the above, probably.

There are a number of old (circa 2009) threads about pets, but I figured I'd start something new. I need a good distraction from the wait-and-see, so tell me about your pets! Post pictures if you have them! This is a glamour shot of my chubby kitty Konstantine: http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/305076_2424883022576_1266510026_2897788_1650143544_n.jpg