turtles

When I was applying for a UK student visa last year, one of the things I used as proof of funds was a dated letter from my bank on official letterhead stating that I had X amount of cash in my account and had kept it there for the requisite three months. I presume you're talking about US visas so it might be slightly different, but the UK border agency had no problem accepting a letter rather than bank statements.

That's very useful! I'd been planning to apply at the border anyway, but hadn't figured out if I needed to fill out an application or just bring my acceptance letter and proof of funding. Thanks!

I haven't tried seeing them in person, but the websites for the two I could conceivably get to both say they don't take in-person inquiries. I did get an email response within 24 hours, but it didn't actually answer my questions.

Oh my goodness, yes. It's been driving me crazy that it is impossible to communicate with the Canadian consulates because they don't take phone calls, you can't talk to them in person, and they only respond to emails by telling you to check their website, even when your question is about how the website contradicts itself! If by estimating your total expenses you mean how much money you have to prove you have access to in order to get a study permit, I think they only care about the first year (so $10,000 + tuition, at least in Ontario). I'm also pretty sure the application fee is in CAN.

I have a BA in environmental science, a MS in geochemistry, am currently doing a MS in applied math, and will be starting a PhD in geography in the fall. This looks more scattered than it really is--everything except the math degree is all the same sort of research, it's just that what I do doesn't fit into one department very well so where I end up depends on the school. As far as tips go, when I was applying for the math MS I talked to the program director and explained that while I didn't have all the pre reqs, I had a variety of related academic experience that I thought would prepare me adequately. I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't communicated with him before submitting my application he probably wouldn't have considered letting me in. I also spent a fair bit of my personal statement explaining how this degree fit with my prior experience and what I planned to do in the future, so it looked less like I was randomly switching departments for a year. (And when I was applying to PhD programs in my usual field, I again made sure to justify this year of doing math and fit it into my overall career plan.)

Does anyone know anything about if US citizens can still apply at the border if you're also bringing a spouse? I know I can't apply for my study permit online if I have any dependents, but I can't find anything about the border application because it's US-specific.

Are you planning on going directly from your MA to a PhD program? If so, there might be a problem with the timing because UK and US schools run on different schedules. I'm currently doing an MS in the UK and while I'll have provisional exam results in July, my thesis isn't due until September and my university says they won't release transcripts/proof that I've completed my MS until late-October or November. This can cause issues with many North American universities, because they want proof that you have a Master's before they let you start a PhD in September.

I did this for the second year of my MS where I had a ~70 minute drive each way from my house to campus (and no good public transit alternative). I managed to work out my schedule so that I was only on campus the days I had class or field/lab work and otherwise worked from home, so I was usually only commuting 3 or 4 days a week. It's doable, but not something I'd want to do long-term. It's a lot better if you can work out public transit, because at least then you can read articles or process data on your laptop or whatnot. Driving, I just ended up with 2.5 hours a day where I couldn't do anything productive. Also, it's worth keeping in mind how important it is to you to be able to hang out with your cohort or do things on campus in the evenings and if that will work with having a long drive home.