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Hey, so I've been admitted to UBC, Texas A&M and UC, Irvine for their grad programs in chemistry. I'm more than confused with where to go. By ranking UBC is higher but only by a bit. All the schools have professors that I'm interested in and have been corresponding. The other major difference is the stipend, UBC offers $21000+one time 2000. A&M 24000, UCI 29500. Which school is the best place all around? When it comes to living and work. P. S. I'm an international student so US or Canada will be a new experience to me. And I'm mostly interested in inorganic chemistry

Hey everyone just thought I would start up a thread for any audiology hopefuls applying for the 2017 year! I am applying to UBC and Western this year. I have heard that Western is really difficult to get into. Does anyone know if UBC is any easier?

Hi everyone, I recently got accepted to York's 2-year MSW program and got off the waitlist for UBC Okanagan's 2-year (foundational) MSW program. I'm having a hard time deciding between the two and was wondering if anyone had any insight for either of these programs. I live in the Greater Toronto Area, so that really draws me to York since they offer a considerable amount of funding as well. The offer that I received from UBC-O has no funding and living in Kelowna seems to be expensive. I am interested in clinical social work, but at the same time I am curious about other aspects of the field (i.e. macro/mezzo level work). I know that York is known as a critical social work program and UBC-O is more focused on the clinical aspects of things, so that's another factor. I am a bit confused and was hoping that if there are any individuals who have attended either of these schools or are currently in them could discuss their experiences and possibly the type of placements that they have done or what other students they know may have done. Thank you,

I was wondering if anyone is waiting for University of British Columbia (UBC) or Simon Fraser University (SFU). Some people have already been contacted by their POI's, anyone with official admits?

Hey All! I have a funny issue and not sure if this is the right place to ask about it! I’m kinda new to the whole graduate admission process. I’m applying to University of British Columbia (UBC) for MEng in Biomedical Engineering. Before applying I emailed the admissions office asking if a writing sample is required and they said that due t the fact that this is not a "writing oriented" degree the writing sample is not required, but the field on the website will stay open as the website is a generic one. A few weeks later, after the deadline for submitting the application has ended, I received an email from the admissions office asking me to submit a writing sample. To make a long story short, they said they can wave it and it won’t affect my chances of getting in as it’s a mistake they made. so here's what I’m wondering about: 1. do you guys think it will affect my chances? 2. does it mean someone looked into my application and found it interesting enough to ask me for one or is it a general process? Thanks!

Hey All! I have a funny issue and not sure if this is the right place to ask about it! I’m kinda new to the whole graduate admission process. I’m applying to University of British Columbia (UBC) for MEng in Biomedical Engineering. Before applying I emailed the admissions office asking if a writing sample is required and they said that due t the fact that this is not a "writing oriented" degree the writing sample is not required, but the field on the website will stay open as the website is a generic one. A few weeks later, after the deadline for submitting the application has ended, I received an email from the admissions office asking me to submit a writing sample. To make a long story short, they said they can wave it and it won’t affect my chances of getting in as it’s a mistake they made. so here's what I’m wondering about: 1. do you guys think it will affect my chances? 2. does it mean someone looked into my application and found it interesting enough to ask me for one or is it a general process? Thanks! Thanks

Just wondering if anyone has been offered admission to msw programs in canada for advanced standing and two year applicants!

Hello All, First time posting, and it is only because I am in a bit of a predicament that I seek advice from random strangers on the internet. I have been accepted into UBC and OISE's Ph.D. programs for this upcoming fall. I am wondering if anyone currently at UBC or even another applicant with more web browsing acumen can tell me what level of flexibility I can expect after completing my course work? My area of interest is the history of education in Ontario and as an Ontario Certified Teacher I am trying to balance the security of a fully funded program at OISE versus an entrance scholarship with no guarantee of further funding from UBC, but with the added flexibility to be able to move and work anywhere in the country earlier in the process perhaps. Anyone with some insight would be greatly appreciated, especially those currently enrolled and possibly undergoing the comprehensive exams process already.

Hello! I thought I would make a thread for those of us who have applied for MA/ME.d Counselling Psychology programs in Canada for Fall 2017! I applied to six BC schools for Counselling Psychology: UBC, UVIC, UNBC, TRU, SFU, and Adler. Haven't heard back from any yet :(. Did anyone else apply to these schools? Thanks 0

Hi everyone, I am an european student from a canadian uni applying for MA programs in Canada. I am looking for a good prep toward a PhD. I have no idea how my chances are. This is why i am looking for some advice and outside perspectives on my profil. Profil : Undergrad: top 4 research intensive university, canada Bachelor : BA Political science, Honors program. Will get my Bachelor in 2.5 years (don’t know if it’s a good thing or not) GPA: 3.48. (3.6 last semester, I leaning toward an A / 3.7 average this fall semester), good grades (A) in tough class, B-/B+ in mandatory class. No grades below B-. I only took class at senior level, excluding mandatory class during the first year. Methods Prep: good research Methods training (research seminar and quant analysis class), R-studio Research Experience: honors thesis, 30 pages paper with public presentation, research assistant. I have to mentioned that an undergrad is not supposed to hold a RAship at my university in political science. RA are mostly for graduate (RAship is part of their funding package). I am an exception with another undergrad student Letters of Recommendation: Faculty at my uni (IR), hopefully my thesis supervisor (IR, security) and my research project supervisor SOP: done, reviewed by a professor Publication: none except articles for the website of a well-known chair in Canada (reviewed by professors) Professional Experience / extra-curricular : I don’t want to share a lot about it in public but I worked for 5 years at a very (very) high level for a foreign gov. Also : part-time RAship (paid), internship at a research Chair (unpaid). I also hold a leadership position on campus for an academic student project GRE : don’t need it for a MA Programs I'm Looking At: UBC, University of Montreal, McGill, Toronto, Simon Fraser university Field: Us Foreign policy, Asia-Pacific, US-Sino relations, IR, security, alliance building. Language: French (native), English, Mandarin(beginner), Arabic (beginner) I am worried about my GPA and Letters of recommendation. I am not a student who used to spend a lot of time with professors during office hours. They don’t know me beyond my grades and, I guess, it could be a problem. Please let me know what my chances are. Thank you!

Hi All, I posted the following questions in another location but I figured this would be a more fitting place (i'm new here). In addition maybe we could all post our stats so we know what our future cohort is looking like! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hello! Im currently just in my last year, finishing my undergrad. Once I graduate I hope to attend a school in western Canada to get my MPH or MSc with a public health/health focus. I've heard that MPH programs in Canada are insanely competitive and i'm getting concerned at my chances of getting in. My choice school is UBC followed by SFU and lastly U of A. I've talked to UBC and SFU about average ages and GPAs/average grades of the most recent cohorts (an A- and 3.66 respectively) so i'm curious how these programs can be SO competitive with rather meh (if I can say that) average grades, how much do they consider grades... can my GPA make up for my lack of experience? My stats are as follows: -Bachelor of Nursing, GPA 3.90 (i've done a lot of my practicum in community settings with focuses on immigrant/ community health) -Various Research Assistantships with areas of research focusing on health experiences/nursing/health care utilization focuses -I volunteer in the hospital -Worked consistently throughout my undergrad (in an unrelated field albeit, however its brought some concerns regarding social inequity to light for me) -Member of the undergrad nursing committee at my school I feel like I would be able to get fairly good letters of reference and could write a pretty great LOI but i'm so concerned with my chances! If anyone has some insight that has been accepted or is in the process I would greatly appreciate it. Additionally if anyone has insight into UBC's MASTER OF SCIENCE IN POPULATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH (MSC) vs. their MPH as far as how competitive it is pros/cons I would greatly appreciate it! If anyone had advice to up my chances of getting in I would really appreciate that as well Thanks in advance Cheers!

Anyone coming to Vancouver for their grad studies? I will be starting my PhD this fall.

Hi guys! I got accepted to a couple of journalism grad programs in Canada and I'm torn which one to choose. So, I desperately need input and advice to put things in perspective and hopefully, make a logical decision that I won't regret. Anyway, I got in to the Master of Journalism program in UBC, Western, Ryerson, and Carleton. What are the pros and cons of each program? Which one is better? Should I attend the one that offers me the most funding or choose the one I really want to attend? Feel free to response! I'm just desperate as deadlines to accept/decline offers are coming up. Thanks!

The wait game is excruciating! HaS anyone heard from the department regarding decisions for ECE MASc. 2016 Program ? And Fellow Seniors if any.. how competitive it is to get into this program ? feel free to share your experiences !

Hi everyone, Recently I have received MS in Biostatistics at Yale MS in Statistics at Waterloo MS in Statistics t UBC For Yale, the advantage is the university has strong reputation, the degree may prove one's ability and be helpful when seeking a job. It will be a great platform to meet decent people and it is kind of my dream when I was a child. However, the disadvantage is the biostatistics program at yale seems not have enough reputation. It is a low-rank program. The other disadvantage is that it is very expensive (though my family agree to support me, it could be a great burden for my family). Since the program is in small scale, I could not find enough information about it. Especially, how was the program? Whether is it recognized in the industry? Is it easy to find a decent job? (Since I heard that one of the possible direction for biostatistics program is data science, but need to compete with graduates of CS) Or is it easier to apply for a PhD degree in Yale? Or is it easy to apply for a decent PhD program in statistics/biostatistics after graduation? For Waterloo, I think the program is quite ideal. It does not need any tuition fees and even offer some scholarship. In addition, I prefer statistics program than biostatistics one. After consulting with my professors in statistics, they all suggests me to go to Waterloo. They said that it is one of the top statistics program and has strong reputation in whole north american. Moreover, it seems comparatively easier to find a decent job in banks or continuously study in PhD. My prospective supervisor seems also very good at research. However, my family and I prefer US as it has larger market and more opportunities. For UBC, the situation is quite similar to Waterloo. If anyone or any seniors have any suggestions or advice, I will be very grateful! Thank you so much.

Hi! I'm an Indian student interested in biochemistry/bio organic chemistry. I have received 3 Ph.D Chem offers and am really confused! Any input would be really appreciated. The universities are U of British Columbia Vancouver campus (Canada) , Ohio State and University of Florida (US). UBC is ranked top 50 in the world for my program and is much more reputed than Ohio State. However, I'm having a tough time deciding between a few things - 1. US versus Canada. As an international student, Canada offers a better deal in terms of VISA conditions both during and after my PH.D. But US has better job prospects (both industrial research and academic) due to the sheer number of universities and pharmaceutical companies etc. Would it be tough to enter the States after my PH.D from Canada? Or would a better university be the better option? 2. The stipend. UBC offers a very low stipend ($21000 + $2000 one time fellowship) on which I'd have to keep a tight budget. I need to pay for my medical insurance and student fees too from this (around $1000-2000 per year). Canada is more expensive too for living costs. On the other hand, Florida is offering me $24000 with full health insurance, while Ohio State is giving me $27500 (+2000 one time fellowship) with 85% health insurance. 3. As for professors, Ohio State and UBC both have 3-4 professors whose research I like. Having had limited research experience, I don't really have a particular research topic in mind, just a broad idea. However, Ohio state has loads of grad students in the department. Will this be a drawback? 4. Lab rotations. In Ohio state, the first term would be spent interacting with professors to decide which lab would be the best fit. UBC doesn't really have such a policy - most students know which lab to join, and a few do "look about" for the first term (as told by a current UBC student) and some do so before joining. The latter won't be an option for me because I'd have to arrive quite a bit in advance and spend my own money during that time. Everyone I've spoken to tells me that I'd be foolish to let UBC go for state universities that aren't top 20 or even top 30 programs in USA. I'd really like advice from someone in the field/someone who knows about the future prospects as that would be more accurate than rankings! Thanks a ton and sorry for the long post!

Hey all, I have recently been accepted to UBC, McGill, and UofT in Canada for my MA in English. At this point I think I have narrowed it down to UBC and McGill since I want to pursue a thesis. I am currently finishing up my undergrad at UBC and love it but am feeling like McGill might be an awesome change and experience. Any grads from either program that are willing to share their experience, pros and cons, etc. would really help me make my decision.

Hi, Just saw an update on the result page re. an interview with the language and literacy studies (phd) at UBC. Just wanna see if interviews are common. I am applying to EDST and needless to say...no news yet... Thanks!

Hi, I have applied to quite a few Masters and PhD in Economics, and so far I have only received two responses, both which were somewhat positive, an admission offer from SFU with a $21,000 scholarship and an admission offer from Bocconi. Now, my problem is that Bocconi expect an answer before March 11th and SFU by then end of the month. I am still waiting for Cornell, UBC, and the University of Zurich (I sent that one very late, like 2-3 weeks ago). I honestly don't know what to do. Should I email them and let them know of my other deadlines (and offers?), and see if they can give me an idea of where my application is at? What about those two offers, how do these two universities compare? I heard bad things about Milan, how does the quality of life of those two places compare? I should add that I plan on pursuing a Ph.D after I am done with my Masters.

Hi guys! I was wondering if any of you have gotten any feedback regarding your applications so far, especially from the ECE departments? Best regards!

Hello! I am starting this because I am hoping that having a place to discuss the admissions process (and the agonizing wait for acceptance/rejection). I am a student from the U.S., applying to UBC's M.Ed program in Educational Studies SCPE program. I was wondering if anyone has been offered acceptance by the Faculty of Education, now or previously, and could offer any advice or comments on the process. Or, if anyone else who applied wanted to chat/comment about their experience I would love to share this journey and welcome the company so that it may hopefully distract me from my own contemplation and worry.

Has anyone heard from UBC or SFU for CS PhD admissions? Not interviews, accept letters. How normal is it for UBC and SFU to conduct interviews for admission? Are the interviews for international students mainly?

I'm doubtful between the following paths: To study Master of Management in Operations Research (MMOR) at UBC and then decide whether or not to continue on to a PhD in Finance at UBC. or To study IEOR (PhD) at Berkeley with a Finance concentration or maybe just finish the IEOR PhD with a normal OR concentration and then apply to MFE at Berkeley for Finance. I know Berkeley is more prestigious than UBC, but I feel like I need a couple years of good social life before being mixed in with tough research responsibilities. My social life in UBC is almost guaranteed because of all the friends I have in Vancouver, but I'm not so sure about Berkeley. I'm looking forward to any advice, even if it may seem irrelevent. Thank you all in advance

Hi All Im applying for an MPH at the following universities: 1. population health at UBC 2. health promotion at UofT 3. Health policy at UofA 4. mph at SFU My specs: I graduated form Queen's University in biology with a 3.7 GPA in the last two years and overal cGPA of a 3.0. I have some volunteer experience in health but no professional designation. I took a year off but worked in a bank, so completely unrelated. Im wondering what people are applying for and what their specs are. Lets get this thread going!

I. Did. It~ I am officially done with the application period for 2012! Summary: I initially set off with the idea of applying to about 5-6 schools, but once I realized that application fees were around $100 each, I backed off fast. And then when I found TheGradCafe things just got worse. I saw the pure competitive nature of getting into on of the top 10 MPA schools and just gave up. I had a strong GPA and undergraduate background, but no policy work experience. So with that thinking, I settled onto two schools. Seton Hall University: SHU has a reputation of being one of the better schools in New Jersey, and after I did some research I became really interested in their Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations. Its local, so I could live at home (and thus save money on rent) and apparently its ranked pretty high up there. It is in a great location (close to NYC and DC) and the school itself is beautiful (though really small in my opinion). I applied for - and was accepted into - both the Masters in Asian Studies program and the Masters in Diplomacy and International Relations program. It was my first grad-school acceptance and I was thrilled! If I do both degrees, I cannot qualify for any scholarships, but I can get TA-ships. The TA-ships pay up to 12 credits worth of tuition, which is good. Each degree itself is about 39 credits, but if I got both degrees I could complete it after 60 credits. Each credit for Seton Hall's grad program is 1000 dollars. So ultimately, it would be a 3 year, 60K program. If I somehow managed to get a TA-ship for every semester it would be completely free (as I would live at home) but that seems unlikely. University of British Columbia: When I told my professors that I was considering going to grad school for Asian Studies or Political Science, one of them mentioned UBC. He said it was a great school with a fantastic reputation - and I checked it out. It looks beautiful, and apparently its one of the top research universities in the world! And its in a major city (which I love!). When I mentioned it to two other professors I trust, both told me that its a great school that they love and that both have worked there in the past! One professor did a guest professorship there for a year, and the other did something there ( I can't remember if he taught or did research, whoops). With such great recommendations, how could I not apply to the program. I applied for their Masters in Asian Pacific Policy Studies. Essentially it combines Political Science/Policy Studies with Asian Studies. So while it is not a MPA, its pretty damn close. And I love its focus on Asia. It is ALL about North America-Asian relations. For Canadian students it costs (no lie) around $4400 A YEAR. For international students (meaning my American ass) its about $7500 a year. But they give out a scholarship to every international student worth about $3000 to help cover the difference. I think that is extremely generous of them. There are opportunities for other scholarships but they don't tell us much about them. In a perfect world I would get enough money to pay for all my tuition, but even if I'm stuck paying the hole $5000 I'm okay with it. The program is designed to be finished in 1-year, and about 1/3 of students finish in that time. Another 3rd take an half a year. I think if you are dong a practicum (internship/work experience) or a complex thesis or field work its hard to finish in 1 year. If you're doing a Thesis its probably easier because you just cram it in (and die) with all your other course work. As of right now, I am going to do a practicum because I think its the smart thing for me to do. For one, my degree will be Canadian. I don't think this matters really, especially because UBC is such a great school overall, but I feel like there's going to be at least one loser out there who's going to look down on my resume and reject me because of where my degree is coming from. Second, I don't have any policy work experience. All my work with policy and asian studies has been academic. I've only been out of school for 2 months (undergrad), and when I was living in Tokyo I couldn't afford to do an internship AND work my English teaching job. So a practicum gives me a good working experience background ( I think so anyway ). This gives me the ability to back up my degree with work experience when it comes to snagging a job. Third and finally, I do not want a PhD anytime soon, and that's what a Thesis helps build up to. One of the issues/strengths with MAAPPS at UBC is that you have to pick a 'stream' to help guide you. They are "Economy and Social Change", "Gender and Development", "Security", "Governance and Human Rights", and "Media". In a perfect world, I would erase "economy" and just do "social change". That's what I love studying - social changes and pop culture. I'm HUGE into Japanese modern society like Yakuza, Enjo Kosai, sex drugs and rock n' roll. You know, the cool stuff But I also love security and human rights. Its going to be a tough choice. I think on my resume I hinted I wanted to do gender, but I'm not sure if I want to spend another year studying feminism. Ultimately If I haven't made myself clear, I am so excited about getting into UBC. It was my top choice of the two, and I love that it is in a big city in a foreign country (I did spend the last 2 years of undergrad in Tokyo, after all). Even though I only found out 2 days ago, I am already day dreaming about living in Vancouver. I haven't formally accepted yet, but I can't think of any reason why I would turn it down. Even if I get no money what-so-ever, the Graduate Student Stafford loan would cover everything (tuition + housing), so I know I can afford it. I'm trying to find a job now (will not be telling them I'm leaving in six months haha) so I can start saving future-rent money. I had an amazing interview somewhere, and they said they'd get back to me in 2 weeks. Its been 12 days. ANYWAY: I'm just really excited that I got into UBC. I was told that they only accept 20 students a year and get about 80-100 applicants, so I'm feeling pretty strong. But I'm also worried. Worried beause I have a lot of... bonuses on my resume that might make me look better that I actually am. 1 ) The program prefers people with Asian studies experience and language ability, and I lived in Tokyo for two years. On an application, that gives me a big bonus, and they probably assume I'm much better at Japanese then I actually am (I'm horrible). 2 ) I wrote a thesis on feminism and female agency in Japan and the United States for my last semester as an undergrad, and I wrote about it in my personal statement. One of their 'themes' is "Gender and Development" so any gender professor who read my stuff would have liked me, but I do not plan on doing Gender as my theme. 3 ) I met the Graduate Director for the program at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. Not only was I the only American in the room, but I was the only one who spoke fluent English so he and I had a nice conversation. I'm sure this didn't hurt my chances. 4 ) One of the Professors who wrote my letter of rec worked at UBC as a visiting scholar for over a year. Part of me is a little worried I am not cut out for graduate work and they think I'm a better student then I actually am: but the worst that can happen is I fail (oh god!). I have faith in my abilities, but I'm not sure if I have faith in their faith of my abilities. Thank You for reading my blog entries. I only wrote a few, but they were always helpful for me in getting my thoughts out. Its really been a great experience. And if you take any advice from any of my entries, it should be this: Take everything said on this forum with a grain of salt. Just because someone appears to be Buddah himself or the perfect candidate doesn't mean they're getting in and you're getting rejected. Just because people are touting GRE's like their the end-all of all application killers doesn't mean they always matter or you need to study for 4 years. Just breath. Just relax. And apply. If anyone has any questions, or has been Waitlisted at Seton Hall, please let me know. I haven't rejected Seton Hall yet just in case something bad happens, but if you're wait listed PM me and we'll see if I can back out for you. Thanks Again