Applying to Munk 2019, NPSIA, GSPIA, BSIA etc.

[bessyk1993]

53 minutes ago, Chrisopps said:

I checked Ottawa mpfa website and found that I was admitted with 6k scholarship per year. Strange that I didn’t get email yet

I did not get an e-mail about my acceptance either- I just randomly checked my application and saw I was accepted.  I do not know/ think they will send out e-mails... I guess they will only send out emails after you accept the offer? 

[modesteffect]

1 hour ago, bessyk1993 said:

I did not get an e-mail about my acceptance either- I just randomly checked my application and saw I was accepted.  I do not know/ think they will send out e-mails... I guess they will only send out emails after you accept the offer? 

It’s not usual for schools like this. An automatic email is peanut. Now I am facing difficulties: queens one year or Ottawa two yrs, I will do PhD afterwards . Any suggestions?

Edited February 27, 2019 by Chrisopps

[BTF]

48 minutes ago, Chrisopps said:

It’s not usual for schools like this. An automatic email is peanut. Now I am facing difficulties: queens one year or Ottawa two yrs, I will do PhD afterwards . Any suggestions?

Go to Ottawa, getting accepted to a PhD program almost always requires a thesis. Of which you cannot do during the Queens program. If a PhD is your goal you need to do a thesis. More specifically, if the PhD is in some sort of policy your MSc in Computer Science will likely not help. Granted, you should take this with a grain of salt as I am not a PhD student.

[modesteffect]

1 hour ago, BTF said:

Go to Ottawa, getting accepted to a PhD program almost always requires a thesis. Of which you cannot do during the Queens program. If a PhD is your goal you need to do a thesis. More specifically, if the PhD is in some sort of policy your MSc in Computer Science will likely not help. Granted, you should take this with a grain of salt as I am not a PhD student.

Thanks for suggestions! Technically, queens one year MPa also provide optional MRP course but you have to register and get your proposal approved. The administrator says only 1-2 persons do that each year...  Besides, they also have coop option but not credited and not guaranteed 

Edited February 27, 2019 by Chrisopps

[BTF]

1 hour ago, Chrisopps said:

Thanks for suggestions! Technically, queens one year MPa also provide optional MRP course but you have to register and get your proposal approved. The administrator says only 1-2 persons do that each year...  Besides, they also have coop option but not credited and not guaranteed 

Correct. It is also worth taking into consideration that the MRP is a 60 page paper that must be completed by the end of the 10 month program. You may be hard pressed for time given other courses and potential coop.

[modesteffect]

58 minutes ago, BTF said:

Correct. It is also worth taking into consideration that the MRP is a 60 page paper that must be completed by the end of the 10 month program. You may be hard pressed for time given other courses and potential coop.

That’s definitely true....

[modesteffect]

Does GSPIA need me to understand French? Does anyone know if it’s true?  I have minus knowledge about it..

 

also this program has specialization on environmental policy, can I take it? I have not specified it in application 

Edited February 27, 2019 by Chrisopps

[diplomaniac]

27 minutes ago, Chrisopps said:

Does GSPIA need me to understand French? Does anyone know if it’s true?  I have minus knowledge about it..

 

also this program has specialization on environmental policy, can I take it? I have not specified it in application 

Yes, it says so on their website here. This requirement is what prevented me from applying to GPSIA, so I applied to SIDG instead. Anyways, under Language it reads:

"All applicants must be able to understand speak and write proficiently either English or French and have a passive knowledge (ability to understand the spoken and written word) of the other language. Applicants whose first language is neither English nor French must provide proof of proficiency in one or the other. The list of acceptable proofs is indicated in the “Admission” section of the general regulations in effect for graduate studies."

According to this Grad Cafe thread last year, you have to take at least one course in French to complete your degree requirement for GPSIA. That means reading, writing and being taught in French. Same thread says that students are required to have a passive knowledge of French prior to admission, and can be advanced throughout their degree. Though, the challenge is being advanced enough to write and read in French. 

Edited February 27, 2019 by diplomaniac

[modesteffect]

33 minutes ago, diplomaniac said:

Yes, it says so on their website here. This requirement is what prevented me from applying to GPSIA, so I applied to SIDG instead. Anyways, under Language it reads:

"All applicants must be able to understand speak and write proficiently either English or French and have a passive knowledge (ability to understand the spoken and written word) of the other language. Applicants whose first language is neither English nor French must provide proof of proficiency in one or the other. The list of acceptable proofs is indicated in the “Admission” section of the general regulations in effect for graduate studies."

According to this Grad Cafe thread last year, you have to take at least one course in French to complete your degree requirement for GPSIA. That means reading, writing and being taught in French. Same thread says that students are required to have a passive knowledge of French prior to admission, and can be advanced throughout their degree. Though, the challenge is being advanced enough to write and read in French. 

OMG, even in the exam part, you have to answer in French? Is google translate allowed? Even English is not my first Language..

[pokegenie]

Hey Guys,

Just received an unofficial letter of acceptance with funding for NPSIA 2019!

I am so relieved!

 

Edited February 27, 2019 by pokegenie

[revalith]

Also received my unofficial email for NPSIA, evidently with no indications of funding just yet. That's a load off my mind!

[pokegenie]

@revalith congratulations!

[revalith]

@pokegenie you too!

 

 

[GradSchoolWot]

26 minutes ago, pokegenie said:

Hey Guys,

Just received an unofficial letter of acceptance with funding for NPSIA 2019!

I am so relieved!

 

 

24 minutes ago, revalith said:

Also received my unofficial email for NPSIA, evidently with no indications of funding just yet. That's a load off my mind!

Congrats!! Mind sharing any stats?

Edited February 27, 2019 by GradSchoolWot

[revalith]

@GradSchoolWot Sure, though I don't know if it helps at all because I was in a position very well suited to this. My undergrad is also at Carleton - policy with an intl focus, econ minor. I have a 3.9 GPA and government work experience including GAC, and my LORs were NPSIA profs (I took two NPSIA courses last semester on an advanced standing basis.) So I think I may have been a bit 'textbook' for this program.

A couple of my friends who are also in my undergrad also just received their acceptances by email, they generally had GPAs in the B+/A- range and some government work experience as well.

[flip]

Does anyone know if NPSIA/GSPIA go through applications based on the date that the application was submitted, or possibly alphabetically? 

[ubc123]

7 minutes ago, flip said:

Does anyone know if NPSIA/GSPIA go through applications based on the date that the application was submitted, or possibly alphabetically? 

Before sending out the first round of acceptances I’m sure they’ve reviewed all of the applications. Regardless of the order. 

Edited February 27, 2019 by ubc123

[flip]

Just now, ubc123 said:

Before sending out the first round of admissions I’m sure they’ve reviewed all of the applications. Regardles of the order. 

Any idea when the second round went out last year?

[pokegenie]

@GradSchoolWot Sure! I am kind of a complicated case. I have a bachelors in Computer Engg from India. Masters in Comp Sci from USA. Currently, working in USA and have work exp for two years. My undergrad GPA by Canadian standards was bad. 2.95/4. My masters was a little above average with 3.5/4.

My recommendations were from my boss and my master's thesis adviser.

I volunteer at the Smithsonian on weekends. I don't know how much that helped.

Overall, I literally had no background in International Affairs whatsoever. All I had was experience of living in two countries.

I recently got my Canadian Permanent Residency so that might have helped because I was considered as a domestic student.

 

I submitted my application on 18th January 2019. So I think the order of submission doesn't matter that much

Edited February 27, 2019 by pokegenie

[revalith]

8 minutes ago, pokegenie said:

I submitted my application 18th January 2019. So I think the order of submission doesn't matter that much

I agree on this. My application moved to Recommended for Assessment in November, and my last LOR was submitted literally on the deadline, meaning my completed application didn't come in until the last day possible. I'm pretty sure they review all of the applications to date before making their decisions.

[flip]

1 minute ago, revalith said:

I agree on this. My application moved to Recommended for Assessment in November, and my last LOR was submitted literally on the deadline, meaning my completed application didn't come in until the last day possible. I'm pretty sure they review all of the applications to date before making their decisions.

Mine actually hasn't changed from 'review in progress by department.' I submitted everything on the last possible day. 

[revalith]

1 minute ago, flip said:

Mine actually hasn't changed from 'review in progress by department.' I submitted everything on the last possible day. 

Mine still says 'Recommended for Assessment' and yet I got the acceptance email, so I wouldn't worry about what the status on Carleton Central is. Take it from a person who's been at Carleton for 4 years - Central is not reliable when it comes to statuses updating for anything.

[pokegenie]

Just now, revalith said:

Mine still says 'Recommended for Assessment' and yet I got the acceptance email, so I wouldn't worry about what the status on Carleton Central is. Take it from a person who's been at Carleton for 4 years - Central is not reliable when it comes to statuses updating for anything.

I agree. Tabbatha mentioned in the email that status update might take 2-3 weeks. Mine says "Recommended for Assessment" as well.

[GradSchoolWot]

1 hour ago, revalith said:

@GradSchoolWot Sure, though I don't know if it helps at all because I was in a position very well suited to this. My undergrad is also at Carleton - policy with an intl focus, econ minor. I have a 3.9 GPA and government work experience including GAC, and my LORs were NPSIA profs (I took two NPSIA courses last semester on an advanced standing basis.) So I think I may have been a bit 'textbook' for this program.

A couple of my friends who are also in my undergrad also just received their acceptances by email, they generally had GPAs in the B+/A- range and some government work experience as well.

Damn! That's stellar. As someone who's not in Ottawa for undergrad, when people say govt work experience, what kind of things are they talking about? What kind of of govt jobs does an undergrad with no masters get? Would people need connections to get them? Or are they actually posted places?

Edited February 27, 2019 by GradSchoolWot

[revalith]

3 minutes ago, GradSchoolWot said:

Damn! That's stellar. As someone who's not in Ottawa for undergrad, when people say govt work experience, what kind of things are they talking about? What kind of of govt jobs does an undergrad with no masters get? Would people need connections to get them? Or are they actually posted places?

There's a program called the Federal Student Work Experience Program (I think) or FSWEP for short. You can apply through there. I got my first govt job as a Page of the House of Commons but afterwards I applied through FSWEP and got a job as a policy analyst over at ESDC. I then networked that into a lot of part-time positions across several different departments. If you're coming to Ottawa, 100% check out FSWEP. It's free! The only problem is getting the first job is tricky because it's a lottery based system, but once you've gotten the first job through FSWEP managers can just pluck you out of the pool and you can network properly. I've had jobs in policy, research, project management and regulatory affairs

They're not 'full' jobs in that you don't get pensions/benefits or long contracts, but they let you build up the work skills you need.

Edited February 27, 2019 by revalith