University of Toronto iSchool Fall 2019

[Lokey]

Yeah funding seems to have been super tough to get. I really wish I had got it. And the tuition is more expensive when compared to other schools. 

Has anyone applied/heard back from the TALint program? That's another option I'm hoping for to earn some money on campus. 

[Guest najo]

Unsure if most you are aware, but it is possible to apply for TA positions since we're still under SGS. Could mitigate some of the issue with funding, but not all of it. 

[ewh1]

20 hours ago, Lokey said:

Yeah funding seems to have been super tough to get. I really wish I had got it. And the tuition is more expensive when compared to other schools. 

Has anyone applied/heard back from the TALint program? That's another option I'm hoping for to earn some money on campus. 

A friend of mine got notified of TALint back in February so most likely they've already all gone out. 

P.s, did anyone happen to go to the Meet & Greet today?

[Guest najo]

22 minutes ago, ewh1 said:

A friend of mine got notified of TALint back in February so most likely they've already all gone out. 

P.s, did anyone happen to go to the Meet & Greet today?

I went, yeah. 

[Lokey]

14 hours ago, najo said:

Unsure if most you are aware, but it is possible to apply for TA positions since we're still under SGS. Could mitigate some of the issue with funding, but not all of it. 

We would apply for these positions after September,right?

 

3 hours ago, ewh1 said:

A friend of mine got notified of TALint back in February so most likely they've already all gone out. 

P.s, did anyone happen to go to the Meet & Greet today?

Aw man. I really wish they'd send out rejection letters. 

 

Does anyone know the class size of the program? I've heard it's about 110 people - quite large actually. And does anyone happen to know the exact start date of the program in September?

How'd the meet and greet go?

Edited April 7, 2019 by Lokey
Missed out asking something

[Guest najo]

11 hours ago, Lokey said:

We would apply for these positions after September,right?

 

Does anyone know the class size of the program? I've heard it's about 110 people - quite large actually. And does anyone happen to know the exact start date of the program in September?

How'd the meet and greet go?

You'd apply before September. Summer term hasn't started and they're already hiring for that. Not sure when it'll begin for Fall, but here's the link.

From what I've seen of the classrooms, I'd imagine no more than 70 or so students to a class, judging by the biggest classroom. Start dates aren't out yet, but historically it seems to be the Monday following Labour Day. We probably won't find out specifics of all those details until July, which is when SGS will share the fees for the 2019-2020 year, and the faculty will update us with what courses are being offered and all that jazz. 

Meet and greet was okay. That section was last, and in a too hot room, so I tapped out early. Learned some valuable information from the people who volunteered to run the event. All in all, alright. The one in July will have more faculty, so in keen on that. 

[mag694]

7 hours ago, najo said:

You'd apply before September. Summer term hasn't started and they're already hiring for that. Not sure when it'll begin for Fall, but here's the link.

From what I've seen of the classrooms, I'd imagine no more than 70 or so students to a class, judging by the biggest classroom. Start dates aren't out yet, but historically it seems to be the Monday following Labour Day. We probably won't find out specifics of all those details until July, which is when SGS will share the fees for the 2019-2020 year, and the faculty will update us with what courses are being offered and all that jazz. 

Meet and greet was okay. That section was last, and in a too hot room, so I tapped out early. Learned some valuable information from the people who volunteered to run the event. All in all, alright. The one in July will have more faculty, so in keen on that. 

Since there was a Meet & Greet, does it mean all the offers have been sent out?

[Guest najo]

1 hour ago, mag694 said:

Since there was a Meet & Greet, does it mean all the offers have been sent out?

Don't think so, since they extended the deadline for applications for domestic applicants until the end of this month. 

[Guest najo]

2 hours ago, BaileyBrookes said:

Wow , really?

Mhm, this is on the page that deals with application information:

"The deadline to apply for domestic applicants only has been extended to April 30, supporting documents are due May 15."

 

[ShivaGhasemi]

I am waitlisted too.

[health3]

On 4/18/2019 at 2:06 AM, ShivaGhasemi said:

I am waitlisted too.

Hi ShivaGhasemi! Any word from the iSchool department about when a wait-listed applicant should expect a permanent decision? I'm counting on the end of this month.

Edited April 28, 2019 by health3

[Reza2019]

@najo or anyone else familiar with taking a loan from Scotiabank. What are the requirements for getting a student loan from Scotiabank? Do we need a fulltime job or a cosigner? I'm a Canadian Permanent Resident and I have an offer from the program.

On 4/5/2019 at 5:40 AM, najo said:

Yeah, I got the same response from Carol weeks ago and shared the gist of it. Knew from that alone I'd be getting no funding, and now I'm in a position where I'll most certainly have to get that Scotia Bank LOC mentioned last week. Not even sure I'll be able to get it, seeing as I already have a PLOC from Scotia, and it's most certainly got a higher interest rate to it. It could cover the additional cost of the program that OSAP won't, but 7.5% as opposed to near prime will hurt me later. Gonna have to talk to the banks about that. 

Best of luck in what you choose, bud. 

 

[Guest najo]

10 hours ago, Reza2019 said:

@najo or anyone else familiar with taking a loan from Scotiabank. What are the requirements for getting a student loan from Scotiabank? Do we need a fulltime job or a cosigner? I'm a Canadian Permanent Resident and I have an offer from the program.

 

Co-signer is probably needed if you don't have a regular, stable income. This varies based on projected income after you finish your program; for instance, those eligible for a professional line of credit often won't need a co-signer. A lot of this is a combination of credit history/score, existing income, whether that income will continue throughout your time at school, and how high a limit you'll get. Lower ones will most likely not require a co-signer if your history is solid, for instance. 

I'm not sure how I got preapproved for a PLOC from ScotiaBank last summer, in all honesty. I work part time, make less than $10k/year, and don't primarily bank with them so there's no indication of my regular income. I've just kept on top of my payments since I got their CC in my first year of undergrad, and they threw more money at me. My credit score at that time hovered at around 780-low 800s. 

I emailed the liaison between Scotia and UofT, but I haven't heard back just yet. I'll share more solid info when they get back to me  

 

[ellen_b]

On 4/28/2019 at 2:44 PM, health3 said:

Hi ShivaGhasemi! Any word from the iSchool department about when a wait-listed applicant should expect a permanent decision? I'm counting on the end of this month.

Hi, I know you weren't referring to me but I am currently wait-listed as well. They don't exactly tell you when you will get a permanent decision. Andrea just told me to keep checking back in the SGS portal.

[health3]

4 hours ago, ellen_b said:

Hi, I know you weren't referring to me but I am currently wait-listed as well. They don't exactly tell you when you will get a permanent decision. Andrea just told me to keep checking back in the SGS portal.

Hi ellen_b! I got a similar vague response. I must confess that the wait is extremely disturbing, especially because this is my top choice.

The FAQ says that applicants generally receive decisions by April although decisions continue to be made beyond April. Sigh!

[Guest najo]

@Reza2019 + anyone else looking for info on the ScotiaLine LOC  

Heard back from Scotia Bank, and received the following information:

* you must be working full time within Canada OR you must be able to provide a co-signer who is a Canadian citizen

* if you have an existence PLOC, you're still eligible, it simply affects the maximum total capacity for the line of credit

 

 

[ellen_b]

6 hours ago, health3 said:

Hi ellen_b! I got a similar vague response. I must confess that the wait is extremely disturbing, especially because this is my top choice.

The FAQ says that applicants generally receive decisions by April although decisions continue to be made beyond April. Sigh!

Hi! I think it could be because they extended the domestic application deadline from March 31st to April 30th. 

I know how frustrating it is waiting, but I'm just trying to be as patient as I can until a decision is made on my application.

Edited May 1, 2019 by ellen_b

[ShivaGhasemi]

On 4/28/2019 at 11:44 AM, health3 said:

Hi ShivaGhasemi! Any word from the iSchool department about when a wait-listed applicant should expect a permanent decision? I'm counting on the end of this month.

I got admission last week. I haven't heard anything about Assistantship or scholarship yet. what about you?

[Guest najo]

13 hours ago, ShivaGhasemi said:

I got admission last week. I haven't heard anything about Assistantship or scholarship yet. what about you?

All funding was emailed out by end of March, btw, so don't count on receiving any at this stage. We also don't get offered TAships as part of a funding package since this is a professional program, but you ARE able to apply for open TAship slots via CUPE 3902 postings, since were still under the School of Graduate Studies b

[Lokey]

Is anyone looking for roommates?

It would be great to room with people in the same program. Message me if you're interested!

[Reza2019]

On 5/2/2019 at 2:54 AM, Guest najo said:

@Reza2019 + anyone else looking for info on the ScotiaLine LOC  

Heard back from Scotia Bank, and received the following information:

* you must be working full time within Canada OR you must be able to provide a co-signer who is a Canadian citizen

* if you have an existence PLOC, you're still eligible, it simply affects the maximum total capacity for the line of credit

 

 

Thanks for this information. I definitely have some calculating to do before I embark on this degree. 

[godoftetris]

Long time lurker, first time poster!

Hello, everybody! Congrats to those of you who have received offers and wishing the best luck to those who are still waiting! 

I just wanted to double check that the tuition fee is 13K per year, right? Also, just out of curiosity, is it really difficult to get fundings from the iSchool? I applied before the January deadline and have a 3.93/4.0 GPA, but still did not get any awards or scholarships. Was this year really that competitive?

Lastly, for those of you who haven't received any financial aids or awards, do you mind sharing how you are planning to pay the tuition? Now that I didn't get any fundings, I am quite worried about the financial expenses..

Thank you in advance!

[jiessicaaaa]

Hello everyone. I got offers of admission from the University of Waterloo - MDEI( Master of Digital Experience Innovation), the University of Toronto - UXD concentration, and the University of Michigan - HCI track. Unfortunately, I did not get any funding from these universities. I really can’t decide now. Can I get some suggestions from you guys? Thank you so much!

[marloe]

50 minutes ago, jiessicaaaa said:

Hello everyone. I got offers of admission from the University of Waterloo - MDEI( Master of Digital Experience Innovation), the University of Toronto - UXD concentration, and the University of Michigan - HCI track. Unfortunately, I did not get any funding from these universities. I really can’t decide now. Can I get some suggestions from you guys? Thank you so much!

They all seem like good options, I would really look at what school has the least costs as far as tuition and cost of living if you intend to move to the city. Toronto in particular can be an expensive city to live, but perhaps that higher cost of living would be offset if one of the tuition costs are higher at another school, or if the program was 1 years vs 2 years etc.  

[jiessicaaaa]

1 hour ago, stuart_d said:

They all seem like good options, I would really look at what school has the least costs as far as tuition and cost of living if you intend to move to the city. Toronto in particular can be an expensive city to live, but perhaps that higher cost of living would be offset if one of the tuition costs are higher at another school, or if the program was 1 years vs 2 years etc.  

Thanks for your reply. It's difficult for me to make a decision.?

Tuition fee: UMich ($140K USD= 2-year TUITION FEE + Living) > UofT ($110K CAD = 2-year Tuition fee + living)> Waterloo.  ($30K CAD = 1year tuition fee+living)
Length of program: UMich(2-year)>UofT(20 months with co-op opportunity)>Waterloo(1 year)