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2019 Canadian MPPA/MPP/MPA Hopefuls


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Received the informal offer of admission for Queens this morning.  My Munk Acorn status has also changed to "Invited" but I haven't heard anything from them - hoping it's indicative of an offer of admission.

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Hello all, I received an offer from SFU a few weeks ago and accepted it. I Just found this thread today. I'm looking forward to meeting those here that got to SFU. 

For my undergraduate studies, I am doing honours political science at SFU. I also completed the co-op program which included two terms as a Junior Policy Analyst at Health Canada and one term at a non-profit in Surrey, BC. I graduate in June.

Cheers, 

 

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3 hours ago, elicit said:

Received the informal offer of admission for Queens this morning.  My Munk Acorn status has also changed to "Invited" but I haven't heard anything from them - hoping it's indicative of an offer of admission.

Congrats! That's awesome :)

Do you mind sharing your stats?

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9 minutes ago, CoconutAvocado said:

Heard anything yet?

Nothing. I'm starting to panic here. I don't think I have competitive stats, if I did it seems like I would have been in by now :( The anxiety is so bad LOL. Worst part about grad school apps is the waiting game. Hopefully Petra mixed up the weeks or something. 

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Any takes on deciding between UofT and Queen's? UofT appears to be more prestigious due to its global recognition whereas Queen's is more established in Canada having an expansive alumni network. From what I've gathered hiring managers do not care about prestige and are more focused on work experience over the academic rigor of a program. As far as I know, transcripts are not requested during job competitions making grades irrelevant. However, UofT's prestige seems to open doors to more international placements along with guaranteed internships. Is Queen's MPA more risky in the sense that an internship isn't guaranteed and everyone competes for one or does its alumni network make that a non-issue? I guess it would be silly to assume that just because one was from Queen's MPA that they would be chosen over a UofT MPP graduate. The additional year at UofT also lends itself to securing more internships in 1st year and the summer after 2nd year. When competing for job competitions it would seem that cumulating these experiences would be beneficial as most candidates will only have relevant public policy work experience from the opportunities provided to them in graduate school. It seems like there are anecdotal stories that back up the pros and cons of each institution, would anyone have any more insight into which of these schools outperforms one another in any aspect. I'm trying to understand if the 50k UofT tuition and additional year provide a worthwhile added value. 

 

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1 hour ago, StefonDiggs14 said:

Congrats! That's awesome :)

Do you mind sharing your stats?

Got an official email of acceptance from Munk / University of Toronto earlier this afternoon!  With a 3K entrance scholarship.  Still waiting to hear back from the Waterloo MPS - it's likely my first choice as I currently live in Kitchener so I wouldn't have to move.

Stats:  BA in Psychology from Laurier, research specialization.  3.93 overall GPA, likely something similar for the last two years - I don't think I've ever calculated that specifically.  No relevant work experience (worked in farm labour throughout high school and one administration summer job).  Lots of volunteer experience relating to health but nothing specifically policy related.  Lots of research experience in psychology, multiple conference presentations, and one publication in review.

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IN AT MUNK!! I have been waiting so long to be able to post this. 3k scholarship from them. Stats: 81.5% average, extensive EC's, 4LOR's.

 

I really did not think I would be able to do this or get in. To anyone out there reading this, YOU CAN DO IT. Just work hard. Congrats to everyone else and good luck to all :) 

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On 3/3/2019 at 4:48 AM, StefonDiggs14 said:

Mind sharing your stats?

Sure. My L2 gpa is 3.5/4.00. I had really strong references that supported what I said in my personal statement and CV. I have 5+ years of volunteer experience with different marginalized communities. I think the personal statement is really important. I made mine very genuine

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2 minutes ago, StefonDiggs14 said:

IN AT MUNK!! I have been waiting so long to be able to post this. 3k scholarship from them. Stats: 81.5% average, extensive EC's, 4LOR's.

 

I really did not think I would be able to do this or get in. To anyone out there reading this, YOU CAN DO IT. Just work hard. Congrats to everyone else and good luck to all :) 

was the 81.5% average your L2? 

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I received my acceptance letter this afternoon too! Same $3K entrance scholarship. Sending good vibes to people who are still waiting! Hopefully more acceptances come out soon. 

Stats: Low GPA but 4 internships at GAC, US State Dept, UN. 4 strong LORs. 

Edited by DiplomatiCaro
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4 minutes ago, StefonDiggs14 said:

IN AT MUNK!! I have been waiting so long to be able to post this. 3k scholarship from them. Stats: 81.5% average, extensive EC's, 4LOR's.

 

I really did not think I would be able to do this or get in. To anyone out there reading this, YOU CAN DO IT. Just work hard. Congrats to everyone else and good luck to all :) 

 Did you just receive an email from Munk?  

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Update:

Applied to:

UofT MPP, Queens MPA, and Carleton MPPA

Accepted to:

UofT MPP with 3k

Queens MPA with 5k

Carleton MPPA with 33k

 

Waiting to hear about OGS and CGS-M

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3 hours ago, saint77 said:

Any takes on deciding between UofT and Queen's? UofT appears to be more prestigious due to its global recognition whereas Queen's is more established in Canada having an expansive alumni network. From what I've gathered hiring managers do not care about prestige and are more focused on work experience over the academic rigor of a program. As far as I know, transcripts are not requested during job competitions making grades irrelevant. However, UofT's prestige seems to open doors to more international placements along with guaranteed internships. Is Queen's MPA more risky in the sense that an internship isn't guaranteed and everyone competes for one or does its alumni network make that a non-issue? I guess it would be silly to assume that just because one was from Queen's MPA that they would be chosen over a UofT MPP graduate. The additional year at UofT also lends itself to securing more internships in 1st year and the summer after 2nd year. When competing for job competitions it would seem that cumulating these experiences would be beneficial as most candidates will only have relevant public policy work experience from the opportunities provided to them in graduate school. It seems like there are anecdotal stories that back up the pros and cons of each institution, would anyone have any more insight into which of these schools outperforms one another in any aspect. I'm trying to understand if the 50k UofT tuition and additional year provide a worthwhile added value. 

 

Hi. Both programs are very good. Even with UofT you are not guaranteed an internship so that's something to keep in mind. I know someone in the current MPP program at UofT and it sems very econ/stats based so I'm not sure if that is something you were more geared towards. I also know a girl who did the MPA at Queens and landed at a job with the Ministry of Labour (I believe) as a Policy Analyst right after. Although UofT is more prestigious it doesn't hold much value if you don't really have any work experience coming out of a 2 year Masters program and not being able to secure an internship during that time. It is also very expensive and personally, I just didn't see the point of doing a 2 year Masters in Public Policy when I know I can spend a year at another university and gain relevant work experience as well. You should also take a look at the courses offered and see which appeals to you the most. Best of luck!

Edited by mppa
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1 hour ago, katierrrrr said:

thx!Are you gonna accept the offer from Munk?  

Most likely ya!! I am just doing some reading up on the pros/cons of UofT vs Waterloo's MPS (hoping to get in there). But I am like 99% sure I will! SO excited :)

 

Are you?

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