2021 Canadian SLP Thread

[SLP--2021]

Hi everyone! Congrats to everyone who got an interview at Mac! 

This may have already been mentioned but did everyone receive confirmation from UofT for their application?

I just searched through my junk and deleted, but maybe I am missing what the email title/email address would be.

Thanks! Let's keep it positive and if we don't make it this year, there is always next ❤️ 

[Wuglette]

1 minute ago, SLP--2021 said:

Hi everyone! Congrats to everyone who got an interview at Mac! 

This may have already been mentioned but did everyone receive confirmation from UofT for their application?

I just searched through my junk and deleted, but maybe I am missing what the email title/email address would be.

Thanks! Let's keep it positive and if we don't make it this year, there is always next ❤️ 

Hey! No I haven't received anything from UoftT either. From what I can tell from threads from previous years, UoftT doesn't send out emails to confirm our application, and they only email people their student numbers etc. when they offer admission. So I don't think we will hear from them until April 1st. 

[SLP--2021]

Thanks so much!

[fingerscrossedSLP]

For everyone waiting to hear back from McMaster about MMI invitations: I'm also thinking I might not get an interview because my sGPA wasn't as high as I thought it would be, but it's impossible to know whether or not we've been rejected just yet since they technically have until March 2nd to send out invites.

What I've been doing is logging into the McMaster portal, Mosaic, and it lets you view your application status. As of right now mine still saying Pending, and I keep checking there just to see if I've been rejected. Just thought I'd mention that in case it helps someone else get some additional info during the waiting process haha.

Keep your chins up guys! Just over a month to go until we hear back from the other universities.

[Amy251]

3 hours ago, onaspeechcrayz said:

Do you guys remember what the website said the GPA cut off was last year? They had it on their website before but I cant find it anymore.

Also maybe they look at the perquisite grades too? Im not sure, just thinking.

If I remember correctly the average for receiving an interview was 3.82/3.83 last year. This was the average and not the cut off, so people below this range also got interviews. I think I read some people with 3.7's also get interviews last year. 

[Wuglette]

3 hours ago, onaspeechcrayz said:

Do you guys remember what the website said the GPA cut off was last year? They had it on their website before but I cant find it anymore.

Also maybe they look at the perquisite grades too? Im not sure, just thinking.

I think I remember reading that the GPA cut off last year was 3.77, but I could be wrong!

[coco_SLP]

10 hours ago, Amy251 said:

I have a 3.82 and I didn’t either ?.. I thought I’d at least get an interview. I am just wondering how the waitlist works..why would anyone cancel an interview considering acceptances for other unis  are sent out in April. Has anyone contacted them regarding a waitlist? 

I think in the past with in-person MMI's many might not be able to make it. Additionally, in my MMI offer email, it says that time slots for the interviews are final, and they cannot be changed, so I imagine if someone has a strict work schedule, appointment, midterm, etc. that can't be rescheduled then they wouldn't be able to attend the MMI. 

 

58 minutes ago, Wuglette said:

I think I remember reading that the GPA cut off last year was 3.77, but I could be wrong!

Yeah, I thought it was around this too! Which is partially why I'm surprised some people with 3.82's haven't received one yet. Maybe the sGPA of applicants this year was higher, or there were more applicants. As someone else mentioned, perhaps they look at your prerequisite grades too, or how many of them you have completed (if you still have the majority of them in progress, they might be more hesitant to offer an interview maybe). I don't know for sure though.

Either way, as far as I know they haven't sent out waitlist or rejection emails, so keep your chins up!

[CCSLP94]

3 hours ago, Wuglette said:

I think I remember reading that the GPA cut off last year was 3.77, but I could be wrong!

My sGPA was 3.73 and I got an MMI offer last year.

[danielaspeechSLP]

My subGPA was a 3.75 last year and I did not get an invite to the MMI for McMaster but I was waitlisted for one (ultimately didn't get off the waitlist). This year my subGPA is an 3.85 and I did get an offer. 

I think for the bottom applicants of the top 126 they take more into consideration than just your subGPA

[coco_SLP]

43 minutes ago, CCSLP94 said:

My sGPA was 3.73 and I got an MMI offer last year.

27 minutes ago, danielaspeechSLP said:

My subGPA was a 3.75 last year and I did not get an invite to the MMI for McMaster but I was waitlisted for one (ultimately didn't get off the waitlist). This year my subGPA is an 3.85 and I did get an offer. 

I think for the bottom applicants of the top 126 they take more into consideration than just your subGPA

Ooh, looking at these this is interesting, since someone with a 3.73 did get an MMI offer but someone with a 3.75 didn't. This makes me think the theory about them looking at what prerequisite courses have been completed and the grades received in them might be a factor when they're deciding on who to give an interview offer to might be true, although this is just a thought and not confirmed. 

Also, congrats @danielaspeechSLP for getting an interview offer this year! Your work looks like it paid off  

[Streblo]

Does anyone know the GPA cut off for UofA?

I know on the 2017 tip sheet they said 3.3 minimum and 3.7 competitive, but I haven't been able to find anything more recent. (https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions/media-library/ro-assets/publications/tip-sheets/2017-18/speech-language-pathology-2017.pdf)

Edited February 25, 2021 by Streblo

[speechie297]

1 hour ago, Streblo said:

Does anyone know the GPA cut off for UofA?

I know on the 2017 tip sheet they said 3.3 minimum and 3.7 competitive, but I haven't been able to find anything more recent. (https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions/media-library/ro-assets/publications/tip-sheets/2017-18/speech-language-pathology-2017.pdf)

I went to the OASIS conference for the admissions information session in 2019 and we were told that it was around a 3.8 GPA and up people received an acceptance! But, she said the GPA is lower than that for the waitlist. Obviously it depends on the number of people in an admissions cycle and their GPA -- it could be lower or higher this year! 

[coco_SLP]

1 hour ago, Streblo said:

Does anyone know the GPA cut off for UofA?

I know on the 2017 tip sheet they said 3.3 minimum and 3.7 competitive, but I haven't been able to find anything more recent. (https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions/media-library/ro-assets/publications/tip-sheets/2017-18/speech-language-pathology-2017.pdf)

 

23 minutes ago, speechie297 said:

I went to the OASIS conference for the admissions information session in 2019 and we were told that it was around a 3.8 GPA and up people received an acceptance! But, she said the GPA is lower than that for the waitlist. Obviously it depends on the number of people in an admissions cycle and their GPA -- it could be lower or higher this year! 

Thank you to you both for sharing this information! I wasn't aware of this before.

However, I think it's worth pointing out that UAlberta is basing their admissions off of different criteria/ a new selection process this year. This included GPA being primarily restricted to an entrance requirement (minimum 3.3 on 4.0 scale), the importance of highlighting EDI in your application, and the Indigenous course requirement. Additionally, they're not using any courses from Winter 2020 towards GPA calculations which is understandable, although a bit unfortunate for those who worked really hard throughout that semester to boost grades and it doesn't matter for that application.  

Here's the link for this information in case you want to see it -> https://www.ualberta.ca/communications-sciences-and-disorders/programs/msc-in-speech-language-pathology/admissions/index.html

[gradschoolpls]

Hi everyone,

For the people who accepted the interview offer at McMaster, did anyone get a zoom link emailed to them yet? 

Thanks

[SLPPPPwannabe]

2 hours ago, Streblo said:

Does anyone know the GPA cut off for UofA?

I know on the 2017 tip sheet they said 3.3 minimum and 3.7 competitive, but I haven't been able to find anything more recent. (https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions/media-library/ro-assets/publications/tip-sheets/2017-18/speech-language-pathology-2017.pdf)

Just for reference I was waitlisted last year with a 3.42 since I had a whole semester of grades missing! So I do think they look at a lot more than subGPA at UofA.  

[coco_SLP]

3 minutes ago, gradschoolpls said:

Hi everyone,

For the people who accepted the interview offer at McMaster, did anyone get a zoom link emailed to them yet? 

Thanks

I accepted but have not received the link!

 

[danielaspeechSLP]

20 hours ago, coco_SLP said:

Ooh, looking at these this is interesting, since someone with a 3.73 did get an MMI offer but someone with a 3.75 didn't. This makes me think the theory about them looking at what prerequisite courses have been completed and the grades received in them might be a factor when they're deciding on who to give an interview offer to might be true, although this is just a thought and not confirmed. 

Also, congrats @danielaspeechSLP for getting an interview offer this year! Your work looks like it paid off  

Thank you @coco_SLP!! All the best luck to you during this application round ?

[speechie297]

20 minutes ago, coco_SLP said:

 

Thank you to you both for sharing this information! I wasn't aware of this before.

However, I think it's worth pointing out that UAlberta is basing their admissions off of different criteria/ a new selection process this year. This included GPA being primarily restricted to an entrance requirement (minimum 3.3 on 4.0 scale), the importance of highlighting EDI in your application, and the Indigenous course requirement. Additionally, they're not using any courses from Winter 2020 towards GPA calculations which is understandable, although a bit unfortunate for those who worked really hard throughout that semester to boost grades and it doesn't matter for that application.  

Here's the link for this information in case you want to see it -> https://www.ualberta.ca/communications-sciences-and-disorders/programs/msc-in-speech-language-pathology/admissions/index.html

Yes I saw that, thank you! I emailed Vicki about that in the fall and she said that if you have all of those requirements (Indigenous course, relevant EDI information, and GPA) that you should have a strong application! So fingers crossed! 

[Streblo]

17 minutes ago, coco_SLP said:

 

Thank you to you both for sharing this information! I wasn't aware of this before.

However, I think it's worth pointing out that UAlberta is basing their admissions off of different criteria/ a new selection process this year. This included GPA being primarily restricted to an entrance requirement (minimum 3.3 on 4.0 scale), the importance of highlighting EDI in your application, and the Indigenous course requirement. Additionally, they're not using any courses from Winter 2020 towards GPA calculations which is understandable, although a bit unfortunate for those who worked really hard throughout that semester to boost grades and it doesn't matter for that application.  

Here's the link for this information in case you want to see it -> https://www.ualberta.ca/communications-sciences-and-disorders/programs/msc-in-speech-language-pathology/admissions/index.html

 

2 minutes ago, SLPPPPwannabe said:

Just for reference I was waitlisted last year with a 3.42 since I had a whole semester of grades missing! So I do think they look at a lot more than subGPA at UofA.  

Thanks for the great responses! Do you know if the new criteria UofA is using was in effect last year?

I did a Masters with thesis and I am wondering whether they take your thesis grade into account when calculating GPA. My understanding is that your GPA is calculated based on course work, only, where the thesis was not a course. I've also heard that a lot of schools in North America do not use your thesis in calculating GPA, is that true? 

[coco_SLP]

54 minutes ago, Streblo said:

 

Thanks for the great responses! Do you know if the new criteria UofA is using was in effect last year?

I did a Masters with thesis and I am wondering whether they take your thesis grade into account when calculating GPA. My understanding is that your GPA is calculated based on course work, only, where the thesis was not a course. I've also heard that a lot of schools in North America do not use your thesis in calculating GPA, is that true? 

Hey! The GPA as an entrance requirement and the highlighting of EDI are new for 2021, the link I sent above outlines this so if you wanna see more it's a useful link!

For your second part, are you speaking about UA specifically or all schools? On the ORPAS website, it says that graduate courses are one of the things not normally considered when calculating ORPAS GPA, although further down it says "Each rehabilitation school uses its own admissions criteria to review and assess applicants' graduate study records". That seems a tad unclear to me (and only concerns the ORPAS schools as well) so I think it definitely might be worth reaching out to each school individually to ask! I know that's concerning graduate courses (and not a thesis like you asked) but thought it might still be a bit useful! This information I pulled can be found here -> https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/orpas-gpa-calculations/#grad.

Hope this helps  

[Streblo]

43 minutes ago, coco_SLP said:

Hey! The GPA as an entrance requirement and the highlighting of EDI are new for 2021, the link I sent above outlines this so if you wanna see more it's a useful link!

For your second part, are you speaking about UA specifically or all schools? On the ORPAS website, it says that graduate courses are one of the things not normally considered when calculating ORPAS GPA, although further down it says "Each rehabilitation school uses its own admissions criteria to review and assess applicants' graduate study records". That seems a tad unclear to me (and only concerns the ORPAS schools as well) so I think it definitely might be worth reaching out to each school individually to ask! I know that's concerning graduate courses (and not a thesis like you asked) but thought it might still be a bit useful! This information I pulled can be found here -> https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/orpas-gpa-calculations/#grad.

Hope this helps  

Thanks for your response! I am speaking UofA specifically. I have looked into it but haven't seemed to be able to find a definitive answer anywhere. I think I should just email Vicki to confirm but the anxiety of seeing a UofA email pop up is killing me! 

[coco_SLP]

18 minutes ago, Streblo said:

Thanks for your response! I am speaking UofA specifically. I have looked into it but haven't seemed to be able to find a definitive answer anywhere. I think I should just email Vicki to confirm but the anxiety of seeing a UofA email pop up is killing me! 

No worries! I personally haven't dealt with Vicki before, but from forums it seems like she's been nice and provided useful information for others. I completely understand the anxiety though, but maybe it would be better to email her now than in a few weeks when acceptances start rolling out? Then I would be really nervous (but also excited) about seeing emails! 

[NDspeechie]

When does U of A usually start giving out offers? 

[2021speechie]

3 hours ago, speechie297 said:

Yes I saw that, thank you! I emailed Vicki about that in the fall and she said that if you have all of those requirements (Indigenous course, relevant EDI information, and GPA) that you should have a strong application! So fingers crossed! 

Have many of you already completed the Indigenous course requirement? Based on the information on their website it says that we have until August of our first admission year to complete the course so I was waiting to see if I got accepted before completing it. But I'm concerned now that I see Vicki said that you need it to have a strong application...

[coco_SLP]

35 minutes ago, NDspeechie said:

When does U of A usually start giving out offers? 

It seems to vary a bit, last year (2020) was March 9th, but previous year (2019) was March 28th, and the previous year (2018) it was even in February (which I think was unexpected/no one does it that way anymore). Based on this, my best guess would be mid to late March!

16 minutes ago, 2021speechie said:

Have many of you already completed the Indigenous course requirement? Based on the information on their website it says that we have until August of our first admission year to complete the course so I was waiting to see if I got accepted before completing it. But I'm concerned now that I see Vicki said that you need it to have a strong application...

I don't know for sure, but maybe they see it the same way they view prerequisites, where if it's completed already with a grade it might be viewed as being better than someone who plans to take it? I'm not completely sure. At the deadline I was enrolled in the course (so I sent proof of it) but unfortunately I did not have time to finish the entire thing before the deadline. I think you might be right though, that it might be possible to receive a conditional offer that as long as you finish the course by September you'll be okay, but I don't this this for certain. 

Has anyone else talked to Vicki/the department about this?