(Canada 2022) MPP/MPA Applications

[Joseph_Eze]

3 minutes ago, FiggiGrad said:

All those waiting on UofT MPP acceptance check your ACORN account's again. My account shows that I have been invited to the 2022-2023 session! 

Congrats on UofT!!!

[Jaclyn Manderville]

Is anyone else having issues accessing ACORN (U of T)?

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Jaclyn Manderville

[thepowerofR]

14 hours ago, FiggiGrad said:

All those waiting on UofT MPP acceptance check your ACORN account's again. My account shows that I have been invited to the 2022-2023 session! 

Congratulations!!! do you mind sharing your stats? 

[Robert27]

14 hours ago, Joseph_Eze said:

Congrats on UofT!!!

Hi, I noticed you’ve been offered admission to UCalgary for MPP. Do you mind sharing your profile and if you are an international student.

 

I am an international applicant and I’ve already been rejected by Usask, URegina and Western. My remaining hope is UCalgary.

 

My FGPA is 3.43 and my L2 GPA 3.55.

I have 5 years work experience spanning downstream Oil and Gas, Automotive, international trade and government projects.

 

I’m really anxious right now

[Joseph_Eze]

21 minutes ago, Robert27 said:

Hi, I noticed you’ve been offered admission to UCalgary for MPP. Do you mind sharing your profile and if you are an international student.

 

I am an international applicant and I’ve already been rejected by Usask, URegina and Western. My remaining hope is UCalgary.

 

My FGPA is 3.43 and my L2 GPA 3.55.

I have 5 years work experience spanning downstream Oil and Gas, Automotive, international trade and government projects.

 

I’m really anxious right now

I didn't apply for UCalgary MPP - I applied to UofT, Queen's, SFU, and X University. I got admit for UofT and Queen's, but rejected UofT after second thoughts. 

I was rejected by X University. Pending SFU now. 

Your profile seems good - guess it's just a matter of competition? Have you emailed UCalgary?

[Robert27]

5 minutes ago, Joseph_Eze said:

I didn't apply for UCalgary MPP - I applied to UofT, Queen's, SFU, and X University. I got admit for UofT and Queen's, but rejected UofT after second thoughts. 

I was rejected by X University. Pending SFU now. 

Your profile seems good - guess it's just a matter of competition? Have you emailed UCalgary?

Oh thanks for clarification. I’m really surprised because I’ve been rejected by 3 universities. And anytime I ask them for reasons they give me generic responses. I must say the worst of them is Western. It was like the email sender just didn’t care.

I’m hoping I get admission into UCalgary…the anxiety is “killing” me and I can’t even focus at work.

[Joseph_Eze]

3 minutes ago, Robert27 said:

Oh thanks for clarification. I’m really surprised because I’ve been rejected by 3 universities. And anytime I ask them for reasons they give me generic responses. I must say the worst of them is Western. It was like the email sender just didn’t care.

I’m hoping I get admission into UCalgary…the anxiety is “killing” me and I can’t even focus at work.

If you don't mind me asking, which country are you from?

Yeah, well, there are a lot of applications and they have to respond to each one. People get stressed out too, I would forgive and forget - nothing else to do since they've closed their doors to you. 

I'll strongly consider doing GRE because they need a gauge to see how you do. If you don't have one or even if they don't ask for one, it's good to have it because they can benchmark you to something they are familiar with. 

Perhaps you should beef up your apps once more before applying again this year Fall.

[Robert27]

Just now, Joseph_Eze said:

If you don't mind me asking, which country are you from?

Yeah, well, there are a lot of applications and they have to respond to each one. People get stressed out too, I would forgive and forget - nothing else to do since they've closed their doors to you. 

I'll strongly consider doing GRE because they need a gauge to see how you do. If you don't have one or even if they don't ask for one, it's good to have it because they can benchmark you to something they are familiar with. 

Perhaps you should beef up your apps once more before applying again this year Fall.

I am from Ghana, West Africa and I work with a multinational conglomerate in trading and investment as a Senior Business Executive.

Honestly I don’t have the stomach for a GRE now. The sad part is I got admission to a post grad diploma at Usask in 2020 but due to Covid restrictions I couldn’t apply for visa and come to Canada.

 

fast forward been rejected…it’s sickening 

[Joseph_Eze]

Just now, Robert27 said:

I am from Ghana, West Africa and I work with a multinational conglomerate in trading and investment as a Senior Business Executive.

Honestly I don’t have the stomach for a GRE now. The sad part is I got admission to a post grad diploma at Usask in 2020 but due to Covid restrictions I couldn’t apply for visa and come to Canada.

 

fast forward been rejected…it’s sickening 

The reason I ask where you are from is because most of the Unis you applied to have specific graduate requirements for each respective region. Maybe you were rejected because you did not fulfil those requirements? 

I really have nothing else to say to comfort you. I know it sucks, and it probably sets you back a couple of thousands for the application fee + time, but the current situation with Covid and a hyper competitive pool of applicants coming in from the backlog just makes it a mountain to climb.

Have you looked at other programs? Your background seems to be more fitting towards economics/finance/business. Perhaps an MA or even a thesis-based MSc might be a better fit. Just my 2 cents.

[Robert27]

1 minute ago, Joseph_Eze said:

The reason I ask where you are from is because most of the Unis you applied to have specific graduate requirements for each respective region. Maybe you were rejected because you did not fulfil those requirements? 

I really have nothing else to say to comfort you. I know it sucks, and it probably sets you back a couple of thousands for the application fee + time, but the current situation with Covid and a hyper competitive pool of applicants coming in from the backlog just makes it a mountain to climb.

Have you looked at other programs? Your background seems to be more fitting towards economics/finance/business. Perhaps an MA or even a thesis-based MSc might be a better fit. Just my 2 cents.

Thank you for your advice and I really appreciate it. 
 

When selecting the schools I look out for schools which don’t require GRE/GMAT.

Yes the application fees in total should be around $580.

And back to the GRE/GMAT issue, most of the finance/economics/business programs require it hence my avoidance even though my undergrad is in economics.

 

[Joseph_Eze]

1 minute ago, Robert27 said:

Thank you for your advice and I really appreciate it. 
 

When selecting the schools I look out for schools which don’t require GRE/GMAT.

Yes the application fees in total should be around $580.

And back to the GRE/GMAT issue, most of the finance/economics/business programs require it hence my avoidance even though my undergrad is in economics.

 

Hey man, totally understand. I hated the GRE too, but the reality is, you need it in order for the schools to better gauge your ability. Whether they ask for it or not, it helps to take the GRE because it expands your options. 

With a thesis based MSc or even an MA, you get funded for the course as an international and you get to move forward. So it really boils down to how badly you want it - and if you do, then I'd suggest you to spend the next few months prepping again. 

Check out GREGMAT on YouTube. I just view his channel and I did well for my GRE. I would say that the GRE helped me get my place in UofT and Queen's as an international for sure.

[Robert27]

Just now, Joseph_Eze said:

Hey man, totally understand. I hated the GRE too, but the reality is, you need it in order for the schools to better gauge your ability. Whether they ask for it or not, it helps to take the GRE because it expands your options. 

With a thesis based MSc or even an MA, you get funded for the course as an international and you get to move forward. So it really boils down to how badly you want it - and if you do, then I'd suggest you to spend the next few months prepping again. 

Check out GREGMAT on YouTube. I just view his channel and I did well for my GRE. I would say that the GRE helped me get my place in UofT and Queen's as an international for sure.

Thank you and I will consider it. To be candid the money is not an issue as I have something saved up. 

I will strongly consider the GRE then

[FiggiGrad]

9 hours ago, thepowerofR said:

Congratulations!!! do you mind sharing your stats? 

Thank you! Here are my stats: 

CGPA: 3.74 / L2 GPA: 3.9 

I have been involved in extra curriculars on campus for the past two years, and this year I was in a leadership position. 

In terms of experience, over the summer I had a federal internship in a constituency office. I also worked on an MP's campaign for the 2021 federal election. 

 

[Ey1357]

On 4/4/2022 at 6:38 PM, RadahnFestival said:

Any offers yet from Ryerson, UofT, Queens, and/or Waterloo? My gpa is on the lower side so I'm worried, and I already got a rejection letter from carelton a few weeks back. Haven't gotten any responses yet from these universities, so I'm unsure how much longer I should wait or expect anything.

I heard from Ryerson on April 22nd with an offer of admission with funding, and I accepted it. However, I do know that they are still doing more rounds of acceptance so don't lose hope yet! Good luck

[EarlGreyMilkTea]

Got offered to UofT’s MPP yesterday. They emailed saying there is an update to my application status. Had to sign in to view my letter of offer. Also received the $3k funding. Prior to this, there was no update on my ACORN profile.

It has been a long and nerve-wracking ride, but I am extremely grateful to have received offers from all three programs that I applied to (Waterloo, Carleton, and UofT). Will be accepting Waterloo ? 

To those who are still waiting on decisions, wishing you all the best!

 

[Joseph_Eze]

5 hours ago, EarlGreyMilkTea said:

Got offered to UofT’s MPP yesterday. They emailed saying there is an update to my application status. Had to sign in to view my letter of offer. Also received the $3k funding. Prior to this, there was no update on my ACORN profile.

It has been a long and nerve-wracking ride, but I am extremely grateful to have received offers from all three programs that I applied to (Waterloo, Carleton, and UofT). Will be accepting Waterloo ? 

To those who are still waiting on decisions, wishing you all the best!

 

Congrats!

[Joseph_Eze]

Anyone else heard from SFU MPP yet? 

[Jaclyn Manderville]

Are second rounds going out for X University (ryerson)?

 

[FromE]

Is there a facebook group chat for Carleton MPPA 2024 yet??

Edited April 12, 2022 by FromE

[LawAndMordor]

1 hour ago, FromE said:

Is there a facebook group chat for Carleton MPPA 2024 yet??

I was wondering the same thing. I haven't seen one yet, but would absolutely join to connect with future cohort members!

[kalV]

On 4/5/2022 at 7:42 PM, TheZarosian said:

Hello All,

Time for my yearly post!

I am a policy analyst that works full-time in an indeterminate (permanent) position for the Federal Government. I started working full-time in Spring 2019 and started my MPPA at Carleton part-time in Fall 2019 concurrently, which I finished in Spring 2021. Overall, I have about 4.5 years experience in government, 1.5 of which was from co-op, and another 3 from full-time work.

I graduated from my BA in Political Science in Spring 2019 from Waterloo. Prior to graduating, I did some time in provincial and federal government in various co-op roles. This included roles in environment policy, transit policy, infrastructure policy, education policy, and finance policy. By the time I graduated from my Undergraduate, I had about 20 months government experience, plus a couple of full-time offers from the Federal government on the table.

Based on my own experiences and research, I've written a breakdown of some of the common master's level policy programs out there, you can DM me for more info if you want. Note of course, that this is my opinion and not presented as fact. While I do present facts and figures to back it up, it is by no means a factual piece, nor does it represent the views of my employer in which school is better. These are solely my views.

Waterloo MPS

Waterloo MPS is overall a solid pick for people wanting to enter all levels of government. I sat with these guys during my undergraduate as a professor was kind enough to allow me to sit in on his graduate-level teaching, and the caliber of the teaching plus the Co-op is great. Plenty of these people are with me in Ottawa, many having secured permanent full-time roles. The MPS boasts a Co-op hire rate of 95-100 percent (verified by the MPS Director as 100 percent for Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Summer 2021, and Fall 2021 aka. the past 4 co-op cycles) and has excellent job outcomes both federally and provincially.

I have great admiration for the Director of the MPS. He has assembled a great program and has flexed his connections to help secure Co-ops for his students. In Spring 2020, when COVID was in full swing, he personally and tirelessly reached out and talked to his contacts in government to secure the last couple of students their Co-op jobs for the summer.

The format of the program is 8 months full-time school, 8 months paid Co-op, and 4 months a major team project. Almost everyone does the major team project remotely and works full-time during it. So it’s pretty much 8 months of schooling only and you’re off to doing paid work. People usually transition from being a student to a full-timer right after their 8 months Co-op is done.

I also find that this program is more diverse than traditional policy schools, which are usually filled with students from undergrads like political science, economics, sociology, legal studies, etc. Since the MPS does not have any major/course specific prerequisites, you see more students in different varying fields come in, which contributes to a diverse wealth of knowledge sharing between students.

As the MPS is just over a decade or so old, it isn't exactly at the level of some decades-established policy schools, which I speak on later on. However, it is an all-around very solid program. They run a really tight ship and the program markets itself very well as a "conveyer belt" program - get people, sharpen up their skills, and make cookie cutter policy analysts at fast speed. The only downside is that the MPS is not funded, so you’re going to be paying the full $23,000 tuition bill.

Queen’s MPA

Queen’s is the King (or the Queen I guess?) of provincial government. I would say that Queen’s is the number one place to go if you’re intent on working for the Ontario government. The Ontario government hires from Queens in droves, mainly due to having a long reputation with Queens and a historically strong relationship.

The program format is 8 months full-time school, followed by Co-op of 4 months, and then 4 months schooling on weekends. Similar to Waterloo, most people work full-time after they are done the first 8 months.

Queen’s is definitely the top choice for provincial, and along with a cheap tuition of less than $20,000 (oftentimes funded generously by scholarships), it’s a great deal. With a strong application, you are likely to pay less than $10,000 total for the tuition.

Carleton MPPA

Definitely the king of federal government, and a top choice for anyone who wants to work federal. Carleton has an over 50 years established relationship with the federal government, and the professors here are routinely retired public servants or current public servants who teach part-time here and there. Carleton, by nature of being in Ottawa, feeds their students primarily into the Federal government.

The program is 8 months of full-time school, followed by Co-op of 4-8 months, and then people usually finish off their degree during the evenings while working part-time. Again, similar to Queen’s and Waterloo, you really only do 8 months of school.

An added benefit of Carleton is the absolutely amazing funding packages. And it’s absolutely amazing. Carleton offered me a whopping $46,000 in funding. Of that, $26,000 was straight up scholarships, while $20,000 was from a TA position. The tuition of the program is only $23,000. So these guys essentially PAID ME to go to their school.

For the federal level, Carleton absolutely comes on top here. From my experience, Carleton and uOttawa make up about 80-85% of student hires in federal, and something like 70% of full-time workers I know come from one of those two schools.

University of Ottawa MA Public Admin

I won’t say much here because it’s Carleton all over again. Whatever I said for Carleton, applies to uOttawa. Funny enough, uOttawa and Carleton have a small rivalry with their Master’s programs. All around another top federal choice.

I will say that I have great respect for the Public Admin focus that uOttawa has. I find that many policy schools now are cutting back their public administration curricula and instead focusing on the “sexier” field of public policy. And I get it, students are attracted to public policy – they aren’t as attracted to understanding the mundane machinery of government. They want to solve problems in the world whether it be the environment, economy, infrastructure, housing, or transit, provide options 1, 2, 3, and be done with their briefing note. But the problem with the policy focus is that you end up with students who are excellent policy thinkers that are able to put forward good policy solutions to problems, but very poor understanders of how the administration of government works and how policy ideas get turned into actual policy.

I feel that an understanding of how the public service functions and its relationship to the elected political officials is vital for any policy analyst job, as well as an understanding of how to navigate the complex and oftentimes confusing labyrinth that is the bureaucracy. This is something that a Public Admin focus does well in.

UofT Munk MPP

I’m sorry. I know how hyped up UofT is at times, but I mostly have bad things to say about this program.

UofT MPP is overall a disappointment and it seems like an outdated program. While all the programs I mentioned above are one-year “job creation” programs that focus on feeding people in Co-ops and having them transition to full-time work quickly, UofT’s MPP reads more like a traditional 2-year academic program, with a strong focus on rigorous courses.

The UofT MPP has some of the worst internship options out here, with a 4-month summer internship between your first and second year. Because you’re expected to go back to school full-time after this, you are unable to be seamlessly transitioned into full-time work like many of the other programs above. Managers love it when they can just promote a student to a full-timer and have them start right away. They love it much less when the student says, “hey sorry, can you wait 8 months for me to finish school?”

To be precise, the discontinuous 8 month FT, summer internship, then another 8 months FT format has significant disadvantages both at the provincial (Ontario) and federal level. Provincially, only current students are given access to internal postings and so plenty who are able to transition directly into full-time without having to go back to school get "poached" into full-time roles. This is especially true as since the Conservatives were elected in 2018, given that external postings are subject to high-level reviews before being approved, and so internal hiring of students is one of the few ways for managers to get fresh blood.

At the federal level, students and former students are able to be appointed full-time without a competition/applying (known as "bridging"). This is most favorably given to current students who can start immediately, without having to go back to school. Networking for opportunities is far easier for both levels of government when you are still in the system, as you have far greater access to meetings, emails, Teams accounts, etc.

The UofT MPP tuition is $45,000 in total, double the other programs mentioned above. As far as I understand, funding packages are limited to some thousands of dollars. You’re sinking an additional 8 months in lost wages, plus additional tuition.

It’s just not a good deal overall. When people from Carleton, Queens, and Waterloo are being fed into the workplace within 8 months with programs of half the tuition that was generously subsidized based on the scholarships provided, UofT’s program just lacks “feeder” mentality on getting people on the job quickly.

The small upside is that the UofT MPP does have some more diversity in employment. Non-profits, NGOs, private sector consulting, and other positions tend to be more noticeable at UofT’s MPP, compared to the straight up government feeders of other programs. But if your goal really is to get onboarded into a government job quickly, with a cheap degree to boot, UofT is not the place to go in my view.

Ryerson MA Public Policy and Administration

This program is, in my opinion, a relatively mediocre choice. The problem that I usually see here is that if you got into Ryerson, you might as well go to Queen’s or Carleton because you probably got into those too.

The employment prospects here are just not as good, mainly due to the lack of an established relationship between Ryerson and either Provincial or Federal government.

The degree itself is the cheapest out of anything mentioned, but it’s just not as good of a deal. This is especially true if Carleton and Queen’s are pumping out huge scholarships

For those who are already working though, the Ryerson program does offer a way to complete the degree at night while still continuing to work full-time.

Western MPA

Admittedly, I know very little about this program, but it seems to be the place to go if you want to be in local government. Western’s MPA specializes specifically in municipal government, and I can’t see Waterloo, Queen’s or Carleton filling this gap.

 

Any suggestion between Wlifrid MIPP(BISA) vs Ryerson MPPA?

[oatmilkespresso]

Anyone hear back from queens MPA recently? Like in the last few days or so? The admissions coordinator told me all applicants will know about their decision by Mid April so I’m just worried that if I haven’t heard back yet it means my application wasn’t successful. 

[Nicole13]

Just chiming in to say I received an offer of admission to uvic today with 5k funding. I will be turning it down as I accepted sfu already. Goodluck to those that applied.

[Gradnew]

On 4/7/2022 at 4:22 PM, EarlGreyMilkTea said:

Got offered to UofT’s MPP yesterday. They emailed saying there is an update to my application status. Had to sign in to view my letter of offer. Also received the $3k funding. Prior to this, there was no update on my ACORN profile.

It has been a long and nerve-wracking ride, but I am extremely grateful to have received offers from all three programs that I applied to (Waterloo, Carleton, and UofT). Will be accepting Waterloo ? 

To those who are still waiting on decisions, wishing you all the best!

 

 

On 4/7/2022 at 4:22 PM, EarlGreyMilkTea said:

 Received acceptance email from Dr. Norton  yesterday for MPS Waterloo. The letter said I should be receiving official acceptance letter on Quest on another 10 working days. 

 

In the end, the letter says "I must note that this offer is conditional on final approval from Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs. So, you should not make any firm admission decision until you receive the official University of Waterloo offer in Quest.  

Hope this is normal. 

 

 

[Joseph_Eze]

On 4/14/2022 at 7:42 AM, oatmilkespresso said:

Anyone hear back from queens MPA recently? Like in the last few days or so? The admissions coordinator told me all applicants will know about their decision by Mid April so I’m just worried that if I haven’t heard back yet it means my application wasn’t successful. 

Yeah, got offers in early March. Have you emailed Mikhaila?