(Canada 2022) MPP/MPA Applications

[LawAndMordor]

24 minutes ago, Making other plans said:

Congrats and please share stats if willing!!

Sure thing!

Undergrad: Honours in Political Science (finishing up my last term), and a certificate in Global Studies

GPA last two years 84% (my institution uses percentage, and I'm not sure how to convert into 4 point/4.33 scales, etc..)

Been employed at my institution's social science research division the last two years, and have experience working with qualitative and quantitative data .  Also been involved in the Political Science students' association throughout my undergrad, and served on the executive last year.  Basically nothing too fancy as I don't have any volunteer experience with political candidates, undergrad TA experience, or even government/public sector experience.  I'm hopeful I have a shot in the other programs I applied to, but more than pleased with the Waterloo offer.  Don't have a firm decision yet as I want to hear back from the other two programs.

Edited February 26, 2022 by LawAndMordor

[Making other plans]

56 minutes ago, LawAndMordor said:

Sure thing!

Undergrad: Honours in Political Science (finishing up my last term), and a certificate in Global Studies

GPA last two years 84% (my institution uses percentage, and I'm not sure how to convert into 4 point/4.33 scales, etc..)

Been employed at my institution's social science research division the last two years, and have experience working with qualitative and quantitative data .  Also been involved in the Political Science students' association throughout my undergrad, and served on the executive last year.  Basically nothing too fancy as I don't have any volunteer experience with political candidates, undergrad TA experience, or even government/public sector experience.  I'm hopeful I have a shot in the other programs I applied to, but more than pleased with the Waterloo offer.  Don't have a firm decision yet as I want to hear back from the other two programs.

Much appreciated! It's great for all those still waiting to get some insight on where we stand on gpa & ECs. Good luck on your other pending decisions too!

[Making other plans]

12 hours ago, EarlGreyMilkTea said:

Hi everyone! Happy to share that I got my first offer to Waterloo’s MPS as well!! ?

It’s a pleasant surprise as my GPA isn’t particularly the greatest and I was not expecting Waterloo to process our applications so soon. Now waiting for Munk and Carleton!

Congratulations!! Please post L2 gpa if willing.

[EarlGreyMilkTea]

2 hours ago, Making other plans said:

Congratulations!! Please post L2 gpa if willing.

Thank you!! ?

CGPA: 3.46/4.0, L2: 3.67/4.0

Gonna share more details as I feel that my case was a primary example of holistic decision making and it might give you/ future applicants some reassurance! 

SOI: Very authentic. Highlighted personal setbacks I faced as a migrant youth which explained my lack of participation in my first two years. Showed thorough understanding in the area of public policy I wanted to pursue, and concluded with how the program complements my interests (did extra research on courses and faculty members)

Resume: Extensive work and volunteer experiences — 2 pages long. Held positions in research, marketing, writing… and was lucky to land an administrative role in a well-established Canadian nonprofit. I guess it’s worth noting that I was working full-time during my final year of undergrad while completing an honours thesis paper, a capstone group project, and 3 other volunteer placements.  

LORs: 2 Academic, 1 Professional. I’d like to think that they only wrote positive things about me… but we’ll never know ?

I also applied in October, if that helps!

Edited February 26, 2022 by EarlGreyMilkTea

[Making other plans]

2 hours ago, EarlGreyMilkTea said:

Thank you!! ?

CGPA: 3.46/4.0, L2: 3.67/4.0

Gonna share more details as I feel that my case was a primary example of holistic decision making and it might give you/ future applicants some reassurance! 

SOI: Very authentic. Highlighted personal setbacks I faced as a migrant youth which explained my lack of participation in my first two years. Showed thorough understanding in the area of public policy I wanted to pursue, and concluded with how the program complements my interests (did extra research on courses and faculty members)

Resume: Extensive work and volunteer experiences — 2 pages long. Held positions in research, marketing, writing… and was lucky to land an administrative role in a well-established Canadian nonprofit. I guess it’s worth noting that I was working full-time during my final year of undergrad while completing an honours thesis paper, a capstone group project, and 3 other volunteer placements.  

LORs: 2 Academic, 1 Professional. I’d like to think that they only wrote positive things about me… but we’ll never know ?

I also applied in October, if that helps!

A big thanks for sharing all this!! And again: congrats!!!

[mootpoint]

Grateful to have received an offer of ACCEPTANCE at WATERLOO (MPS)!

I got the email yesterday at around 5 pm.

Stats:  GPA: 3.95/4.0 scale, EC's are non-traditional -all related to my undergrad in medical sciences (I have no gov/political experience, EC's are mainly research, one publication, and leadership positions).

I do plan on accepting! 

[EarlGreyMilkTea]

8 hours ago, mootpoint said:

Grateful to have received an offer of ACCEPTANCE at WATERLOO (MPS)!

I got the email yesterday at around 5 pm.

Stats:  GPA: 3.95/4.0 scale, EC's are non-traditional -all related to my undergrad in medical sciences (I have no gov/political experience, EC's are mainly research, one publication, and leadership positions).

I do plan on accepting! 

Congratulations!! We might be future classmates, so exciting ?

[MPAMPPA2022]

Anyone know when Carleton will be making decisions?

[LawAndMordor]

45 minutes ago, MPAMPPA2022 said:

Anyone know when Carleton will be making decisions?

I wish I knew.  No changes from "Recommended for Assessment" on my application.

[MPAMPPA2022]

6 minutes ago, LawAndMordor said:

I wish I knew.  No changes from "Recommended for Assessment" on my application.

Looks like it will be soon. My application status has changed to "Review in progress by Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs."

[Tundra]

Does anyone know how the process works? IF the admission committee recommends you for admission, is the review by grad faculty like a rubber stamp? I thought the unqualified applicants would be eliminated before it reaches the admission committee.

[LawAndMordor]

2 hours ago, MPAMPPA2022 said:

Looks like it will be soon. My application status has changed to "Review in progress by Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs."

Oh interesting, hope it works out for you!  Just curious, when did this change occur?

[MPAMPPA2022]

2 hours ago, LawAndMordor said:

Just curious, when did this change occur?

When I checked earlier today at 3 PM PT. Similar to you, I also received an email from Prof Ryan regarding the advanced completion credit. Hopefully decisions are made soon!

[sharingan1999]

Got accepted into X University MPPA program (formerly Ryerson).
Not my top choice as I’m waiting to hear from Munk, & I’ve only applied to these two! Fingers crossed!!!

[R2D2]

Hi everyone,

I am happy to have been accepted to the University of Ottawa GSPIA MA program as well as the Carleton MPPA program.

I'm having difficulty deciding between the two. Does anyone have any insights into the differences between the programs?

Two obvious differences is that GSPIA deals with international affairs and is more francophone. Otherwise, I think that Carleton has a higher coop placement rate. It also seems that GSPIA is more academic (major research paper) and possibly has a busier workload.

[FiggiGrad]

9 hours ago, sharingan1999 said:

Got accepted into X University MPPA program (formerly Ryerson).
Not my top choice as I’m waiting to hear from Munk, & I’ve only applied to these two! Fingers crossed!!!

Congrats!!! Do you mind sharing your stats? 

[FromE]

3 hours ago, R2D2 said:

 

I am happy to have been accepted to the University of Ottawa GSPIA MA program as well as the Carleton MPPA program.

Did Carleton send you an offer or was your account updated?

[FromE]

My Carleton central account updated from recommended for assessment to review in progress by department just now.

 

Edit: It updated to Review in progress by Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs an hour later.

Edited March 3, 2022 by FromE

[BTF]

3 hours ago, R2D2 said:

Hi everyone,

I am happy to have been accepted to the University of Ottawa GSPIA MA program as well as the Carleton MPPA program.

I'm having difficulty deciding between the two. Does anyone have any insights into the differences between the programs?

Two obvious differences is that GSPIA deals with international affairs and is more francophone. Otherwise, I think that Carleton has a higher coop placement rate. It also seems that GSPIA is more academic (major research paper) and possibly has a busier workload.

Happy to chat about Carleton vs. GPSIA. Feel free to send me a message and we can set something up.

[FILÓSOFO]

Hey guys,

I got accepted into the Carleton MPPA yesterday!!

I'm in kind of a weird situation and if anyone has any input/advice for me I'd love to hear it. 

The Carleton MPPA program looks great and I really need the work experience from the co-op. However, I don't want to live/work in Ontario for the rest of my life. I have very strong ties in B.C. and I plan on moving back there after a few years.

So, my question is, will it be difficult for me to find work in another province after working two semesters of co-op with the federal government? I know most people go to Carleton because it feeds into a career with the feds. That's not something I'm looking to do, at least not for the long term. 

Do you think I would be better off going to SFU, even if the funding they offer is considerably less? 

For those wondering about my stats/acceptance, I got an email and my account was updated. My cumulative GPA was around 3.8/4.33 and around 3.95/4.33 for the last 2 years. I don't have any relevant work experience but I do have lots of travel and some international volunteer experience. So, for those of you with no relevant work experience, it's definitley still possible! 

Thanks for reading and any advice! Also, sorry for any typos. I'm sending this from my phone. 

[sharingan1999]

58 minutes ago, FiggiGrad said:

Congrats!!! Do you mind sharing your stats? 

Yes!! 

I come from a BFA background (painting/art history) & CGPA 81% (so perhaps 3.75/3.8 on a 4.0). My thesis undergrad research is on Balkan migration in Cad context, but they’ve definitely taken a holistic approach as I’ve led several projects in the Cad & intl non profit sector over the past 2 years, launched my own NPO, & worked with a federal political party.

[FromE]

Anyones queens status updated yet?

[R2D2]

Thanks for the responses. My Carleton Central account was updated. Cumulative and L2 GPA is around the same as FILOSOFO - 3.8/4.33 and 3.9/4.33

[FiggiGrad]

23 minutes ago, FromE said:

Anyones queens status updated yet?

Mine hasn't, still just says 'Application Submitted' 

[FromE]

For those accepted to Carleton, how much funding are you receiving?