DustSNK Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 Rejected from UBC. Looks like another semester of undergrad for me. TAKE a non-degree grad course or two!
DustSNK Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 Hi, Did you receive your offer today? Also, do you mind sharing your funding? Yea got it today, think I am in the 2nd wave. I saw people getting offers here like 2 weeks ago. The funding a very good, about 20k a year. 10k though is for TAships @ around 40$ an hour. Very good for a 1 year program. I'm an international student though, don't know what it is like for domestic.
DustSNK Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 İf there were two spots most probably I woul be accepted into one of the programs that I applied since I am the top candidate on the waiting list. However, in this case, York Political Science says on the website they can admit 2 to 6 international students but they admitted only one. This is still Xenaphobia. Lol York is a publicly funded school, so their matrix of funding can change from year to year. Also they could have had international students who postponed admission. Trust me, I was denied across the board last year when I applied to programs only in Ontario, and I did my research to understand why..... being an international student is crazy silly competitive. If you really think there is Xenophobia you might have never been to Ontario I am guessing? In Ontario there are only 30% whites, you might get to say that about America cause people are VERY xenophobic (I'm American, trust me people are nuts esp in the midwest). Talk a walk down one of the parks in Mississauga and see TONS of Muslim women in the more conservitave burkas (where only eyes are shown) playing with their kids and family next to asian,white,and indian families and tell me the place is xenophobic again. I have never seen that kind of social setting happen in America,europe or Asia. McDull, RosamundReage and Andsowego 3
lattelove Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 İf there were two spots most probably I woul be accepted into one of the programs that I applied since I am the top candidate on the waiting list. However, in this case, York Political Science says on the website they can admit 2 to 6 international students but they admitted only one. This is still Xenaphobia. I'm sorry you weren't accepted but it's not xenophobia, it's about finance and business. Merely because a school says they have the general ability to accept a certain amount of students is no guarantee that they will actually accept that many students in a given year. They have every right to accept the number that suits them best, and I'm sure financing reasons related to scholarships, as already mentioned, play a major role in that decision.
bronco Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 -York's PhD in Political Science- the decisions were made by the committee. If have not heard anything yet, this means you were not accepted. They accepted only 1 international student. This is Xenaphobia. What a bad situation. There is no xenophobia.I am from York ,they have enough TAs who barely know how to speak English .Xenophobia not xenaphobia .
foucaultmania Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 There is no xenophobia.I am from York ,they have enough TAs who barely know how to speak English .Xenophobia not xenaphobia . Very Good. I think you do not have enough knowledge about political theory. You should learn what is equality. You are cool, York is very happy to have a PhD student like you. systematic approach, man of power. You are the best one! RosamundReage, SeeYouSoon, foucaultmania and 2 others 1 4
Andsowego Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 Very Good. I think you do not have enough knowledge about political theory. You should learn what is equality. You are cool, York is very happy to have a PhD student like you. systematic approach, man of power. You are the best one! As others have already mentioned, it seems pretty clear that you've never visited York U, or Toronto, or even Ontario. Just FYI (since you seem to have no clue) York is one of the most multicultural, ethnically diverse universities in Canada. Students choose to go there specifically due to its reputation as an open-minded, culturally diverse, international community of learners. All you're doing in this thread, is making yourself look contextually uninformed about York and indeed, the cultural reality of living in Ontario, Canada. Andsowego, wheatGrass, DustSNK and 1 other 4
brussels guy Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 As others have already mentioned, it seems pretty clear that you've never visited York U, or Toronto, or even Ontario. Just FYI (since you seem to have no clue) York is one of the most multicultural, ethnically diverse universities in Canada. Students choose to go there specifically due to its reputation as an open-minded, culturally diverse, international community of learners. All you're doing in this thread, is making yourself look contextually uninformed about York and indeed, the cultural reality of living in Ontario, Canada. I agree with you it is not Xenophobia but he is also right because the universities say that they have an international aura but they do not review the files of domestic and international students together. there is no equality. I do not agree with you that being metropolitan city does not mean that there is no Xenophobia. You should read about toleration theories... Andsowego, RosamundReage, SeeYouSoon and 1 other 1 3
steeloatmeal Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 It's a school's choice on what type of students they want to accept. If you want a school filled with International students then look at an institution McGill who accept more International students than Canadian students who are out of province. Does that mean that McGill is xenophobic towards non-Quebec Canadians? No. They just designed their school around that format. What they gain from international students they lose out from not admitting non-Quebec Canadians who qualify for their programs. On the other hand, an Ontario school that prefers national will get the benefit of having many top quality Canadians. That also includes the other benefits that come from being an institution that networks within Canada (i.e more funding, more scholarship, more job opportunities... etc.) McGill has to work within Quebec's laws and has to create networks within Quebec... and if you graduate from McGill you'll have to learn French if you wish to have a professional job in Quebec (because you'll have to learn French for most professional jobs.) Many international students return to their home countries.. so that may be why it's more suited for them. But consider a university in Ontario that gets tons of funding, scholarships, networks, job-opportunities from all around Canada... it will make more sense for them to consider Canadians who qualify for those advantages. Some of the more higher ranking schools like U of T eventually get so reputable that they can intake from both international and national in fair numbers. I personally think the International component is important but it wouldn't be in the school's best interest to dismiss all the funding/networks/opportunities from the host country in lieu of it -it may even be unsustainable. Either way, those advantages are what made the school a great institution in the first place!
Anupam Srivastava Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 Hello, I have received an admit from UBC for MS and from USC for Ph.D. And I'm having a tough time deciding between these two. So, I wanted to ask few questions about UBC :- 1) How is the living expense there ? I have heard Vancouver is an expensive place ? 2) How's the job and internship scenario at UBC ? 3) What about students who go for Ph.D. ? What kind of universities do students from UBC are able to get in ? 4) And how is Vancouver ? I've heard the city is great to live in ? Thank you. Anupam
Andsowego Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 (edited) I agree with you it is not Xenophobia but he is also right because the universities say that they have an international aura but they do not review the files of domestic and international students together. there is no equality. I do not agree with you that being metropolitan city does not mean that there is no Xenophobia. You should read about toleration theories... I never said that xenophobia doesn't exist. I think I made it pretty clear that I was speaking contextually with regards to the specific cultural environment at York and how it relates to their admissions processes. Also, equality (or indeed, equity) does not mean that every single person should be treated the exact same way. That's a pretty uninformed, simplistic way of viewing things. And FYI, my Master's thesis investigated the role of inclusive education practices as they pertain to international students in Canadian universities. So no, I don't need to read about "toleration theories" (which isn't even the correct terminology that is used to describe what you're trying to elucidate). Anyway, once again I seem to have found myself becoming irritated with a whole lot of ignorance in this thread, so I'm going to call it quits there, and take my leave! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming... Edited March 20, 2012 by Andsowego SeeYouSoon and mirandaw 2
RosamundReage Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I agree with you it is not Xenophobia but he is also right because the universities say that they have an international aura but they do not review the files of domestic and international students together. there is no equality. I do not agree with you that being metropolitan city does not mean that there is no Xenophobia. You should read about toleration theories... The reason that York does not review the files together is because the funding structure is different for the different pools. York guarantees funding for all of its graduate students, which is very different from say schools like UofT or McGill or most American schools who make a lot of money from international student fees. In order to fund every student York relies on funding from the government that is set aside for Canadian/perminant residents and they also only admit students who have possibilities of bringing in funding (most scholarships like SSHRC require you to be at least a permanent resident of Canada). The funding changes year to year and most programs at York only can offer admission to 6 Canadian/ permanent residents + 1-2 international students because they cover all the cost of tuition and provide employment through TA jobs. Most financial offers at the PHD level are at least $20,000 guaranteed funding for 6 years- $120,000 total, so it is a big financial commitment for the university to take on an international student who will most likely not provide much outside funding. Considering York has one of the most multi-ethnic student bodies as it is ridiculous to say in is xenophobic based on the amount of international students admitted (and they do also admit a lot of international students at the undergraduate level). Canadian citizens and permanent residents are multi-ethinic and many perminant residents have been in Canada for a very short period of time and are in the same pool of candidates that have been in Canada for generations. Just because York does not let as many international students because they do not want to gouge graduate students out of money is not an indicator of xenephobia. Do you really think the universities that admit tons of international students and charge them $40,000-50,000 a year are doing it for altruistic purposes? foucaultmania 1
civicblade Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Does paying the full tuition fees help with easing the negative sentiment? I'm an international master student enrolling in UBC's professional master program. The professional master's fee is double that of the research based Master of Science program. Canadians may want to think about some segment of international students who actually have a net positive contribution to Canadian's economy and the graduate studies sphere. I will have to spend $60000+ for a year of stay in Vancouver for my master program if accepted. I have saved for 10 years in order to fund my master program plan (in North America). Will I be welcomed? Or should I consider USA instead (everything is cheaper even in California)?
RosamundReage Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Does paying the full tuition fees help with easing the negative sentiment? I'm an international master student enrolling in UBC's professional master program. The professional master's fee is double that of the research based Master of Science program. Canadians may want to think about some segment of international students who actually have a net positive contribution to Canadian's economy and the graduate studies sphere. I will have to spend $60000+ for a year of stay in Vancouver for my master program if accepted. I have saved for 10 years in order to fund my master program plan (in North America). Will I be welcomed? Or should I consider USA instead (everything is cheaper even in California)? Of course you will be welcomed in Canada. While no country is perfect one of the tenets of Canadian society in multiculturalism and overt racism that is often found in our neighbours to the south is not tolerated and often criminal as hate speech/propaganda is outlawed. Even though it is wikipedia this article describes how hate speech is prosecuted in Canada unlike the US (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech_laws_in_Canada) Universities in Canada charge more for international students because they do not get funding from the government not because of racism (sort of explained above). Even though they do charge more it is not as much as American schools and you can see on here many American students come to Canada to save money. I am not sure where you are getting your information but I think it is rather unlikely that an American school will charge you less. You should also see about scholarships for international students, there are quite a few. There is a lot of misinformation on this thread regarding international students in Canada and I would do some more research before I would believe it.
civicblade Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) I meant to say that living expenses are cheaper in California and Washingston compared to Vancouver. To put the record straight, tuition fees (full fees) in British Columbia are loer than most Universities (that I have considered) in the US (Sorry if I may have convey the wrong message in my previous post). The issue is, after adding all expenses on a 1 year program (rent, food, entertainment, transport.. etc). The difference in cost of living overrides the savings from the lower tuition fees (tuition fees difference between US and BC University is around C$6000 per year). Yes, almost everything is cheaper in US than Canada (other than tuition fees). The estimated cost of living for a year (including tuition and for a couple) in California is US$50000 and in BC, it is C$60000. I'm not going for any scholarship as I am enrolling in a professional master program and I am not from a developing country so I believe the scholarship will be put to better use for other international students. I will be trying for some teacher assistant schemes as I believe my 10 years of work experience is something worthwhile to share with undergraduate students. I am happy to know that I will be welcomed if I decides to enrol in UBC. Edited March 21, 2012 by civicblade
RosamundReage Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) I meant to say that living expenses are cheaper in California and Washingston compared to Vancouver. To put the record straight, tuition fees (full fees) in British Columbia are loer than most Universities (that I have considered) in the US (Sorry if I may have convey the wrong message in my previous post). The issue is, after adding all expenses on a 1 year program (rent, food, entertainment, transport.. etc). The difference in cost of living overrides the savings from the lower tuition fees (tuition fees difference between US and BC University is around C$6000 per year). Yes, almost everything is cheaper in US than Canada (other than tuition fees). The estimated cost of living for a year (including tuition and for a couple) in California is US$50000 and in BC, it is C$60000. I'm not going for any scholarship as I am enrolling in a professional master program and I am not from a developing country so I believe the scholarship will be put to better use for other international students. I will be trying for some teacher assistant schemes as I believe my 10 years of work experience is something worthwhile to share with undergraduate students. I am happy to know that I will be welcomed if I decides to enrol in UBC. Yes, Vancouver is pretty expensive I think even more expensive than Toronto by some counts. Big American cities like NYC still cost a lot more to live in though. I know in my program international students all have lucrative TAships, but we also all have guaranteed funding. Professional degrees can be tricky because they may not feed an undergrad program that needs TAs, but I think the school will probably try to work with you if are accepted. You could also contact any professors you would like to work with and see if they have research positions available. Good Luck! Edited March 21, 2012 by RosamundReage
juleswoodson Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I'm usually just an observer on these boards, but this xenophobia topic is too tempting to resist... hahah I'm currently a student at York University and I'm starting my PhD in the Political Science department in the fall. While I understand the frustration of having been denied entry into the program, I think a number of people have contributed reasonable explanations for why this is not a case of xenophobia. The truth of the matter is that York's Political Science department accepts 2 international students into its graduate program. That is, 1 international student for the MA, and 1 for the PhD. The competition for these spots is incredibly intense, especially for the PhD. If you want a little free advice, if you want to pursue graduate work at York, your best bet is to apply to the MA as an international student. This way, when you apply for the PhD, you are applying as an internal student, and all your references will be from York professors. Look at the bright side: at least you weren't foolish enough to apply, much less accept admission into York's Social and Political Thought program... If you think it's bad being rejected for Political Science, imagine how terrible it would be to be accepted into Social and Political Thought! It would mean years doing a PhD only to graduate with the worst job prospects imaginable (interdisciplinary theory..haha) In all seriousness, put the xenophobia remarks aside, and apply to the MA program next year. That's some stellar advice, if I can say so myself! appleandpear 1
SeeYouSoon Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 For those accepted to NPSIA (congratulations to us!!) in the email I received it noted that if you wanted further info on funding send an email to the address provided. I did that and got a response back right away about my funding, which I'm really happy with. I've heard from friends who've gotten in that $2,500 is the standard offer, so anything above that feels lovely.
history_reader Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I have just been accepted into PhD program for the faculty of information at the University of Toronto.
ksalsera Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Been offfered $3000 for 1st year at NPSIA. I was expecting it to be more than that. No offer on a TAship?! Does anyone mind sharing their funding package?
wjm252 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 For those accepted to NPSIA (congratulations to us!!) in the email I received it noted that if you wanted further info on funding send an email to the address provided. I did that and got a response back right away about my funding, which I'm really happy with. I've heard from friends who've gotten in that $2,500 is the standard offer, so anything above that feels lovely. Thanks for the info, I just emailed as well and was told Im being offered $10,000 for the 1st year, nothing guaranteed for the 2nd. While I know NPSIA is the more 'prestigious' program, UOttawa offered me $31,000 over 2 years (their minimum funding) for the Globalization and Int'l Dev't program. Now I'm torn! Funding is pretty important to me as I'm coming right out of my undergrad, have no savings and still have debt to pay off, but I hate making such an important decision based on money. I'm not complaining, this is a very good problem to have!! I am super excited either way, just indecisive! Any advice?
pitypie Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Been offfered $3000 for 1st year at NPSIA. I was expecting it to be more than that. No offer on a TAship?! Does anyone mind sharing their funding package? I'm so glad someone else posted this; I'm only being offered $5000 for first year. I wasn't expecting buckets of money, but really?! The decision is made tough, though, since it's such a good school. Is it possible for funding to change, as people accept/reject?
bentharbour Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) I assume that the funding package you are all speaking of (2000-5000) is the amount given to you by the DEPARTMENT via scholarship. Once the FGPA approves your admission, I am assuming they will contact you with the decisions regarding TAships and additional scholarships. However, I have no verification for this statement and I could most definitely be incorrect. Edited March 21, 2012 by bentharbour
icarus99 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Thanks for the info, I just emailed as well and was told Im being offered $10,000 for the 1st year, nothing guaranteed for the 2nd. While I know NPSIA is the more 'prestigious' program, UOttawa offered me $31,000 over 2 years (their minimum funding) for the Globalization and Int'l Dev't program. Now I'm torn! Funding is pretty important to me as I'm coming right out of my undergrad, have no savings and still have debt to pay off, but I hate making such an important decision based on money. I'm not complaining, this is a very good problem to have!! I am super excited either way, just indecisive! Any advice? First of all, congratulations!!! that is huge! Second of all, if I were in your position, I think I would evaluate one more thing beyond money or prestige: what is it that you actually want to study? Ottawa U's program is definitely different than Carleton's so take a look at that and see what both programs offer in terms of classes, research opportunities, and how they all fit with your area of interest. While money is very important, you may find that Carleton fits better with where you want your research to go. The same may happen with Ottawa U. While you may be dazzled by Carleton's prestige, you may find that Ottawa U offers you more in terms of being a more focused program in International Development. They seem to have courses that are more tailored to international development specifically while Carleton's are a bit more generic (this is from reading the course descriptions, so it is a subjective opinion, not the absolute truth!) Or you may find that Carleton's courses/possibilities for research are more closely aligned with what you're looking for and you may have to sacrifice money in that scenario... I'd say take some time to look at your options and decide what you wanna do. Both programs are really strong and offer co-op opportunities and funding, so it's a matter of deciding what works best for you. Good luck! and let us know what you decide on!
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