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Waiting it Out on Canadian Universities - 2012


NoMoreABD

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Funding is rare for masters students in Canada, and even rarer for those who are also international students. Most of the funding in Canadian universities is channeled into the doctoral level. I hope you are not expecting much funding at the master's level.

Definitely field specific. Almost all engineering Master's degrees are funded (unless they are course based only)

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Ditto on the "no funding = dealbreaker" front. I got my MA in the Social Science field and pulled down a similar deal as you two (tuition plus 14K for the year); plus I received an additional 6K in bursaries/scholarships. I managed to live contently in Toronto on that amount. I am a Canadian citizen, however, and couldn't speak to offers for international students.

*drools* God damn that's nice for an MA.

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Funding is rare for masters students in Canada, and even rarer for those who are also international students. Most of the funding in Canadian universities is channeled into the doctoral level. I hope you are not expecting much funding at the master's level.

The Canadian government cut humanities funding this year by quite a bit, so some programs/schools are being hit pretty hard. However, I just received an offer of $12,000 for an MA, so all hope is not yet lost.

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*drools* God damn that's nice for an MA.

DustSNK! I feel as though this is a teaching moment!

My MA institution took good care of me on the funding package front, no argument there!

I want to emphasize the difference that the bursary-snagging made, and the effort involved therein. This uni ranked very well nationally for provision of scholarships/bursaries; this is information that you can find out before you accept an offer, if you do some research. I never EXPECTED (i.e. budgeted with the assumption of) bursary windfall outside of my guarnteed funding (and I would advise others to do the same), BUT, I figured that these funding provisions were indicative of strong student support and this factored into my decision to attend.

The thing about the scholarships is, that while many are merit-based and context-specific, the BEST thing that you can do for yourself is get bloody organized and apply to everything! There are bursaries and scholarships for BOTH your department and for grad students in general and you need to be your own advocate to find out about them, and then apply for them right away!

I think that students underutilize these because it is difficult to by hyper-aware of these opportunities and to feel WORTHY of them when they are in the midst of one of the more stressful, time-consuming and humbling periods, entrance into grad school!

So, yeah, three things then, if you'd like to replicate my experience:

- The timelines can be sucky, adjust and act accordingly. Some deadlines for apps are in September, when maybe you are only a week or two into your studies... some are in the summer, before classes even start! No one will prod you to remember, figure out the timelines, write it all down and don't let them slip by! Also, many bursary applications take MONTHS to process and get back to you, don't be discouraged by that. I found that it was helpful to my mindset if I always had at least one bursary app that was "out there" and "under review".

- Any amount of money is worth it! That 6K I told you about? It was comprised of about dozen awards, most in the $200 range (some merit, some financial need, some just general). Grad school can kind of put your fiscal perspective out of whack. This is extra discouraging for applicantions that seem to want a lot, when you're feeling like you don't have a lot to give ("This bursary wants 2 hours of my life AND and essay for a shot at $150, F that noise, $150 MIGHT get me a textbook and a pizza..."). Don't fall for it! It's still worth it! As you do more apps, you become more adept at it. It takes less time overall and your essays become more persuasive (and your success rate climbs)! As well, you can start tacking merit-based stuff on your CV! Grant writing is a required skill for long-term stays or careers in academia, here you have a chance to cultivate it!

- Use bursary/scholarship money to get more bursary/scholarship money! Here's a winning strategy that I found while entrenched in these applications: Apply to all of the bursaries/scholarships -> get one -> use money to buy nice blouse and attend academic conference -> get re-imbursed for conference by Department/Graduate Association -> apply anything extra to living expenses -> incorporate conference experience into current CV and bursary/scholarship app -> apply to all of the bursaries/scholarships... and repeat!

HTH! There's money out there, go and get it!

Edited by surefire
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DustSNK! I feel as though this is a teaching moment!

My MA institution took good care of me on the funding package front, no argument there!

I want to emphasize the difference that the bursary-snagging made, and the effort involved therein. This uni ranked very well nationally for provision of scholarships/bursaries; this is information that you can find out before you accept an offer, if you do some research. I never EXPECTED (i.e. budgeted with the assumption of) bursary windfall outside of my guarnteed funding (and I would advise others to do the same), BUT, I figured that these funding provisions were indicative of strong student support and this factored into my decision to attend.

The thing about the scholarships is, that while many are merit-based and context-specific, the BEST thing that you can do for yourself is get bloody organized and apply to everything! There are bursaries and scholarships for BOTH your department and for grad students in general and you need to be your own advocate to find out about them, and then apply for them right away!

I think that students underutilize these because it is difficult to by hyper-aware of these opportunities and to feel WORTHY of them when they are in the midst of one of the more stressful, time-consuming and humbling periods, entrance into grad school!

So, yeah, three things then, if you'd like to replicate my experience:

- The timelines can be sucky, adjust and act accordingly. Some deadlines for apps are in September, when maybe you are only a week or two into your studies... some are in the summer, before classes even start! No one will prod you to remember, figure out the timelines, write it all down and don't let them slip by! Also, many bursary applications take MONTHS to process and get back to you, don't be discouraged by that. I found that it was helpful to my mindset if I always had at least one bursary app that was "out there" and "under review".

- Any amount of money is worth it! That 6K I told you about? It was comprised of about dozen awards, most in the $200 range (some merit, some financial need, some just general). Grad school can kind of put your fiscal perspective out of whack. This is extra discouraging for applicantions that seem to want a lot, when you're feeling like you don't have a lot to give ("This bursary wants 2 hours of my life AND and essay for a shot at $150, F that noise, $150 MIGHT get me a textbook and a pizza..."). Don't fall for it! It's still worth it! As you do more apps, you become more adept at it. It takes less time overall and your essays become more persuasive (and your success rate climbs)! As well, you can start tacking merit-based stuff on your CV! Grant writing is a required skill for long-term stays or careers in academia, here you have a chance to cultivate it!

- Use bursary/scholarship money to get more bursary/scholarship money! Here's a winning strategy that I found while entrenched in these applications: Apply to all of the bursaries/scholarships -> get one -> use money to buy nice blouse and attend academic conference -> get re-imbursed for conference by Department/Graduate Association -> apply anything extra to living expenses -> incorporate conference experience into current CV and bursary/scholarship app -> apply to all of the bursaries/scholarships... and repeat!

HTH! There's money out there, go and get it!

Ahh this is great advice, you're always very helpful ^____^ I'm just worried about being an international student! At least from what I have seen, there isn't too much for me to apply for. Sucks. It has gotten to the point where my fiance and I (I'm American she is Canadian) have thought about doing a court house wedding and not waiting for a ceremony with family and so on JUST because I would save a hell of a lot of money if I was a permanent resident before going to school. But unfortunately it kinda takes the romance out of doing a shotgun wedding, but if I don't get in this cycle we will have to. It makes it sound sketchy, but for perspective (the figures I've worked out) I would save about 20k+$ if I were a permanent resident. I talked to most departments, have been seeing as 12-15k$ range for funding. No tuition waver though. I think once I get the MA, I am going to do as you say and go ape shit on the $ apps, and apply to everything I find for PhD.

Edited by DustSNK
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I got my acceptance to SFU's Philosophy MA on the 4th of this month, and from Waterloo on the 13th. Waitlist for Dal arrived on the 16th, still waiting for word from U of A.

... and I broke down tonight and e-mailed U of A. Which was ultimately a weird thing to do, because they were a backup to SFU.

EDIT: Because it can matter for admissions decisions: I applied with interests in metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of language. My writing sample was on modal epistemology. I say that this can matter for admissions decisions because it can be the case that universities are looking to admit students in specific areas -- for instance, I got an e-mail forwarded to me from York (I believe) saying that they were looking for MA students interested in feminist philosophy.

Wow -- that was fast from SFU. I am still waiting to hear, though I applied to their Specialized MA program as I'm probably more political science-y than anything else. I applied with interest in political philosophy/political theory.

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Ahh this is great advice, you're always very helpful ^____^ I'm just worried about being an international student! At least from what I have seen, there isn't too much for me to apply for. Sucks. It has gotten to the point where my fiance and I (I'm American she is Canadian) have thought about doing a court house wedding and not waiting for a ceremony with family and so on JUST because I would save a hell of a lot of money if I was a permanent resident before going to school. But unfortunately it kinda takes the romance out of doing a shotgun wedding, but if I don't get in this cycle we will have to. It makes it sound sketchy, but for perspective (the figures I've worked out) I would save about 20k+$ if I were a permanent resident. I talked to most departments, have been seeing as 12-15k$ range for funding. No tuition waver though. I think once I get the MA, I am going to do as you say and go ape shit on the $ apps, and apply to everything I find for PhD.

You're welcome! It's nice to get props!

Congrats on your engagement; funny enough, I'm in a similar situation. My partner in crime in from the U.K., and I'm Canadian. The citizenship/broke student issues have caused us to ruminate on possibly eloping (ha!, we'll see). I know that this is not the advice that you came for, but I hope that you make the wedding-related decision that best represents YOU TWO, together. I think that the pragmatics of your musings doesn't kill the romance, I think that it illustrates your dedication to each others' goals (shot gun weddings and eloping or tiny ceremonies can be romantic; check out: http://offbeatbride.com/ for some ideas).

ANYWAY, my partner's predicament is a little different as he has lived in Canada long enough to duck international student fees (he falls into the "permanent resident" category). However, because he is not a citizen, his eligibility for the major scholarships is weak. This is good news for YOU, DustSNK, because I've got an arsenal of International Student resources lodged in my frugal little mind.

Most major Canadian government scholarships are a no-go for you, with the notable exception of the Trudeau Scholarships

http://www.trudeaufoundation.ca/program/scholarships

25% of these puppies are awarded annually to international students.

Government of Canada International Scholarship listing is here:

http://www.scholarships-bourses.gc.ca/scholarships-bourses/index.aspx?view=d

Composition of quicklinks at Study Canada, also developed by the government:

http://www.studycanada.ca/english/index.htm

Finally, this fun guide from the Canadian Association of Grad Studies has a nice comprehensive resource list in the appendix A:

http://www.gradschool.utoronto.ca/Assets/GradSchool+Digital+Assets/Graduate+School/PDFs/CAGS+Handbook.pdf

I'm not sure which of those have international student eligibility, but it's worth a perusal (the rest of the guide is good too!).

Good luck, I hope that you get what you want this cycle!

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You're welcome! It's nice to get props!

Congrats on your engagement; funny enough, I'm in a similar situation. My partner in crime in from the U.K., and I'm Canadian. The citizenship/broke student issues have caused us to ruminate on possibly eloping (ha!, we'll see). I know that this is not the advice that you came for, but I hope that you make the wedding-related decision that best represents YOU TWO, together. I think that the pragmatics of your musings doesn't kill the romance, I think that it illustrates your dedication to each others' goals (shot gun weddings and eloping or tiny ceremonies can be romantic; check out: http://offbeatbride.com/ for some ideas).

ANYWAY, my partner's predicament is a little different as he has lived in Canada long enough to duck international student fees (he falls into the "permanent resident" category). However, because he is not a citizen, his eligibility for the major scholarships is weak. This is good news for YOU, DustSNK, because I've got an arsenal of International Student resources lodged in my frugal little mind.

Most major Canadian government scholarships are a no-go for you, with the notable exception of the Trudeau Scholarships

http://www.trudeaufo...am/scholarships

25% of these puppies are awarded annually to international students.

Government of Canada International Scholarship listing is here:

http://www.scholarsh...dex.aspx?view=d

Composition of quicklinks at Study Canada, also developed by the government:

http://www.studycana...glish/index.htm

Finally, this fun guide from the Canadian Association of Grad Studies has a nice comprehensive resource list in the appendix A:

http://www.gradschoo...GS+Handbook.pdf

I'm not sure which of those have international student eligibility, but it's worth a perusal (the rest of the guide is good too!).

Good luck, I hope that you get what you want this cycle!

You is God!!!!!!!! Thanks thanks thanks!! I really hope you are still at U of T when I apply in a few years haha. You're right it is what only works for us and us alone. As long as she is happy I don't care how a wedding goes down, but I'll hold out for a lil longer to appease the traditional aspect of her family. Worst part is, your app for permanent residency usually takes almost 2 years to go though.... no work no school :( The trials of international love!!!! ;) We met working abroad and I moved from around NYC to the border, so I'm itching to start a future in Canada. Thanks for the well-wishes about getting in, I busted my ass doing a lot of non-degree graduate work to show I mean business so I hope it pays off.

Edited by DustSNK
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You're welcome! It's nice to get props!

Congrats on your engagement; funny enough, I'm in a similar situation. My partner in crime in from the U.K., and I'm Canadian. The citizenship/broke student issues have caused us to ruminate on possibly eloping (ha!, we'll see). I know that this is not the advice that you came for, but I hope that you make the wedding-related decision that best represents YOU TWO, together. I think that the pragmatics of your musings doesn't kill the romance, I think that it illustrates your dedication to each others' goals (shot gun weddings and eloping or tiny ceremonies can be romantic; check out: http://offbeatbride.com/ for some ideas).

ANYWAY, my partner's predicament is a little different as he has lived in Canada long enough to duck international student fees (he falls into the "permanent resident" category). However, because he is not a citizen, his eligibility for the major scholarships is weak. This is good news for YOU, DustSNK, because I've got an arsenal of International Student resources lodged in my frugal little mind.

Most major Canadian government scholarships are a no-go for you, with the notable exception of the Trudeau Scholarships

http://www.trudeaufo...am/scholarships

25% of these puppies are awarded annually to international students.

Government of Canada International Scholarship listing is here:

http://www.scholarsh...dex.aspx?view=d

Composition of quicklinks at Study Canada, also developed by the government:

http://www.studycana...glish/index.htm

Finally, this fun guide from the Canadian Association of Grad Studies has a nice comprehensive resource list in the appendix A:

http://www.gradschoo...GS+Handbook.pdf

I'm not sure which of those have international student eligibility, but it's worth a perusal (the rest of the guide is good too!).

Good luck, I hope that you get what you want this cycle!

BTW thanx for the wedding site, I was actually talking about trying to find something like this a few days ago. To not spend thousands on useless stuff when you can be creative :)

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Worst part is, your app for permanent residency usually takes almost 2 years to go though.... no work no school :( The trials of international love!!!! ;)

This is false. I just sponsored my wife for permanent residency. The entire process from start to finish took a little under six months. The key is to apply externally and not internally -- and also, hire an immigration lawyer. It is absolutely worth the expense.

The only way that I can see a PR application taking two years is if your spouse is from an extremely underdeveloped country. PM me for more information on spousal sponsorship, if you need. I've gone through just about every immigration headache you can imagine trying to obtain my wife's PR. But it will not take two years to process. Whomever told you that is silly.

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This is false. I just sponsored my wife for permanent residency. The entire process from start to finish took a little under six months. The key is to apply externally and not internally -- and also, hire an immigration lawyer. It is absolutely worth the expense.

The only way that I can see a PR application taking two years is if your spouse is from an extremely underdeveloped country. PM me for more information on spousal sponsorship, if you need. I've gone through just about every immigration headache you can imagine trying to obtain my wife's PR. But it will not take two years to process. Whomever told you that is silly.

Ah the external application! Everyone I know did it ONCE they were married in CAN. I'll PM you.
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Yeaaaa it is a real bitch getting into a Canadian school, but much more worth it in my opinion. Do not feel bad though about the funding. FASFA does not tie over into graduate studies, so you can't even get it if you were to apply to an American school. The big problem I have seen is that as international students from America, it is hard to compete with others and you are put into a special pool when the departments needs to decide who to pick (again all I know is Sociology programs). Like our BA degree is the = of Canadian Honors degree, at least on paper. What hurts us American applicants in this situation is that we don't have to do an honor thesis for many programs in the arts. Take a British applicant, they have to do an honor thesis which then they could submit for publication and do a conference on. It is VERYYYYYY hard to compete with an applicant like that where to do that in the states, you have to go that extra mile. My back story, I went to a community college then to university. I was only at my university for 3 semesters (minus summer courses and study abroad). I didn't get a chance to get close to professors or take time to write a big paper that could be published. Just a heads up, if you haven't already done those things that make you stand out and show you are serious I would if applications don't go your way this time around.

Now for the scary warning that was said about getting into Canada lol. It is true, drastic but very true. I have a friend who had a ticket for whatever is below a DUI in California. Happened years ago, he was really stupid and young. I wanted him to come visit me and my fiance but he was told he wont be allowed into the country, just for a visit! Even if you have speeding tickets, it could create problems driving into the country or around it. They take it seriously. Also you have to prove you have enough money for your studies. I think you need about 25-30k in a bank account before you apply. That is a big deal for a lot of people to have that much. What you can do is if you get accepted and apply for the visa,you can get one of your parents to sponsor you and then show their copies of bank account and work stubs. Also if you get a funding package, make sure you also get it in writing and you can factor that in as well.

All in all it is worth it in my opinion. Lots of hoops but to live and study in Ontario I think it is fine to do all that. PM me is you have any questions, I have been researching this for the last year >_<

So basically, you are awesome :ph34r: :ph34r: :ph34r: :ph34r: :ph34r: :ph34r: !!! Many thanks!!!!

NK

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Has anyone heard anything from McGill or UBC.... I have applied to both schools for the counseling psyc phd and I am one for calling and just knowing straight up where I stand.... Both universities, more McGill than UBC (since it is their policy, written in red, to send out notification during the first week of March) have told me to chillax and wait until the first week of March.... It has been my experience, from plenty of other universities who have rejected me, that that is also a better way of saying "you have been rejected, but I don't really want to tell you over the phone so wait until you get it in writing and please stop calling me, because you are making me uncomfortable".... Any thoughts/insights/feelings would be much appreciated....

Many thanks,

NK

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Has anyone heard anything from McGill or UBC.... I have applied to both schools for the counseling psyc phd and I am one for calling and just knowing straight up where I stand.... Both universities, more McGill than UBC (since it is their policy, written in red, to send out notification during the first week of March) have told me to chillax and wait until the first week of March.... It has been my experience, from plenty of other universities who have rejected me, that that is also a better way of saying "you have been rejected, but I don't really want to tell you over the phone so wait until you get it in writing and please stop calling me, because you are making me uncomfortable".... Any thoughts/insights/feelings would be much appreciated....

Many thanks,

NK

I think I have seen some McGill and UBC acceptances on her already the past week. DON'T worry exactly yet. I'd say you are rejected when you get the notice. Until then lots of things can happen, like people not accepting then you get looked at again maybe. Although those are some top notch schools, ESP McGill. But you don't know whats going on until it is over, cross your fingers!

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DustSNK! I feel as though this is a teaching moment!

My MA institution took good care of me on the funding package front, no argument there!

I want to emphasize the difference that the bursary-snagging made, and the effort involved therein. This uni ranked very well nationally for provision of scholarships/bursaries; this is information that you can find out before you accept an offer, if you do some research. I never EXPECTED (i.e. budgeted with the assumption of) bursary windfall outside of my guarnteed funding (and I would advise others to do the same), BUT, I figured that these funding provisions were indicative of strong student support and this factored into my decision to attend.

The thing about the scholarships is, that while many are merit-based and context-specific, the BEST thing that you can do for yourself is get bloody organized and apply to everything! There are bursaries and scholarships for BOTH your department and for grad students in general and you need to be your own advocate to find out about them, and then apply for them right away!

I think that students underutilize these because it is difficult to by hyper-aware of these opportunities and to feel WORTHY of them when they are in the midst of one of the more stressful, time-consuming and humbling periods, entrance into grad school!

So, yeah, three things then, if you'd like to replicate my experience:

- The timelines can be sucky, adjust and act accordingly. Some deadlines for apps are in September, when maybe you are only a week or two into your studies... some are in the summer, before classes even start! No one will prod you to remember, figure out the timelines, write it all down and don't let them slip by! Also, many bursary applications take MONTHS to process and get back to you, don't be discouraged by that. I found that it was helpful to my mindset if I always had at least one bursary app that was "out there" and "under review".

- Any amount of money is worth it! That 6K I told you about? It was comprised of about dozen awards, most in the $200 range (some merit, some financial need, some just general). Grad school can kind of put your fiscal perspective out of whack. This is extra discouraging for applicantions that seem to want a lot, when you're feeling like you don't have a lot to give ("This bursary wants 2 hours of my life AND and essay for a shot at $150, F that noise, $150 MIGHT get me a textbook and a pizza..."). Don't fall for it! It's still worth it! As you do more apps, you become more adept at it. It takes less time overall and your essays become more persuasive (and your success rate climbs)! As well, you can start tacking merit-based stuff on your CV! Grant writing is a required skill for long-term stays or careers in academia, here you have a chance to cultivate it!

- Use bursary/scholarship money to get more bursary/scholarship money! Here's a winning strategy that I found while entrenched in these applications: Apply to all of the bursaries/scholarships -> get one -> use money to buy nice blouse and attend academic conference -> get re-imbursed for conference by Department/Graduate Association -&gt; apply anything extra to living expenses -> incorporate conference experience into current CV and bursary/scholarship app -> apply to all of the bursaries/scholarships... and repeat!

HTH! There's money out there, go and get it!

Again, I wanted to thank you for this advice; there wasn't much at my extremely poor school on this front for grad students (though I'm beginning to realize I was pretty lucky to get a funded MA/other perks) but it is really good advice for people going into new programs, and a very good reminder to me as to what to research as I (hopefully) decide between schools. :)

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Again, I wanted to thank you for this advice; there wasn't much at my extremely poor school on this front for grad students (though I'm beginning to realize I was pretty lucky to get a funded MA/other perks) but it is really good advice for people going into new programs, and a very good reminder to me as to what to research as I (hopefully) decide between schools. :)

Surefire has been gold, it's nice to get advice and helpfulness with all the chaos and competition on the other boards.

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Anyone hear from Western Ontario Journalism?

Hey, I received an acceptance from Westerns journalism program on Feb. 9th I got an extension to the deadline until March 12th, but I don't think I will hear from any other schools by then. They require a tuition deposit and if you do not accept by then they offer the spot to someone else. Sorry about typos... I'm on my iPod.

Edited by Britneyl
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Hi guys! First and foremost, congrats to those that have gotten acceptance letters and to all those who have contributed to this forum! It definitely makes the wait a little bit better!

Just a quick question: I checked the Results Survey but there is nothing about dates for decisions at Dalhousie's MA International Development program. Does anyone know when letters start coming out?

I looked at other MA programs I applied to and it seems that in the past, letters have come out mid-March at the earliest for all of them, so just wondering if that's typical for MA programs. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

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Hey, I received an acceptance from Westerns journalism program on Feb. 9th I got an extension to the deadline until March 12th, but I don't think I will hear from any other schools by then. They require a tuition deposit and if you do not accept by then they offer the spot to someone else. Sorry about typos... I'm on my iPod.

Congrats, I guess I didn't get in then :(

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^ Wow I applied there too, and haven't heard back yet.. I thought I would have by now. I actually completely forgot that the program starts early too. That sucks.

It was actually my last choice, but still... if I don't get in there, where will I get in?! :|

By the way you guys, don't our letters come pretty late? Like.. March/April/May (even)-ish? We had to apply by february, which is fairly late, so wouldn't it take longer than a month to hear back?

Edited by laviola
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