NPSIA 2015 Fall Applicants

[7alima7]

I have a CGPA of 3.7, with a 3.8 in my specialization (history of international relations). I also have a 3.9 in my first term of a research MA that I'm doing this year.  As such, I'm a teaching assistant currently, and I've been a research assistant for two separate professors for 3 years. I did an undergraduate thesis, which at my school only 1-4 students per year are allowed to do,  and I hold 3 publications in peer reviewed journals (2 book reviews, to be fair), as well as 4 conference presentations, and being conference director at my school's graduate conference this year. Tack on a few leadership/research scholarships from excessive involvement in student government, and it looks like a lot more than it is. I also wrote a very, very pointed SOP on an esoteric (though very topical) issue that I want to research next year, and eventually work with.

Don't get discouraged just because you weren't notified yet, first round isn't finished, and schools usually do multiple rounds of acceptances.

 

Hi Kamins0d, very impressive! If you don't mind me asking, are you already in your second year at NPSIA? Or is the research MA that you're doing now elsewhere?

[tigersjaw]

Hey everyone,

 

I have also been following along with the posts and not actually posting anything. Unfortunately, I have not heard anything yet. My application status says "Recommended for Assessment"... as it has for the past 2 weeks. I am starting to get pretty discouraged and wondering if there is anyone out there in the same boat as me?

 

For those of you that did receive admission, would you mind sharing your educational background/experience/GPA? I'm curious to see what it is that my application might be lacking. 

 

And of course a big congratulations to everyone who has been accepted to NPSIA!

Hi mmm22,

I have a 3.83 CGPA in a poli sci degree. I have no relevant experience, though i did have some minor volunteer work throughout my undergrad. I explained why I lacked experience in my SOP though (working 25 hrs a week and finished undergrad in 3 years), and even though I mentioned I would like to do coursework, I explained previous area's of academic interest and my desire to participate in the coop program. As well, I am confident that I had strong letters of recommendation from two well-respected profs who know me fairly well. Compared to everyone else's experience, I am now even more surprised I was accepted though haha

Edited March 12, 2015 by tigersjaw

[tigersjaw]

Hi Tigersjaw,

 

I am a Carleton Alumni so I'm familiar with some of the areas you might be interested in. I lived in the South Keys area, which is on the O-Train line (the train that runs right through Carleton Campus). I think it's a particularly good area due to it's proximity to Loblaws, Walmart, clothing stores, Bank Street, a bunch of parks and best of all, it's affordable. As you might expect, it is a little far from Downtown Ottawa, however, it's close to the airport.

 

To summarize - its a great price-conscious, safe and convenient area. It's not great if you're looking to enjoy Ottawa night life or working downtown/Parliament. 

 

 

Nice, I'm also from Edmonton!

I live off-campus in the Billings Bridge area, along Bank Street. There's a big transit centre at Billings Bridge Mall which has good connections. Anywhere along the Transitway is good (the buildings near Smyth station are pretty decent). Old Ottawa South is close to Carleton, as is the Glebe, both of which are good for basement suites. Further out you could look in South Keys (O-Train access at Greensboro station), Mooney's Bay, or Hog's Back, which have a mix of apartments/houses/suites for rent. These are more affordable, but transit can take a little longer.

I should note that Carleton is only served by 3 bus routes, the 4, 7, and 111 plus the O-Train.

Thank you both for the help! Now that I've been accepted, my worries have shifted to how/where I'm going to move haha. Archie1991, good to hear from a fellow Edmontonian! I've lived in the Garneau area throughout my undergrad degree at the U of A and absolutely loved it, any area's similar or equivalent in Ottawa to look in to, or does you last post about cover it?

Edited March 12, 2015 by tigersjaw

[Archie1991]

Thank you both for the help! Now that I've been accepted, my worries have shifted to how/where I'm going to move haha. Archie1991, good to hear from a fellow Edmontonian! I've lived in the Garneau area throughout my undergrad degree at the U of A and absolutely loved it, any area's similar or equivalent in Ottawa to look in to, or does you last post about cover it?

If you're looking for something with a Garneau-vibe, I'd definitely recommend focusing on the Glebe/Ottawa South, right around Bank Street. Lots of small shops and pubs around there.

[Kamins0d]

Hi Kamins0d, very impressive! If you don't mind me asking, are you already in your second year at NPSIA? Or is the research MA that you're doing now elsewhere?

 

 

I'm doing a research MA at Western this year. I received a funding package I couldn't turn down, which has allowed me to put serious dents into my student loans. So I took a year to go to my fallback, receive a "free" MA, and reduce my student loans by about a third while they're still interest free. 

[MenthoLyptus]

This might be a shocker to a few but I thought I'd share my stats so people won't be so intimidated. I got my unofficial acceptance the other day, but I'll have to turn it down because I got admitted to GSPIA early February with a full scholarship and the deadline for me to accept was on March 4, which I did. Unless NPSIA gives me a more generous offer, I don't think I'll be changing my mind. I figure that once co-op season comes, the bilingual program at GSPIA will help me and the smaller cohort allows me to get to know my professors better. Having taken the most prestigious option during undergrad and forgoing the full scholarship that a different school offered me back then, I can say that it hasn't helped me much in the workplace but the student loans that I took on to be able to say that I went to a prestigious school and went into a competitive program affects me and influences my life choices now.

 

My CGPA is 3.43, Final two years is about 3.65? I'm not too sure. Never published, but participated in one small conference. Got a few scholarships and an award. I wasn't really involved in extracurriculars, but I was an executive member of a co-curricular. I never really travelled, I couldn't afford it and my personal circumstances prevented me from doing so. But if it's something, I'm a naturalized Canadian citizen (meaning that I wasn't born here). I have been doing full time policy work with various government departments for a few years. I have great references with profs who I've worked with and know me well on a personal basis, so it helps to have good people rooting for me.

 

I'm mostly typing this out just because when I was younger I felt so discouraged when I saw other people's stats and I hope that people in my situation don't feel discouraged from applying just because they don't think that they have everything that they think is necessary to get into a competitive program.

Edited March 12, 2015 by MenthoLyptus

[mango321]

Hi Everyone!

 

A few days ago I was unofficially accepted into both NPSIA and GSPIA, now I'm waiting to see if I will be offered any funding from either program before making my decision! Now I can finally plan my life around moving to Ottawa (I'm from BC).

 

I am happily surprised to have been accepted, since I was a science (biology) major, with a GPA of 6.5/9. But I do have a lot of relevant work and volunteer experience, including two internships in Africa, and a year of working in South Korea. The hardest part of the application was writing the SOP, since I am used to science type writing, but I guess I wrote what they wanted!

 

Good luck to those waiting, more spots will open up as people make their decisions between programs! 

[mmm22]

Thanks everyone for responding, your feedback really helps me to gauge where I stand.

[myfirstgoose]

I got my official offer with funding and a TAship just now

[Kamins0d]

I got my official offer with funding and a TAship just now

 

Congratulations! How did you receive it? By mail, email, or phone?

[TC_ng]

I got my official offer with funding and a TAship just now

Hi, Mind sharing how much you got for each?

[myfirstgoose]

Sure. I received 17k in scholarships and awards and a TA position worth 10k.

I got an email saying to check my status.

I will be accepting my offer.

Good luck to everyone else!

Edited March 13, 2015 by myfirstgoose

[Lexxa]

Sure. I received 17k in scholarships and awards and a TA position worth 10k.

I got an email saying to check my status.

I will be accepting my offer.

Good luck to everyone else!

Holy Shmokes!  Big congratulations to you my friend!

 

I also applied to the JD-MA with OttawaU (like Lexxa) so I've been sitting on the edge of my chair waiting to hear about my status!! Thanks so much for sharing what Tabbatha said, won't have to bug her myself too Anyone else in the joint program waiting?

& congrats to all those that are in!

 

Tea, have you heard anything yet? I think it's just the two of us on here who have applied to the JD-MA. I, for one, am hopeful that it's an indication of less competition!

[myfirstgoose]

Holy Shmokes!  Big congratulations to you my friend!

 

Thanks, Lexxa! It was quite unexpected and definitely made my choice to attend Carleton easier.

 

I hope everyone else hears some good news soon!

[TC_ng]

Sure. I received 17k in scholarships and awards and a TA position worth 10k.

I got an email saying to check my status.

I will be accepting my offer.

Good luck to everyone else!

 

Is the scholarship contingent with maintaining a specific GPA throughout the program? I'm interested to know because I got admitted at U Sask with close to the scholarship amount you got under the condition that I maintain an A average. Does this apply to you as well? And how many hours per week are the TA duties? Are any of these funding renewable on your second year?

 

Sorry for asking too much questions. My status is still 'recommended for assessment'.  If I get accepted, choosing the school all boils down to the amount of funding for me.

 

Anyway, congrats and best of luck to you!

[Shebughe]

For those of you who were offered funding, did your offer include funding for multiple years or just 2015/16?

[myfirstgoose]

Is the scholarship contingent with maintaining a specific GPA throughout the program? I'm interested to know because I got admitted at U Sask with close to the scholarship amount you got under the condition that I maintain an A average. Does this apply to you as well? And how many hours per week are the TA duties? Are any of these funding renewable on your second year?

 

Sorry for asking too much questions. My status is still 'recommended for assessment'.  If I get accepted, choosing the school all boils down to the amount of funding for me.

 

Anyway, congrats and best of luck to you!

I didn't see anything about maintaining grades when I looked through the conditions.

TA duties seemed unclear at this point. Maybe one off the current NPSIA students can illuminate that.

About 13k was for the first year and was split across two semesters. Another award of 4k was split across the second year. I'm assuming that if your grades remain high you will be eligible for more awards.

The TA position is 5k per year and is for both years of the program.

If you have more questions holla at me.

[WhiteIR]

I didn't see anything about maintaining grades when I looked through the conditions.

TA duties seemed unclear at this point. Maybe one off the current NPSIA students can illuminate that.

About 13k was for the first year and was split across two semesters. Another award of 4k was split across the second year. I'm assuming that if your grades remain high you will be eligible for more awards.

The TA position is 5k per year and is for both years of the program.

If you have more questions holla at me.

are you sure you will only receive 5k/year as a TA? cause on the website it says its more than 10k per year. Similarly, i was offered TA position for another program at carleton and it was close to 11k/year

[myfirstgoose]

Yup!

5,144 per year

[oh chai oi]

myfirstgoose mind sharing your stats/background? curious to see what it took to get 17,000 funding (that is the highest I have seen posted anywhere for this program).

 

edit: and congrats, obviously. very impressed.

 

edit 2: and I'm with WhiteIR, the TA offer I have is split between Fall and Winter semesters, at 5,144 per term, so 10,288  for the year, and it is applicable for both years. Yours very well might be different, but I think that the TA fees at Carleton have been set in a previous collective bargaining agreement or something along those lines.

Edited March 14, 2015 by oh chai oi

[myfirstgoose]

myfirstgoose mind sharing your stats/background? curious to see what it took to get 17,000 funding (that is the highest I have seen posted anywhere for this program).

edit: and congrats, obviously. very impressed.

edit 2: and I'm with WhiteIR, the TA offer I have is split between Fall and Winter semesters, at 5,144 per term, so 10,288 for the year, and it is applicable for both years. Yours very well might be different, but I think that the TA fees at Carleton have been set in a previous collective bargaining agreement or something along those lines.

Hey there!

I have a 3.7 CGPA with a 3.9 in my joint honours degree. I study history and Russian and wrote a focused SOP about post-Soviet states and terrorism. There must have been something in my application that they really liked. If you'd like more info, I'd be happy to PM you.

I'm positive my TA position is split between two years. I did read the admission statement correctly. I'll contact administration about it. If any of you can find where the TA fees are paid out, I'd be interesting in seeing it.

Good luck, everyone!

Edited March 14, 2015 by myfirstgoose

[oh chai oi]

I'm positive my TA position is split between two years. I did read the admission statement correctly. I'll contact administration about it. If any of you can find where the TA fees are paid out, I'd be interesting in seeing it.

http://carleton.ca/hr/wp-content/uploads/CUPE_4600_u1.pdfarticle 23 (page 43) has information on salary.  Maybe your TA position is split between two people? 

 

Thanks for sharing btw, and interesting subject matter. I'm guessing you also applied for conflict analysis and conflict resolution? Did you apply for OGS/SSHRC funding as well?

[myfirstgoose]

Thanks very much for the link. It seems that TA hours can also be reduced and charged at a pro-rata rate.

The stream I selected is intelligence and national security. I did not apply for additional funding, though I will also be receiving some scholarships from my undergraduate institution.

[Jfienadt]

Hello Everyone,

 

Big congratulations on all of your acceptances. 

 

I received an email from Tabbatha yesterday stating that my application has been put on hold - are any of you in the same boat? 

Also, could anyone let me know what are my chances (realistically) that I will be accepted? 

 

Any feedback is much appreciated,

Cheers

[Maximem54]

Hello @Jdienadt! Did Tabatha explain what "put on hold" means? Is it the wait list of smth?