MPA/MPP Applications, Fall 2016 Start (Canada)

[JT]

Hello everyone,

Well I applied to 3 universities, Carleton Queen's and York.. which program do you think is the strongest? I'm looking for a program that has a good/great local and international reputation in case I choose to work outside of Canada. Additionally, U of Ottawa are still accepting applications to their MA in Public Administration program.. do you think I should apply? is it a good program? as I have not heard anything about it..

Thanks:)

Edited March 24, 2016 by JT
wrong word

[belles]

12 hours ago, city girl said:

STILL WAITING FOR UOFT! STILL UNDER REVIEW!  I am nervous.... no indication of acceptance or rejection or waitlisting. ?????

But, I accepted the offer from University of Waterloo and was rejected by Carleton.

U of T student please give words of wisdom. 

The Master of Public Service program at UWaterloo?

[U of T student]

2 hours ago, city girl said:

Hi belles, 

Yes, I applied to waterloo because of the Coop. I have lots of work experience in the public sector, which mostly made up for my average GPA. U ofT undergraduate is difficult; but, was a great experience that I could never trade for the world. I am going to cry at my ceremony. Honestly, U of T changed my life forever. As the first in my family to go to university, I am so fortunate to have attended such a great school. 

 

Don't cry!!  U of T was a difficult school and I'm proud of you!! I'm the first to go to university as well, my parents don't speak English. You'll get accepted, with all of that experience from the public sector

[ZNER]

Hi Everyone I'm new to this forum. I am an international applicant still waiting to hear from University of Waterloo. I am staying positive  would love to know if any international applicant has heard from them?

On another note I have been accepted to University of Western Ontario. I prefer Waterloo because of the programme structure trying to keep positive

[emph]

Accepted to SFU's MPP program this past Friday! Does anybody have info to share about this program? I'm torn between this program and UBC's MPH...

[belles]

Hey everyone. Please oblige in helping me with a quandary: I've been offered admission for both MPS at Waterloo (with co-op) and MA Political Science at Waterloo (with co-op). 

I'm heavily leaning towards accepting the MA offer because it comes with $15,000 in funding (TAship as well as scholarship money). MPS offers nothing. 

I do want to work in government affairs (whether for the public service or the private sector), but I'm mainly interested in picking a program that is superior in both co-op placement and eventual real-life employment possibilities. Because I am very open to working for the private sector, I think the MA program may be better suited than the MPS.

What do you guys think?

[coldzero]

To Bellas above me. MPS at Waterloo does not offer funding and TAship because they are a course base master and not thesis according to their website and that why your MA in PS has funding bc it is thesis base.  Having anything like an internship/coop is actually consider a strong front in additional to your studies. Course base and the team base assignment in the last term of MPS offers more 'apply' approach than the MA.  So it really depends if you like to do a thesis or take courses too. Review the MPS courses too. I know I have only been aiming for a course base masters.  Plus you would most likely make back $15K or more with the 8 month coop.  

I finally join this forum because I been accepted to MPS at Waterloo too.  I honestly wanted people opinion on this program? Does anybody know anybody who in or has done the MPS at Waterloo? Their thoughts and opinions on it? I primarily like it the most because it has co-op.  

It was the only master program I applied for this year, I got dejected the last year or two when I only got waitlisted to Munk School of Global Affairs at UT.  I certainly don't apply to enough schools - I get tired just crafting one perfect personal statement lol. I am interested in the international policy stuff. 

Right now for me is either do the master or look for a job.

Edited March 29, 2016 by coldzero

[JTMurray]

On March 28, 2016 at 2:56 PM, belles said:

Hey everyone. Please oblige in helping me with a quandary: I've been offered admission for both MPS at Waterloo (with co-op) and MA Political Science at Waterloo (with co-op). 

I'm heavily leaning towards accepting the MA offer because it comes with $15,000 in funding (TAship as well as scholarship money). MPS offers nothing. 

I do want to work in government affairs (whether for the public service or the private sector), but I'm mainly interested in picking a program that is superior in both co-op placement and eventual real-life employment possibilities. Because I am very open to working for the private sector, I think the MA program may be better suited than the MPS.

What do you guys think?

I'll give you my input as a person who did a thesis-based Master's program (in political philosophy at Queen's) and who's currently doing a professional master's (in public policy at u of t). After completing my thesis, I found job searches really difficult because I hadn't obtained the practical skills that employers were looking for. A professional program is going to give you those skills, especially if you want to get into government affairs. What you have to weigh is whether you want to go the academic route and leave yourself open to pursuing maybe a Ph.D or some other career path in the future, or whether you're deciding that this is going to be the last schooling you do. The grant/TA money seems nice now, but a professional program is a more concrete investment in your career. Just something to think about.

[belles]

1 hour ago, JTMurray said:

I'll give you my input as a person who did a thesis-based Master's program (in political philosophy at Queen's) and who's currently doing a professional master's (in public policy at u of t). After completing my thesis, I found job searches really difficult because I hadn't obtained the practical skills that employers were looking for. A professional program is going to give you those skills, especially if you want to get into government affairs. What you have to weigh is whether you want to go the academic route and leave yourself open to pursuing maybe a Ph.D or some other career path in the future, or whether you're deciding that this is going to be the last schooling you do. The grant/TA money seems nice now, but a professional program is a more concrete investment in your career. Just something to think about.

Fair. Thanks for your input. My specialization within the MA Poli Sci at Waterloo would be public policy/political economy based, so (hopefully) decently practical for employment purposes afterwards. The 8-month paid co-op offered by the department of Political Science would also provide me with the experience I need, as well. I would be able to pocket all the co-op pay as my MA would be mostly paid for. 

From the research I've done online, it seems many MA Poli Sci grads get the same jobs as MPS grads afterwards (e.g. lots of policy analysts at different municipal and provincial departments across Canada). It's just most MA Poli Sci students had pretty high averages which qualified them for the 15k whereas MPS is more holistic and accepts a more academically diverse crowd.

 

Edited March 29, 2016 by belles

[belles]

3 hours ago, coldzero said:

To Bellas above me. MPS at Waterloo does not offer funding and TAship because they are a course base master and not thesis according to their website and that why your MA in PS has funding bc it is thesis base.  Having anything like an internship/coop is actually consider a strong front in additional to your studies. Course base and the team base assignment in the last term of MPS offers more 'apply' approach than the MA.  So it really depends if you like to do a thesis or take courses too. Review the MPS courses too. I know I have only been aiming for a course base masters.  Plus you would most likely make back $15K or more with the 8 month coop.  

I finally join this forum because I been accepted to MPS at Waterloo too.  I honestly wanted people opinion on this program? Does anybody know anybody who in or has done the MPS at Waterloo? Their thoughts and opinions on it? I primarily like it the most because it has co-op.  

It was the only master program I applied for this year, I got dejected the last year or two when I only got waitlisted to Munk School of Global Affairs at UT.  I certainly don't apply to enough schools - I get tired just crafting one perfect personal statement lol. I am interested in the international policy stuff. 

Right now for me is either do the master or look for a job.

But the MA Political Science at Waterloo offers a paid 8-month co-op, as well, in addition to the 15k in funding I get from them. I get the experience and the money. Yeah, I'm probably declining my MPS offer if anyone's on wait-list.

[JTMurray]

16 hours ago, belles said:

But the MA Political Science at Waterloo offers a paid 8-month co-op, as well, in addition to the 15k in funding I get from them. I get the experience and the money. Yeah, I'm probably declining my MPS offer if anyone's on wait-list.

Yeah, that actually sounds like a really sweet deal. You're probably making a really good choice. Good luck!

[ZNER]

I am here still waiting on Waterloo haven't heard anything as yet. Congrats to those who got in so far

[chnj0878]

Hey everyone,

For those who have been offered admission into U of T's MPP and have/will accept, I think we should start a Facebook group and begin introducing ourselves. 

Thoughts?

 

[DanielBean]

Is there anyone else still waiting for U of T's MPP? I emailed them and they didn't reply at all. Not sure if I'm rejected or not because still says "Under Review"

[JTMurray]

2 hours ago, DanielBean said:

Is there anyone else still waiting for U of T's MPP? I emailed them and they didn't reply at all. Not sure if I'm rejected or not because still says "Under Review"

If it's still under review, give it another couple weeks. Hope is not lost for you yet, my friend.

[almondmilk44]

2 hours ago, DanielBean said:

Is there anyone else still waiting for U of T's MPP? I emailed them and they didn't reply at all. Not sure if I'm rejected or not because still says "Under Review"

Hard deadline for everyone to find out will be April 29th, as per the SPPG website.

[ScotchHudgins]

On 3/29/2016 at 6:10 PM, JTMurray said:

I'll give you my input as a person who did a thesis-based Master's program (in political philosophy at Queen's) and who's currently doing a professional master's (in public policy at u of t). After completing my thesis, I found job searches really difficult because I hadn't obtained the practical skills that employers were looking for. A professional program is going to give you those skills, especially if you want to get into government affairs. What you have to weigh is whether you want to go the academic route and leave yourself open to pursuing maybe a Ph.D or some other career path in the future, or whether you're deciding that this is going to be the last schooling you do. The grant/TA money seems nice now, but a professional program is a more concrete investment in your career. Just something to think about.

Hey JT, I'm trying to target the best professional school as well.  Seeing how you attended Queen's, did you consider the Queen's MPA?  How do you think U of T and Queen's compares?  I do like the one year thing for Queen's program and but feel like I wouldn't really want to live in Kingston and would much rather prefer the city of Toronto. But I'm sort of worried Toronto's MPP program might be too new. 

[JTMurray]

1 hour ago, ScotchHudgins said:

Hey JT, I'm trying to target the best professional school as well.  Seeing how you attended Queen's, did you consider the Queen's MPA?  How do you think U of T and Queen's compares?  I do like the one year thing for Queen's program and but feel like I wouldn't really want to live in Kingston and would much rather prefer the city of Toronto. But I'm sort of worried Toronto's MPP program might be too new. 

Hey Scotch, I only applied to U of T but that's because my academic career was at a point where I was either going to get in here, or just try to start a career without additional credentials. I can't speak directly to Queen's program's quality, but I did a one-year master's program there the first time around, and that was intense. I can't imagine fitting in all the content contained in a policy program into a one-year intensive course. It's overwhelming at U of T. I can't imagine what Queen's students go through. Additionally, I think there's more of a focus on quantitative skills at U of T which turn out to be really useful when it comes to program evaluation and assessing policy through an economic lens. Because it's 2 years there's also an opportunity to get through all those core courses in first year, and then really get into the policy fields that you're interested in in second year, once you've gotten an idea of the policy landscape. 

As for living in Kingston, I actually really loved living there (live downtown but outside of the 'student ghetto' if you choose Queen's. It's marginally more expensive, but totally worth the experience). If you haven't lived in Toronto though, it's really really awesome. There's merits to both. Kingston has that warm hometown feel and the university is right on the water so it's really nice. Toronto is Toronto though. There's always so much to do here and the culture is a lot more complex and diverse. I recommend doing both tbh lol.  

U of T is a new school, it's constantly adjusting it's programs, and tweaking things. But it's also run by extremely talented professionals in this field. It also benefits from having an excellent reputation with Bob Rae, Dalton McGuinty, Mel Cappe, and Tony Dean on the faculty (among other very well-known and previously high-ranking officials in the Ontario Provincial and Federal Public Service). SPPG also partners with the OPS and, the Feds, non-profits, and private consulting firms to offer internships, and has a very good reputation for delivering them great interns and employees (and our reputation gets better every year. This year pretty much every ministry in the OPS was clamouring for a U of T intern). What the U of T offers that sets it apart from Queen's is a focus on that mandatory internship. That internship experience you get in the summer between year 1 and year 2 really gives you experience, but also an understanding of the kinds of work you want, or don't want to do in the future. SPPG alums have really good opportunities and placements after the program so I wouldn't worry about that. 

If you want my totally biased opinion, U of T potentially looks better. The program is more exclusive, it has a great reputation, it has the internship connections. I love Queen's and Kingston, and I think their program is fine. But U of T SPPG is great. 
 

[tyedye]

On Friday, April 01, 2016 at 2:45 PM, JTMurray said:

Hey Scotch, I only applied to U of T but that's because my academic career was at a point where I was either going to get in here, or just try to start a career without additional credentials. I can't speak directly to Queen's program's quality, but I did a one-year master's program there the first time around, and that was intense. I can't imagine fitting in all the content contained in a policy program into a one-year intensive course. It's overwhelming at U of T. I can't imagine what Queen's students go through. Additionally, I think there's more of a focus on quantitative skills at U of T which turn out to be really useful when it comes to program evaluation and assessing policy through an economic lens. Because it's 2 years there's also an opportunity to get through all those core courses in first year, and then really get into the policy fields that you're interested in in second year, once you've gotten an idea of the policy landscape. 

As for living in Kingston, I actually really loved living there (live downtown but outside of the 'student ghetto' if you choose Queen's. It's marginally more expensive, but totally worth the experience). If you haven't lived in Toronto though, it's really really awesome. There's merits to both. Kingston has that warm hometown feel and the university is right on the water so it's really nice. Toronto is Toronto though. There's always so much to do here and the culture is a lot more complex and diverse. I recommend doing both tbh lol.  

U of T is a new school, it's constantly adjusting it's programs, and tweaking things. But it's also run by extremely talented professionals in this field. It also benefits from having an excellent reputation with Bob Rae, Dalton McGuinty, Mel Cappe, and Tony Dean on the faculty (among other very well-known and previously high-ranking officials in the Ontario Provincial and Federal Public Service). SPPG also partners with the OPS and, the Feds, non-profits, and private consulting firms to offer internships, and has a very good reputation for delivering them great interns and employees (and our reputation gets better every year. This year pretty much every ministry in the OPS was clamouring for a U of T intern). What the U of T offers that sets it apart from Queen's is a focus on that mandatory internship. That internship experience you get in the summer between year 1 and year 2 really gives you experience, but also an understanding of the kinds of work you want, or don't want to do in the future. SPPG alums have really good opportunities and placements after the program so I wouldn't worry about that. 

If you want my totally biased opinion, U of T potentially looks better. The program is more exclusive, it has a great reputation, it has the internship connections. I love Queen's and Kingston, and I think their program is fine. But U of T SPPG is great. 
 

Hey I am looking  to apply  for uoft mpp program next year and I have a 3.6 in my last two but a substantially  lower cgpa due to medical reasons and getting treatment throughout  school. I was just wondering what your L2 gpa was and if I have a chance. Thanks:)

[JTMurray]

4 hours ago, tyedye said:

Hey I am looking  to apply  for uoft mpp program next year and I have a 3.6 in my last two but a substantially  lower cgpa due to medical reasons and getting treatment throughout  school. I was just wondering what your L2 gpa was and if I have a chance. Thanks:)

Hey Tyedye, I had a pretty high gpa in my second year but my first year wasn't anything that spectacular. I believe they give you an opportunity to explain mitigating circumstances for lower grades on your application. To be honest, the admissions committee takes a lot of things into consideration and I can't give you significant insight into whether you have a chance or not. My advice would be to apply anyway if the program is something you want to do. It's $150 but worth the opportunity. They also take other things into consideration beyond gpa so as long as you're above the cutoff, if you're an interesting candidate you certainly have a chance. Good luck!

[almondmilk44]

23 hours ago, tyedye said:

Hey I am looking  to apply  for uoft mpp program next year and I have a 3.6 in my last two but a substantially  lower cgpa due to medical reasons and getting treatment throughout  school. I was just wondering what your L2 gpa was and if I have a chance. Thanks:)

Hey Tyedye, I personally have known a few people that have been accepted into the program with a similar GPA in their last two years, which means that there is lots of hope. The catch is that you really have to buttress your grades with some pretty cool experiences, solid statement, and strong references. UofT is pretty competitive, and I know that there are lots of very competent, well rounded applicants, and I don't think that a 3.6 is competitive based on what I've been reading in these forums. 

To give you an idea of where I personally stand, my annual GPA is 3.96 in my last year but about 3.15 CGPA. I've been waitlisted, which seems to indicate that my application was competitive, but missing something substantial to push it over the edge into first-round territory. I've got a reference letter from a professor who I did a non-policy related thesis project with, some work with non-profits in the public sector, with an emphasis on urban planning policy. 

Sorry if that was a little harsh, I'm just trying to be as honest as I can (if I were in your shoes a year ago, I'd want someone to tell me how it is).

Hope that is helpful. 

 

[JTMurray]

On 4/2/2016 at 6:45 PM, tyedye said:

Hey I am looking  to apply  for uoft mpp program next year and I have a 3.6 in my last two but a substantially  lower cgpa due to medical reasons and getting treatment throughout  school. I was just wondering what your L2 gpa was and if I have a chance. Thanks:)

In case you were still wondering, my CGPA from my undergrad at Carleton was 3.8 on a 4.3 scale, but my CGPA at Queen's from my M.A. was 4.0/4.3 so that probably was the clincher for me. I highly doubt I would have got into the program right out of my undergrad. But we'll never know.

[Patient of Patience]

Hey, JTMurray.

Thanks for answering people's questions here. It's very helpful!

If you don't mind, I have a funding-related question. (It's sort of a network of questions.)

I'm familiar with the standard funding opportunities that the program, university, and government offers. (I have in mind government-funded awards (e.g., CGS - M and OGS), government-funded assistance (e.g., OSAP), entrance scholarships (e.g., $5K, $3K), and UTAPS.) However, I'm wondering whether there are any other funding opportunities that you're aware of. Are there any bursaries/scholarships/etc. that you knew (or wish you knew) about before going into first year? As someone who would certainly benefit from financial assistance, I'm interested in hearing about any additional resourses you might be aware of.

Thanks again for your guidance!

PoP

[JTMurray]

2 hours ago, Patient of Patience said:

Hey, JTMurray.

Thanks for answering people's questions here. It's very helpful!

If you don't mind, I have a funding-related question. (It's sort of a network of questions.)

I'm familiar with the standard funding opportunities that the program, university, and government offers. (I have in mind government-funded awards (e.g., CGS - M and OGS), government-funded assistance (e.g., OSAP), entrance scholarships (e.g., $5K, $3K), and UTAPS.) However, I'm wondering whether there are any other funding opportunities that you're aware of. Are there any bursaries/scholarships/etc. that you knew (or wish you knew) about before going into first year? As someone who would certainly benefit from financial assistance, I'm interested in hearing about any additional resourses you might be aware of.

Thanks again for your guidance!

PoP

Hey PoP, 

I'm not very knowledgeable about additional funding opportunities other than those you mentioned. The main thing I was surprised by was the actual extent of UTAPS. They really cover A LOT of expenses and it's really a massive grant (I got about $12,000). To get as much funding as possible, try to really beef up your financial need, without being excessive. I initially had planned to live in Brampton and commute, but my parents moved to Orangeville, making that an impossibility. I initially was awarded about 7,000 by UTAPS (my OSAP stayed the same as it was maxed out), but upon claiming my $900/month rent (this city is absurdly expensive. That's really on the low-end of things) they gave me an extra 5,000 which nearly offsets the cost of rent (Not quite, but once you factor in the price of the GO-train/bus per month it pretty much offsets itself). I would also recommend not working during the program, as this is going to lower your OSAP allotment, which then cuts into you UTAPS free money. Nothing about the system makes any sense. You will also have a job next summer in a policy capacity, so also keep that in mind. You'll likely make between 10 and 14 thousand. 

Try playing around with the OSAP/UTAPS assessment tool and see what you can do get as much funding as possible. You may have to move funds out of a savings account for instance, since savings are counted against you. I know you'll probably be worried about taking on more OSAP debt, but the more free money you get from UTAPS, the better off you'll be. At this point I personally am banking on this program providing me with a job in the end that allows me to pay off my loans within a couple of years.   

Also, if you're like me and have taken on an absurd amount of student loan debt, you'll likely be surprised in September when you get some loan forgiveness, which is pretty key. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial advisor, and do not assume responsibilities for adverse consequences for any above-mentioned tactics to get more monies. 

Edited April 4, 2016 by JTMurray

[Patient of Patience]

3 hours ago, JTMurray said:

Hey PoP, 

I'm not very knowledgeable about additional funding opportunities other than those you mentioned. The main thing I was surprised by was the actual extent of UTAPS. They really cover A LOT of expenses and it's really a massive grant (I got about $12,000). To get as much funding as possible, try to really beef up your financial need, without being excessive. I initially had planned to live in Brampton and commute, but my parents moved to Orangeville, making that an impossibility. I initially was awarded about 7,000 by UTAPS (my OSAP stayed the same as it was maxed out), but upon claiming my $900/month rent (this city is absurdly expensive. That's really on the low-end of things) they gave me an extra 5,000 which nearly offsets the cost of rent (Not quite, but once you factor in the price of the GO-train/bus per month it pretty much offsets itself). I would also recommend not working during the program, as this is going to lower your OSAP allotment, which then cuts into you UTAPS free money. Nothing about the system makes any sense. You will also have a job next summer in a policy capacity, so also keep that in mind. You'll likely make between 10 and 14 thousand. 

Try playing around with the OSAP/UTAPS assessment tool and see what you can do get as much funding as possible. You may have to move funds out of a savings account for instance, since savings are counted against you. I know you'll probably be worried about taking on more OSAP debt, but the more free money you get from UTAPS, the better off you'll be. At this point I personally am banking on this program providing me with a job in the end that allows me to pay off my loans within a couple of years.   

Also, if you're like me and have taken on an absurd amount of student loan debt, you'll likely be surprised in September when you get some loan forgiveness, which is pretty key. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial advisor, and do not assume responsibilities for adverse consequences for any above-mentioned tactics to get more monies. 

JTMurray,

Thanks for the help!

The OSAP/UTAPS thoughts are very helpful. Like you, I've got crazy debt already!

Thanks again, man, and look forward to seeing you around this autumn.

PoP