OGS part time student

[dithering]

It seems that in applying to OGS as a part time student I have the option of applying directly to the Ministry, which is incredible, because I wasn't aware I was eligible to apply this year (applying for my MA this fall) and thus missed the internal deadline.

Did anyone else apply this way? Were you successful? I am worried that I might screw up elements of the application that require departmental ranking and such.

Secondly, the statement of interest-- should it be less about "me" and more about my research interests, or can I still include my background (philosophy) and the way it relates to my proposed area of study (post colonialism, globalization, digital texts)?