Munk School, NPSIA, BSIA 2016

[SSGMCB]

Thanks, I'm still pretty nervous though, especially having been out of school for 2 years now. Hopefully it holds up.

I did 2 Me to We trips in high school (Kenya and Ecuador) (Not sure how much weight those will hold), then a few months at a sea turtle refuge in Costa Rica one summer during university, and then a summer in China working with disabled children through a program funded and organized by my university (WLU). I also volunteered locally at a homework club for refugees in Kitchener/Waterloo through WLU as well.

[Reddd]

18 hours ago, SSGMCB said:

Thanks, I'm still pretty nervous though, especially having been out of school for 2 years now. Hopefully it holds up.

I did 2 Me to We trips in high school (Kenya and Ecuador) (Not sure how much weight those will hold), then a few months at a sea turtle refuge in Costa Rica one summer during university, and then a summer in China working with disabled children through a program funded and organized by my university (WLU). I also volunteered locally at a homework club for refugees in Kitchener/Waterloo through WLU as well.

Thats pretty solid! What did you pick for your concentration? If it was related to development then your relevant experiences seems very strong. 

[LiamShag]

Just got an acceptance for uOttawa GSPIA. 12K in funding. Pretty happy about it...I'm between Munk/GSPIA and Sciences Po, although I've only heard from GSPIA.

 

Anyone hear back from any Canadian schools yet?

[blaffy78]

congrats man...same here, no word from munk, npsia, or balsillie!

 

and ya those are some amazing volunteer experiences man

[alyshim]

Congratulations LiamShag! That must be a huge relief to have such a great offer already. What is your first choice?

I've applied to GSPIA and NPSIA, but I'm still having difficulty with my uOttawa application. Has anyone else had difficulty with Infoweb? I sent my transcripts in January, but Infoweb is showing that they have not received them.

[SSGMCB]

For both applications I didn't put down any specific fields of concentration actually. The only place I mentioned anything specific was in my statements of interest/intent and that was mostly policy related unfortunately.

Also, I'm just wondering what attracted other people to Munk and Balsillie? As far as I've seen on forums and from reviews, NPSIA and uOttawa are the most prestigious schools in Canada in this field. The only reason I didn't apply to those 2 is because my grades aren't high enough and I don't have a second language. Is anyone else in the same boat? Are there any reasons why someone who's bilingual with say, a mid A average, would go to Munk over NPSIA if they were accepted to both?

[hdh]

33 minutes ago, alyshim said:

Congratulations LiamShag! That must be a huge relief to have such a great offer already. What is your first choice?

I've applied to GSPIA and NPSIA, but I'm still having difficulty with my uOttawa application. Has anyone else had difficulty with Infoweb? I sent my transcripts in January, but Infoweb is showing that they have not received them.

Congratulations to both of you!

Alyshim, I had the same problem! I mailed my transcripts in mid-January, but my infoweb was still saying they were missing. I called today and (after looking), they didn't have them anywhere. They said I could email a scanned copy for admissions, and if I'm admitted I'll need to send a sealed copy. So fingers crossed that gets processed and assessed quickly, I guess!

Definitely nervous now that I know my application hasn't even been looked at yet.

[alyshim]

1 hour ago, hdh said:

Congratulations to both of you!

Alyshim, I had the same problem! I mailed my transcripts in mid-January, but my infoweb was still saying they were missing. I called today and (after looking), they didn't have them anywhere. They said I could email a scanned copy for admissions, and if I'm admitted I'll need to send a sealed copy. So fingers crossed that gets processed and assessed quickly, I guess!

Definitely nervous now that I know my application hasn't even been looked at yet.

In that case, I should definitely make a phone call. Did you speak to the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs or the Faculty of Social Sciences? I'm relieved that I'm not the only one!

[LiamShag]

35 minutes ago, alyshim said:

Congratulations LiamShag! That must be a huge relief to have such a great offer already. What is your first choice?

I've applied to GSPIA and NPSIA, but I'm still having difficulty with my uOttawa application. Has anyone else had difficulty with Infoweb? I sent my transcripts in January, but Infoweb is showing that they have not received them.

Thanks! My first choice is between Munk and GSPIA. I'm in that potentially precarious position of accepting my GSPIA offer and sending the 500 dollar deposit before I even here from Munk (or Sciences Po). So that's a bit of a headache, but of course it's good to have at least one option at this stage.

 

And with regards to your problems with InfoWeb, it can be a very slow process. I applied way back in early December, and my InfoWeb had not indicated that my documents had been received until late January. But after emailing the faculty of Soc Sci. they confirmed they were received. So maybe try sending an email?

[alyshim]

Maybe an e-mail is the best way to go. I don't want to come off as being impatient and needy, I'm just anxious about the process. The Munk program looks really interesting, but the tuition is astronomical in comparison to some of these other programs!

[LiamShag]

Just now, alyshim said:

Maybe an e-mail is the best way to go. I don't want to come off as being impatient and needy, I'm just anxious about the process. The Munk program looks really interesting, but the tuition is astronomical in comparison to some of these other programs!

No, it's a valid concern! Don't worry, it tends to take the InfoWeb a while to update, you're prob fine.

 

And yeah, I feel like if Munk were a little more affordable it would be my #1. But it's quite the price tag....

[hdh]

28 minutes ago, alyshim said:

In that case, I should definitely make a phone call. Did you speak to the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs or the Faculty of Social Sciences? I'm relieved that I'm not the only one!

I originally went through grad studies but they transferred me to the GSPIA and that's who was most helpful.

[SNowB]

I applied to all four schools: Munk, NPSIA, Balsillie and GSPIA. Wondering whether I should have applied to more?? My grades were nothing special but I have international work experience. Wondering how much that is taken into consideration. I'm assuming we will hear responses within the next month or so?

[Pri02]

@SSGMCB Balsillie is my top choice, applied to NPSIA just for caution. I'm also really surprised not many people choose Balsillie - the Internship with CIGI is amazing, lots of opportunities for scholarships (compared to Munk), Balsillie is located in the CIGI campus ... there are so many pros! I love it's practicality. Only con I've come across is its location (distant from Toronto) and also difficult to get in. 

I chose not to apply to Munk because of their (IMO) ridiculously high tuition fees. 

[Pri02]

@SNowB Yes, usually Mid March.

[blaffy78]

7 hours ago, SSGMCB said:

For both applications I didn't put down any specific fields of concentration actually. The only place I mentioned anything specific was in my statements of interest/intent and that was mostly policy related unfortunately.

Also, I'm just wondering what attracted other people to Munk and Balsillie? As far as I've seen on forums and from reviews, NPSIA and uOttawa are the most prestigious schools in Canada in this field. The only reason I didn't apply to those 2 is because my grades aren't high enough and I don't have a second language. Is anyone else in the same boat? Are there any reasons why someone who's bilingual with say, a mid A average, would go to Munk over NPSIA if they were accepted to both?

i think munk is on the same playing field with npsia (and in my opinion, for my interests, ahead of uottawa [not that it isn't an amazing school]). i don't have a second language, although my hebrew is so-so (and something i want to work on in the coming years). munk offers an internship in the first summer and a possibility for exchange i believe in the second year which is pretty cool (again, i can't remember if balsillie or npsia offer exchange).

also, munk is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA). the only other school in canada with that accreditation is npsia. fyi, other schools on that list include harvard, yale, columbia, etc. (pretty much all the elite schools worldwide) here's the link: http://www.apsia.org/member-schools/

[MikeCheck]

Awesome thread, glad we can talk about this process in forum.

I've applied to NPSIA, Concordia's MPPPA and McGIll Political Science. A Canadian citizen, I graduate with my BA from the United States this coming spring. One thing that's worried me throughout the application process is grade conversions from one scale to the next. My CGPA is 3.2, however using the scales from my Universities of interest, it's roughly 3.8. My related work experience is limited with the Canadian Government, however I interned as a lobbyist with an NGO while at University. Other generic awards and accolades like you guys.

Only time will tell, honestly best of luck to all.

[LiamShag]

11 hours ago, SSGMCB said:

For both applications I didn't put down any specific fields of concentration actually. The only place I mentioned anything specific was in my statements of interest/intent and that was mostly policy related unfortunately.

Also, I'm just wondering what attracted other people to Munk and Balsillie? As far as I've seen on forums and from reviews, NPSIA and uOttawa are the most prestigious schools in Canada in this field. The only reason I didn't apply to those 2 is because my grades aren't high enough and I don't have a second language. Is anyone else in the same boat? Are there any reasons why someone who's bilingual with say, a mid A average, would go to Munk over NPSIA if they were accepted to both?

I think it comes down to more varied employment opportunities. Munk (and I assume Balsillie), have more opportunities in the private sector, whereas GSPIA and NPSIA grads (generally) filter into the federal government and the foreign service etc. 

After applying to Munk, I was sent an email with their Alumni's employment stats. As you can see, more heavily skewed towards private sector:

Where are MGAs Working?

Quick Facts about MGA Alumni

• These percentages are based on alumni data for the MGA classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014 who are seeking full-time employment.
• 93% of those looking for work have jobs.
• 13% of our alumni are currently in full-time education, in JD or PhD programs.

[LiamShag]

10 hours ago, SNowB said:

I applied to all four schools: Munk, NPSIA, Balsillie and GSPIA. Wondering whether I should have applied to more?? My grades were nothing special but I have international work experience. Wondering how much that is taken into consideration. I'm assuming we will hear responses within the next month or so?

I've already received an acceptance from GSPIA, so it seems as if they're coming out earlier than expected. Munk is usually early to mid-March.

[hdh]

Just in case anyone's interested, I can confirm that NPSIA is now processing/starting to look at applications! I just got an email from Tabbatha asking for an additional transcript and to reupload my preference form so at least we know they're starting to look at things

[Pri02]

Just got an email from BSIA for their open house on March 4th. Anyone planning to go?

[SNowB]

I've read and heard that people are hesitant about attending Munk because of the high tuition costs and the lack of funding. However I like the program. Would it be a good gamble to attend the school because it is a lot of money. Have there been any feedback from graduates of the Munk program?

[blaffy78]

On 15/02/2016 at 11:59 AM, SNowB said:

I've read and heard that people are hesitant about attending Munk because of the high tuition costs and the lack of funding. However I like the program. Would it be a good gamble to attend the school because it is a lot of money. Have there been any feedback from graduates of the Munk program?

munk may be my #1 atm...i know it is a lot of money but there is a mandatory internship in the first summer which i believe is suppose to 'compensate' you for the tuition fees. i dont know if that is 100% its intended purpose but you can work all over the globe. i know the job placement is great for munk grads and the connections you make are really solid. what were you thinking of doing for a career/post-MA?

[SNowB]

@blaffy78, yes I heard about the internships. So if you can compensate via these internships I'm assuming they pay very well depending on the type of internship of course? Yeah I'm pretty impressed by the program. I did business as my undergrad, so I wanted to work in development banks. I want to get as much work experience as possibe in terms of internships etc during my studies 

[blaffy78]

ya that's what i've heard from a couple people. i'm guessing that you could find development banks pretty accessible because of munk. do you know if npsia offers any internship too?