Fall 2016 Educational Studies

[litzzie]

While I am in this agonising, drawn-out waiting game, I thought I would start a post for people who have applied to graduate programmes in Educational Studies. I have applied to two schools in Canada (UBC and UVic, but none in the US). UBC's deadline was on Dec 1 so I am really hoping to hear from them soon. UVic's domestic deadline is not until Feb 15 so it will be a while. Are any of you also waiting for the admission results? Let's get this thread going!

[Cayella]

Hi litzzie! I applied for the language and literacy education program at the faculty of education at UBC - my first choice. My second choice is a university in England, and I already got into that program, I accepted the offer, but I'm under no obligation to enroll. Naturally, this makes me quite anxious and the results page already shows an acceptance from the faculty of ed. Maybe  they have started sending out letters? Maybe it's not long now... also, I'm trying to be understanding... the deadline was dec. 1st, but they only got the last reference from one of my professors in Jan. When did yours get in?

[Counterpointer]

Hello,

I am Canadian but received Bachelor's and master's in USA. Right now I'm doing teacher certification at University of Ottawa.

Although I have never applied to grad programs in Canada, I can tell you that Canadian universities generally send out their admission offers LATER than U.S. universities. You can expect your offers in March, or even into April. "UBC education" result search comes up with 1 decision in FEB, 3 decisions in MAR, 1 decision in APR.

Offers could be delayed for international students as well. Also note that education is very specialized program, and it has a close tie to the public sector of Canada. For this reason, some Canadian schools accept almost NO international students. The University of Toronto, for example, says on their website that they accept "very few international students" for grad programs in education. I'm from Eastern Canada so I really don't know about UBC, but you should know that some Canadian universities accept almost no international students for education. It's kind of a backward policy and I don't really agree with it but this is the policy for some schools.

So wait out for a bit more.. It's way too early for Canadian school offers. For my bachelor of education at Ottawa, I was accepted on March 15, 2015. 

[litzzie]

20 hours ago, Cayella said:

Hi litzzie! I applied for the language and literacy education program at the faculty of education at UBC - my first choice. My second choice is a university in England, and I already got into that program, I accepted the offer, but I'm under no obligation to enroll. Naturally, this makes me quite anxious and the results page already shows an acceptance from the faculty of ed. Maybe  they have started sending out letters? Maybe it's not long now... also, I'm trying to be understanding... the deadline was dec. 1st, but they only got the last reference from one of my professors in Jan. When did yours get in?

Hi Cayella,

Congrats on your offer from the UK!!! I toyed with the idea of applying to the UK as well but I gave up on that in the end, mainly out of concerns on funding. It's good to have at least one offer lined up--at least you know you will be enrolled into a programme by September. I can totally feel your anxiety--I have become quite obsessed with checking the result page of grad cafe, but it seems to me that very few offers have been made by the faculties of education both in the US and Canada? At the moment I guess no news is good news--at least I haven't been rejected?!?!?!?!

I submitted my application back in November, and my references should have reached them by Dec 15. I applied to Educational Studies at UBC, and Curriculum and Instruction at UVic. I personally am not sure which programme I prefer, so I can't really say which programme is my first choice. What made you think UBC is your first choice? Did you make any contact with any faculty members before you submitted your application? You are right--the deadline was Dec 1. Even with the delay due to the winter break I still kinda hope that they would have made up their mind by now. But of course they won't work around my timeline so I can only wait and hope and despair at the same time...

It's so good to finally have somebody who are on the same boat to chat with--there are very few threads on applicants of ed programmes, and even fewer on Canadian programmes. Are you applying to Masters of PhD? Anyways so nice to get in touch with you. Best of luck to you (and me)!

[litzzie]

3 hours ago, Counterpointer said:

Hello,

I am Canadian but received Bachelor's and master's in USA. Right now I'm doing teacher certification at University of Ottawa.

Although I have never applied to grad programs in Canada, I can tell you that Canadian universities generally send out their admission offers LATER than U.S. universities. You can expect your offers in March, or even into April. "UBC education" result search comes up with 1 decision in FEB, 3 decisions in MAR, 1 decision in APR.

Offers could be delayed for international students as well. Also note that education is very specialized program, and it has a close tie to the public sector of Canada. For this reason, some Canadian schools accept almost NO international students. The University of Toronto, for example, says on their website that they accept "very few international students" for grad programs in education. I'm from Eastern Canada so I really don't know about UBC, but you should know that some Canadian universities accept almost no international students for education. It's kind of a backward policy and I don't really agree with it but this is the policy for some schools.

So wait out for a bit more.. It's way too early for Canadian school offers. For my bachelor of education at Ottawa, I was accepted on March 15, 2015. 

Thanks for the reply and the info, Counterpointer! Yea that's what everybody told me :(. My best friend applied to 8 or 9 PhD programmes last year and only heard back from the Canadian University in April--way after she had heard back from other US schools. And in all fairness UVic deadline isn't until Feb 15. I would be surprised they made any offers in Feb...

I was very much aware of the OISE policy as well. When I was making contact with different faculty members regarding my application the OISE profs made it very clear that international students are rarely accepted, which was slightly disheartening for me but I can understand where they are coming from. That was why I completely gave up on applying to schools in Ontario and focussed on getting in touch with faculty members on the west coast. 

Good luck on doing your teacher's cert! In what area is your expertise??? 

[litzzie]

Just now, litzzie said:

 

Good luck on doing your teacher's cert! In what area is your expertise??? 

Hey Counterpointer, please ignore my question--just noticed you applied to music programmes..

[litzzie]

21 hours ago, Cayella said:

 Naturally, this makes me quite anxious and the results page already shows an acceptance from the faculty of ed. 

Wait, do you mean Faculty of Ed of UBC, Cayella?!?!??! OMG if it is then....fingers and toes crossed!!!!

 

[Cayella]

2 hours ago, litzzie said:

Hi Cayella,

Congrats on your offer from the UK!!! I toyed with the idea of applying to the UK as well but I gave up on that in the end, mainly out of concerns on funding. It's good to have at least one offer lined up--at least you know you will be enrolled into a programme by September. I can totally feel your anxiety--I have become quite obsessed with checking the result page of grad cafe, but it seems to me that very few offers have been made by the faculties of education both in the US and Canada? At the moment I guess no news is good news--at least I haven't been rejected?!?!?!?!

I submitted my application back in November, and my references should have reached them by Dec 15. I applied to Educational Studies at UBC, and Curriculum and Instruction at UVic. I personally am not sure which programme I prefer, so I can't really say which programme is my first choice. What made you think UBC is your first choice? Did you make any contact with any faculty members before you submitted your application? You are right--the deadline was Dec 1. Even with the delay due to the winter break I still kinda hope that they would have made up their mind by now. But of course they won't work around my timeline so I can only wait and hope and despair at the same time...

It's so good to finally have somebody who are on the same boat to chat with--there are very few threads on applicants of ed programmes, and even fewer on Canadian programmes. Are you applying to Masters of PhD? Anyways so nice to get in touch with you. Best of luck to you (and me)!

Thanks, litzzie! I was actually quite surprised to get an offer from the English university, but now I understand why. They have rolling admissions, and I guess I met the requirements, so they offered a place. 

I'm applying to the M. Ed. program, actually. And I keep wondering if my experience is enough (now in the third full-time year of teaching, some tutoring during UG), but I'm really concerned about my references. 2 out of 3 were from former professors who taught me 4 even 5 years ago, and I'm not sure if they had enough 'material' to address in their letters and I guess this is also why I wanted to do it now, before they forget even more.  Another thing is, I didn't contact faculty members directly, although I did do some research on them and made sure to mention their areas in my personal statement. For the M. Ed. program, I'm not sure if I should have contacted them directly. Before choosing UBC, I had looked at other Canadian universities -UoT, York, UVic, but UBC looked like the best option because a) I might meet their requirements b ) their courses look amazing (writing, discourse studies) and c) it is recognized by TESL Canada so I could apply for certification later. Eventually, my partner and I would like to settle in Canada. 

As I'm applying to the TESL program, not a program that would require a BC teaching certification, I hope I get in, although Counterpointer definitely gave me something to think about while waiting.  

 It's nice to share this waiting-time...

[Cayella]

1 hour ago, litzzie said:

Wait, do you mean Faculty of Ed of UBC, Cayella?!?!??! OMG if it is then....fingers and toes crossed!!!!

 

Yes! Someone listed their field as Masters in Education, although by the looks of it, it was an American applicant. 

[litzzie]

On 10 February, 2016 at 6:00 PM, Cayella said:

I'm applying to the M. Ed. program, actually. And I keep wondering if my experience is enough (now in the third full-time year of teaching, some tutoring during UG), but I'm really concerned about my references. 2 out of 3 were from former professors who taught me 4 even 5 years ago, and I'm not sure if they had enough 'material' to address in their letters and I guess this is also why I wanted to do it now, before they forget even more.  Another thing is, I didn't contact faculty members directly, although I did do some research on them and made sure to mention their areas in my personal statement. For the M. Ed. program, I'm not sure if I should have contacted them directly. Before choosing UBC, I had looked at other Canadian universities -UoT, York, UVic, but UBC looked like the best option because a) I might meet their requirements b ) their courses look amazing (writing, discourse studies) and c) it is recognized by TESL Canada so I could apply for certification later. Eventually, my partner and I would like to settle in Canada. 

 

Hey thanks for your reply, Cayella! I didn't really look carefully at the number of years of experience required when I checked out the programmes, but I remember seeing mostly 2-3 years of experience? Hope it works out for you!

I do understand your quandary over the references--I ended up having only professional references for my applications because I had graduated for over a decade, and the profs that I stayed in close touch with have either retired or passed away. I emailed the departments concerned and they all said they understood it was hard for students who had graduated for a long time to secure academic references,  and they all said professional references would work just fine. I guess for education the nature of application is slightly different? Not that it matters now as you have already submitted your application. But just in case in  a few years time you would like to go for a PhD programme

 

[collegebrandi83]

Hi!  I also applied to UBC, for the M. Ed program in Educational Studies SCPE program.   I am from the U.S., and currently finishing up my third undergrad degree here.  (A.A. Teacher Education Preparation, A.S. Math & Science, B.A. Linguistics [minor in Education]).  The waiting game is insane!!!  I only applied to UBC because it was the school that I really wanted to attend for graduate studies and because I honestly could not afford the application fees to apply to any safety schools.  So, needless to say, I am really terrified of not being accepted. I graduated my previous degrees with honors and am expecting to do the same with my B.A. when I graduate in June this year. I currently have a 3.7/4.0 GPA and internship experience as an assistant teacher.  I have also spent this academic year as research assistant for a professor of education at my university and co-authored a paper that we just submitted for publication to an academic journal this month.  I am really hoping that this is enough to get an offer, but, I am worried that they might say I do not have enough experience.  I am also worried because I am an international student, and earlier posts mentioned that they do not tend to accept international students.  Does this also hold true for American students? 

Edited February 15, 2016 by collegebrandi83
add minor

[Cayella]

3 hours ago, collegebrandi83 said:

Hi!  I also applied to UBC, for the M. Ed program in Educational Studies SCPE program.   I am from the U.S., and currently finishing up my third undergrad degree here.  (A.A. Teacher Education Preparation, A.S. Math & Science, B.A. Linguistics [minor in Education]).  The waiting game is insane!!!  I only applied to UBC because it was the school that I really wanted to attend for graduate studies and because I honestly could not afford the application fees to apply to any safety schools.  So, needless to say, I am really terrified of not being accepted. I graduated my previous degrees with honors and am expecting to do the same with my B.A. when I graduate in June this year. I currently have a 3.7/4.0 GPA and internship experience as an assistant teacher.  I have also spent this academic year as research assistant for a professor of education at my university and co-authored a paper that we just submitted for publication to an academic journal this month.  I am really hoping that this is enough to get an offer, but, I am worried that they might say I do not have enough experience.  I am also worried because I am an international student, and earlier posts mentioned that they do not tend to accept international students.  Does this also hold true for American students? 

Hi collegebrandi83! It sounds like you have your academics to make up for any shortage in experience, so I, personally, wouldn't worry about that, especially if that paper is also related to your area. I completely understand why you only applied to one school, I applied to two, but the other one didn't charge application fees (thank god). 

I've been checking out the site of Grad and Postdoc Studies, more specifically, the deadline section. Now, there it says: 

Deadline for guaranteed consideration by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of recommendations from graduate programs for overseas international students to be admitted for registration in September 2016. Later recommendations may be accepted upon special request from a graduate program.

DeadlineFriday, 26 February 2016

So, I suppose it means that whoever the programs want to recommend for admission will be submitted by that date and, I'm hoping that it also means that applicants will find out as well. For American applicants, it's a different date though, as I think they are in the same category as domestic applicants:

Deadline for guaranteed consideration by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of recommendations from graduate programs for North American students to be admitted for registration in September 2016. Later recommendations may be accepted upon special request from a graduate program.

Deadline Thursday, 31 March 2016

Do you think this makes sense? Or am I trying too hard to make sense of every tiny bit of info available to me?

 

[litzzie]

4 hours ago, collegebrandi83 said:

Hi!  I also applied to UBC, for the M. Ed program in Educational Studies SCPE program.   I am from the U.S., and currently finishing up my third undergrad degree here.  (A.A. Teacher Education Preparation, A.S. Math & Science, B.A. Linguistics [minor in Education]).  The waiting game is insane!!!  I only applied to UBC because it was the school that I really wanted to attend for graduate studies and because I honestly could not afford the application fees to apply to any safety schools.  So, needless to say, I am really terrified of not being accepted. I graduated my previous degrees with honors and am expecting to do the same with my B.A. when I graduate in June this year. I currently have a 3.7/4.0 GPA and internship experience as an assistant teacher.  I have also spent this academic year as research assistant for a professor of education at my university and co-authored a paper that we just submitted for publication to an academic journal this month.  I am really hoping that this is enough to get an offer, but, I am worried that they might say I do not have enough experience.  I am also worried because I am an international student, and earlier posts mentioned that they do not tend to accept international students.  Does this also hold true for American students? 

Hi collegebrandi83, did you check if they require experience before applying? You may not have much teaching experience, but your academic qualifications sound quite strong. Not too many undergrads have co-authored a published paper.  

I can understand the application fee issue. Before I started putting together my applications I thought I would go for 5-6 programmes, but the app fee worked out to be quite unaffordable. So I decided instead of applying to all of them blindly I decided I would put in an application only when a faculty member agreed to support my application, and that's what I did. So in the end I only applied to two. 

As far as I remember UBC didn't mention anything about not encouraging international applications. OISE of U of T specifies on their website that they don't take in many international students and don't have much funding for them, but out of the 6-7 places that I have looked, it seems like they are the only place that specifies that. Not to say other schools don't have the same policy, but the website of UBC certainly seems to want international students to apply...

 

 

[litzzie]

1 hour ago, Cayella said:

Hi collegebrandi83! It sounds like you have your academics to make up for any shortage in experience, so I, personally, wouldn't worry about that, especially if that paper is also related to your area. I completely understand why you only applied to one school, I applied to two, but the other one didn't charge application fees (thank god). 

I've been checking out the site of Grad and Postdoc Studies, more specifically, the deadline section. Now, there it says: 

Deadline for guaranteed consideration by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of recommendations from graduate programs for overseas international students to be admitted for registration in September 2016. Later recommendations may be accepted upon special request from a graduate program.

DeadlineFriday, 26 February 2016

So, I suppose it means that whoever the programs want to recommend for admission will be submitted by that date and, I'm hoping that it also means that applicants will find out as well. For American applicants, it's a different date though, as I think they are in the same category as domestic applicants:

Deadline for guaranteed consideration by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of recommendations from graduate programs for North American students to be admitted for registration in September 2016. Later recommendations may be accepted upon special request from a graduate program.

Deadline Thursday, 31 March 2016

Do you think this makes sense? Or am I trying too hard to make sense of every tiny bit of info available to me?

 

Thanks for the info, Cayella. Looks like we will know by March after all! Fingers and toes crossed!!!!

[BeaLaCuriosa]

Hello, just joining in here. I have been looking for a thread for U of T Education for ages. Did anyone get in yet? I am an international student (not american) but I received an offer for the PhD in LLE although I was also warned it was very rare, I went ahead and applied. I've also got into HGSE but it looks like I may turn them down for the U of T because I have always wanted to go there and I am happy with the faculty in that program. Does anyone have more information on the practice aspect of the programs at OISE? I wish you all the best. And I hope you hear some good news soon.

[litzzie]

10 hours ago, BeaLaCuriosa said:

Hello, just joining in here. I have been looking for a thread for U of T Education for ages. Did anyone get in yet? I am an international student (not american) but I received an offer for the PhD in LLE although I was also warned it was very rare, I went ahead and applied. I've also got into HGSE but it looks like I may turn them down for the U of T because I have always wanted to go there and I am happy with the faculty in that program. Does anyone have more information on the practice aspect of the programs at OISE? I wish you all the best. And I hope you hear some good news soon.

Hi! Congratulations on your offers!!! Good for you to apply to OISE!!! I didn't because a couple of faculty members told me funding opportunities are very limited for international students, and I really don't wanna fund my way through the whole programme. Did they also offer a funding package?

I just got a formal acceptance letter from UVic, but am still waiting to hear from them regarding funding...the waiting doesn't seem to end....

[BeaLaCuriosa]

On March 16, 2016 at 0:40 AM, litzzie said:

Hi! Congratulations on your offers!!! Good for you to apply to OISE!!! I didn't because a couple of faculty members told me funding opportunities are very limited for international students, and I really don't wanna fund my way through the whole programme. Did they also offer a funding package?

I just got a formal acceptance letter from UVic, but am still waiting to hear from them regarding funding...the waiting doesn't seem to end....

Hi! They do. it's 4 years full funding which is awesome.  I hope you hear from them soon about your funding . is it a PhD? I've not yet heard of an unfunded PhD. 

I am sure they have one for you. All the best while you're waiting