Applying to NPSIA for 2018

[Sagnik_G]

16 hours ago, limbsun said:

@Sagnik_G  Hi Sagnik, you said, "Couldn't really apply for other great IR programs like GSPIA or Munk because they're either too expensive or they want international students to already have a MA degree before applying which isn't viable for me." Is it Munk that only accepts international students who already have an MA degree? If so, hope not! Really would choose Munk over all programs I have applied to. I did get into GSPIA last week, an international student here too!

Hey! 

I'm so sorry, I should have been a bit more specific there. I think you said you were from New York? I think you'll be totally fine if you've gone through the American undergrad system. The reason I said that was because I'm from India where BA degrees (and actually most undergrad degrees that are not engineering or architecture) are 3 year degrees seeing as we follow the British system. However, what I discovered when researching programs was that the requirement for an MA-program in several Canadian universities was 16 years of education (12 years school + 4 years undergrad). Seeing that I had reached out to the respective departments, and they told me my options were either to do an MA degree from India and then apply to their institution or to apply anyway but my application would be considered 'non-standard' and I might be asked to do a year of additional courses before being considered for the actual program. Neither of those options were really viable for me.

NPSIA among some other programs like the Pol. Sc. MA at McGill, SFU, U. of Alberta, Queens U. and Concordia U. have considered this and have a 3 year equivalency for Indian students, but others like U. of Toronto, UBC, York etc. don't. UBC told me to do an MA from India, and U. of Toronto informed me of the latter option. The frustrating thing is that I don't think they have this system for students applying from the UK or Australia who also have 3 year undergrad degrees I think, but they do for India. Oh well. 

Anyway, that's why I said what I did in that post. Assuming you did a 4 year undergrad from the US, that doesn't apply to you, so you're totally fine! And many congratulations on getting into GSPIA and I hope you hear favourably from Munk as well!

16 hours ago, sunshine18 said:

How many people here have completed an econ requirement?

I had Basic Principles of Micro and Macroeconomics as a Minor for my first semester, as well as Development Economics in my third semester. In mid 2016 when I was first getting serious and contacting NPSIA, I communicated with Ms. Lacroix who told me that those were sufficient for the ECON requirement, so I guess I'm good in that regard. I hope that still applies, because I have no idea what the protocol as an international student is for completing the requirement. 

Edited January 28, 2018 by Sagnik_G

[Sagnik_G]

3 hours ago, Irwi said:

Can anyone help? I cannot seem to find specific requirements for the letter of intent. Other Carleton programs seem to list details like "no more than one page single spaced," but I can't find anything specific for NPSIA. Has anyone figured this out?

Hey.

I was in a very similar position, so I just wrote it anyway, but then once I completed my initial application, some stuff was emailed to me. As you know the application (at least for intl. students) is a 2 step process, the first being the OUAC application and then uploading the documents and transcripts onto CC. So, I got some general emails from the Director along with an Instructions File, I'll just tell you what the instructions for the Letter of Intent were although I'm pretty sure it was quoted verbatim somewhere in this thread earlier.

Statement of Intent (1 required)
For the MA/ MA-JD Program: Your statement of intent should be between 1 – 2 pages in length and
should clearly indicate the areas of research you are interested in as well as any faculty members you
would like to work with, courses you would like to tale and your future career goals.

Hope that helps!

P.S. And no, that typo is not me. That's how it came in the PDF. Just saying. 

Edited January 28, 2018 by Sagnik_G

[Irwi]

4 minutes ago, Sagnik_G said:

Statement of Intent (1 required)
For the MA/ MA-JD Program: Your statement of intent should be between 1 – 2 pages in length and
should clearly indicate the areas of research you are interested in as well as any faculty members you
would like to work with, courses you would like to tale and your future career goals.

Hope that helps!

Thanks, that is great. I was aiming for two pages, but the MPPA program specifically says no longer than one page, so I second guessed myself.

[Delidas]

@Chuupa I applied to Oxford, Sciences PO, and IHEID. IHEID's my first choice, followed by NPSIA, and ironically it's the only international school I haven't yet heard back from. They tell me decisions for my program go out in March, regardless of nationality. It's going to be a long wait. 

@canuck103 Have you slept at all in the last two years? All kidding aside, it's a pretty impressive feat to have finished your undergrad so young. I'm only 22, and already feel like I've overstayed my welcome. I think you'll find a pretty wide age range amongst the applicant pool here. From my understanding, MA's see a lot more diversity with respect to age and life experiences than do BA's.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. So long as you're old enough to grab a drink, I can't imagine that anyone will care too much about how many times you've circled the sun. 

[Chuupa]

@Delidas These are all incredible schools ! I know a lot of people at Sciences Po and they all have wonderful things to say, except maybe for the competitive aspect of it (but they are currently doing their BA there, met through my exchange in Sweden this fall... Maybe it's different for the MA). As for IHEID, I met a guy from there who loved it and a girl in one of my class in currently studying there, she also said it's really nice. I wanted to apply, but Switzerland is just too expensive for me. Perhaps for a PhD eventually hahaha. I hope for you you'll get a positive answer ! It would be an amazing experience.  March is actually quite early, I am also suprised that you heard from Sciences Po. I have a lot of friends from France, Belgium and they will all know around april/may if not later for certain schools ! 

[limbsun]

15 hours ago, Chuupa said:

@limbsun My first choice was actually NPSIA ! However, I took the TOEFL and got 28, 29, 30 and 23 (in the damn reading part)... NPSIA is asking to have at least 25 in every section of the test, so I cannot apply. I also don't have the econ requirement.  I wouldn't have mind doing it in the summer, but I am doing an internship in the Philippines and probably wouldn't be able to do both (since I hate numbers so bad). I was mad for a few days, I'm fine now.

So I am only applying to GSPIA and SIDGS. I know applying to 2 is a bad idea, but I think it's not worth spending money elsewhere if I don't really want to go there ? I would have applied to Munk if it wasn't for the tuition. UOttawa is already super expensive for me (we pay less than 3000$/year in Quebec).

@Delidas Oh wow ! Where did you apply ?  Maybe they tell international before to leave time to do all the paper work ? 

@canuck103 I just turned 22. My friend is also graduating at 20 and she is stressed about it. I really don't think it's an issue !

@Chuupa Somehow I was under the impression that I would have to pay 32K for the whole two-year program at Munk. But now, I checked again, looked carefully and saw that it is 32K PER YEAR for international students!! Plus, additional costs for residence and miscellaneous in Toronto. Now I definitely regret applying there because there is no way I can afford so much money. Ugh anyways... Good luck on your application to GSPIA and SIDGS!! Besides NPSIA, GSPIA is also a great program and yes, you are right in not wasting money for schools that you'd not be very interested to go. I wasted over 500$ on graduate schools I was never really interested to begin with.

[Omie]

Hey everyone!

I am applying to the JD(in French)/MA program at UOttawa and Carleton. Officially submitted the MA application this week, and thought I'd share my stats with other fellow applicants.

Currently finishing my BSocSc from UOttawa, cgpa 8.2/10 and last two years 9.3/10. Not much international experience other than a Model UN course, and being born/living abroad. I also took both micro/macro in my undergrad. 

Anybody else applying to the joint program? 

PS: it's only been a week and the wait is killing me!

[Chuupa]

@limbsun 32K per year is crazy !  Though, you might have some fundings, right ? It could help you ! Life in Toronto is really expensive, too, yeah... but perhaps with the US$ being stronger than the CAN$, it would be better ? I wish you good luck for the rest of your application as well ! Hopefully we'll all get what we want.

@Omie Oh, you speak french ? Génial haha. Since you did your undergrad in Ottawa, do you have any input about the city ? Coming from Montreal, I'm afraid I'll be bored hahaha. I've been to Ottawa 2 times in my life, but I was quite young. Your stats look good ! Good luck And we'll all wait together, it should help

[Omie]

32 minutes ago, Chuupa said:

 

@Omie Oh, you speak french ? Génial haha. Since you did your undergrad in Ottawa, do you have any input about the city ? Coming from Montreal, I'm afraid I'll be bored hahaha. I've been to Ottawa 2 times in my life, but I was quite young. Your stats look good ! Good luck And we'll all wait together, it should help

@Chuupa Oui!! French is actually my second language after Persian! 

To be honest, Ottawa does not compare to Montreal in terms of the social scene. However, it is a nice, calm and student friendly city, with a lot of career opportunities (especially within the federal government). If you do get bored, the good thing is Montreal is not too far away! I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect!

Good luck to you too! Are you also applying to the french JD/MA?

Edited January 29, 2018 by Omie

[canuck103]

I am a Canadian graduating with a BS in International Affairs from Florida State University! I have a 3.3 / 4.0 overall GPA, 3.6/4.0 GPA from my final two year. I spent my first year  (including summer) abroad in Europe. I played rugby and I currently work on campus for FSU Housing!

Does anyone know how Carleton will calculate grades from American schools? I ask this because at FSU to get an A- for example you need a 90 but at Carleton you only need 80 to get an A-. (https://carleton.ca/npsia/calculate-your-gpa/) So, does this mean that all of my grades will be bumped 10% when they calculate my average? 

[limbsun]

@canuck103 Hi ! I had the same concerns as you. Although I didn't apply to NPSIA, I told GSPIA regarding this and they told me to send the grading scheme used by my school in NYC. However, I sent it a day before being accepted and it was likely that my decision had already been made. All Munk told me was, "If your GPA is on your transcript, we do not convert it to UofT grades."

So the best way to find out is contacting NPSIA. Hope this helped a bit, Good luck!

[LoopyLex]

Just a little piece of news you all might be interested in: it looks like they will be trying to get acceptances out by the third week of February this year. So you all won't have to wait till March like we did last year. 

[sunshine18]

1 hour ago, LoopyLex said:

Just a little piece of news you all might be interested in: it looks like they will be trying to get acceptances out by the third week of February this year. So you all won't have to wait till March like we did last year. 

Is that based on how early you submitted your application? I am planning on submitting mine tomorrow..

[Delidas]

@Chuupa I was pretty surprised about Sciences PO as well, but I can't say that I was at all disappointed!

I, too, had a hard time overlooking the cost of living in Switzerland, but decided to apply on the hope that I may be granted a scholarship. From what I hear, IHEID does a pretty good job of providing financial aid to those in need. I just hope that I fit the bill, in that regard.

@LoopyLex That's some good news! Waiting until mid-March may very well have been the death of me. I don't know how you guys managed to keep sane.  

[LoopyLex]

1 hour ago, sunshine18 said:

Is that based on how early you submitted your application? I am planning on submitting mine tomorrow..

I believe so long as you get your application in before the first deadline, you will be considered in the first round which will come out in February. To be honest, I don't know of anyone who got in after sending their application in after that deadline. There is usually around 450-550 applicants in a cycle, and they send out around 150 invites for a little more than 100 spots. So second round invites are usually quite rare.

@Delidas Oh believe me, it was terrible. They had a really mixed up process too, where many of the applications didn't change what stage they were on. Mine was stuck on 'review in progress' from February till the day I received an informal invite. Didn't actually change to any of the other possible statuses, haha. Hopefully this year they'll be a little more considerate for all of your hearts. 

[Sagnik_G]

7 hours ago, LoopyLex said:

Just a little piece of news you all might be interested in: it looks like they will be trying to get acceptances out by the third week of February this year. So you all won't have to wait till March like we did last year. 

Hey.

Thanks so much for the info. It's awesome that they're trying to get it out early. I just had one question I was wondering if you had any insight on. For those like me who are going straight from undergrad to grad school, if I'm made an offer by Feb I still have my final semester exams in April.

Since I have to forward my final transcripts and such to the dept if I am made an offer but I won't really be getting those till like late April or early May. So, if I accept admission in Feb, do you think it's fine to forward the final transcripts and such later on? 

Thanks. 

[abibret]

30 minutes ago, Sagnik_G said:

Hey.

Thanks so much for the info. It's awesome that they're trying to get it out early. I just had one question I was wondering if you had any insight on. For those like me who are going straight from undergrad to grad school, if I'm made an offer by Feb I still have my final semester exams in April.

Since I have to forward my final transcripts and such to the dept if I am made an offer but I won't really be getting those till like late April or early May. So, if I accept admission in Feb, do you think it's fine to forward the final transcripts and such later on? 

Thanks. 

Hey Sagnik - I'm a current second year student. This is totally normal. I went straight from undergrad to NPSIA. We also found out late March about admission, and I received an email on April 1st explaining where to send the transcripts. I think your transcript just needs to get there before course registration in June - you'll have a conditional offer of acceptance until they receive your transcript. You won't be able to register for courses until that happens. They received my transcript in June. Your undergrad institution has to send it.

Edited January 30, 2018 by abibret

[LoopyLex]

^seconding that! I also went from my undergraduate right to NPSIA. Might be a bit more of a pain if it's a distance to mail, but so long as you send it as soon as all your final grades are known, you shouldn't have any problems.

[canuck103]

What about for those who are graduating in the summer?

[Sagnik_G]

16 hours ago, abibret said:

Hey Sagnik - I'm a current second year student. This is totally normal. I went straight from undergrad to NPSIA. We also found out late March about admission, and I received an email on April 1st explaining where to send the transcripts. I think your transcript just needs to get there before course registration in June - you'll have a conditional offer of acceptance until they receive your transcript. You won't be able to register for courses until that happens. They received my transcript in June. Your undergrad institution has to send it.

 

14 hours ago, LoopyLex said:

^seconding that! I also went from my undergraduate right to NPSIA. Might be a bit more of a pain if it's a distance to mail, but so long as you send it as soon as all your final grades are known, you shouldn't have any problems.

Thanks guys! 

[abibret]

12 hours ago, canuck103 said:

What about for those who are graduating in the summer?

I imagine you would not be able to register for courses until your final transcripts have been received. However, for those in a situation like that, you receive a form where you rank courses you would like to take and Tabbatha will try to reserve spaces in some of them for you.

[JackFr]

So a professor of mine who's been sitting on the reference prompt for a week and a half without replying to my emails just told me he won't be able to fill it in until Friday (!!!!!) Do you guys think there's any way I can be considered for first round if I send the admissions department an email explaining the situation?

[Sagnik_G]

50 minutes ago, JackFr said:

So a professor of mine who's been sitting on the reference prompt for a week and a half without replying to my emails just told me he won't be able to fill it in until Friday (!!!!!) Do you guys think there's any way I can be considered for first round if I send the admissions department an email explaining the situation?

Damn, that sucks. My refs took a little over a month and half from when I first asked them to when they finally submitted. Fortunately I did all my applications in October-November, so I had plenty of time.

I would say email NPSIA asap and let them know. I mean, nothing to loose right? 

[canuck103]

@JackFr I doubt you are the first applicant that it has happened to. I would call or maybe even e-mail so you get their response in writing

  

[sunshine18]

Did you guys double space or single space your statements?