Masters in Canada - FAQ
I've been receiving a spate of requests through orkut and otherwise for assistance regarding applying to Canada for masters. I myself have received generous help from people here when I was in India and hence I feel obligated to help anyone with their application. But there is no point in repeating the same answers to everyone. Hence this post which lists answers to some questions that have been thrown at me quite frequently. Also many of the questions that have been asked to me are pretty stupid. I am listing those questions too (for fun and for the benefit of those who want them).
Q: Can you help with my application process?
A: Absolutely, but please go through this list completely. If you are applying for under graduation, I might not be of much help. I tried to answer questions from a guy who contacted me through orkut but realized that I couldnt give too many answers. If you are an undergrad, then goto this community called Indians@UoCalgary in orkut. Please check if there are any undergrads in that community and request them for their assistance.
Q: I am in a hurry and I have to apply immediately. Can you please give me names of universities to apply, sample recos, sops etc...?
A: No. I am not a consulting agency.
Q: What universities in Canada should I apply?
A: Bad question. How the hell am I supposed to know? Please do your homework on this. I can answer if you ask me for names of some good universities in Canada but I cannot suggest universities to you. Go through the list of good universities and see what research is happening there. If they do good work in a field that you like, then go ahead and apply.
Q: What are the good universities in Canada?
A: Good question. I am not aware of a definitive list of any sort. I am just listing down a few here which in my opinion are good. There could me and most probably will be universities out of this list that are outstandingly good in some fields and some of these universities could also be outstandingly bad in some fields. Notwithstanding this, these are generally considered to be good places to park yourselves for a couple of years.
1) Univesity of Toronto
2) Univesity of British Columbia
3) Univesity of Waterloo
4) Univesity of Mcgill
5) Univesity of Mcmaster
6) Univesity of Western Ontario
7) Univesity of Alberta
8) Univesity of Calgary
Q: How about professor ABC in University of Calgary? (or) How about the research group ABC in University of Calgary?
A: Ill try and put you in touch with someone in that research group. Ill not be giving my personal opinions on any prof. At best, I can give info on how popular they are and how much funds they are in possesion.
Q: What is the fees for this course XYZ in your university?
A: Bad question. What the hell is the Internet there for? If you cant find this info from the universities web page, then either you are bad at searching or that university is not worth applying to.
Q: What is the cost of living in city ABC?
A: Good question. You need to contact people living in city ABC to get an exact picture of the cost of licing for ABC. I live in Calgary and hence I can give info for Calgary. Calgary is in the middle of what people call 'Chinaish' economic growth. So, cost of living has spiralled and has shot through the roof. For a pretty average one room basement where utilities are shared with others in the house, you will have to pay something around $450. This is as of Nov 14, 2006. If you are reading this much after this date, you might have to talk to someone to get the latest info. The university does provide residence services and rooms are available there for rates between $400 and $600. Again this is as of Nov 14, 2006. For exact rates, check the website. Food and other expenses can be managed within $200. The university fees includes a free pass in all modes of public transport and hence there will be no special transportation cost. So you can manage to live frugally with about $650 - $700 per month.
Q: I have friends in US who do masters there and the numbers they said were much lower. These numbers seem to be unbelievable.
A: Yes. These numbers are unbelievable. As I said, Alberta (State in which Calgary is located) is in the middle of 'Chinaish' economic growth and hence cost of living has increased tremendously in the last one year.
Q: What are the requirements for University XYZ (or) Do I need GRE to apply to University XYZ (or) My scores are so much in these exams and I have this GPA in my UG. Will I get admission in University XYZ?
A: Bad question. You should definitely find details about requirements on the universities website. Also, I am not in the admissions committee. If your grades are above the requirements mentioned, then it simply boils down to the competition.
Q: Is it worthwhile doing a masters in Canada (or) Are the degrees given there recognized all over the world (or) How does masters in Canada compare with masters in US?
A: My personal opinion is that the standard of education in the universities that I listed above are really high and easily compare with the standard of education in the top 30 ranked universities in the US. So, as regards your knowledge, you will learn a lot. Finally, as a post graduate, any industry will look primarily only at your knowledge. Also, these univesities are in no known 'black lists'. So, you can apply without any fear. The biggest advantage of applying here is the fact that you wont be spending too much (details below). If you intend to do a phd or go back to India after your masters, then studying here makes much more sense than spending a huge amount and studying in a not so highly ranked university in the US. But, if you want to settle in the US, then this is probably not a great route.
Q: Howz the job scenario?
A: After seeing the job boom in India (in IT) and hearing stories about US, you would probably expect tremendous job oppurtunities. But thats not the case. Thats the flip side. You dont have the big IT companies like Intel, Microsoft, Oracle etc... But this does not mean people go jobless or there are no jobs. There are lots and lots of jobs. Most IT jobs are as in house software developers in companies like Shell (oil and gas) and Rogers (Communications) etc... There are a few startups that offer exciting job profiles, there is an IBM research lab etc.. But no companies that thrive on headcount like Infosys, Wipro etc... For non IT people, I can see that there are lots of jobs for people related to petroleum industry. Otherwise, I really dont have much idea. Please contact someone in your field.
Q: How about settling down there?
A: You can get a PR within say an year or an year and a half of completing your masters. You will have to stay here for another 2 years to apply for citizenship. So, it takes about 6 years from your date of landing to become a citizen.
Q: What about funding?
A: Thats the best part. Unlike the US, almost everyone has some kind of funding. Its either a Teaching Assitanship or a Research Assistanship or a combination of the two. The assitanship is calculated so that you can pay your fees out of that and still manage to live frugally without spending out of your pocket.
Q: How can the tuition fees be paid?
A: Since almost everyone gets some sort of funding, most universities allow people to deduct the fees from your funding on a monthly basis. So, if your fees is say 12K for the first year, then 1K will be deducted from your funding every month. So typically the funding you recieve is around 1.7K per month. I know for sure this feature exists at University of Calgary and have heard that this is the same in all universities. Please check with someone in the university of your interest to understand if this is possible there. This, according to me, is a tremendous advantage when compared with US universities where you have to cough up a huge amount upfront. Also the second year fees is only 4K, which again is quite unlike US universities where the second year fees is pretty much same as the first year fees.
Q: Can you look for a place for me to stay at Calgary?
A: Ideally this question does not belong here in the application FAQ but am including it due to the difficulties involved in finding a place. The answer is applicable to Calgary and I have no idea about other cities. I really wouldnt want to look for a place for you but if you are really desperate, yes I can try and help. The reason is that the renting scenario in Calgary is really really, I cant stress enough, really bad. There are hardly any houses that are vacant. So, I'd suggest that you apply immediately to the University Residence. This way you can avoid a looooottttt of pain. Also students who stay outside, themselves stay in pretty shanty one room basements sharing lots of stuff with other students. To accomodate another person will be a pain. One needs to talk to fellow room mates and the pain in the ass landlords. So, dont even imagine staying at someones place and searching for a house. Its nearly impossible. Please apply to residence services at the earliest. Also residence services maintains a database through which you can look for houses in the city. Try using that. Dont relax if that shows lots of available places. The database is sometimes not upto date, the houses might be bad and/or pretty far from the university. I am not painting a bad picture to discourage people from asking me for help. Finding houses in Calgary is seriously a pain. Please apply to residence services at the earliest.
Q: I am from a tropical place. Will I be able to mange to cold?
A: I myself am from Chennai. Summer temperatures sometimes touch 45 and winter temperatures rarely go below 25. I've managed to stay alive here :). So, dont worry too much about the cold. Temperatures rarely go below -35 in Calgary. You dont have to be paranoid about that. With proper protective gear and a few precautions, you wont even notice the cold. Normal life goes on even in -35. So, dont consider the cold as one of the factors for your university selection.
Q: Can I get a contact from University of Calgary in XYZ department or from ABC city?
A: I can try.
Q: Are there Indian Restaurants?
A: There are a plethora of indian restaurants in Calgary. I've been here only for 2 months and I myself know atleast 25.
Q: Can I cook my own food?
A: Of course, you will go broke if you eat outside. Almost any item you need to cook your own style of food can be cooked here. You get all the raw materials.
Special note for vegetarians: If you are vegetarian, then please come prepared to cook every meal of every single day. There are hardly one or two items that you get outside that are vegetarian. I myself am a vegetarian and have managed to stay alive :). Just be prepared to improve your culinary skills.
If you feel your questions have not been answered, please contact me on orkut
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=7325350134106176386
I've been receiving a spate of requests through orkut and otherwise for assistance regarding applying to Canada for masters. I myself have received generous help from people here when I was in India and hence I feel obligated to help anyone with their application. But there is no point in repeating the same answers to everyone. Hence this post which lists answers to some questions that have been thrown at me quite frequently. Also many of the questions that have been asked to me are pretty stupid. I am listing those questions too (for fun and for the benefit of those who want them).
Q: Can you help with my application process?
A: Absolutely, but please go through this list completely. If you are applying for under graduation, I might not be of much help. I tried to answer questions from a guy who contacted me through orkut but realized that I couldnt give too many answers. If you are an undergrad, then goto this community called Indians@UoCalgary in orkut. Please check if there are any undergrads in that community and request them for their assistance.
Q: I am in a hurry and I have to apply immediately. Can you please give me names of universities to apply, sample recos, sops etc...?
A: No. I am not a consulting agency.
Q: What universities in Canada should I apply?
A: Bad question. How the hell am I supposed to know? Please do your homework on this. I can answer if you ask me for names of some good universities in Canada but I cannot suggest universities to you. Go through the list of good universities and see what research is happening there. If they do good work in a field that you like, then go ahead and apply.
Q: What are the good universities in Canada?
A: Good question. I am not aware of a definitive list of any sort. I am just listing down a few here which in my opinion are good. There could me and most probably will be universities out of this list that are outstandingly good in some fields and some of these universities could also be outstandingly bad in some fields. Notwithstanding this, these are generally considered to be good places to park yourselves for a couple of years.
1) Univesity of Toronto
2) Univesity of British Columbia
3) Univesity of Waterloo
4) Univesity of Mcgill
5) Univesity of Mcmaster
6) Univesity of Western Ontario
7) Univesity of Alberta
8) Univesity of Calgary
Q: How about professor ABC in University of Calgary? (or) How about the research group ABC in University of Calgary?
A: Ill try and put you in touch with someone in that research group. Ill not be giving my personal opinions on any prof. At best, I can give info on how popular they are and how much funds they are in possesion.
Q: What is the fees for this course XYZ in your university?
A: Bad question. What the hell is the Internet there for? If you cant find this info from the universities web page, then either you are bad at searching or that university is not worth applying to.
Q: What is the cost of living in city ABC?
A: Good question. You need to contact people living in city ABC to get an exact picture of the cost of licing for ABC. I live in Calgary and hence I can give info for Calgary. Calgary is in the middle of what people call 'Chinaish' economic growth. So, cost of living has spiralled and has shot through the roof. For a pretty average one room basement where utilities are shared with others in the house, you will have to pay something around $450. This is as of Nov 14, 2006. If you are reading this much after this date, you might have to talk to someone to get the latest info. The university does provide residence services and rooms are available there for rates between $400 and $600. Again this is as of Nov 14, 2006. For exact rates, check the website. Food and other expenses can be managed within $200. The university fees includes a free pass in all modes of public transport and hence there will be no special transportation cost. So you can manage to live frugally with about $650 - $700 per month.
Q: I have friends in US who do masters there and the numbers they said were much lower. These numbers seem to be unbelievable.
A: Yes. These numbers are unbelievable. As I said, Alberta (State in which Calgary is located) is in the middle of 'Chinaish' economic growth and hence cost of living has increased tremendously in the last one year.
Q: What are the requirements for University XYZ (or) Do I need GRE to apply to University XYZ (or) My scores are so much in these exams and I have this GPA in my UG. Will I get admission in University XYZ?
A: Bad question. You should definitely find details about requirements on the universities website. Also, I am not in the admissions committee. If your grades are above the requirements mentioned, then it simply boils down to the competition.
Q: Is it worthwhile doing a masters in Canada (or) Are the degrees given there recognized all over the world (or) How does masters in Canada compare with masters in US?
A: My personal opinion is that the standard of education in the universities that I listed above are really high and easily compare with the standard of education in the top 30 ranked universities in the US. So, as regards your knowledge, you will learn a lot. Finally, as a post graduate, any industry will look primarily only at your knowledge. Also, these univesities are in no known 'black lists'. So, you can apply without any fear. The biggest advantage of applying here is the fact that you wont be spending too much (details below). If you intend to do a phd or go back to India after your masters, then studying here makes much more sense than spending a huge amount and studying in a not so highly ranked university in the US. But, if you want to settle in the US, then this is probably not a great route.
Q: Howz the job scenario?
A: After seeing the job boom in India (in IT) and hearing stories about US, you would probably expect tremendous job oppurtunities. But thats not the case. Thats the flip side. You dont have the big IT companies like Intel, Microsoft, Oracle etc... But this does not mean people go jobless or there are no jobs. There are lots and lots of jobs. Most IT jobs are as in house software developers in companies like Shell (oil and gas) and Rogers (Communications) etc... There are a few startups that offer exciting job profiles, there is an IBM research lab etc.. But no companies that thrive on headcount like Infosys, Wipro etc... For non IT people, I can see that there are lots of jobs for people related to petroleum industry. Otherwise, I really dont have much idea. Please contact someone in your field.
Q: How about settling down there?
A: You can get a PR within say an year or an year and a half of completing your masters. You will have to stay here for another 2 years to apply for citizenship. So, it takes about 6 years from your date of landing to become a citizen.
Q: What about funding?
A: Thats the best part. Unlike the US, almost everyone has some kind of funding. Its either a Teaching Assitanship or a Research Assistanship or a combination of the two. The assitanship is calculated so that you can pay your fees out of that and still manage to live frugally without spending out of your pocket.
Q: How can the tuition fees be paid?
A: Since almost everyone gets some sort of funding, most universities allow people to deduct the fees from your funding on a monthly basis. So, if your fees is say 12K for the first year, then 1K will be deducted from your funding every month. So typically the funding you recieve is around 1.7K per month. I know for sure this feature exists at University of Calgary and have heard that this is the same in all universities. Please check with someone in the university of your interest to understand if this is possible there. This, according to me, is a tremendous advantage when compared with US universities where you have to cough up a huge amount upfront. Also the second year fees is only 4K, which again is quite unlike US universities where the second year fees is pretty much same as the first year fees.
Q: Can you look for a place for me to stay at Calgary?
A: Ideally this question does not belong here in the application FAQ but am including it due to the difficulties involved in finding a place. The answer is applicable to Calgary and I have no idea about other cities. I really wouldnt want to look for a place for you but if you are really desperate, yes I can try and help. The reason is that the renting scenario in Calgary is really really, I cant stress enough, really bad. There are hardly any houses that are vacant. So, I'd suggest that you apply immediately to the University Residence. This way you can avoid a looooottttt of pain. Also students who stay outside, themselves stay in pretty shanty one room basements sharing lots of stuff with other students. To accomodate another person will be a pain. One needs to talk to fellow room mates and the pain in the ass landlords. So, dont even imagine staying at someones place and searching for a house. Its nearly impossible. Please apply to residence services at the earliest. Also residence services maintains a database through which you can look for houses in the city. Try using that. Dont relax if that shows lots of available places. The database is sometimes not upto date, the houses might be bad and/or pretty far from the university. I am not painting a bad picture to discourage people from asking me for help. Finding houses in Calgary is seriously a pain. Please apply to residence services at the earliest.
Q: I am from a tropical place. Will I be able to mange to cold?
A: I myself am from Chennai. Summer temperatures sometimes touch 45 and winter temperatures rarely go below 25. I've managed to stay alive here :). So, dont worry too much about the cold. Temperatures rarely go below -35 in Calgary. You dont have to be paranoid about that. With proper protective gear and a few precautions, you wont even notice the cold. Normal life goes on even in -35. So, dont consider the cold as one of the factors for your university selection.
Q: Can I get a contact from University of Calgary in XYZ department or from ABC city?
A: I can try.
Q: Are there Indian Restaurants?
A: There are a plethora of indian restaurants in Calgary. I've been here only for 2 months and I myself know atleast 25.
Q: Can I cook my own food?
A: Of course, you will go broke if you eat outside. Almost any item you need to cook your own style of food can be cooked here. You get all the raw materials.
Special note for vegetarians: If you are vegetarian, then please come prepared to cook every meal of every single day. There are hardly one or two items that you get outside that are vegetarian. I myself am a vegetarian and have managed to stay alive :). Just be prepared to improve your culinary skills.
If you feel your questions have not been answered, please contact me on orkut
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=7325350134106176386
18 comments:
First of all, I would like to appreciate you for taking some time to come up with such a post.
Now a few points, which I think, would make it better.
1. Q2 -> Try not to sound rude. People know that you are not a consulting agency. I guess a good post with sufficient info will help ppl in a hurry.
2. Q3 -> I guess you can not tailor your answer to each person' need. But you can broadly outline the process that you yourself followed. Often people want to just read an example.
3. Q6 -> "Please refer to the university's website" is a more polite answer. What if the university's site does not contain the information? There is usually a contact address mentioned to which you can mail queries.
4. Q9 -> Most people who will read this item will also know that you are not in the admissions committee.
5. I think Q10 onwards have been answered well and you have used your experiences in answering them.
reasonably constructive criticism.. :).. appreciated...
people have to realize that they have to do their homework... that is the point of using strong words...
Yes, I get the point. Especially, if you look at some of the questions in forums which discuss such issues, one really feels that people donot make an attempt from their side to find out anything at all.
But this can be emphasised just once before the FAQs begin. This would ensure that people who genuinely want to get some inputs are not put off while reading this.
good work dude!
Just to help people lost in searching
http://www.ucalgary.ca/ISC/InternationalStudents/int_students_index.html
oh man..u havee sooo muchhh timeee to help peopleee...i really appreciate ittt...i get no timee to help people..besides my stupid unmanageable assignments quizzes and test :(...but its gud to know tht atleast someone has started to provoke ppl for higher studies abroad..feels like home away for home with all this infos..keep it upp :) .............. iRa
hey Ira.. thx for dropping by... just my two cents worth of efforts.. :)
really good one!!.. u have really motivated me to consider Canada!... i have one more yr engineering left ... yet to give my GRE(1 more month) ... i will apply univ of calgary for sure... will bug u laters for sure!
until then bye
per sollum virumbatha vaalibar aka Anonymous
best wishes for ur application!! :)
Thats Crap saying canadian universities is not up to the mark of us universities.
I got admission in Virginia tech, Michigan tech, calgary and OSU, but clearly i think geoscience is much better at calgary.
Any way it will be great if any gentle men drop me the mail regarding accomadation problem.
Regards
AKSHAY
akshaygulati@iitb.ac.in
Well Calgarian didnt gave me any funding from department although i got funding from external source of around 1700 CAD and 1st YEAR fee is 6500 CAD with last date as 19th sept...I am dubious about mode of payment so u people think i don have to get any cash from home...
well the article didnt say that canadian universities are crappy.. hmm.. first comment doesnt make much sense...
i dont understand what u mean by 'u r dubious about mode of payment'.. I think this is a big thing about fees.. u have to talk to the univ about what is in store for you.. almost everyone I know in Calgary pay their fees on their monthly basis..
finally, dont post ur questions as requests. contact me on orkut.. link to my profile is on the post
Hey Partha....thanx for your initiative....things can always be changed to make better but the main idea is to take initiative..that what you did....i really appreciate your efforts....;)
thanks
Nand Khatri
You clever guy thanks a lot for nice guidance.I had already gone through college website and could recollect lots of information from your comments.
hii...i really appreciate you ppl endeavor...i hve got offer frm calagary uni in MS in electrical and computer dept. and i m offered very handsome amount by my prof before my admission and research area is also quite gud..bt i hve other option also of carleton where they havenot given RA aid yet..which is better uni??nd wht mst b the primary factor while considering offers by unis?
@arsh - choice of univ depends on many factors, ur interests, ur monetary situation, prof etc etc.. talk to someone from ur field... that would be the best.
hii...i got offers from 2universities ...carleton and calgary university...in communications area...please tell me which 1 is better uni interms of gud ece dept,facility ,reputation and research opportunities
@Arsh - I am sorry. I am not from that field and so I cannot answer that question.
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