I applied to the University of Ottawa in december and I just checked my status which says refused. I applied to the University of Waterloo too. But I’m scared I’ll get rejected as well. I have a bachelors degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and I would love to study AI. Mostly ECE because I don’t know if I can manage in CS. Any more good schools I can apply to?
Hi,
I am sorry to hear about the rejection of your application. Here are a few tips you need to have at the back of your mind for getting into masters programs in Canada.
1. There are two types of Masters program, and they are Masters by Course work and Masters by Research.
2. For Masters by course work, it is a bit easier to get into because you will be paying your fee, the school will easily grant you and offer once you meet the minimum requirements.
3. For Masters by Research, it is much harder. Here your work is based on research. The PI (principal investigator) will be the one to pay for your fees, and also pay for your subsistence (other wise known as stipends).
4. You will agree with me that more people will be trying to get into Item 3, including Canadian citizens, making the competition much stiffer.
5. Also the cost of funding and international student is 3 times the cost of funding a Canadian student. The PI has limited funds, and will want to maximize it. So instead of taking one international student, he is likely to take 3 Canadian students and get more output from the limited grant he has.
Based on the aforementioned, I would suggest you look for Fee paying Masters degree programs e.g University of Windsor, the designation will be different M.Sc and M.Eng.. (The M.Eng will be the fee paying one). If you meet the minimum academic requirement and you can afford to pay your fee, then your chances of getting in will be geometrically increased, but for M.Sc research programs, your chances of getting in are very low.
Finally, please stop looking at the schools with the big names. Try the smaller schools, there is less competition there.
Let us know how it goes.
All the best.
Cheers
Omofar