Irresponsible Answers to Canadian Institute Applications and Study Abroad Immigration

In the middle of last year, I was invited to a very American-style study abroad lecture to share my experience of applying for a doctoral class. I was invited by surprise. After all, I was studying in Canada (there is currently only one professor of politics in Taiwan who completed a doctorate in Canada). The school ranking It's nothing, and the tonality of the research and the lectures are completely inconsistent. It may be that last year because of the epidemic, the admission rate of the doctoral program in the US Department of Politics was greatly reduced, so I had to make up the numbers.

In any case, I am very happy to have this opportunity to sell Canadian higher education . After the lecture, I received letters from some listeners stating that they have begun to add Canada to their possible future plans. One of the students wrote a letter and asked some serious questions. I feel like I've written too much, but since I've written it, I'll just organize a Q&A.

 Although this is a question for students in the Department of Political Science, other humanities and social disciplines may also refer to it.

Q
The Canadian doctoral program guarantees a 4-5 year funding package for every student admitted to the doctoral program? Or are there high-achieving people in the class (as is the case with full scholarships in the US)? Does every political science or international relations doctoral program have one? Or is it only available in certain schools?

A
So far I have browsed the admissions website of the political department of Canadian universities, as well as other departments of humanities and social sciences that are not as complicated as they are written, all guarantee that all admitted students can get the funding package, although I have heard that international students cannot be provided. Universities with funding package - usually these schools have a low academic reputation and are generally not a target for international students. After deducting tuition fees, the amount of each school's scholarship is about 13,000-16,000 Canadian dollars per year, which is not very generous. The funding package must also include TA and RA work, which is a bit different from the concept of "full award" in the United States. The biggest difference between the Canadian doctoral scholarships is the guarantee period, which is possible for 4 years, 4.5 years, and 5 years.

In addition, people with particularly excellent grades have the opportunity to apply for external scholarships, or the school will automatically help you join the competition when applying, with 20,000-55,000 Canadian dollars a year, two to four years are possible. Generally speaking, once an external scholarship is obtained, the university will The earliest admission scholarship provided by the department will be withdrawn. If the scholarship is sufficient, the student will choose to be exempted from doing TA work.

Q
I myself really hope to immigrate to the United States and Canada to work in think tanks or universities . After graduation, it is almost guaranteed that this part of immigration will have information about government policies that can be inquired?

A
The part of the immigration policy after studying in Canada can be found on the CIC website .

To put it simply, after graduating with a degree of more than two years, you can apply for a three-year PGWP work visa (one-year degree can apply for a one-year work visa), stay in Canada to find a job, and once you have a stable job, you can start submitting applications. Apply for experience-based immigration . It’s just that the number of places varies each year, and the regulations are not necessarily certain. Some years may require one year of relevant work experience, but for 2021, it is required to apply for a job at the moment. In addition, each province will also have its own immigration invitation. For example, Ontario will open a fast track for provincially nominated master graduates every year.

Remember: The first condition for immigrating after studying abroad is to obtain a degree first . The 1-2-year master's degree is definitely the fastest, and the doctoral program takes at least four years to obtain a degree. It is easy to change the immigration policy), and age is also a plus point in the immigration conditions. The older you are, the more points will be deducted for immigration applications.

Of course, immigration does not guarantee job prospects. You need to work hard to manage your network during your studies. However, Canadian universities also attach great importance to students’ careers after graduation. Departmental friends who work in various fields return to the institute for networking and invite personnel from various embassies to have discussions to help students establish contacts.

It's just that traditional social subjects such as the Department of Political Science or Department of Sociology only have a one-year master's degree (other departments such as global governance, public policy, communication and culture will take two years instead). It's a little hard to build a network of people.

Q
I heard that it is difficult to apply for doctoral programs in Canada. I wonder if holding a Taiwan public scholarship will increase the possibility of admission?

A
To be honest, I don't know anything about Taiwan scholarships, but, at least in my experience, the department likes students who have received various scholarships, which means that you have excellent grades and that you have the ability to persuade others to fund your research. The Canadian Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences likes to regard their students' application for external scholarships as a kind of departmental achievement, so holding a national-level scholarship is quite beneficial when applying for a Canadian doctoral program (not to mention a master's program).

There are various variables in the admission of doctoral classes. This is just my personal opinion (at present, almost all Taiwan doctoral students I met in Toronto hold public funds or retain awards). Don't take it too seriously.

Q
Going directly to Canada to study a master's program first, and then apply for a doctoral program, will the success rate be higher?

A
First of all, we must first understand why Canadian master's and doctoral programs are difficult for international students to apply for?

Canadian universities are basically public universities, and the funds are paid by taxpayers. Therefore, there are not many places for international students in each department (especially the doctoral level). Most of the places are reserved for Canadians, including citizens, Students with permanent residency and refugee status, this matter turns a blind eye, no matter what country you are from or where you are studying, it is equally difficult to apply, because you have to compete with other students from all over the world for 1-3 places (depending on the total number of admission places) , the University of Political Science may choose 5 out of 30 admissions places, one for each subfield).

Taking a master's program in Canada can help you immigrate, but after completing a master's degree here, it may not give you much advantage in your application. Regardless of grades, the problem is that you are still an international student . Therefore, from this point of view, there is not much difference between applying for a master’s degree in Taiwan and applying for a master’s degree in Canada. The former may have more advantages. After all, you are studying in your native language in Taiwan, so you can do it well and have time to participate in more Events even publish papers. However, for some reviewers, it will be more reassuring if your grades and letters of recommendation come from the Canadian system. In short, in this regard, you can only assess your own situation.

If you get the status, you will go to the other side and compete with Canadian students for another 5 times the number of places. To give an example that went well around me: a classmate who studied for a master’s program as an international student for one year, failed to apply for a doctoral program in the same year, and then applied again the year after graduation, but he still failed, but he later obtained a permanent residence permit, and the third year The application was successful, and he was working in Canada during the process.

In short, the acceptance rate of applying for a doctoral degree can only be meaningfully improved if you complete your master's degree and obtain citizenship .

Q
Since you can't improve the admission rate of doctoral students, why do you still recommend studying for a master's degree in Canada? Besides immigration, what are the advantages of a master's degree in Canada?

A
Although the United States and Canada are often classified as one group in people's impressions, in fact, the United States and Canada have very different cultures and social atmospheres. For international students, Canada is definitely a more diverse, more inclusive and friendly environment. Safe (no guns).

Although Canadian universities are quite unfamiliar to many people, generally speaking, because they are public universities, their funding is stable, their academic reputation and international influence are well ranked, and their research fields also stand at the top of North American academics due to regional relationships. The frontiers, especially the three best political institutes in Canada (UofT, McGill, UBC), have professors from the best schools in the UK and the US, so there is no sense of coming here to study but falling for the academic pulse. In addition, according to the irresponsible inquiries of the students, the acceptance rate of the top universities in the United Kingdom and the United States is quite high every year. If you think that it is very important to go abroad to study for a master's degree for doctoral applications, studying in Canada can definitely become a Nice choice.

At present, the Canadian Institute of Political Science or other social science departments are trying their best to take the route of not writing Thesis in the course (but they still have to write a long research paper), which will undoubtedly greatly reduce the problem of incomplete writing of thesis for the master's class in Taiwan. As far as students in political-related departments are concerned, the Canadian master's class has an ambiguous boundary between practical and academic. In the same student, there may be students who focus on career development, while some students study academic research. For students who enter the Ph.D. pit, there is room for consideration to advance and retreat.

The most important thing is that the one-year tuition fee for international students to study at the Canadian Institute of Arts and Sciences is about NT$600,000, which is relatively cheap compared to the United Kingdom and the United States, and once you pay the tuition for two semesters (autumn and winter), in one year In the four semesters, including the regular autumn and winter, as well as the courses in May, June, July and August, you can choose any courses, interdisciplinary science courses, or even cross-school courses, with no additional credit fees at all, (some schools. The fee will be divided into three semesters. If the autumn and winter are completed, the summer semester can be exempted.) Therefore, coming to Canada to study for a master's degree will be a decision with a high CP value.

 P.S. Politics PhD programs in Canada usually remind applicants that if they want to take the policy practice route after graduation, they should not apply to the Politics PhD program, but to the Master of Public Policy or Global Governance program.

Finally, the doctoral program in the humanities and social sciences should be studied for at least six years. In terms of life experience, I would recommend young international students who are interested in studying abroad for a doctorate, regardless of whether they have a master's degree in China or not, if financial resources permit, they should go to a first degree Annual Master's Program! Youth is to splurge (not)! Mainly through this master's program, you can thoroughly understand whether you are suitable for studying abroad and whether you are suitable for taking the academic route? Besides, the intensity of the courses in the United States and Canada is really terrible. Taking one round of courses first will actually make you more comfortable in the doctoral class (in the United States) .

For more on the Canadian Institute, read on on the fantastic academic journey of an older wife .

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