7 Useful Tips on How to Secure Postgraduate Admissions in Canada

In a progressive world that is in active search of knowledge, a bachelor's degree is synonymous with taking hold of the first rung of the ladder. Everyone has the innate desire to acquire more educational degrees in a bid to accentuate the authenticity of his or her professionalism. Canada is one of the best hunting grounds for postgraduate studies due to many reasons; some of which may include favorable immigration policies and access to funding opportunities.

For many, securing admissions to some of the top Canadian universities with an assurance of a full scholarship or partial funding is a Herculean task; it requires diligence and dedication. That’s right!

I decided to publish this article to help someone out there because in the past 3-4 months, I have received an average of 4-6 messages weekly on LinkedIn from individuals who want to know more about the process. However, it is important to note that this is not a Holy Grail; it is only meant to be a guide and whet your appetite before you plunge into more reading and studying.

These are some steps and tips that can help to ease the stress and steady your hands on the steering wheel as you kick-start this journey.

Choose your Course Title

The world is filled with amazing opportunities; it is imperative for you to know what exactly you are looking for. Knowing the title of the course and your proposed area of specialization is the first point of call. The next move will be to embark on the look-out for where you can get what you want.

Match the Best Universities with your Course Title

Deliberate and rigorous research on the list of best universities that offer the courses that tickle your interest will be your next adventure. Look at the requirements of the universities for your preferred courses. Do you have those requirements? Pick the best three universities based on factors such as the possibility of getting scholarship/funding, availability of requirements, the quality of your undergraduate results and the opportunities available for an industrial experience in the city.

Helpful tools are:

Times Higher Education

QS World University rankings

LinkedIn University Finder

Center for World University Rankings

Academic Ranking of World Universities

Craft a Compelling Statement of Purpose

This is the time to get to work; craft a persuasive Statement of Purpose (SOP) while some other universities call it Statement of Interest. Tips include: use a simple language, be clear in your expressions, avoid using long sentences, use active tenses, be direct and go straight to the point. This is an opportunity for the reader (a potential supervisor) to meet you for the first time — give an excellent impression of your personality in a short period of time. Avoid irrelevancies and flowery words. Don’t take credits for whatever you did not do, don’t tell lies and don’t include statements about yourself that you cannot defend.

Start with your strong points and what you think will give you an advantage over others. It is competitive! So, start well.

Consult the following resources:

Writing the Statement of Purpose

How to write a statement of purpose

11 tips for Writing a Powerful Statement of Purpose

10 tips for writing a statement of purpose

What’s a good statement of purpose?

Free Sample Letters

Contact your potential supervisors

Pay a visit to the departmental website of your chosen course, look for lecturers that are spearheading research works in your area of interest. There is usually a link on university websites that show you where to get a supervisor for your graduate courses. This is an example of what obtains at the University of Toronto. Address the SOP to the selected supervisors and send it to their respective email addresses; you can possibly attach some regular documents such as your transcript and resume. If you don’t get a response after five working days, you can attempt placing a call to their Office phones or send the email again. This is a very important part of the application process because for the majority of universities in Canada securing a supervisor is almost tantamount to gaining admission. It is always good to get the consent of a supervisor before going ahead with the payment of the application fee and filling of forms on the online portal.

Make Inquiries about the Availability of Research Funding

If you get a response from a Professor and he/she is willing to take you in as a student. Congrats! You have successfully secured an advisor. You can go ahead to make inquiries from the Professor if it is possible to be a beneficiary of a research funding and work as a research assistant. If you get a positive response as regards the funding, you will be required to work with your supervisor on a specified research topic. You just secured a job as a Graduate Research Assistant.

Search for Scholarships

If you can fund your program with your purse, you can commence the application process on the university portal since you have an advisor. This may also be the time for you to start searching for scholarships either from the school or ones funded by international bodies. With scholarships or self-funding, you can dictate the type of research topic you want to do under the supervision of your advisor.

I believe that you can do this yourself if you will just ask Google as many questions as possible.

Commence Visa Applications

When the admission is secured and you have been issued your admission letter, you can start the application for a VISA. Conduct solid research on how to apply for visas, endeavor to pay attention to all instructions and provide all the required documents as specified in the brochure.

Tips and Misconceptions

• As against the rules in the US, not all Canadian universities require English proficiency tests from all nationalities. During your background check before concluding on your applications to the chosen universities, go to the list of countries exempted from doing the proficiency tests. For instance, if you are a graduate from Nigeria, you don’t need an English proficiency test to gain admission into the University of Manitoba (U of M) for graduate studies. Nigeria is on the exemption list on the U of M’s website.
• Start as early as possible and be well-acquainted with the deadlines for the Winter semester (January), Summer (May) and Fall (September). Note: Not all universities have openings in the Summer term, the predominant entry times for the majority of courses in universities are Winter and Fall semesters.
• Use simple words in your SOP and avoid the use of verbose grammar because your main purpose is not to impress anyone. It is also important to note that there is every likelihood that your potential supervisor is not a native speaker of English language. Excessive show-off of unnecessary adjectives and adverbs can be a huge turn-off for someone who receives hundreds of emails every day.
• Either in the body of the email or in your SOP, always put your best foot forward. Start with your strong points and what you think will give you an advantage over others. It is competitive! So, start well.

• If you are the recipient of a funding, don’t expect to get the bulk of the money at once. For instance, if you get a funding that states that you will be paid a sum of $18,000 per year, it means that you will get an average of $1,500 every month. Sometimes, you may need to pay for your school fees in installments from this amount and use the remaining for your upkeep.
• If you are not sure of any step or procedure in your application process, ask questions via emails. Don’t rush, take your time and make sure you are making the right decisions all the time.
• You can use agencies for your applications and processing if you are comfortable with their work. I don’t have any experience in this regard, so it limits my recommendation. I believe that you can do this yourself if you will just ask Google as many questions as possible.

I hope you find this piece helpful as you commence this delightful journey of securing a spot in the university of your dreams. If you need clarifications concerning any of the steps, don’t hesitate to drop your questions in the comment box. Thanks. Feel free to share with your friends that look forward to coming to Canada.