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University of Toronto - Graduate Admission (Engineering)

Hello Everyone,

I am currently a 3rd year student in the University of Manchester, I have applied for MEng Civil Engineering at Toronto Uni, Can anyone please tell me if I'll be able to get into toronto with a 2:1 degree from Manchester?

Manchester has got a BIG problem, it hates to award its students with First class degrees. So I am gonna end up with an Upper Second Class degree.

Anyone, please tell me if I've got any chances of getting into Toronto?

Thanks!

P.S. Toronto emailed me saying their minimum requirement was a 2:1 degree, but thats MINIMUM, I am curious :s-smilie:

Reply 1

OrmondDrone

Most universities say that a 2:1 is the minimum required for a master's degree - except the ones that demand a First. I can't see why you should have a problem.

Reply 2

Logarman

Thanks for the reply, It has happened to me unfortunately.

Imperial College says 2:1 minimum on its website, I got a conditional offer from them last month asking for a 'First Class Honours', which really annoyed me. I was on a 'first' in my second year, But I suffered badly in the first semester of 3rd year.

Maybe, I am being a paranoid now, but you think if I just meet minimum requirement for toronto would more or less guarantee my admission??

Reply 3

Logarman

Original post by OrmondDrone

Most universities say that a 2:1 is the minimum required for a master's degree - except the ones that demand a First. I can't see why you should have a problem.

Reply 4

ThatOneGuy

As long as you meet the minimums, I wouldn't worry about it.

Reply 5

Logarman

Original post by ThatOneGuy

As long as you meet the minimums, I wouldn't worry about it.

I probably haven't made my point clear enough, I mean Toronto's one of the best in Canada, So there will too many applicants like me or better than me?

But yeah you're right, It should be fine, I'll wait and see..''fingers crossed''

Reply 6

OrmondDrone

If you meet the minimum (or expect too) then all you can do is apply and see how it goes. Imperial gets the volume of high calibre applicants that it can be incredibly picky - I don't know how true that is of Toronto as while it is one of the best in Canada many great applicants may choose to study in the US anyway for higher profile (though not necessarily better) schools.

Reply 7

chad_bro_chill

Original post by Logarman

you think if I just meet minimum requirement for toronto would more or less guarantee my admission??

NO.

I applied (and got accepted last month) to the MEng in Chemical Engineering at Toronto. The minimum requirements they state are simply that: MINIMUM grades you need just to be considered, i.e. don't bother applying if you don't have at least those grades.

BUT, generally, they look for higher grades than the minimum. I am not familiar with the UK system since I'm just finishing up my BEng at McGill (Montreal), and for Canadian applicants, they state the minimum requirement is a 3.3 GPA for the last 2 years of study. However, when I talked to their graduate admissions officer when they visited my uni, they said that generally they look for around 3.7 GPA.

When I heard that, I felt kind of bummed because I was around 3.6 and thought that it was probably not going to happen. But I still applied and somehow managed to get an offer, probably because I had a strong CV (with 2 relevant internships under my belt).

So 2 important points to note:
1- There is somewhat a big gap between their minimum requirements and the grades they actually look for to make offers
2- There is no harm in applying (if you're willing to pay the 100 $ application fee). As long as you meet the minimum requirements, you have a shot, and even if you think your chances are slim, you never know what might happen. You are in competition with other applicants so in some years they receive less applications or a lot of sub-standard ones and therefore their requirements for offering places in the program changes every year...

If you are truly motivated, you need to prepare a good application, with strong letters of references and a personal statement that will stand out from others.

One thing to note is that if you do get an offer, their condition will simply be to finish with a GPA above 3.3 (so basically just their minimum condition). That basically guarantees that you'll have the option of going to UofT, even if your grades slip a little bit in the last semester. The situation is different at Imperial, for example, where they had the same minimum requirements (3.3 GPA) but their conditional offer was for a 3.5 GPA, so I had to work my ass off this semester to maintain my GPA where it was when I applied.

Good luck for the applications process. Let me know if you have other questions about U of T, I've done quite a bit of research (and talked to a lot of people) about their application and MEng program.

Reply 8

Logarman

Original post by chad_bro_chill

Thanks, I have already applied and I am waiting for the decision. I do meet the minimums, but there is a bit of a problem. Here in the UK, getting 60% or 69% both mean 'Upper Second Class'. But there is hell of a difference between 60% and 69%, as in one has work his ass off to get 69% overall, whereas 60% is much easier.

What I mean is that I hope toronto doesn't consider me a guy with an 'Upper Second Class' and thats it! I got 70% (which is Firs class) overall in my First year, and then 67% in the second year, But in the 3rd year I messed up my first semester, so I am going to end up with on overall average of around 65%.

But I have only sent my 1st and 2nd year transcripts to toronto, so they don't know about my last semester's result. I hope that they take into account that I have scored an extra 7% than the minimum required!

How did you find McGill? and What do you think about graduate studies there?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 9

chad_bro_chill

Original post by Logarman

How did you find McGill? and What do you think about graduate studies there?

Yeah for sure they're going to look at all your actual grades and not just the type of honours you received. Now, just wait and see what happens.

In my opinion, McGill is awesome. I love the uni and especially the city, Montreal, which is, I think, the most enjoyable city in Canada.

Now, for grad studies in Engineering, U of T is generally regarded as the best in the country. The other excellent unis for engineering studies are (in no particular order) McGill, UBC, and Waterloo. I can't really comment on their respective rankings because it really depends on the program (and who you ask :biggrin:

). But all 4 schools are excellent for engineering grad studies.

For me, I was fairly certain I wanted to go to Europe for grad studies so U of T was the only school I applied to in Canada. I was pleasantly surprised to get an offer, but I still decided to stick with my initial plans and accepted Imperial's offer. So now I'm really looking forward to spending the coming academic year in London!

All the best for your applications! Hope you get in to U of T.

Reply 10

Logarman

Original post by chad_bro_chill

I'm really looking forward to spending the coming academic year in London!.

Imperial is amazing as well, I do have a conditional offer from them, which I have accepted, but I won't be able to meet the condition, the offer is a bit too high. But you never know, they may show some flexibility or offer me a different course. You never whats gonna happen.

So, I 'may' see you in London, if don't get into UofT :biggrin:

Thanks for the helpful comments!

Reply 11

Logarman

Original post by chad_bro_chill

All the best for your applications! Hope you get in to U of T.

Hey! Sorry for bugging you, But I got an offer from UofT two days ago. It was just an email saying 'Congratulations! you've been offered a place in MEng program'. I accepted the offer on the department's website, but the application status on the SGS (school of graduate studies) is still 'under review'.

I haven't got any details of the conditions regarding the offer so far, did this happen to you as well?

Reply 12

chad_bro_chill

Original post by Logarman

Yes that's normal. You will receive a letter in the mail with details of the offer for your specific case. Since you live in the UK, it might take some time for the letter to arrive.The SGS website is slow to update so don't worry about that.

Congrats on getting accepted!

Reply 13

PolPotIsAnIdiot

OrmondDrone

Most universities say that a 2:1 is the minimum required for a master's degree - except the ones that demand a First. I can't see why you should have a problem.

This - a 2.1 is the bare minimum at even most decent programmes, let alone the tops ones (where a First is ideal).

Reply 14

manchild007

Logarma

It was just an email saying 'Congratulations! you've been offered a place in MEng program'. I accepted the offer on the department's website, but the application status on the SGS (school of graduate studies) is still 'under review'.

It takes a while for it to update, but congratulations on your offer nonetheless :smile:

Reply 15

manchild007

Since you live in the UK, it might take some time for the letter to arrive.

It usually only takes 1-3 days at the most to arrive as most of the time they are sent with express delivery.

Reply 16

aero12367

Hi,
Congratz on your acceptance! I'm in the same boat as you. I got a 2.1 from the University of Surrey and am applying for MSc Aerospace Studies at UofT.
Hearing your story has given me hope because like you I have like a 65% in my final year. How well did you do on your GRE? Thanks.

Original post by Logarman

Reply 17

teafil

Hey guys! I have a quick question, hopefully someone can help me! What would be the best prep books for the new format GRE? Thank you!

Reply 18

zero_gravity

Original post by Logarman

Congratulations on your offer! Like what chad said, you don't have to worry too much about it. Usually they are a bit slow on the admission process, so wait for a few days before the status changes.