Tips for a successful application

As you are applying to an academic program, you should start your CV by providing details about your postsecondary studies. Add any information you deem relevant to your application, such as professional experience, volunteer work, awards and prizes, publications, conferences, languages, etc.

Your curriculum vitae (CV) and letter of intent will offer you an opportunity to showcase the key elements of your candidacy to the program’s admission committee, which will review your application.

In the letter of intent, express your interest for the program and, if applying to a program with the major research paper or thesis options, outline your intended research project. Before you start to write your letter, it may be useful to consult the program description and department’s website (click on “academic units”). This will allow you to familiarize yourself with their programs, professors and research areas which you can highlight in your document.

Some programs require you to identify a potential supervisor in the letter of intent. Check the guidelines for the letter of intent in the program-specific admission requirements for more details.

For effective contact, do the following:

•    Check the list of full-time professors of the department where the program is offered
•    Confirm that your research interests match
Choose a professor whose areas of expertise clearly align with your proposed research project. Review the professor’s recent publications and ongoing projects.
•    Write a professional, concise message.

Your initial email should be polite, well-written and to the point. It should include:

•    A brief introduction (your academic background and program of interest)
•    A short summary of your research interests or proposed project
•    An explanation of why you believe the professor would be a suitable supervisor
•    Supporting documents (attached)
Consider including your CV and a preliminary research proposal or outline. These help professors better assess your fit with their work and their capacity to supervise.
•    Ensure clarity and structure
The content and form of your message should be clear, coherent and professional. Avoid overly long emails or vague descriptions.
•    Be respectful of time
Professors receive many inquiries. Give them sufficient time to respond. If you haven’t heard back after two weeks, a polite follow-up might be appropriate.
 

Additional information for thesis supervision.

You will need to upload all of your postsecondary transcripts, for past and current studies, whether you completed them or not. Please merge the pages of your transcripts in one single PDF file per institution. The pages should be organized in chronological order, starting with the less recent academic year and finishing with the most recent one. Transcripts must be provided in English or French. For studies completed at the University of Ottawa, the graduate studies office will add the transcript to your file.

The letters of recommendation should preferably come from qualified academic scholars. Ideally, your referees should be well acquainted with your academic background and research interests since they will be asked to comment on your potential for graduate-level study and/or research. Referees are given ten days to fill out and submit their recommendation form.

They are outlined in the program-specific admission requirements. Depending on the medium of instruction during your previous university studies, a language test may need to be provided. Also, some programs require proof of proficiency in the second official language of Canada.

When it comes to applying for any academic program, timing can be just as important as the application itself. The sooner you submit your supporting documents and complete your application, the sooner it can be reviewed by the program’s admission committee.  We would strongly recommend that you complete your application within 5 to 10 days following your access to the admission file in your uoZone portal. Good to know: the program’s admission committee typically starts evaluating complete files around January.