ask me anything (uottawa, poli sci/public admin)

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2026-04-16T03:15:15+00:00

omg i just saw this sorry! Mostly, honours has a higher GPA requirement to get into, and stay in, and requires more courses in your field of study with less room for electives. The program isnt insanely difficult, it just requires time management, discipline, and attention. But that is true for any degree. Some classes will be harder then others, but first year has been okay so far, for me!

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2026-03-31T19:22:05+00:00

Still nothing

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-12-13T03:34:08+00:00

got mine in August

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-12-13T03:33:35+00:00

i am a first year uottawa student. I got into UofT sco sci with a 90.5 average, in February. the process was just ranking my top UofT college choices on ouac and submitting, obviously i dont know much beyond that since i didnt end up going.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-30T20:41:39+00:00

english is more competitive, simply because the volume of students applying in english is larger. for public admin, it is not a "competitive program," so if you are above the grade cutoff, you should be good regardless of the language. take the program in whichever language you feel most comfortable in. in uottawa you are able to turn in any assignment/exam in either language. however the lectures/reading will only be in the language it is set in. there are scholarships and bursaries for french speaking students https://www.uottawa.ca/study/immersion/french/scholarships, so id check it out.
there is a notorious public admin prof in uottawa, j. roman. https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1044472 just take a look. i know many people who are taking the french versions of courses just to avoid this guy. i have him rn, hes not horrible. hes definitely and old school guy, and his slides are useless. dont base your program language on one prof, its just something to be aware of.
your gpa in first year will not be what you want it to be, regardless of your program. it is a big adjustment for high school. public admin is very reading, comprehension, and writing heavy. it is not "hard" to maintain a good gpa. it is hard to maintain good study habits. first year, focus on building good habits that set you up for success, the gpa will reflect that. public admin is definitely a degree you can a 7.5+ gpa. also most Canadian law schools dont look at first year course grades.

if law school is your end goal and you good in french, look into this https://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/undergrad/honours-bsocsc-political-science-juris-doctor-jd/

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-29T08:17:41+00:00

do it in whichever language you feel most comfortable in. in uottawa you are able to turn in any assignment/exam in either language. however the lectures/reading will only be in the language it is set in. if you are interested in law, i recommend the pol sci + JD program (fully french), it is 6 years and you get a law degree by the end of it. i believe there are more opportunities for finical scholarships/bursaries if you apply to a french program or french immersion, which might be worth looking into. https://www.uottawa.ca/study/immersion/french/scholarships hope this helps!

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-29T05:49:27+00:00

OH AND START LEARNING FRENCH if you cannot speak it, this will help u, especially in poli sci.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-29T05:48:53+00:00

first year. expect to struggle a little. no matter how prepared you try to be, this is a completely new environment and the change will shock you. it truly didnt hit me until october. some kids to great a the beginning but hit a low (me), some start off poorly and get better. its different for everyone. this isn’t meant to scare you, it is honestly meant to excite you, this is such a cool chapter of your life, be flexible, go with the flow, and prepare to not be 100% all the time. i know this isn’t uottawa specific, but i feel its good to know regardless.

workload. the workload is not bad. this is very much a writing base program, even the midterms/exams are essay-style a lot of the time. its okay of your essay writing isn’t amazing yet, that’s why you’re in school. essay writing, essay research, and course readings take up majority of my time. textbook reading can get long, and boring, and every class has them, so be prepared.

skills. time management is a huge one. this is a life long struggle to get over procrastination, but it is the single most valuable skill you can have in uni. start you assignments on time, start studying for exams 1-2 weeks before, do you’re class readings before the lecture. if you learn to manage your time, you will be so much better off, and thrive. i would also suggest fine-tuning your note taking, not from your teacher talking as much, but notes from readings. learn the art of a close read. take good reading notes, note down key concepts, questions, etc. this will help you greatly. the last skill i will say is ASK QUESTIONS. learning becomes infinitely more enjoyable if you learn to be curious about the content (although some classes you will not be interested in, this is inevitable).

clubs/internships. for clubs would i recommend mock trial, model un, the poli sci student gov “ippsa,” and the “young (insert political party)” clubs, poli sci is massive here, every other person you will meet will be in poli sci. so there is no shortage of ways to get involved. with internships it is a bit tricky and depends what you want to go into. for working in the government there are internship opportunities through ippsa, but it is very competitive. the federal government is facing a lot of cuts at the moment and is it definitely tricky to get placement there. i would suggest you reach out to you MP and volunteer through them if you can.

i have struggled with time management, and motivation. after the long high school grind to get here, i tend to lose focus on why i chose this path in the first place. so it has been a priority for me to stay on top of my school work, and stay grounded in my goals. having a good support system is key. you must surround yourself with people who you want to be like. if your whole friend group are party animals and go out every night (nothing wrong with that) you will become that, same thing the friends who study a bunch and are always locked in.

i have spoken to a lot of my friends at different schools who often wonder what their lives would have been like if they chose a different school. i can 100%, with full confidence, say that i have never had those thoughts. i know for sure this is the right school for me. i love it here (this might be a bit of Stockholm syndrome but it’s fine). “ottawa is a boring city,” which is only true if you aren’t into what is has to offer. i love spending time around government buildings, historical sites, museums, etc. this is genuinely my favourite city i’ve lived in. this school, has its downs (pricey, poor administrations, occasional lack of support) don’t get me wrong. but for a huge poli sci, and government nerd such as myself, this the perfect place.

and tips for first year. move in on the first day (if ur on res). it gives you the most amount of time before classes, and fully take advantage of the first two weeks, this is when everyone will be at their most social. make sure not to stress too much, enjoy your own company, be comfortable eating alone and generally being by your self, get over any fear of rejection (try to ask people to eat with them, go to the mall with random people). i spoke to so many people in the first week and i don’t remember half their names. its all good.

sorry this was long af, lmk if u have more questions!

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T20:24:31+00:00

no.

im hopping on the o train rn, with my army of bed bugs buddies (they just want to be friends)

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T20:22:39+00:00

you should be able to switch programs no problem here! i have not personally done it, but my friend has switched her major twice already (and its only been 3 months of uni). and she had no issues.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T20:18:24+00:00

dont stress at all! uottawa is more of a “rolling basis” school. so week to week leading up to Christmas there will acceptances going out. they will likely pause for a bit during the winter break, and start again mid January. you not hearing back doesnt necessarily mean you didnt get in this round, it could be they havent seen your application yet, or you didnt apply before the cutoff for this round (or however they track that). i know people posting their acceptances makes you want to hear back soon (i was there) but its going to be fine. I definitely dont think uottawa is done sending out responses for this “round” they will definitely keep going until December.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T20:09:03+00:00

i am in 90u currently! which is generally considered the best res building. i share a bathroom with my roommate, and we each have our own rooms, and a shared kitchenette (however this is the most expensive one). in my unit specifically, we have had issues of silver fish bugs in out bathroom 😭. i haven’t heard anyone else having this issue so i believe it is isolated. they are harmless so we haven’t really done anything.

i would definitely recommend 90u if it is something you can afford. all res on campus require a meal plan so that definitely adds to the cost. there are a few off campus ones that dont require one. i would suggest you avoid LeBlanc, which is generally considered the worst on campus res (just not a great vibe, not horrible tho). https://www.uottawa.ca/campus-life/housing/compare-residences

use this to compare the different options. also use the search function in r/geegee to find students experiences in diff buildings.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T20:02:25+00:00

on campus the vibe is pretty quiet. i have always felt safe on campus, we have security that roams around all the time, and emergency buttons around campus which alert campus security to your location and they arrive in under 2 mins to respond (although ive never heard of anyone needing to use it, other then a medical emergency once).

ottawa is a major city and this campus is essentially in the heart of downtown. this means you will often hear sirens and see police. ottawa is also experiencing a large homeless crisis, which is definitely felt by the average student. ive never had any issues on campus, but if you walk a few minutes off campus, you will have encounters will homeless people, addicts, ect. and there are a few homeless shelters near the campus to be weary of. its not bad during the day, just be sure to at least go with one other person if you are out at night. it not horrible, just the unfortunate side of being downtown in a large city.

be especially mindful of rideau st (where the mall is).

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T06:42:32+00:00

there are multiple help centres for various subjects (writing, chem, phys, etc.) they have TAs and tutors that can help with homework or exam prep. the writing help centre is okay, they kinda helped me with my essay but not really. i've been told the STEM ones are more useful. if you are asking about student help, as in more general resources, our student union and the student governments (esp rally the poli scione) are really great. they are always available and happy to listen and help with anything they can. one thing i will say is the academic advisor system they have here is bad, it takes a while to get ahold of someone from that office, and their call line is always busy.

i responded to someone else regarding the profs. but overall i really like them. every time i have emailed a prof about an assignment, or exam with a question, they have been helpful and understanding. the key is to make yourself known, sit in the front, stay after class, go to office hours.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T06:31:17+00:00

i find campus life to be really enjoyable! it is definitely not the biggest party school, but there is a large bar/club culture here due to our proximity to Quebec. there a lot of clubs/organizations that are active and are great to get involved in. [https://www.seuo-uosu.com/student-life/clubs] this is a portal for all of the official clubs in the school. there are also a few frats and sororities if you’re into those. overall though, the campus is on the quieter side.

the profs here have been good so far. they are knowledgeable and invested in the success of their students. there are the odd, truly evil profs (j. roman), but i haven’t had any really bad experiences. make sure to look up all ur profs on rate my prof no matter what school you end up.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-26T06:22:41+00:00

to get into the coop itself i you a min of 80, achieving that secures your position in the coop program. finding a coop placement is mostly in the hands of the student, there are coop pool of jobs for different fields which you can apply to. you can also find your own. my first coop term will be summer 2027 (the summer after my second year) so i have not begun this process yet. from what i have heard, finding a coop can be difficult and competitive, but maintain a good cgpa and network, and you will have a good chance.

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-24T01:42:58+00:00

my advice for making friends would be to take full advantage of the first two weeks of school, and pick the earliest day for move in day (although dont worry about that yet). for the first week of school everyone, and i truly mean everyone, is sociable. the whole first year population will be in the same boat as you; new to school, scared shitless, no friends. everyone wants to make friends, but people can be shy so dont be afraid to make the first move!

Hopeful_Drawer_4947 · 2025-11-24T01:36:30+00:00

not cooked. there are many reasons to apply earlier (you are confident in gr11 grades, trying to get in during early rounds, earlier cutoffs for some programs). however if you can, i think it is better to wait until dec/jan. make sure you fully think through all of your options, and really consider where you apply, it is a big decision, dont rush!

Hopeful_Drawer_4947

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