Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my experience applying to UVic master's programs, specifically MADS and MTIS for the January 2027 intake, and also see if anyone else has gone through something similar.

For some context, I recently graduated from uWaterloo with a BCS Honours and I have about 2.5 years of software development experience between internships/co-op and full-time work. Using UVic's methodology for the most recent coursework equivalent to 30 UVic units, my average is around 79%.

So far I was rejected from MADS and I'm still waiting to hear back from MTIS. My MTIS application has been with the department since September 15, so at this point it honestly feels like I'm being held/waitlisted, although UVic has never officially told me that.

Going into this, I was reasonably hopeful that I would get into at least one of the two programs given my academic and professional background.

The main issue is my undergraduate transcript.

I have six courses across two terms that were formally petitioned at Waterloo because of a death in my immediate family and the circumstances surrounding that period. My grades during those terms were extremely low (some around 0–10%), so it's pretty obvious from the transcript that something unusual happened.

Waterloo approved the petitions, gave those courses zero credit, removed them from my academic average, and the transcript literally says "No Credit, Not in Average" under them.

I also submitted an Academic Record Clarification with both UVic applications explaining exactly what happened, so I assumed Graduate Admissions would take that into account when calculating my admission GPA.

After about 1.5 months of emailing back and forth with Graduate Admissions and the department, I eventually learned that Graduate Admissions actually DID include those petitioned numerical grades in my admission GPA.

The department secretary then explained that because Graduate Admissions calculated my GPA as being below UVic's minimum requirement, both of my applications were being considered under a special category for applicants who fall below the normal GPA requirement but have other mitigating factors, such as work experience.

This is the part I find extremely unfair. Why are courses that Waterloo formally petitioned, gave zero credit, and explicitly removed from my academic average being included in my UVic admission GPA in the first place?

I obviously can't prove that this is why MADS rejected me or why MTIS is taking so long, but I find it very difficult not to think it has had an impact. MADS rejected me as "not competitive with other applicants," and MTIS has now been sitting with the department for well over a month.

I asked about reconsideration of the MADS decision twice in emails to the department secretary, but I never really received an answer explaining what the graduate reconsideration/appeal process actually is. I eventually decided to raise the issue directly with the Program Directors for both MADS and MTIS.

For MADS, I specifically requested reconsideration of the rejection because I think the way my academic record was classified may have materially affected how competitive the application appeared. For MTIS, I raised the same concern while the application is still pending because I'd rather bring it up before a final decision is made than try to fix it afterward.

So far I haven't received a response from either Program Director.

I'm also getting pretty frustrated with the overall communication. I've been emailing Graduate Admissions and the department for around 1.5 months. A lot of the responses are basically generic "your application is under review" answers, there is no estimated timeline, and the phone numbers listed for the program/graduate secretary either don't get answered or direct you back to email.

Responses have generally taken around 5–10 business days, whether it's Graduate Admissions, the department secretary, or now the Program Directors. At this point I'm honestly not even sure who applicants are supposed to contact when there is an actual problem with how their application is being processed.

What makes it even more frustrating is that I emailed a CS adviser at Waterloo today about a completely separate academic-record question and she replied within an hour lol.

My plan right now is to follow up with the Program Directors one more time. If I still can't get anywhere, I'll probably contact the ECE Graduate Adviser / department leadership to figure out whether there is an actual graduate reconsideration or appeal process.

Honestly I'm getting pretty hopeless about the whole thing. I've never dealt with an admissions process this frustrating before.

TL;DR: UVic counted petitioned courses that Waterloo removed from my GPA, classified me as below the minimum, and getting any useful response from admissions has been a nightmare.

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I am mainly interested in learning from recent graduates of this program because I want to see how the hiring freeze is affecting people careers.

If you have graduated this program can you please share honestly (without sugar coating) if you think this degree is worth it or if you believe that my worries are valid?

Your feedback is highly appreciated!

Hey all, I lost my wood bead (mala) bracelet last week on Tuesday, Oct 20th, either in the Computer Science Building or Parking Lot 1. It looks similar to this:

Just thought I’d throw out a feeler to see if anyone picked it up or put it in a lost and found somewhere.

thanks :)