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What do they want to see in this? I have checked their website and could not find any useful information. They also ask for a Research Statement. Should I just think of Statement of Interest as a Personal Statement and not mention any research since there is a seperate Research Statement? Thanks!

Hello! I sincerely request for advice from Canadians and others who are familiar with Canadian Econ programs, please. I will be truly very grateful for any & all insights into the issue below. Thank you so much in advance! I am international student who will be pursuing the MA on a study permit. I have a 4-year undergraduate honours in Economics from India, & a final year UG thesis. I got into UBC, UofT, SFU, Ottawa, McMaster, Waterloo MA Co-op, Dalhousie, UAlberta, etc. After a lot of consideration, I have decided that I'll go either to SFU or to Waterloo. This is due to the international student tuition differential at most places, which makes affording grad studies very difficult for me at UBC & UofT. My goal is to work after the MA, and I am quite sure about not going the PhD route. The MA at SFU has an optional co-op, while the Waterloo program itself is the MA co-op track. But from what I have seen, international students' co-op placements are not exactly guaranteed at Waterloo, even if one is enrolled in the co-op program. I mean, I'm ready to work for searching jobs in the co-op, but there seem to be certain things out of my control in the case of Waterloo (like the Ontario government's cutback / restrictions on hiring students who are not Canadian citizens / PR). I guess in Waterloo, it can happen that I don't get into co-op due to these other factors. And if so, the program will end in 8 months, and I don't want to do such a short program. This is just my understanding, please correct me if I'm mistaken regarding this. Is a co-op position a definite part of the degree for those enrolled in the co-op option (assuming we perform well in the coursework) ? How about co-op positions for internationals ? Is job success difficult for internationals (even if they perform well in the program)? Essentially, how will my visa status affect me in getting a job in Ontario? And neither is co-op job success a sure feature at SFU. In fact, I have read that the job market in the west coast is brutal, and it's better to remain in the east. Is finding a job in the west really that difficult ? But again, Waterloo has the international tuition, which would make it really very tight for me there (though they have given me a TA-ship). So is taking up the financial burden worth going to Waterloo? Or should I go to SFU instead (lesser financial strain) and will the SFU degree help in finding work? I am not complaining, and in fact, am greatly thankful for the opportunity. It's just that given that I have couple of options, I would want to make an informed decision about how my life would change from now on. Given all this, please advise me regarding work placements after the SFU degree, and the possibility of taking up a co-op position at SFU (they have co-op for MA econ). Do students get placed in co-op every year? What about general work placements after the SFU MA? I would be really very thankful for advice, please.

My goal is to obtain a PhD but I got rejected from all the programs I applied to. My strategy will be to do a Masters and then reapply for PhD programs. I recently got a very nice fully-funded offer from SFU. However, I also have a meager-funded offer from BGSE. I realize that BGSE is much better ranked and might open a lot more doors but I would have to spend a huge amount of money that I wouldn't have to spend in Canada, considering tuition + other costs. Furthermore, while both Vancouver and Barcelona are amazing cities I would love to live in, I'd prefer to live in Canada on a longer term. I've read that the BGSE Economics MA is a great way to enhance your profile and that, if you do well, you can expect to get some offers from decent PhD programs (i.e., non top 10, more like top 30). I've also read that some of the best students from SFU's MA got into top Canadian programs (e.g., Toronto, UBC). I think I have a FAR better chance of being at the top of my cohort in SFU. I'm talking top 3%, here. However, given that I'm an international, getting funded offers from top Canadian programs is really hard. Canada is my top destination of choice and I plan on applying to US and European programs too but I'm afraid that SFU is not very well known outside of Canada. Right now I'm leaning towards SFU and I only have 4 days to decide. Do you think I'm making the wrong choice? What would you do?