Undergraduate degrees today are gradually becoming the high school degrees of yesterday. According to Shawn O’Connor, founder of Stratus Prep New York’s test preparation and admissions consulting firm, graduate degree programs are increasingly receiving more and more applications.

O’Connor regularly travels with universities’ admissions groups across North America. On Nov. 11, the Political Science Students Association (PSSA) brought in O’Connor, who shared advice from an insider’s perspective on applying to graduate schools, law schools, and business schools. Topics included financial aid, personal statements, and standardized testing.

He explained the long-term importance of putting together a strong application in order to get into the best schools.

“Graduate school is a brand which you will purchase, [one] that you will be associated with for the rest of your life,” O’Connor said. “If you go to business school at McGill or [the University of Toronto], which are the top two [business schools] in Canada, your median starting salary will be 85,000-86,000 American dollars. If you go to business school in the United States, your starting salary will be between on average 115,000—145,000 dollars. These are the best schools in the world; you will be getting a global degree.”

According to O’Connor, graduate schools have two aims: they want their acceptance rate to be low, and their yield rate to be high. Yield rate is the number of people who accept their offer of admission; it’s considered a matter of brand strength. To increase their yield rate, universities offer scholarships to the most compelling applicants.

O’Connor said that universities sort applications into three categories based on GPA and standardized test scores: “auto admit,” where exceptional marks guarantee admission, but essays and recommendation letters are important for scholarship prospects; a “debate” category where GPA, LSAT, essay, and recommendation letters are equally important for admission; and “auto rejects,” where the applications will never be looked at by a human, but will be sorted by software.

Getting into the “auto admit” category takes foresight and effort, which students don’t necessarily realize.

“It’s not last minute; [applications] actually take a lot of preparation, so this was good slap in the face to wake you up,” event attendee Guellermo Renna, U3 Arts, said.

O’Connor’s tips for success

Standardized tests

You should begin planning for standardized testing in advance. For business and graduate school, you’ll need a four month window to study because the standardized tests are easier. For law school, you need a six-month time frame. Never take the February LSAT exam; since it is not publicly released, it includes more difficult questions. Instead, take the June exam, and keep the October one for backup.

Applying for financial aid

Canadian students often assume they cannot afford schools in the United States. Schools like Georgetown and Columbia are good options; they give around 50 merit-based scholarships. Furthermore, by applying to multiple schools—for example, 15-16 schools in the U.S. and six to seven schools in Canada—if you receive a scholarship at a lower-ranked school, you may ask a higher-ranked school to which you were accepted without scholarship for merit-based aid. A school may oblige in order to prevent you from turning down their offer to keep their yield rate high.

Personal statements

The personal statement is imperative, and any “optional” or “diversity” essay is not really optional. A personal statement should be about why you want to go into law, business, or graduate school, and why that particular school. The optional statement is for the applicant to get personal, and write a memorable story. You should not write about your study abroad experience—that’s the number one thing that people write about in the U.S. Be distinctive. Law schools want to know what type of law the applicant wants to practice; they want the applicant to have a purpose, and not just go to law school for “self-discovery.”

Recommendation letters

Business schools prefer insight from someone who has worked with the applicant, whereas law schools desire people with high credentials to share insight on the applicant’s achievements. For other graduate schools, the letters must come from someone working in the specific discipline for which the applicant is applying. The more customized the letters of recommendations are to the applicant, the better.  You should prepare materials for professors to aid their recommendations, for example, letters for law school and PowerPoint slides for business school.

Who would have thought a restaurant barely the size of a bedroom would serve impressive food? With its handwritten menu thumbtacked to the wall, most people would walk by without giving Kazu a chance. A hole-in-the-wall authentic Japanese restaurant that opened in 2011, Kazu may not have the best outward appearance, but the food surely delights.

Kazu’s sign is easy to miss, as it blends in along the main strip of downtown Montreal, but the long lines extending daily from its door pique the interest of passersby.

Inside, the service is quick, efficient, and friendly, meeting the high customer demand. Mistakes may occasionally occur due to the distracting environment, but the hosts always try their best to ensure the best experience. Unlike other eateries, they apologize if, for example, they forget your drinks.

From the bar, you can observe the chefs as they quickly turn out delicious food. One highlight of the menu is the shrimp burger—a homemade shrimp patty served on a lightly toasted bun with spicy mayonnaise, crisp lettuce, and a thin rice patty that provides a much-needed crunch. This lightened-up burger is the perfect fusion, serving an American classic with a Japanese flavour profile.

Another highlight is the 48-hour pork bowl, which serves juicy, tender pork atop onions and a generous bed of rice. The fresh ginger adorning this dish further enhances the deep pork essence developed through slow simmering.

Kazu is well-known for having some of the best ramen in all of Montreal, but this crave-worthy dish is served only at lunch (Monday, Wednesday to Friday, and Sunday) from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Their claim to fame lives up to the hype, as the delicious broth isn’t overly salty like many other ramen houses, and the noodles provide a perfect textural contrast to the soft egg and edamame bean toppings. Since this seemingly simple dish is actually quite difficult to make, Kazu’s ramen is an impressive reflection of the the chefs’ understanding of Japanese cuisine, and is further enhanced with a few homemade seaweed chips for more umami.

Kazu is also vegetarian-friendly, since the chefs make their own homemade tofu. They take pride in serving well-cooked vegetables in a creative fashion, such as their eggplant dip and rice balls.

If you’re a more adventurous eater, you can venture to try pork neck and cheek, tuna belly, or kimchi. Originally a Korean delicacy, kimchi is a spiced, fermented cabbage that provides the ideal juxtaposition between piquancy and a slightly sweet quality to soothe and tantalize the tongue as you eat. For dessert, there are homemade soft ice creams in flavours that include wasabi and black sesame.

To experience the delights inside Kazu, however, you must have patience. Complaints regarding the wait times—which can reach upwards of half an hour—are common. For the busy student, there is a way around this issue. The eager eater can call ahead to place an order for pick up (unfortunately, Kazu still doesn’t offer a delivery service). Something else to note is that prices at the cash-only restaurant tend to be slightly higher than average because the chefs insist on sourcing only quality ingredients.

Nonetheless, Kazu does not disappoint with its boldly-flavoured Japanese dishes that excite all palates.

1862 Saint Catherine Street West (514) 937-2333

Mon., Wed.-Fri., Sun: 12:00-3:00 p.m., 5:30-9:30 p.m.

Tuesday: closed

Sat: 5:30-9:30 p.m.

The twinkle of festive lights decorating downtown Montreal is a sign that stores will soon be overcrowded with shoppers in search of gifts for family and friends. As an alternative to this pre-holiday tradition, McGill’s Local Artists Market on Nov. 21 provides an opportunity to buy gifts you probably won’t be able to find in the mall.

Organized by the Market Cooperative and the McGill Farmers’ Market, Thursday’s market will take place in the SSMU Ballroom and will feature around 44 vendors showcasing and selling their work.

About half the expected vendors are students, and the rest are people from the Montreal community. Vendors will sell everything from photography and homemade candles and soaps, to jewelry and locally produced tea and food. Local bands will also provide live entertainment.

“The idea is to really bring people like McGill students, the Montreal community, musicians, artists, sort of everyone together into a community space where goods [are available],” Market Cooperative Co-founder Sam Gregory said. “People can find things for around the house, for Christmas, [and] for the holidays.”

Gregory and co-founder Amelia Brinkerhoff started the Market Cooperative in 2012.

“It was a venue that was lacking at McGill to show off [people’s] passions or creative hobbies on the side and really share it with the community,” Gregory said.

He stressed that the Market Cooperative is “not just for the holiday season.” Since their first event in February 2013, Gregory and Brinkerhoff have held several markets to provide opportunities for students and others in the community to share their artistic and creative work.

“Having low table prices mitigates the risk of trying out new ideas and crafts,” said Madeleine Pawlowski, a repeat vendor as part of the jewelry-making sister duo, Les Arts Plastiques. Pawlowski is an Arts student at McGill, while  her sister Alicia Pawlowski is a graduate student at the University of Alberta studying pediatrics.

“Market Cooperative is on its way to having a loyal and diverse following, and once it does, it’ll be an excellent testing ground for artists and crafters who want to see if they can make a go for it if there’s a real demand for their products,” Pawlowski said.

For the consumer, the market atmosphere provides an enriching and cost-effective shopping experience with the organizers bringing in reasonably priced vendors who aim to meet student interests.

“[A student] could go to Urban Outfitters and buy something there that’s 50 or 60 bucks, or they could come to the market and get something that’s locally produced, supporting the local economy and the community,” Gregory said. “It’s going to be more sustainable because it’s made in local places, not being shipped […] and it’s going to be more affordable, too.”

On a broader community level, the founders hope to better connect McGill with the rest of the Montreal community.

“It’s giving that opportunity to create a sense of belonging in the city and interact,” Gregory said. “Markets are a great place for people to come together. [Market-goers] spend half an hour walking around and they’ll see friends and they’ll chat.”

Pawlowski noted the more practical advantages of the markets for vendors.

“[Bringing] together the McGill crafters and Montreal ones […] fosters a connection between both communities, and [they can] share their experiences and knowledge of ‘what works’ in the handmade world,” she said.

Despite their plans for two upcoming markets in the Winter semester, the cooperative currently faces several challenges because they do not fit into SSMU’s framework due to their current operational structure. The non-profit organization generates revenue through the sale of tables to the vendors, of which a small portion goes towards a stipend for the four main organizers.

“Because of that, we can’t be a student club and there [are] a lot of barriers,” Gregory said. “[SSMU] is not supporting us being an [Independent Student Group], or seeing value in us. That’s been one of the biggest frustrations for us, [since] we’re paying $800 for the ballroom [….] Every market, we’re just trying to cover the cost.”

Internal groups, such as student clubs and Independent Student Groups, receive priority room booking in the SSMU Building, and do not have to pay for the rent. Since the Market Cooperative is an external group they have to pay rent for the ballroom, which means they have no money leftover to help the initiative grow.

According to Gregory, the Market Cooperative is not looking to become a student club because the associated bureaucracy would unnecessarily complicate the market’s operation. They hope to find a way to move past these hurdles—for example, by negotiating a lower rental fee.

“We’d like to see a compromise so we can pay half price,” Gregory said. “$400 less is $400 more we can put into the market to help it grow.”

McGill’s Local Artists Market takes place Thursday, Nov. 21 in the SSMU Ballroom at 11 a.m.-6 p.m.