No Travel History (Student Visa)

[Moe_92]

Hi everyone,

Are my chances of getting a student visa to Canada diminished if I don't have travel history?

I'm good financially and I have ties in my home country, parents that will be left alone without me and a land in my name.

 

[Naturgrl]

Not if you have a strong profile. How old are you because parents left alone (if they have each other) really are not ties. You want to show advancement of your education, and improved and higher paying jobs since you are spending tens of thousands of dollars.

 

[Moe_92]

Not if you have a strong profile. How old are you because parents left alone (if they have each other) really are not ties. You want to show advancement of your education, and improved and higher paying jobs since you are spending tens of thousands of dollars.

HI,

I'm 29 about to turn 30 in January, graduated with my Bachelor's in Business in late 2014 from the 2nd best University in the country, and chose to branch out and do my own thing after instead of getting employed.

I taught myself digital marketing for 1 year on my own after graduation (self learning), started a project I worked on for 2 years, and then I sold it for a substantial figure at the start of 2018 to an investment company in the USA.

Ever since, I've continued to work in content marketing, launching 2 new projects. One did okay and the other succeeded for the first year and a half and then failed, but it's all valuable work experience related to what I want to study.

I essentially made a career in content marketing for myself, by myself.

I want to study MSc Marketing in Canada so that I can take my experience and everything I've learned as an entrepreneur in this field, bridge that with a professional marketing MSc program, and graduate so I can take on content marketing/digital marketing managerial positions or maybe start one of the many projects I have in mind in this field.

Sorry for the long essay, but I'm trying to give you as much details as possible.

 

[Moe_92]

Als

Not if you have a strong profile. How old are you because parents left alone (if they have each other) really are not ties. You want to show advancement of your education, and improved and higher paying jobs since you are spending tens of thousands of dollars.

Also, father is 75 and mother is 61.

 

[Naturgrl]

HI,

I'm 29 about to turn 30 in January, graduated with my Bachelor's in Business in late 2014 from the 2nd best University in the country, and chose to branch out and do my own thing after instead of getting employed.

I taught myself digital marketing for 1 year on my own after graduation (self learning), started a project I worked on for 2 years, and then I sold it for a substantial figure at the start of 2018 to an investment company in the USA.

Ever since, I've continued to work in content marketing, launching 2 new projects. One did okay and the other succeeded for the first year and a half and then failed, but it's all valuable work experience related to what I want to study.

I essentially made a career in content marketing for myself, by myself.

I want to study MSc Marketing in Canada so that I can take my experience and everything I've learned as an entrepreneur in this field, bridge that with a professional marketing MSc program, and graduate so I can take on content marketing/digital marketing managerial positions or maybe start one of the many projects I have in mind in this field.

Sorry for the long essay, but I'm trying to give you as much details as possible.

Is this MSc at a public univeristy like York or UBC or at a private university? So your parents really are not a tie because you are almost 30. You have to focus your SOP on your strong career background and show how it will expand your career when you return home.

 

[Moe_92]

Is this MSc at a public univeristy like York or UBC or at a private university? So your parents really are not a tie because you are almost 30. You have to focus your SOP on your strong career background and show how it will expand your career when you return home.

It's a public university in Montreal, called Concordia University.

It's one of the only universities that offer an MSc in Marketing in Canada.

Why? Can you please let me know what difference it makes?

Add to that, only one university offers an MSc Marketing in my country (and it's mediocre) and the other does so as a focus in an overall MBA (which I do not want).

And by parents being a tie, I meant for them more than for me. They need someone to be there for them and help whenever something comes up, and I genuinely do not want to leave them alone for the rest of their lives.

 

[Naturgrl]

It's a public university in Montreal, called Concordia University.

It's one of the only universities that offer an MSc in Marketing in Canada.

Why? Can you please let me know what difference it makes?

Add to that, only one university offers an MSc Marketing in my country (and it's mediocre) and the other does so as a focus in an overall MBA (which I do not want).

And by parents being a tie, I meant for them more than for me. They need someone to be there for them and help whenever something comes up, and I genuinely do not want to leave them alone for the rest of their lives.

Congratulations, Concordia is a great university. It is public, not private (college mills for international students). You have a strong profile if you have the funds. As said above, you need a strong SOP to explain why this program is necessary for your career especially since you are self employed. If self employed, why do you need to take the program.

As for your parents, it is not really a tie.

 

[Moe_92]

Congratulations, Concordia is a great university. It is public, not private (college mills for international students). You have a strong profile if you have the funds. As said above, you need a strong SOP to explain why this program is necessary for your career especially since you are self employed. If self employed, why do you need to take the program.

As for your parents, it is not really a tie.

Thanks! But I still don't have an acceptance as I still haven't applied. I'm still studying hard for the GMAT to try to get an elite score and stand out from the crowd (which would 90% ensure admission), and will apply in the coming few months.

I'm hopeful for an admission, and I'm more worried about the visa officer(s).

Funds are available, by the way.

As for why I need an MSc in Marketing, 2 reasons:

1) I want to become an expert in my field, working on research and a thesis specifically about content marketing /digital marketing. No one knows if I decide to make a career in academia out of this. An MSc in Marketing certainly helps.

2) If not a career in academia, because I'd love to branch out into the corporate world and land a managerial content marketing/digital marketing role now that I've been in the trenches doing this for all these years. An MSc + experience helps make you more qualified for a managerial role than if you only had a Bachelor's degree and experience.

I'd genuinely like to take everything I've learned all on my own by wearing many hats, and apply it at an exciting startup or big company and work as part of a team, or maybe teach students at a university in a course.

So, an MSc is a bridge between everything I've achieved in content marketing/digital marketing so far and where I want to go next.

Self employment was only 1 chapter in a book of 10.

 

[Moe_92]

Congratulations, Concordia is a great university. It is public, not private (college mills for international students). You have a strong profile if you have the funds. As said above, you need a strong SOP to explain why this program is necessary for your career especially since you are self employed. If self employed, why do you need to take the program.

As for your parents, it is not really a tie.

I sent a comment 15 minutes ago and apparently it's under moderation I have no idea why. Let's see if this gets through.

 

[Moe_92]

Congratulations, Concordia is a great university. It is public, not private (college mills for international students). You have a strong profile if you have the funds. As said above, you need a strong SOP to explain why this program is necessary for your career especially since you are self employed. If self employed, why do you need to take the program.

As for your parents, it is not really a tie.

Copy/pasting my reply:

Thanks! But I still don't have an acceptance as I still haven't applied. I'm still studying hard for the GMAT to try to get an elite score and stand out from the crowd (which would 90% ensure admission), and will apply in the coming few months.

I'm hopeful for an admission, and I'm more worried about the visa officer(s).

Funds are available, by the way.

As for why I need an MSc in Marketing, 2 reasons:

1) I want to become an expert in my field, working on research and a thesis specifically about content marketing /digital marketing. No one knows if I decide to make a career in academia out of this. An MSc in Marketing certainly helps.

2) If not a career in academia, because I'd love to branch out into the corporate world and land a managerial content marketing/digital marketing role now that I've been in the trenches doing this for all these years. An MSc + experience helps make you more qualified for a managerial role than if you only had a Bachelor's degree and experience.

I'd genuinely like to take everything I've learned all on my own by wearing many hats, and apply it at an exciting startup or big company and work as part of a team, or maybe teach students at a university in a course.

So, an MSc is a bridge between everything I've achieved in content marketing/digital marketing so far and where I want to go next.

Self employment was only 1 chapter in a book of 10.

 

[Moe_92]

Congratulations, Concordia is a great university. It is public, not private (college mills for international students). You have a strong profile if you have the funds. As said above, you need a strong SOP to explain why this program is necessary for your career especially since you are self employed. If self employed, why do you need to take the program.

As for your parents, it is not really a tie.

Sorry for the double message - but anything you'd suggest I do for the tie back home point?

I do have real estate (land) in my name. Only thing that comes to mind is commercial activities that could be taken out on this piece of land for recurring revenue. You think that makes my application more powerful?

I'm also open to any thoughts you might have on this or anything else. Always eager to learn from those who know more than I do.

Thank you so much for your time so far, very appreciated.

 

[orwell46]

While Concordia is a great school, from what you have explained as your background as a self made marketing entrepreneur, I am not sure a MSc in marketing helps your cause. It helps only if your next step is to make a career in academics by getting into research in marketing.
If your goal is to become an entrepreneur or work with a corporate, you are better off doing a MBA with a major in marketing and or entrepreneurship.
This is my pov, the rest depends on how you spin your SOP

 

[Moe_92]

While Concordia is a great school, from what you have explained as your background as a self made marketing entrepreneur, I am not sure a MSc in marketing helps your cause. It helps only if your next step is to make a career in academics by getting into research in marketing.
If your goal is to become an entrepreneur or work with a corporate, you are better off doing a MBA with a major in marketing and or entrepreneurship.
This is my pov, the rest depends on how you spin your SOP

Hi and thanks for the reply.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of niching down and doing an MSc for you to become an expert in a field you want to base your career around?

An MBA is a bit too general for me and my career aspirations, and I feel like an MSc makes much more sense for my career pathway.

And I've looked at MBA programs in Canada, and my choices are a bit limited.

For the ones that run for 2 years (I need a 2 year program for a 3 year PGWP), most are general and don't allow you to choose a specialization like Marketing, and I can't join the big dogs like McGill because of my 3.04/4 GPA.

That's why Concordia and their MSc Marketing program ticks all the boxes.

You think this will play against me in my SOP?

I've had a look at online resources for MSc Marketing career paths, and digital marketing manager / content marketing manager always comes up. And truth be told, this is exactly what I'm looking to do, take up such a managerial role.

 

[orwell46]

It's the VO you have to convince, so prepare your SOP accordingly

You could talk to the program coordinator at Concordia to find out how what kind of doors the program can open for you. That will help you write your SOP

 

[Moe_92]

It's the VO you have to convince, so prepare your SOP accordingly

You could talk to the program coordinator at Concordia to find out how what kind of doors the program can open for you. That will help you write your SOP

Makes very good sense - thank you! Will do that.