nugget

My prof told our class that our SW program has a 95% job placement rate based on some school statistics he's seen. However, 60% of students get contract work and some have multiple part time contracts at the same time. Once you have a few years of experience under your belt, things shold start to get easier.

I'm not 100% certain on this point, but it might be easier to do the MSW in Canada and apply for immigration later on. This would probably be a cheaper option too. I'd contact the immigration office or check out their website and find out if it's easier/faster to get a student visa first then apply for immigration or to study in the US first then try to immigrate later on. The answer would depend on a lot of different factors. There is a point system in place and for each item you have that's on the list (ex: a certain level of education, a particular skill or trade, etc), you receive a certain number of points and once you achieve the minimum you can go ahead and put in your application.

Sounds like great advice. I would add to this by recommending that you speak to a minimum of 2-3 people since many paths may lead to the same place.

I would sent out that email ASAP. The longer you wait, the less time they will have to write it. You may want to try apologizing about the lateness, but be vague and brief in your explanation for it. Make the bulk of your email be about your intentions, what you would like this person to do and if they are able and willing to do it. Give enough information to let the person know you didn't start thinking about this at the last minute so it doesn't appear to be a spontaneous decision. You could say that your reference had originally agreed but could no longer do it because of unforeseen circumstances.... something along those lines. People can back out for a number of reasons (ie: poor health, death in the family, etc) so I wouldn't assume that your reference will jump to any unfavourable conclusions, especially if the person originally agreed to do it. I don't think it's too common for references to say yes then change their mind 1 month later, right before the deadline, because they didn't want to recommend you in the first place. Although your situation is a bit sticky at the moment, it sounds like this person may have ended up inadvertently doing you a favour in the end - how good would her letter really have been if she decided to write it anyway? Good luck!

In reference to one of your two past relationships that you mentioned.... If a man told me he loved me and could see himself marrying me after only 3 dates I think I'd run for the hills! Love takes time to develop. If someone is telling you these things right away I would doubt his sincerity about it. I might be pointing out something you are already aware of, but just in case.... Some men will tell you all the things they think you want to hear so they can get into bed with you faster and use you. Do you really think someone could develop deep, everlasting love for you (the kind that will endure hardship and the ups and downs experienced in a marriage) after only 3 dates? I think this is highly unlikley. The dating period is an important time to test him out to see if he is the right fit for you and to find out if he is someone worthy of marrying you, and he should be doing the same when he is at the point of considering you as a future marriage partner. If you are dating someone and he is not the right match for you, you need to have the self-knowledge, personal integrity and the strength to end the relationship, rather than settle for someone who won't make you happy in the long run. I think this is ultimately the reason why the woman in her 30s (who I believe you mentioned) broke off her relationship with her fiance. In the end, she wouldn't be happy by marrying him and being happy is more important than being married. Have you thought about why it would be more important for a woman to be married than to be happy? Or do you believe that happiness and marriage go together - if you are married than you will automatically be happy? I am concerned that you may possibly be so focused on pleasing other men and keeping them happy so that they will agree to marry you, without actually holding to your own standards of a future husband. Marriage doesn't just automatically lead into "happily ever after" like in fairy tales. Have you given much thought as to where your ideas of marriage and family come from? I get the sense that some of these ideas about how you should be leading your life might not be your own and may come from somewhere else. -You SHOULD have had at least 1 serious relationship by your current age -You SHOULD get married by 25 -You SHOULD have kids by 30 years of age You can add any other SHOULDS to this list. Who says so? Who are you living your life for, anyway? Why is it so important to lead your life following a strict timeline when you are still so young? (Which, I think is worthy of pointing out, is reminiscent of the 1950s, and also predominant in certain Christian circles today. Perhaps these sources may provide further insight into where these standards you have for yourself are coming from). I think it would be worthy to think about these things and to reflect upon the answers to these questions privately or discuss them with a trusted person. The expression "Haste makes waste" currently comes to mind. I think important decisions such as marriage need to be made thoughtfully and carefully. If you rush through this process and force it to happen too quickly, you might end up unhappier than you are right now.

Perhaps go with the second one and provide him with additional information that will help him write a more detailed letter, such as a copy of your c.v., transcript or copies of any papers, projects or assignments that are worthy of bringing to his attention. In fact, I would ask him what you could do to give him the information he requires to write you a LOR see what he suggests. If he doesn't know you well enough to write the letter than he will probably let you know, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that.

I believe that when you are ready for that kind of relationship, you will meet the person you are looking for and often times it happens when you least expect it. It cannot be forced. If you are hurried and want the dating process to speed along quickly you may run the risk of A) scaring guys off because they may sense your urgency and may view that urgency as desperation or B ) make a hasty decision about who to marry and might not make the best choice for yourself and could end up unhappily married. I think that when you take the MSW program and go through the process of becoming a social worker, you will slowly develop a clearer sense of self-knowledge through lots of self-analysis and reflection as you do the readings and assignments, which may lead you to finding and recognizing the right sort of person who will make you happy. I've heard from various profs and MSW graduates that completing the MSW program can be a very personally transformative process for some students (in a positive way) by the end of the two years. Perhaps you have not met your match yet because there is a lot of personal growth ahead of you that needs to be made and after it happens, you will be ready to meet the right person for you. I think it's good that you are pursing other interest and passions in the meantime. However, please be aware that the MSW requires a lot of hard work and you will have less free time to date as a grad student compared to the present moment.

If you are very efficient with your time and if you are a quick worker, then you should have some time to date. As for me and other students with similar work patterns (I'm not the fastest reader and need to take lots of little breaks throughout the day - which makes my work days longer), I don't have lots of free time. When I worked and didn't go to school, I used to go to the gym 4-5 days a week and make healthy, homecooked meals from scratch every day. Now that I'm a grad student, I only have the time and energy to cook a big batch of meals once a week which I freeze and rely on sandwiches, salads and other quick meals, and some days there's no time for the gym. I had a couple of all nighters last month and expect about 3 more in November. Many students in my program have said they are cutting out their social life in the month of November because it's the busiest time of the year. We're looking forward to a big party in 4 weeks when we can finally take a day off to relax and celebrate the end of the term. If you are very self-disciplined and efficient with your time you can find time for dating. It all depends on how fast you can read, research and write papers - that will determine how much free time you have.

I cannot comment on whether or not you need to contact professors as I am in a different field of study. However, you seem to be unfamiliar with the application process in the US. If you did your studies overseas and have never attended university in the city you are currently living, I would ask your friends to sign out books for you at their university library. Ask the librarian for books related to applying to graduate school and look for books that focus specifically on psychology programs. You need to know how the system works to give yourself the best chances of getting accepted into a program.

Best of luck to you.

I can relate. I have thought about this too. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you view it) when I think about other people in these professions I don't get very far into my internal discourse. I have never been strong in the sciences and have no interest in law or business. I have a tough time studying and working on projects I'm not interested in so pursing my interests was the only way to go. Have you seriously taken a moment to consider what it would be like if you had chosen to follow the path of one of your friends? Apart from the salary....Think about what it would be really like to pursue a degree in any of those fields and work in the field for the next 30-40 years... What would that look like on a daily basis? Your friends aren't so enviable now, are they? (Note: I'm not knocking down anyone in the other professions; it's all about finding your passion and what you're interested in doing). We live in a capitalist society and getting compensated differently for our contribution to society is just a reality we can't get around. While I've thought that people who grow up loving medicine or law and end up becoming doctors or lawyers are lucky, I also think I'm lucky that I discovered what I enjoy doing and have the opportunity to pursue my chosen path. A lot of people never get that opportunity and some can only dream about the opportunities we have to attend grad school and become reseachers, professors and the like.

I have worked full time for a number of years and I am currently a grad student. Without a doubt, a fulltime job is less time consuming than being a grad student (with the exception of professions that require you to take your work home with you, such as lawyers or entrepreneurs). I would have to agree with Today12345... Would you be disappinted if you went to school and didn't meet a future husband? You will be spending a lot of money on your studies (and a lot of time, hopefully, if you intend to pass all of your courses) and I sense that you might be very disappointed if you ended up with a good job after 2 years, in debt in the 10's of thousands, and still no husband. Would grad school still be worth if this ended up happening to you? Is an MSW something you really want to do? Or is it something you've chosen because you need to find a way to occupy your time until you get married and become a housewife? I am not knocking down becoming a housewife. If this is what you want to do, that's wonderful. I just want to emphasize that grad school is a lot of work and maybe you should consider taking an easier (and far less expensive) challenge at this time in your life if your main priority in life is to find a husband.

You will be very busy as a graduate student. I'm not sure how much free time you will have to date - there may be some free time but certainly not a lot. You probably already know that the vast majority of people in social work are women so you would probably need to expand your horizons outside of your program. Are you sure you want to do this degree at this time in your life? Doing a master's degree is a lot of work and you may be disapointed when you discover how little free time you'll have for dating and courtship. Developing a relationship to the point of marriage typically takes time (a few years for most people, but there are exceptions for sure), so if your primary focus is to find a future husband perhaps you should entertain the idea of whether or not you'd want to do your degree after you are married or when you are engaged.

I would contact the schools and ask if you can reuse them. In Canada, the schools keep your documents on file from the previous year and I've heard that some schools will accept your letters from last year (you don't even need to submit new ones) but you are required to submit a new one from a different person. The policies can vary greatly from school to school so I think it's worth taking the extra time to find out from each school what you should be doing.

You are indeed correct on that point. If you only have a BSW the pay is not the best from what I've heard from others in the field. But as for an MSW level professional, the average starting salary of new graduates at my school is $53,000. If you have a BSW and do the advanced standing MSW degree, add an extra $10,000 or so to that figure. (Which would suggest that after a few years of experience, graduates of the 2 year MSW program should get around $60,000-65,000). I heard of one grad at school who was offered a 1 year contract for $80,000. I don't think you will find the same salaries in the US unless you are really, really lucky. From what I've heard, some new MSW graduates in the US earn $38,000-$40,000/yr. So we are quite fortunate here in Canada to be able to do what we enjoy doing and to live a little more comfortably on our salaries.

That's great to hear. Best of luck!!

Talk to them about it. If you don't have the money, you don't have the money. They will have no choice but to work out a repayment plan for you. If it is their mistake, perhaps you could get them to agree to not charge you interest on the $5,000 between now and the time you graduate.

Go work in Canada.

I would do it. You never know, you might get it. You don't have anything to lose, only a bit of your time. You will get a ton of money if they give you a scholarship.

This is true. The Lakehead application isn't due until January. Their application is actually quite different. You won't be able to work on it over the holidays in December, though. At the end of January, they will open up your account for 4 days and you will have a time limit to answer all of the questions. I think they give you 4 hours. I found that my applications for other MSW programs came in handy for the Lakehead test as I laid out all my personal statements in front of me and just retyped some of the answers I had already written for other universities. Your plan to do an HBSW followed by a 1 year MSW makes sense. You could definitely go that route and still get an MSW. Have to considered the average number of years of work experience applicants have for those programs? I don't know the answer to that question. But it's quite conceivable that applicants with a BSW have at least 2-3 years of direct social work experience before applying, so you may need to take an academic break in between those programs. Anyhow, just thought I'd mention (in case you'd be interested) that at Laurier the application is due in mid-January. During semesters 2, 3 and 4 you only need to attend school once a week and you could get an internship in another geographic location during those semesters. In semesters 1 and 5 you are only in school 3 days a week and in my cohort there is a small group of students from Toronto that carpools together those days. Laurier offers a fulltime option and also a part time option that takes 4 years to complete and the application deadline for part time studies is sometime around May of next year (if I am not mistaken). Anyhow, you know your situation best so I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you. You are indeed correct that graduate level programs are quite difficult and hectic - more so than undergraduate level programs. So I completely understand the feeling of not having an extra day or two to work on any applications. Nice to hear that you are have found yourself a great program that you really enjoy and get a lot of benefit from.

I was thinking the same thing, actually. You probably would only need to make some minor changes to your last application to make it up-to-date. I'm sure you've got some strong and compelling reasons for your decision. But if time is a big factor, I'd consider reusing most of your old application and trying again, if you're still interested in investing another two years towards furthering your education.

Can you first first find out if anyone you want to work with is able to take another student on? I'd probably start there (without getting into the details about your interest until you talk to your supervisor first) because if you tell your supervisor first then find out no one you want to work with even has the resources to consider another student that would not be a good situation either. When, and if, you have that talk with your supervisor, I'd highlight all the great things you like about working with him and emphasize that the reasons you want to leave are personal and religious-based. He might not be too happy about the time/financial investment he's made on you this semester and your plans to leave, and that's perfectly understandable. But if he's an open-minded person it isn't likely that he'll get angry over your reasons for wanting to leave and will hopefully understand that you aren't happy and need to move.

I wouldn't compromise your research interests, unless you have children or other extenuating circumstances which require you to stay in a certain geographic location and limit you to only applying to one or two schools. This training will prepare you for work you want to get into later on after graduating. Do you want to become an expert in an area that you aren't so interested in? I guess you need to ask yourself how strong your motivation is to put years of work into a dissertation on a topic that's of secondary interest. I know someone who's done it - didn't enjoy the process, but was unusually disciplined and ended up getting a great degree that will open up many doors over the next few years. But I can't say most people are capable of doing that (myself included). Only you are able to make that determination.

Given the current state of the economy, your age and the high costs involved with going back to school - I'd go with the degree with the best job prospects. Of course, I'm not advising you to take something you don't like. But if you like 2 or 3 programs nearly equally, this is how I'd approach it. You could also go on job boards, look up job postings that interest you and find out that kinds of degrees employers are looking for and base your decision on that. Whatever you end up choosing, you seem to have good job experience so that should help you out significantly when you end up changing careers. Good luck!

Just thought I'd throw out another option to consider (although the original post is over a week old and the issue may have already been dealt with). I once had a Spanish prof who would correct our papers, indicate our mistakes and give us either 24 or 48 hours to earn half of the points back if we rewrote the paper with the correct grammatical revisions. ex: a paper graded at 60% could increase to a maximum of 80% if all of the errors were corrected. This may be an option to consider if you aren't comfortable with F's. ex: a paper given a 0/10 could be upgraded to a maximum of 5/10 if it is rewritten and the content and formatting has improved. Yes, they will still fail that component of the grading but their overall grade shouldn't drop by too much, mostly somewhere between 3-5% overall. 3-5% seems to be just enough to earn a lesson about following instructions but not so much that they may risk failing the course or getting an extremely low grade overall.