nugget

Some jobs request a licenced social worker and you can't become licenced with a PhD in sociology. So in that respect, I think there would be more potential job prospects for someone with a degree in social work. You will probably also gain some exposure to the clinical/counselling aspects of social work in the MSW program even if you specialize in a community intervention related area, so you will have a broader skill set as a social worker, which can be useful should you decide to take a career shift at some point in your career and do counselling. Do the sociology programs you are looking at have an internship component? Internships are excellent ways to develop connections in the community and can possibly lead to employment after graduation. If you study social work, you will have this advantage as well.

If you can't get a job in academia (and from what I've heard it's not so easy these days) then at least you can work as a social worker as a back up plan. I'm not sure how strong the job prospects are for sociology, though, but it sounds like it would be worth finding out.

I agree with the above post and would like to add, if you must work for financial reasons and think work might get in the way of your success at grad school then seriously consider the 3 year program. It's only 1 extra year of schooling, which isn't very much time at all. If you need to take out a loan to cover some of your expenses, as a part time student you'll accumulate less debt and interest which will cost you less in the long run.

I agree with many of the suggestions posted above. I also hear that melatonin supplements work well as sleep aids. Exercise should also help with the anxiety.

According to some of these students, it would take about 1-1.5 hrs per book (esp if two pages can fit on an 8.5 x 14 inch sheet of paper). Although at the graduate level you probably have a lot more to read so it might not be worth the time. For an undergrad paying $100-150 per book, it might be worth 7 hours of work (probably not all done on the same day) to save $500-700. For a grad student, perhaps not if there is a lot more to photocopy.

Some former classmates from my UG school would borrow a copy of their books from someone else or the school library and make photocopies. Another girl I knew scanned the pages and made a pdf document (but she had a disability so it was not done to save money but to help her to read more easily).

I think that this answer will vary from school to school. But at my current school we have 5 papers due in the first semester that need to be 20 pages each. Perhaps you could email the schools you are interested in and ask if there are any students currently in the program that you could email to ask questions about the program, such as an elected student representative of the social work department. If you find the workload is too busy to juggle with the other responsibilities you have in your life, you may want to consider part time studies or online studies (if commuting time is an issue).

I'd recommend cardio exercise 30 minutes a day (ex: cycling, running, etc) to help keep depression at bay. Remember to spend some time with good friends or family and keep up your favourite hobbies/activities during your free time. Even if your schedule is hectic, find one hour everyday to do these things (it can be broken up into two 30 minute blocks of time if needed). Remember to do at least one thing every day that typically makes you happy to take your mind off of your troubles and to give your day more meaning and happiness.

Ask an academic advisor at school and get some official answers. You might be wasting your mental energy and worrying for nothing if the universities aren't going to find out about this incident. If they are, you can ask your advisor at school about what might be the best way to handle it, as your advisor may have had other students in the past in the same situation.

OMG, you have such amazing experience. Now I can see why I didn't get into U of T and you were put on the waitlist. My background seems to pale in comparison. If the journal paper is new since your last application and some of the other things you mentioned, your application should really stand out compared to last year. I agree with MSW13. It comes down to numbers and this program is in high demand. Sometimes when you are so close it may come down to pure and simple luck. Perhaps one or two of the committe members will be different this year and they will appreciate your experience more than last year's committee. It sounds like you've done all you can do that's in your control. At a certain point there isn't much more to do than to accept this, continue the great work you've been doing in the field, turn in another great application for next year and wait for your turn to come. With an extra year of experience, your application ranking is bound to be pushed up higher on the list the next time around. Best of luck next year!

Have you considered studying in another country? This certainly wouldn't be an inexpensive option as you'd have to pay international fees (or get a scholarship to cover the fees). Perhaps in another part of the world it is a little bit easier to get in this field... ex: Australia, New Zealand, US, UK... You didn't mention your GPA. But if you have an A- or higher and this is your life long dream I think it is worth looking into. You never know, you might stumble upon an unexpected opportunity.

One or two more students could back out at the last minute, but I would be very surprised if it were more than one or two. I'm not sure how OSAP works, but in my province they are not generous at all when it comes to student loans. If I hadn't started saving up for grad school a year and a half ago, I probably would have refused my offer due to the sparse amount my student loan is offering. I'm counting my blessings that I have been saving as much as I can and now it's really going to pay off. Best of luck to those still waiting... As MSW13 has already said, if you aren't called off of the wait list, the next application season is right around the corner. To those of you planning to get a student loan, I'd also take this extra year as an opportunity to better prepare for this financial commitment for the next two years as there won't be much free time to work while you're in school. All the best!

At my UG institution, if tuition fees weren't received by the due date students were charged a late fee if they chose to pay after the deadline. New students could also pay after the deadline, but they couldn't wait too long (maybe a couple of weeks or so) otherwise they would be removed from their registered courses. I'd definitely double check this information on the university website.

If you live very close to campus, I think it would be fairly manageable to have a dog (as long as it fits into the budget). You could give the dog a walk before heading out to school and during your lunch break (which is also a good way to reduce stress, so it benefits both dog and owner). If you have a social dog, he or she might get lonely spending so much time alone. But certain breeds are more independent and some dogs enjoy spending part of the day alone, so it all comes down to the pet you get. It would probably be comfortable for small dog to live in a bachelor apartment, but not so much for a big breed. That being said, I would LOVE to get a golden retriever or a labrador. The extra work would definitely be worth it since I love dogs so much and the benefits would far outweigh the costs. But there is no way I could afford to rent out a place for the next couple of years that's big enough for a dog to run around in and play. So I will have to settle with occassional walks to the dog park and perhaps I will do a bit of dog walking on the side while I'm in school.

I am not in either program yet, but if I may add my 2 cents.... I would consider whether or not you mind working evenings and weekends or being self-employed (ex: no pension plan, sick days or private health insurance and paying for advertising, office rental space and business cards). Do mind having gaps of unpaid time in your workday or cancellations under short notice? ex: being at the office for 8 hours and only working 5 or 6 hours? Do you want to do a PhD or stop after a masters? If you are ok with all of the above and plan to do a PhD, then I'd still keep couple counselling as an option. If not, I'd go with an MSW. As for getting a PhD, some private health insurance plans only cover a PhD level psychologist. Therefore, with a masters in couple counselling you may lose out on getting clients who want to use their private health insurance. On the other hand, your rates will be lower without a PhD so clients without private insurance will be seeking therapy that is more affordable (most likely on a short term basis since they will be paying out of pocket). Perhaps you could call a few therapists in your local yellow pages, tell them you are a student and see what they have to say about this point. If you only want to do a masters, I'd personally go for an MSW because most social workers do not study beyond the masters level so you'd still be competitive in the job market. But with a masters in couple counselling, you'd be competing for clients/ jobs against a large pool of PhD level psychologists. The breadth of jobs you can do with an MSW is also quite broad. I like the idea of doing an MSW due to the versatility of the degree. If your interests evolve over the years, you will have many options to choose from with an MSW. However, if you are certain that couple therapy is exactly what you want to do for several years to come, then versatilty shouldn't be an important consideration when making a decision. If you still haven't made a decision by this fall, I would apply to both types of programs and see what happens. I was also torn between getting a MEd in Educational/Career Counselling and an MSW. I applied to 7 schools and through the process of writing so many letters of interest, it eventually became clearer to me that I preferred to get an MSW. Perhaps the same will happen to you or maybe the conditions attached to your acceptances (ex: scholarships or TAships) will make this decision an easier one to make. Best of luck to you in the application process!

I think you need to call each school you want to apply to and ask as the practices and policies will probably vary from school to school.

If those are the only 2 schools you are considering, I would apply to both and see what happens. You are taking a risk by only applying to one school (unless you are such a strong candidate that you'll get into either program without question).

Agreed. At my school, they take 90 out 500 applicants which makes the acceptance rate around 18%. I do have the impression that it's easier to get into US schools though based on some of the stats I've heard on these boards. ie: people getting in with a B average and not too much experience. Whereas in Canada, this is virtually unheard of for an MSW program. So for American programs, some schools may very well have such high acceptance rates. You just need to inquire about each school's stats and find out which ones are more competitive. That being said, school fit is also very important. You could get into some programs that take a smaller percentage of applicants and end up being rejected from some schools that appear to be easier to get into simply because of your perceived fit for any given school. Best of luck!!

This is a great suggestion. Offering to donate the money to a scholarship fund might be a solution to ease your conscience. On the other hand, if you want to keep the money for yourself, you have every right to do so. If anyone tries to make you feel guilty about having a TA position tell them you want to teach after you graduate and this is one of the reasons why you decided to pursue a PhD. Remind these students that you're refrained from applying for 2 years, but now is your chance to get some hands on experience in order the be competitive for the job market, which is only a couple of years away. If you wait until after you graduate, you will be competing against other people who have lots of experience while you have none. You should not be penalized or made to feel guilty because your parents are well off. You are an adult and need to set yourself up for a good career so that you can achieve financial autonomy in a couple of years after you graduate.

You may find it helpful to pick up a book on writing personal statements that contain examples of statements for social work programs or reading some samples online. Perhaps if you read a bunch of well written samples you will get a sense of how to approach it and how to customize it to your interests, background and experience. If you are not used to showcasing your strengths and accomplishments (and in reality, most of us aren't) perhaps if you sit down with someone who knows you really well, you could start by coming up with a list of reasons why you would make a great social worker. You could also read a book that describes the field of social work and the desirable attributes of a social worker. I actually did this and identified common personal traits that I shared and was sure to bring out these characteristics in my personal statements through real life examples at work or during my volunteer experiences. You essentially need to sell yourself to the admissions committee (a little bit like what a salesperson does) and it sounds like this may be what's making a statement difficult for you to write. You may not think you do this in real life very often if you are a shy or a modest person, but we actually do it a lot more than we think. On a first date, at a job interview, or meeting future in laws for the first time we put our best foot forward. We focus on our strengths and if we have to bring up our weaknesses we put a positive spin on it. I think something important to keep in mind is to give evidence for what you write in your statement - show (through the use of examples) rather than simply stating facts. This will make (you and) the admissions committee believe what you are saying. For instance, if you are interested in mental illness and took a few courses in mental illness, don't assume the admissions committee will remember this because the courses are written on your transcript. Tell them why you are interested in mental illness, how you would like to make a contribution to the field of mental illness, describe your work/volunteer experience in the area and if you have taken any courses on mental illness (and, if it's applicable, something important you've learned in those classes). If you articulate your ideas very clearly, state your professional interests and show how your education and experience has prepared you for the field, you should be on a great start to coming up with a strong personal statement.

Lots of great points given by lewin00 and PsychGirl1. To add my 2 cents... My bf worked as a research assistant in abnormal aging for a few years before doing a masters and PhD in clinical psych. He intentionally joined a normal aging lab in grad school to learn about normal aging as he believed this knowledge and training would benefit him in the world of abnormal aging after graduation. During grad school, he published primarily in normal aging journals and never saw this as a problem. He was more concerned about the quality of the journal rather than the journal subtype. I think your decision should be based on your career goals. If there is some kind of benefit to your training, research interests and future job prospects by being in a developmental program then apply. If you're not sure and you're still trying to figure it out, I'd apply as a backup plan if you have the time to do so just to keep one extra option open. But be prepared to discuss why pursing a developmental degree makes sense when you write your SOP as I'm sure the admissions committee will be wondering the same thing when trying to ascertain whether or not you are an ideal fit for this type of program.

Anywhere outside of Quebec is going to cost at least $5,000/yr. If you want it badly enough, I don't think you should let an additional $1,500 per year stop you when you consider that this degree will change the course of your life and your career for the next 40 years. Many young people easily spend $1,500 a year on cigarettes, beer, a daily cup of coffee, or cell phone service. I guess you could apply to schools in Quebec if you believe the short term sacrifices aren't worth it. You should have a fairly good selection of schools if you are able to study in French, otherwise there's always McGill and Concordia. Good luck to you!

Some hospitals sell used books to raise money for the hospital or for medical research. They would gladly take your donation.

Looks like an interesting blog. Thanks for the link!

I was not referring to an unfunded PhD program. I think an unfunded master's might be his best bet (any schools he can find that won't automatically eliminate him due to the GPA issue). Naturally programs that cost an arm and a leg cannot be afforded by the average person so if he applies to these kinds of schools his odds will be better because the stronger candidates won't go to schools that will put them into a lot of debt if they can avoid it. In Canada, tuition is usually not more than $8,000 per year if you are Canadian so university is accessible to most people. Most Canadians, I believe, would balk at the idea of paying $20,000/yr in tuition to attend an unfunded program (however in the US these fees are the norm). Considering that there are fewer financial constraints for Canadians attending unfunded master's programs in Canada, the competition can tougher than in the US as more applicants can afford to return to school. At least I have found this to be the case for the programs I have looked into in my own field of study.