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Thumper, how you heard of any really good internship sites in the areas of mental health or palliative care that you could recommend to me? I'd like to give them suggestions so I'm not given anything the computer assigns but since I don't live in Ontario anymore I'm not familiar with any of the sites.

No, I don't know how many they accept. But it's encouraging to know that they're accepted applicants in the past with a GPA of anywhere between the high 60's to high 80's. So if you have good references and wrote a solid essay, it doesn't sound too difficult to get in. It also helps that they have 2 campuses so you get 2 chances of getting accepted, if you applied to to both. The results will be posted on the portal on April 22, so only less than 2 weeks away. Is this your first choice? Good luck! .

Thanks, Thumper. Do you know if many students have a part time job on the side? I don't want to take on too much and I'm not sure if I'd have time to work 5-8 hrs on the weekend or if it's even advisable.

Hi Thumper86, Can you tell me how much advance notice you get about where your placements are and are the internships fulltime or part time? (I need to let the loans office know if they're fulltime or part time so I was just wondering). I believe the website says there are 2 internships but when I look at the curriculum it looks like there are 3. Does one of the internships last 2 semesters?

Thank you Brenda! That would be great. I live out of province and only have a couple of long weekends off this summer to look for housing. This would really help as i don't know Kitchener at all. If I don't get an offer from U of T next week, I will ask my family to drop by next weekend, check it out and leave a deposit for me. Could you pm me the details?

I will probably end up at Laurier. At first, it was my third choice but I have reconsidered and if I get into Windsor I will turn it down (unless I get a scholarship, but I highly doubt it). I have a slight preference for U of T because the streams are more specialized, the internships are TTC accessible, and U of T has an excellent reputation worldwide. But I'd rather live in a smaller city and Kitchener is in a good location geographically. However, Laurier will end up being the most expensive option for me. So that is why U of T is first on my list. I am not confident I will get into U of T because I dropped some courses in the past and U of T does not like it if you dropped a bunch of courses. But apart from that, my application is strong. I believe that my Laurier and U of T essays were the strongest of the bunch and we will see what happens.

I think it's because some people want to get into clinical social work and York seems to focus on community social work. As well, some people might not like the fact that York seems to be unorganized and late.

Thank you everyone for the rental websites!

Can anyone here recommend a good housing website for the Kitchener region? So far I've tried kijiji, craigslist and WLU. They lump all of the Kitchener and Waterloo listings together. Since I don't know the region, it takes me forever to go through the listings because I am unfamiliar with the street names, and almost all of them end up being in Waterloo. The WLU housing database seems to only have Waterloo listings. Any help or advice on this would be much appreciated. I know it's a bit early, but I am just trying to get a sense of my approximate living costs for the type of dwelling I will be looking for so I can calculate my yearly budget. thanks!

Agreed, MSW13. It's nearly impossible to get a social work-type job without a BSW. They generally understand that many of us can only get work in a related field. People with a college diploma in Community or Social Services or a B.A. in Child Studies are probably the only applicants who can get work that is really relevant to the field. That being said, U of Calgary is a different story. A woman from the department said if you don't have a min of 2 yrs of fulltime counselling or social work experience don't apply because you will probably not get in. I'm so glad all the other Canadian schools are open to a wide variety of working experiences so people with degrees in psychology, women's studies, sociology, etc can apply too.

I'll just add to my previous comment about this post... This is long post. When you write your letter, I was advised to present myself as a unique candidate and show what I have to offer that is different from other people. Classroom discussions are an important part of the learning process and most grad programs don't want to take students who are all similar to one another with similar backgrounds. They get a bunch of applicants who meet the minimum requirements of a B+ avg and 2 yrs of experience or more. So you need to convince them that you are special and can make a positive contribution to the classroom and the profession that someone else wouldn't do in hte same way. What makes you different and what makes you stand out? When you write about your experience and interest in the program, your story should fit together and make sense. There should be a progression leading up to wanting to get an MSW and all the experiences you have thus far. For instance, perhaps you want to further learn about or explore a social work related issue that you regularily encounter at work or volunteer work and this can only be done by pursuing an MSW. When you tell your story, remember to show and not simply tell. We all know some of the things the admission committe would like to hear. But how does your history reflect what you are saying? You need to provide evidence for what you say or you will not sound very credible or convincing. You may also want to point out the similarities between your program of study and social work, particularly if the connection isn't too obvious. While they probably get a lot of psych and sociology majors applying, if your degree is in another area, point out the similarities and the ways that this area of study has prepared you for social work. Also mention any specific courses you took if you find them especially beneficial. ex: Psychopathology course if your interest is in mental health. Fortunately, I took an elective course that required a social work textbook and I discovered that my program was like social work in some ways. I was sure to point this out in my essay. Remember to clearly make links to what you want to say. Write very clearly so everything you want to say is obvious. They are reading hundreds of essays and let me tell you they aren't taking their sweet time doing it. Your essay will be read over very quickly. Be very direct in everything you want to say and don't assume they will put 2 and 2 together because there's no time for that. You can practice by having someone read your essay very quickly for the first time and see what they remember about it and what stood out for them when they read it. Finally, if you don't have real research experience but took a research course and did mock research assignments in class, put that on your resume. I mentioned every research assignment I did as my class was very hands on (as well as theory based) and I was surpised to discover how much research experience I actually had without ever working in a research lab.

That's great! I love to see older students going back to school. They often have lots of wonderful life experience that can benefit the classroom. When people think that they are too old to return to school I tell them this: In 2 years you're going to be 50 years old (for instance) no matter what. The question is: do you want to be 50 with (in this case) an MSW or 50 without one? If I end up at U of T, I hope to see you in some of my classes. Best of luck!

Brenda_101, It's because I got my e-mail on Thurs Mar 28, 6 days after the first batch of people were accepted. It looks like they're giving everyone 3 weeks to decide.

Well then you might just need to get an extra year or so of experience to get in. If you really want to do it, then go for it! You're young and a 1 or 2 year delay won't even be remembered after you've been working in the field for 20+ years.

Erin123, This was my first time applying. I am 37 years old.

I believe it says on the website that most successful applicants have a B+ to A- average and the equivalent of 2 yrs of fulltime experience. If you have this you should have good odds of getting in. I would also be careful about who you ask for a reference and ask if they can give you a STRONG reference. I know someone who got a reference, was about to mail it off but thought the envelope was a little too thin (like some papers were missing) and had no choice but to open it up to see if everything was inside. She found out this person who was "happy to be her reference" had scored her quite low even though she was a hard worker and a great employee by her other manager's standards. If they agree to be your reference but say they cannot give a strong reference, I would look elsewhere. Spend several hours working on your essays. Begin 3-4 weeks before the deadline and leave enough time for others to read it, edit it and then make changes to it. I would also have your essay read by a learning specialist at school who has experience helping students with grad applications, a social worker/social work student and someone else to correct grammar. Spelling errors are a quick way to put you in the rejection pile. I speak from experience on that last point, BTW.

I am going to have to rely on the community car share co-op that the school recommended, buy an e-bike (for the non-winter months - they can go 30km/hr) or car pool with another student. I've got a friend in Guelph I could stay with if need be during my internship, so we'll see.

Well a library is good. I have a feeling I am going to miss my old school library that's open 24/7. That place was awesome. As well as my school gym that only costs $15/mth. I don't have a car so I'm hoping most places I need to go to will be within walking distance or at least a short bus ride away from my home. I am going to have to go down to Kitchener for 2-3 days in June (my only time off at work), book appointments in advance and find a place before leaving since I am coming from far away and get no vacation this summer. That's going to be a bit tricky. If I end up at U of T though, it won't be a problem since I can stay with family and I know the area very well. Keeping my fingers crossed for U of T.

Me too. U of T is my first choice. Not because of the city but because of the health and mental health option, which the other schools I applied to don't have. U of T also has a very good reputation, in general. At first, I almost wasn't going to apply because I thought I wouldn't be able to get in since it's top notch and very competitive. But who knows, I might surprise myself in a good way. My Laurier deadline is also April 18. I hope the U of T letter will arrive by then. I am out of province so it will probably take an extra day to arrive. If I don't get in to U of T I am just going to accept the Laurier offer. I have already begun to look up maps of Kitchener and housing web sites in the area, even thought it's still 5 months away. lol Anyone know if the Kitchener campus has a library or school gym? It's very small apparently, with only 280 students at that campus. It probably has a bit of a high school feel to it, other than the heavy workload we will be getting. lol

I am curious to know if anyone has inquired about student loans? Do grad students in Ontario tend to get more generous loans than undergrad? I completed an online calculator from my home province and if I used it correctly I am not going to get much money left over after paying for tuition and books. Maybe $350 per mth for living expenses. Luckily I've been building a grad study fund otherwise I may have needed to turn my offer(s) down because of the student loan amount. Imagine...

I am glad to see some people in their 30s attending grad school. I guess I won't be the only one. When I was 21, I didn't have the mindset to do a B.A., never mind grad school. Funny how life can take you on a different path. Off topic, but how old is everyone here? I'm going to be 32 when I start my MSW and I have a feeling that I will be much older than most of my classmates.

5 years as a nursing assistant, 1 1/2 yrs volunteering at a crisis centre once a week, and a fulltime internship for a semester at a psychiatric centre doing social and recreational activities.

Just got into Laurier!! I am shocked!! OMG!

Congrats Flusty! Sorry about the news AccioMSW. I wish you best of luck on Windsor. Aww.... still no news for me. I wonder if they would tell me anything by phone?

I am not sure. I haven't seen any, though. I think you'd also have to consider people's willingness to move. How many Windsor grads are originally from the region? How many are willing to move to find a new job? These are important questions to ask. I personally think that if you are a member of the order of social workers, this is what counts the most, along with having good internships and studying in a stream that relates to the area you want to work in. Once you get your first job and acquire 2-3 years of experience, it should start to get easier to find employment.