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Hey there, for Windsor's MSW (the 2 year) the statistics course is required upon admission not application. I don't have the statistics course currently, but if for example that ends up being the only school where I get accepted I would complete the course the summer prior to the MSW beginning.

Hi everyone, Just wondering if anyone has tried to apply to York in the past week (the online application) because I have tried for a few days now and the only options for sessions are Spring/Summer 2015 or Winter(January) 2015. There is no Fall 2015, I'm wondering if this is just me? Thanks !

Hi there! It is very difficult to know "what's enough" in terms of experience for schools which do not give a minimum of hours. If you ask anyone from the program in 99% of cases they will tell you it depends on the total package (well, that's been my experience with UofT in the past). However, last year while I was on the wait-list I started asking around and found out from one friend that someone told her that UofT looks for candidates in the ballpark of 700 hours. With that said, a lot of people get in with less than that because it is truly dependent on the applicant pool, what kind of volunteer experience you had (i.e., research is highly valued there) not to mention grades and well you can see how the total package makes it really hard to put a certain set of hours. My only advice is make sure your references are people you trust to give you the best possible reference and someone from a volunteer position you have been at. One of my downfalls last year was that I ended up not getting a reference from my only volunteer position and so I had to put 2 academics and 1 work. I talked to a professor at UofT later who hinted that it might have held me back as there was no external confirmation of what I had stated in my application (i.e., they want someone to validate what you have said in your application). Anyways I hope that helps, best of luck!

Hi MSWhopeful1, Regarding York's program, it is true that they do not accept nearly as many students as UofT (York is approximately 40 students or something, varying year to year) but students get basically their entire tuition covered through scholarships/funding. They also look for certain things in applicants that "fit" with their program, so depending on your experiences you might get in. I feel your frustration with references, I had the same issue last year. I had volunteered somewhere for 2 years and the coordinator was being extremely flaky (not responding to e-mails even with the deadline approaching). Ultimately I had to take her out and use another academic reference in place. However I continued to discuss my experience in my statements, when I talked to someone from UofT they did hint at me that they recommend using references from places we are discussing in statements, because it validates what you are saying. With that said, if you have multiple options and you are talking about all of them I would say go with the strongest reference, someone who will elaborate and make you shine while holding up everything you said you had experience with. Also, the UofT admissions coordinator did warn us to pick very carefully because references will not lie for you. For example, they might leave certain components of the form blank if they do not feel confident answering and they won't necessarily hesitate to talk about you negatively (like saying you don't handle stress well or something). I hope that helps : )

Hi there, I know some schools have special instructions regarding academic references if you have been out of school for more than 3 years (i.e., they will allow a second work reference in place of an academic one). If the website does not explicitly state the instructions for students who have been out of school it is worth contacting admissions coordinators and confirming with them, personally I have found them to be very friendly and helpful. I hope that helps and best of luck applying!

Hey there, you seem to have some really good experience already plus good grades. I am not sure if you have considered York University but you would also be a good candidate there because they do not have a minimum experience requirement. York has many of the same requirements as UofT so it might be worth looking into if you are trying to apply to as many places as possible. I feel your frustration with the one year BSW, 1 year MSW route it is difficult to make that decision and invest the time and money to apply for those programs or risk not trying at all. I was also considering it last year when I applied but I took my chances and ultimately decided that I would rather fail at getting in and work for another year and then try again for the 2 year MSW. I spoke to one of the admission professors at UofT and she mentioned to me that the hours that they calculate from volunteer/work positions are only counted until December (the application deadline) so keep in mind if you begin a new volunteer position in October the hours they look at will only be from October until the deadline date. Good luck

Hey, I got my position much like blh22, I was looking for jobs and pretty much applying to everything under the sun ( charityvillage.com, indeed, etc.) and I came across this opportunity. Aside from that some of the girls I work with also have a second research job and they got that through connections, browsing the internet relentlessly for job postings, or contacting old professors who are also doing research.

Hi @blh22, yes I am definitely going towards specializing in Children and Families, that has been my goal from the beginning but I just didn't have the experience to compete last year. Thanks for your words of encouragement, you also seem to have experience in all the right places! I talked to one of the admissions professors at UofT regrading my application a few weeks ago and she told me they value research a lot so it's great that you have that.

Hi Everyone, Thanks Shawna for starting this topic! I graduated in 2014 with an Honours BA in Children's Studies and I applied last Fall to York and UofT for the 2 year MSW. I was wait-listed at UofT, and now I am getting ready to re-apply. In the meantime I found a job as a research assistant, interviewing families (parents&kids) for a study on children's behaviour and enviornment. I have also taken on 3 new volunteer positions since graduating, expanding my experience working directly with families. I am really excited to apply this year and I am hoping all the hard work will pay off. This year I am also applying to the University of Windsor and Laurier in addition to UofT and York. Good luck everyone!

Hey thanks for the response pdwilks I looked into it and if they accept you they offer you a chance to complete the course in the first semester of your MSW (basically read a text book and take an exam- no actual course to attend) Thanks again, best of luck to you

Hey, I'm in the same boat as you I'd love to hear an answer from someone whose applied twice (or more) and gotten in. Also, if it interests you Angela told me to contact Ramona at UofT for information about my individual file and what to improve on for the following round of applications. best of luck:)

Hi everyone, I am thinking of applying to some schools in the US this Fall in hopes of expanding my chances of getting accepted the second time around. I was looking at the University of Michigan website for their MSW it states that an admission requirement is: "a human biology course or a course on the biological determinants of human behavior prior to admission in the program" This may seem like a dumb question but what kind of courses are included in that? I did not take any sciences during my undergraduate degree in Canada and so I'm trying to figure out what I would need to take to meet this requirement. Any help would be great thanks!

I've pretty much given up all hope but you know as they say "it's not over til it's over". Based on gradcafe I think 3 people were accepted last week so I guess that's that for now. I am super pumped to make my application better this Fall for next year and I wish it were time to apply again ahah

I second this statement lol, it is torture holding onto this tiny little glimmer of hope. I got a job this week that should help with re-applying next year though so that's something lol

This is great information lol thank you so much for asking all this, it's nice to have an idea (even if that is more uncertainty)

Thank you so much for this information, very nice to know there is still a possibility. I'm just wondering for those of you on the wait list what have you been doing while in this limbo? Is anyone going to reapply in the Fall if they don't get in?

Hey there:) just wondering how you know UofT is sending acceptances at the end of May?

Got rejected from my other option, to make matters worse they couldn't even send a letter or anything. I spent months working on an application and all I got was "unsuccessful". Anyways, now it comes down to the UofT waitlist! approximately 75 people for what will most likely be 2 spots... I'm not crazy for having hope, am I?

Hey everyone, checked my myfile for the 2 year MSW at York a few minutes ago I was rejected

Hey guys just wanted to check in and see if anyone has heard from York's 2 year about applications, the waiting is becoming torture especially if I end up rejected after all this time waiting

Hey:) I know of one person who got in with a B+ GPA (in the last two years) but she had really good experience and references. Your application will definitely be considered if you meet the minimum requirements and your experience can boost it. Best of luck!

Lol great, so at least now I know not to believe that statement (I was told the exact same thing 2 weeks ago and she even said guaranteed). Ah well I guess waiting is better than coping with rejection for now.

Has anyone here heard anything from York regarding the 2 year program? MyFile still says no decision...

Hi Everyone I'm hoping someone can help me with this question as I have been referred to many sources but still can't quite figure this out. I just finished my undergrad at York (9 pt scale GPA) and I've applied to UofT which as far as I know works on a 4.0 scale. I received a pretty disappointing grade for a course worth 6 credits today ( B ). I'm trying to figure out how this will affect my overall GPA. In my final year of study (which comes out to 33 credits because of 6 credit courses) every other course is an A, (on the 9 point scale, so an 8) except for one 3 credit B+ Basically... 6 credits: B 3 credits: B+ 24 credits: A Please someone tell me how I can figure out my GPA in the four pt scale or at least how to convert each grade individually. I'm having a major anxiety attack that this B has ruined my chances of being competitive

Hey this is a question for wait-listers does anyone know if the updated resume needs to include all the experience from the previous resume or just the new experiences?