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Prairiegirl2015 - Congrats!!! Is that your first choice?

I got a private message from a guy asking me a question a few days ago and he said he ha also been accepted to UofT. I'm not sure why they would be going out a month early. Have people tried logging into ROSI with the student ID # that you were given when you applied? I found out I was accepted that way before I got the package in the mail. Angela Umbrello is very helpful and usually responds to emails very quickly. Someone could email her and ask if the acceptances are coming out early this year?

800 students? That is insane! I feel so sorry for all of the people this affected. I would be completely heartbroken if this happened to me.

My phone pings every time I get an email so I've spent the day getting excited any time it pings only to yell at my phone, "I don't give a $#%& if there's a sale at Old Navy!!!"

purplegrey - Have a great time in Cancun! Hopefully when you get back you will have some awesome news! I wish I could go away somewhere. The only thing "distracting" me from waiting for an answer is my kids science fair tomorrow. I spent the entire night with a stick of glue helping putting together two display boards (the fun of having two kids a grade apart in school - double all the assignments!) So much fun! jjmr89 - A lot of the placement opportunities are available for a number of different streams. There are definitely TONS of options so I'm sure if you get in you will find something you love. I am hoping to get a placement totally outside of my previous field of work to diversify my resume. I've been working in the field of sexual assault/domestic violence for the last 6 years so I am wanting to be really open to placement opportunities and just find something where I can do a lot of learning.

I keep checking my phone all day and obviously, nothing. What is even more scary is coming on here to see if someone has said, "I got an acceptance email from Laurier!" because once that happens I know all hope is lost. I just want to know one way or another. This is going to be a very long week!

There are actually 7 courses. If you look at the list there are 4 main courses, 2 electives, and then everyone has to take a course Research for Evidence-Based Social Work Practice. So it would usually be 4 in the fall and 3 in the winter. The practicum matching starts at the end of April and I think is done by the end of May.

jjmr89 - UofT is often known as being research oriented but it is a still broad MSW program. Courses will depend on which speciality you chose of the 5. If you go on the website you can see which courses are taken for which speciality (I am assuming you are applying for advanced standing as you mentioned you were applying for advanced standing in BC). You also take a couple of electives so you can specialize a little more that way as well. I am not research oriented but I still feel I can get a well rounded MSW program at UofT (if I don't get into Laurier because that is my first choice for family/health reasons). I didn't get a chance to view all the placement options (there are hundreds!) but there were placement opportunities for every interest. I personally want to work in direct service level work (homelessness, addiction, abuse, violence) and there were many opportunities. I am positive there would be therapy opportunities as well. The opportunities available are categorized by your chosen speciality. So, for example, if your speciality is mental health and health then when you log on your choose that from the drop down menu and it gives you all the possibilities for that speciality. Some of the opportunities fit more than one speciality and it will say that beside it. Some of the placement opportunities are competitive. It depends on how many people are interested in it. When a certain number of people have indicated interest it will flag as being highly requested, but that doesn't mean that you won't get it! Here is how the process works. When the system opens up (called the PAS) you can go on and search through all the many opportunities. You have a while to do that, I think a week or two, I'm not positive. Then you will fill out an online form indicating your top choices. I think it is 5 if I remember correctly. At a certain date that form closes and that means you can't make any more changes to your choices. It will notify you when you can log back in and at that time it will show you which choices you are matched to for an interview. You are matched with 2 interviews. After the interviews you go on the system and leave your opinion of each placement. Again, at a certain point the system will lock and then you will be notified to log back in and it will say which place you have been matched to. It sounds very complicated but it's actually not. I ended up arranging a placement outside of the system (they call that opting-out of the system) so I could get one in my home community. I had to opt-out before the choices were submitted otherwise it would obviously mess with the system. I knew multiple people who went through the whole process and they ended up really happy with their placements and how the process goes. I hope this info helps and I hope you get in.

jjmr89 - UofT does allow in some cases for you to do your placement in your home community. I was accepted to UofT last year and they worked with me to arrange a placement in Kitchener. I had to defer until this September but I will be working with them again to do the same. That said they really prefer you do your placement from September-April. They prefer that because the placement is supposed to coincide with the coursework and seminars. If you wanted to go to UofT from September to April why wouldn't you just do your placement from September-April along with your courses? The placement only goes until the end of the first week of April so you wouldn't have to stay any extra length of time. Good luck! Also, I had the opportunity to look at their online placement system before I opted out and there are so many amazing placement opportunities in Toronto. I'm sure you could find a position in your area of interest.

Wow, I am so sorry for you. I cannot imagine how upsetting that must be. That is incredibly gross negligence on their part and I don't agree that things just happen and it is no big deal. I believe that is an incredibly big deal for a school to do that.

Socialworkerr - I know, I actually applied last year too. I applied to both Laurier and UofT last year and I was waitlisted to Laurier and accepted to UofT. I had to defer due to health reasons so I am still accepted to UofT but I decided to try Laurier again because it is local to me and my top choice. Last year acceptances were the 21st, rejections came in the mail around the 24th and I heard about the waitlist by email on the 26th. It could be early this week though because in 2013 people got acceptances earlier in mid-February. So from this point on I am on red alert!

This week is going to be total torture!!! I am waiting on Laurier (Advanced Standing) and they notify the last two weeks of February. Tomorrow is the 17th so it could definitely be this week. Every time my phone dings I am going to jump through the roof. Maybe I can just sleep through this week? That is a reasonable solution, right?

cheeks - Welcome! Glad to see someone else who is applying to advanced standing so we can all obsess together. Hearing from Laurier is SO close. Today is the 12th, we have to get through tomorrow and then the long weekend and then it is the 17th which means we could very well be hearing next week!!! I want to get in so badly, even though I am already in at UofT, and I don't know how much longer I can stand the waiting. If I get in at Laurier I will be opening up a spot for someone who wants to go to UofT. While I love the program at UofT it will be hard for me to commute for classes (in the last couple of years I was diagnosed with lupus and celiac's disease so I am still struggling with health) so Laurier is definitely my top choice!

Last year I hadn't heard when other people had from one of my schools and it ended up being that I was waitlisted. Don't give up hope until you know for sure!

It feels like time is slowing down and speeding up all at the same time. When I think about hearing from Laurier it feels like months away, even though it's only a couple weeks. But I have 3 kids (14, 12, and 9...yes I started young lol, I'm only 34) and I am so busy with their stuff that time is actually moving faster. I had to take a year off school/work due to health issues so I am just home with the kids for now (still not well health-wise - hoping for the best!). The older two have science fair projects due next week (which we haven't started yet! Eep!), and essays and all the other homework. The middle one is wanting my help practicing for a musical she's auditioning for and she's also a competitive gymnast so we are busy with that. The little one...well, she's 9 and just wants attention period lol. So that is my answer for everyone! If you want time to go faster borrow a few kids for a couple of months

Bettyg - I feel exactly the same way! I am going crazy with the waiting and keep going back and forth over whether I think I even have a chance. Only a few more weeks for me to wait!

I know I won't be hearing until the end of the month but it's all I can think about. I am currently watching my way through Criminal Minds on Netflix.

Hi lore - this is actually a thread for people applying for social work programs. If you look on the main waiting it out page you will see a thread that is for anyone applying to any Canadian university.

Even though I know they won't be notifying for Laurier until the end of February I am still jumping every time my phone dings hoping they miraculously finished early. For better or for worse I'll know within 3 weeks but I really want to know now!!! I keep going back and forth between thinking I have no shot at all of getting in to thinking that I will totally get in. Unfortunately you can't prepare for bad news and I know I'll be crushed if I don't get in.

Thanks for the answer, I was just wondering. Hopefully you hear good news from another school soon

Lexifer - Why do you write rejected (presumed)? I am just wondering because I have seen other people do that and I don't understand why people wouldn't wait to update to rejected until they had heard something. I am only waiting on one school. I am already accepted to UofT (deferred from last year) so I am just waiting to hear from Laurier. They make notifications sometime within the last 2 weeks of February so it is getting close.

LP3 - As soon as it changed to February I was freaking out! Probably more than 2 weeks though, last year the acceptance emails started going out February 21. I didn't hear I was waitlisted until February 26. But it will definitely be by the end of this month which is crazy! I know I'm already into UofT but I really would rather stay local and go to Laurier. Plus I like that it is a smaller program. Hopefully we both get in!

Congrats on your decision. UofT is a great school. It is the number #1 university in Canada and in the top #20 in the entire world. Hopefully you will be very happy there.

I don't know which agencies Laurier works with but I know they have an extensive list of opportunities. If you are accepted you have access to their portal which lists all the opportunities. As for UofT I went through the process last year and they have TONS of opportunities, although most of their opportunities are in Toronto. There are some outside of Toronto but not a large amount. You can opt out of their system and work with the practicum office to arrange one in your own community if necessary.

I can't believe it is less than a month until the advanced standing applicants hear from Laurier! As soon as mid-February hits I'm going to be on edge every time my phone dings signaling an email. I go between thinking I have absolutely no chance to get in and thinking I have a good shot. The odds are so small I likely don't have a big chance but I know I will still be crushed if I don't get in. I know I have UofT as my back-up, which puts me in a better position than most people, and I am thankful, but I would really rather go to Laurier. I have a chronic autoimmune disease which is not improving like we'd hoped (the reason I had to defer last year) so I would rather not have to add commuting on to the already heavy stress load of doing my master's while raising 3 kids!