nutella14

Has anyone here received and accepted an offer to York? I accepted last week and sent in my deposit. Interested in chatting with anyone else attending in the fall! Send me a PM

Hi good news Personally I am not planning on working. I made a mock class schedule for myself as if I were to attend York or U of T (using their program requirements and this year's course schedule), to get a sense of what it'd be like. At York, there are 4 classes in the fall semester plus 5 hours of graduate assistantship work (required for funding package), and in the winter there are 2-3 classes plus 3 full days of a practicum placement (plus the 5 hours of GAship work). Some people could handle (and may need to) work on top of that - but not me. That doesn't include electives, by the way, just the mandatory courses. So, I'm not sure what the norm is, but I am planning not to get a separate job on top of my MSW.

Hi goodnews The tuition fees are listed here: http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/link/students/fees15/dom_socialwork.htm As far as I can tell the tuition at U of T (for a 2-year MSW) ends up being approximately twice that of York. York: Fees and Tuition For detailed information please review the following information from Student Financial Services at York University: sfs.yorku.ca/fees/courses/index.php (Fees for Social Work are listed under Graduate then Graduate Studies)

soapaddict, see the link below.. the two year program is five semesters (2 years, including the summer in between) and it looks like all classes are in-person. there are two practicum placements and a mandatory practice-based research paper. http://socialwork.gradstudies.yorku.ca/msw/msw-program-structure/

I tried calling Angela twice today (around 12noon and just now) and it has gone to her voicemail both times. Perhaps she's off today. I have thus far resisted calling or emailing, but with such a short time to accept York (24 hours now), I cracked and figured I would try. Her voicemail is verbatim the email that she has sent us all (decisions will be sent until mid-April, can't comment on individual cases, etc.) I didn't leave a message I woke up this morning so hopeful that we would hear today!

Has anyone else received funding from U of T? One person mentioned a $4000 scholarship... if anyone else is comfortable sharing, I am curious to know what package you got or what U of T offers I would really prefer to go to U of T (if I even get in there, that is) but York's funding is kind of unbelievable (funding + scholarship)... just trying to get a sense of how U of T might compare. I'm assuming that since I haven't heard, I'm not in their top tier, so maybe there wouldn't even be funding (if I get in). Thanks for any info you might have! PS I heard back from UVic yesterday and got in there as well. I'm going to be declining it -- so if anyone is waiting for a spot there, hopefully this turns into good news for you!

Also, I just came across this post again (in my search for info on York) and am now scared all over again that my email was a mistake!! I emailed back with some follow-up questions so fingers crossed I get a reply (which would hopefully mean it's real. right?) :S

Hi everyone So, I admittedly had dismissed York as being utterly impossible (given the odds) and have focussed all my reading and research into U of T. I've gone through the York website and will be going through everything more in depth (course descriptions, etc) as I make a decision. I know most of you are on the rollercoaster of waiting right now, but I'm curious to know what the reputation of York is -- it's strengths and weaknesses -- and am wondering if any of you have an opinion on that? I haven't worked in social services in Toronto so I don't know what it's reputation is like and I don't know anyone who has done the program. If anyone has insight or opinions to add I would be very grateful! Thanks!!

I just got an acceptance email from the York 2-year program. !!!!!!!!! With a funding package I'm shaking Anyone else??? I'm scared this is an obscure troll spam email message. I was not expecting this at all.

Hey ehoskin I applied to the UVic 2 year program. I think we're the only ones on the forum (that I remember now). I haven't heard anything.

Congrats wxyyyz!!!

I have this same problem..!! Also I feel more optimistic about U of T when compared to York. 20% sounds so much better than, what, 20 out of 500-700? Haha. Yikes :S

Hey ttvtsai I'm sorry to hear you didn't get in. That's too bad to hear. Did you apply to the MSW Advanced or MSW indigenous stream at uvic? What kind of experience do you have (if you don't mind me asking)?? What kind of social work do you hope to do?

Did you apply to 1 year or 2 year at UVic??

Hey Chrisseh5 Welcome!! I also applied to UVic (2 year, the non-BSW foundation program). I think we're the only ones on this forum so far who did. Did you apply to the 1 year or 2 year??

Hi soapaddict Social work is a regulated profession in all provinces. You can't call yourself a clinical social work unless you are registered as a clinical social worker. Some provinces have special registration requirements for clinical (Alberta does, I believe) beyond the requirements for just being a registered social worker. It's like being a doctor or a psychologist or an occupational therapist. You can't get the job or use the title without the qualifications. You can get a therapy job without an MSW for sure, you just can't call yourself a social worker. "Therapist" isn't a regulated title so you could do a degree in counselling psychology (or even an MA in psychology with further education in counselling skills) and get a job in mental health therapy. If a job posting is for a clinical social worker specifically then that is probably what they want.

cheekss thank you -- that is so helpful and encouraging to hear! Persistence really pays off, it seems. I have only ever heard of Lakehead's HBSW program. Good to know there are others. If I don't get in this year I may work for a year and try the HBSW route (I didn't apply this year so not an option for this fall). purplegrey -- I'm so sorry to hear that be kind to yourself today!

Hi cheekss I've been losing track of everyone now that so many people are on the forum (which is a good thing) so I can't recall -- were you one of the people who applied multiple times to the MSW, then did the HBSW?? I know it's impossible to know, but do you think the HBSW was the tipping point to getting accepted this year? (Was this the key difference to your application, or did you gain significant experience hours as well?) Thanks Are you at Orillia or TBay?

Congrats to everyone who has been getting acceptances today!! purplegrey and smpalesh -- my fingers are crossed for you for Carleton and Laurier today!! Hope you hear soon

Has anyone else been swinging back and forth dramatically between thinking "there's no way I will ever get in" to "I think I have a decent shot!"??? .... the back and forth is exhausting! One minute I think I'm a lost cause and the next day I feel like I might have a shot. It's so hard to know. I feel fairly confident that I won't get into York, just because it's so competitive, but am still hoping out hope for U of T. It's so hard to know what they'll value most. I have a 3.7 (out of 4.3 -- A-) in my last year and a decent amount of experience, but it's mostly social services administration, research, or helping roles with youth/young adults (mentoring, peer support, etc. -- but not pure counselling). Sometimes in my head I feel like everyone else who has applied has much more "intense" (for lack of a better word) experiences. Direct service provision in the community with populations with trauma, addictions, abuse, etc. It's so hard to know and be guessing I'm hoping we'll hear back from York (2 year) at the end of March. 5 weeks! And possibly 5-6 weeks for U of T. I've really taken comfort in the posts by some people who have applied several times. Thanks to everyone who has shared their stories in that respect. It seems like everyone has said they learned a lot from their first application and were able to get useful feedback to improve their experiences and application. It's my first time applying so maybe it will take 2 or 3 rounds. Who knows! Hang in there everyone!!

Congratulations to you PrairieGirl!!!! That's amazing. Good for you

Hey The 2-year MSW is released in April. I asked her about the timeline and I got a generic template response that also said mid-February to mid-April. Honestly I am assuming they are swamped with emails at this time and they send one response out to anyone -- rather than sending different responses to 1 year and 2 year. When you spoke to her, she would have known that you were 1-year and given you a more precise answer. Last year 2-years found out on April 7th and in 2013 they found out on April 15th. So for us, it's still mid-April. And for you, it's still late Feb - mid March.

It's probably a busy time for them, and sometimes (in my experience at least) they will comment more in depth on the phone, rather than in writing. Do you think a quick call could (possibly) be helpful? Or would you rather just wait it out? I am just thinking that if you call, they might say that they're updating rejections first. Or that there has been a glitch in the system (kourterr was getting the error page as well, right?). I can't remember what school is doing that but some other school (Carleton??) is sending out rejection emails first.. Useful information! There's a few more hours in the day, before they close. Anyway either way, all the best with the wait!

Hey smpalesh Would you be willing to call Laurier to ask for clarification? As you say, it's Friday and waiting over the weekend would be difficult and likely pretty stressful for you. I just wouldn't want someone to agonize for 48+ hours until Monday morning. Maybe a quick call could set your mind at ease... better to get information straight from the source rather than relying on assumptions and guesses. Hang in there!

Keeping my fingers crossed for you smpalesh.... Deep breaths!! Everything will somehow work out