jjmr89

soapaddict - you should be able to find out that information on their website.

I haven't heard anything at all yet. Still checking ROSI a couple times per day, but not seeing any updates. I have to give UBC-Okanagan my answer by tomorrow so I will likely decline U of T if they accept me.

It makes total sense that undergrad has more of an impact on traditional grad school programs (i.e. MA or MSc). I had not really considered whether my BA had affected my MSW admission, but maybe it did. Thanks for explaining! I did submit a reference from my BSW. The prof from SOCW 312, which as you know is the only course we have with an on-campus component, ended up writing one for me. I really enjoyed her class last summer and we kept in touch after the semester was over. Her area of practice was related to the work I was doing at the time, and so she was able to speak to my academic ability as well as my professional interests. I would not have asked any of the other U Vic profs for a reference, though, for the reasons you stated. I wanted a genuine reference from someone who knew me face-to-face. My second reference was from a prof I had during my BA. I took every single one of his classes, some of which were quite small, and got to know him well over the course of three years. My last reference was my boss at my place of employment - she has an MSW from U of C, and was able to write about my ability to work in a clinical environment. Good luck with everything, and please let me know if you have any more questions

If your interest is policy with a clinical component, perhaps U of T would be a good fit for you? Are you sure the university privately judges which school you obtained your BSW from? I am skeptical of this. I am curious about where you got this info? I think more important considerations would be relevant experience, grades, admissions statement, references, etc., but I could be wrong. I am on the same page with the U Vic stuff. Post-modernism is fascinating from a sociological standpoint, but in terms of actually applying postmodern theory as a social worker/therapist... it is so difficult. Because the entire premise of post-modernism is that we cannot know things with certainty and everyone's reality is different. But yet, as a therapist we need to at least have some sort of expertise to offer the client, otherwise they might as well be talking to a friend. In SOCW 413 we keep learning that it is possible to practice social work from this place, but like you I am not finding it useful to conceptualize a helping relationship in this way. Sure, there are elements of post-modernism that will be helfpul, such as coming from a place of not-knowing, but this is not unique to post-modernism; any practitioner coming from an evidence-base will approach their clients in that manner. It's funny, but the most useful class out of my entire U Vic experience was the first one with the on-campus component (SOCW 312 - Collaborative Conversations). At least we were actually able to practice concrete skills, expressing profound curiosity towards another person, and actually getting to practice them with our classmates. Every class since then has essentially been a hoop that I had to jump through to get the piece of paper that would allow me to apply for an MSW! Good luck on your future applications

I doubt it. I'm a one-year advanced applicant and my ROSI has not updated yet. I haven't heard anything re: admission, rejection, or waitlist. You guys probably have another few weeks to go.

Hey! I'm currently in the U Vic program. I agree, there is a lack of actual skills being taught, probably because the program is online and it is hard to facilitate this kind of learning over the internet. I took it for the same reasons as you did - I was grateful it would allow me the opportunity to keep working. I also had a BA from another university and felt as though the BSW would provide me with the experience I needed to get into an MSW program in the future. I wouldn't be too concerned about getting accepted to MSW programs. I was accepted to UBC-O for my MSW this fall (still waiting on a possible acceptance to U of T in the coming weeks). I had good grades, good experience, and wrote what I believe is a solid admissions statement. I think these things were far more important than the reputation of the program in the field. To be honest, I think a lot of social work learning comes from practicum, so if you think your practicum now is solid, then finding another great one for fourth year should make up for some of the deficits in the U Vic program. As far as clinical schools go, UBC-O and U of Calgary are known to be very clinical/therapy-oriented. U of T is as well, but from what I can tell based on the degree requirements it is more research-focused than the other two. It still has a solid base of clinical skills, but not as much of a focus on them as UBC-O and U of Calgary. I might be missing schools with a clinical focus here, so others can feel free to chime in if they would like, but I researched A LOT when I applied to my MSW last fall - legit went to every website for every MSW school in Canada, including the ones in Quebec (I speak French fluently). And from what I could see, UBC-O, Calgary, and U of T were the major clinical schools. Actually, from reading this forum, it seems like Laurier might be as well? Though I did not get that impression when I went to their website. Anyways, other programs had clinical components in them (I think I remember UNBC having options to do some courses of that nature), but for the most part, schools like U Vic, UBC, Carleton, U de Montréal, McGill, etc. were more focused on other things, such as policy or research. Having gone through the entire U Vic BSW and the application process for my MSW, and knowing your interest in clinical work, I would recommend sticking it out with the U Vic program and make sure you go to a clinical school for your MSW to fill in the gaps in your learning. Just know that getting into a clinical MSW with a BSW from U Vic is not at all improbable! I've tried to look at it positively... the MSW program will fill in the gaps, and the U Vic program gave me a solid base of critical/postmodern thinking from which to work. The two don't have to be inconsistent

Interesting. Good to know, thanks for the information!

I applied to UBC-Okanagan and was accepted on Feb 13. Still majorly considering U of T though if I happen to be accepted there as well! What about yourself?

Has anyone on here applied to U of T (advanced MSW) and not heard anything back yet?

I only applied to UBC-Okanagan and U of T. I was accepted to UBC-Okanagan a couple weeks ago. I have to give them my answer by March 6. If I don't get into U of T I will be OK - academically I am really excited about UBCO's clinical orientation and I love Kelowna as a city. I still think I'd go to U of T if I had the privilege of choosing between the two, though.

I emailed Angela at U of T for an update, because I have to give my response to UBCO by March 6. I got the same generic reply that everyone else has been getting regarding decisions being mailed out from mid-February to mid-April.

I have not heard anything from U of T yet, including a rejection or a waitlist offer. That's for the one-year program.

For the people who got accepted to the one-year program at U of T - when did your letter say you had to give your response by?

cheekss - my boss (at the job I had before my 4th year BSW practicum) went to UBCO. She loved it and said it really prepared her to be a therapist. Her speciality is family therapy. She said the program was smaller so she did not just feel like a number, and the faculty members are fantastic. The campus is new and they share a clinic with the clinical psychology students where you actually get clients from the community and practice clinical work with them. The clinic is well equipped with one-way mirrors and microphones and everything. This would totally be my dream program if they allowed me to do my practicum at the same time as my coursework (Sept-April).

My roommate has done Calgary's MSW (clinical). She absolutely loved it and says it built the foundation of her career as a therapist. She recommended I go there as well, but I did not have the requirements this year unfortunately.