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Hey all! I'm currently an MSW student at Wilfrid Laurier - graduating at the end of this year. I initially applied to 5 programs and was accepted to all of them. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Hey all! I'm currently a 2nd year MSW student at Laurier. I also applied and was accepted to a couple other programs like Carleton, York, and U of T (off the waitlist). Also the HBSW program in Thunderbay. If any of you have questions, feel free to pick my brain. Good luck this year!

Beginning of July I believe. Someone probably didn't clear their acceptance conditions??

Congratulations!! If you have any questions feel free to pm me!

I would imagine they have a list of acceptable courses somewhere on their website, and you could always email and ask. People from so many different disciplines apply that they need to have some sort of list for people to look at and know if the course they took satisfies their requirements. If you don't have a stats course, I suggest looking into taking one through Athabasca. It's online and at your own pace. I've heard good things.

Just speaking from experience, Kitchener is a bit dodgy in some areas and although it is marginally cheaper to rent there, if you're looking for an environment that is more student friendly, try Waterloo. Your student card functions as a public transit pass and it's ten minutes up the road. Both the Laurier main campus and UW are there. If you go on a variety of websites that advertise for student housing and/or roommates you can find some great stuff. Look for listings that specify grad students. There are a lot of buildings in Waterloo that are built to capitalize on the density of students there and boast amenities like a bathroom in every room and being pre-furnished, but be careful with those because they're owned by big corporations that don't really care about your interests and can short you when it comes to your deposits. I've heard some horror stories. All in all though, I love living in Waterloo. There are so many amenities, places to eat, and places to hang out.

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I know that Laurier does not offer funding with their initial offer. It really pained me to turn down Carleton because they offered such a significant amount of funding, but in the end I weighed my options and decided to stay closer to home b/c I like having that support system. Closer to the beginning of the first semester, I was offered almost 5000$ in scholarships. Also, once school starts, Student Awards opens up their scholarship portal and you have the opportunity to fill out your profile and become eligible for further funding.

Three (max. four) to my recollection. But in quite rapid succession.

Hello! I am a current MSW student at Laurier in Ontario, but I applied to a couple other schools. In terms of research methods, I found that different schools have different requirements. U of T has a list of acceptable research courses on their website, but you can also email them and ask if the course you took satisfies the requirements - they usually reply quite promptly. U of T is very research focused so they look for research experience on your application and don't usually accept anyone who received below an A- in methods. Their program is known for it's clinical stream. U of T offers no funding, so you're on your own. I would recommend that when you're applying to the program you also apply for OGS. York is a little more lax about methods. Their program is very social justice/anti oppression oriented. They are not a clinical program so if that's what you're looking for you won't find it there. Their administrative department is also kind of a nightmare. They are so disorganized. I received my acceptance by email 3 times. I attended undergrad at York so I know how disorganized they are. People even call it "getting York'd" Overall though, it's a good program and if your interested in social justice and theory you'll probably enjoy it. They also off RA positions to all MSW candidates. I believe that the salary is 9000$/year (don't hold me to that that's just my recollection). Carleton is another good program in Ottawa. It's a structural school of social work so once again, not very clinical. The focus is more on policy. But if you're interested in that it's great because you're in Ottawa and there's so many great placement opportunities. Carleton requires that you have taken a statistics course and received at least a B in addition to a research methods course. I was offered significant funding when I was accepted to this program. I'm talking like upwards of $15 000. This included a TA position. They have a minimum hours requirement that you have to have fulfilled so check that. Laurier, which is in the Kitchener/Waterloo area of Ontario is a great program in my opinion. You can customize your education to focus on clinical or policy and community development. I'm in the community development and policy stream and I find the courses really interested and have a great placement at Planned Parenthood this semester and a placement at Public Health lined up for the fall. Others in my cohort are really enjoying their clinical placements at places like KW Counselling or various hospitals. Laurier also has a minimum hours requirement. I received a couple of scholarships - not as much a Carleton but I chose to stick closer to home. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

Hey! Just want to chime in! I am a current MSW student at Laurier and last year they sent out acceptances in a few waves. So don't lose hope yet! I also know there were a few people accepted off the wait list!

Apply for OGS. Although you must have at least an A- average in the last two years of undergraduate study, and have two academic references.

Hey there! When I wrote my statement last year, I did not use any references. Assuming the questions are the same this year, I would think you are safe to leave them out unless you are citing very specific statistics or uncommon knowledge and theories. Make the language you use accessible and speak in general terms and you should be fine. If you have anymore questions feel free to pm me.

York and UofT are two of the most competitive programs to get into. I know that you're really dead set on living in Toronto but I think you should consider applying more widely. It will dramatically increase your chances of getting into at least one program. Many people move across the country or even to another country to attend a masters or phd program and it's only for two years. You can always move to Toronto after you finish a program in another city. There are many other prestigious schools of social work in Ontario. You could also consider doing a post-degree BSW. York offers this, as well as McMaster (Hamilton). Keep in mind that UofT values research experience and you must have a minimum of an A in research methods. I attended York for my undergrad and I can tell you from personal experience that their administration is a nightmare. They are very disorganized and inefficient. Give yourself plenty of time for that application.