Leah_N

Virginia Commonwealth MSW, Masters (F14) Rejected via E-mail on 1 May 2014 1 May 2014
Please, like I needed this. I already accepted another, much, MUCH better offer months ago. I don't need to go to this school. I don't even care that they rejected me I'm so much better than that anyway. They got back so late. May 1st? Really, like, they are so disorganized like omg. So glad I got a much better offer. They can reject me all they want I dont even care like I really dont.


so this person really doesn't care that they were rejected, lol

Congrats!!  Are you accepting?  I got offered admissions today too.

I officially got off the waitlist for Laurier today also! So for those still waiting, there is movement!

Got off the wait-list for Laurier today!! 

Thank you  I was called around 3:30pm Toronto time.
 
As for stats.. I had a solid A average throughout my undergrad (I've been graduated for 5 years!) I volunteered in a community centre for 2 1/2 years, worked at a community mental health agency for 2 years (1 year in fundraising & 1 year with intake/social rec) and I volunteer for a distress line currently (at the time of the application it had been 7 months).  I've also worked as a research assistant since finishing my undergrad (over the last 5 years) on various projects in the social sciences.  Last year I also took a few classes at a community college in counseling.  Hope that helps!

Hi everyone, 
 
I know there are people on the wait list for U of T here, I was also on the wait list for the advanced standing program (Health and Mental Health), I got a call today from Angela offering me a place :-) So, the list is moving! Good-luck to everyone! 

Received acceptance from Laurier off of the wait list this morning!

Hey al! Just found out that I was accepted for Dalhousie's BSW program!
 
GL to everyone still waiting!

This exactly! For me, I was leaning towards York as my top choice for a long time, but I think that even if I were to be accepted off the wait list at York at this point, I would still choose U of T. Even though York lines up much better with my personal philosophies and is much more critical and anti-oppressive, which is something that is really important to me, ultimately, what I'm looking for in my MSW is clinical skills, and I won't get that at York at all (my sister is in the first year right now there and says they have barely talked about practice at all, let alone clinical skills specifically). Being critical and anti-oppressive is one of my strengths and I have been developing those skills outside formal education for a long time and plan to continue to do so, so that shouldn't be my focus for grad school- my focus is going to be the clinical skills that I haven't really been able to develop on my own and is where I feel stuck when I am working in the field, so U of T is the clear choice for me, even though I'm sure there will be parts that frustrate the hell out of me =P. Your grad school should be the one that helps you to best achieve your goals and helps you develop the skills that you are looking to develop. We are paying a lot of money for this experience, so we had better make it one that works for us!

Hi smpalesh,
 
I think that what I was trying to convey in my post might have not come across very well, and maybe some of that has to do with the difficulty in communicating tone on internet forums.
 
To clarify on the repeated "so I've heard"s and sharing that I wasn't accepted to U of T, these were intentionally stated in the interest of being transparent. I don't think that it would have been fair for me to critique some aspects of the program were I not also forthcoming about my own personal experiences (or lack thereof). My goals fit more closely with options outside of U of T, and it took my being waitlisted twice for me to realize that. If some people find this information to be valuable, then I'm happy to have said it, but I also believe that everyone can form their own opinions without any influence from me.

ohgosh - Do you realize how many times you said "so I've heard" in that post?  You shouldn't be trying to influence other people's decisions based on heresay, and shall I say, maybe a bit of sour grapes.

Well said Nutella14. I did not take it as sour grapes either, just another perspective to think about.

I think a lot of times people rely on the reputation of a school too much. I attended university in the states, I went to a school that is ranked higher than UofT in the international rankings. What I saw is that not everything about the school was great, some programs where better than others. Some people did well, some had a difficult time finding g their place because they put the schools reputation above their career goals. After graduation, I realized that friends who went to schools ranked well below mine did better than me. They got better jobs and went on to meet their goals in a way that I did not expect them to, give the reputation of their school.

I say all this to say, it's up to you. If you know your goals as a social worker, try to go to the school that best fits those goals. If you end up at a school that was not your first choice and does not offer quite what you are looking for, explore ways to make it work for you.

I looked at U of T's MSN program and compared it to Laurier's. For my purposes, Laurier is the best choice, but it's not for everyone.

You know what? Going to U of T would be a wonderful opportunity, honour, and priviledge. It was, for a very long time, my first choice, and it is where my partner got her MSW. I say that to temper what might come across as a bit of a rant, because while U of T is most definitely perceived as the "it" school for many of us social work hopefuls, I would highly recommend that you keep your options open to the other schools in the area.
 
Why?
 
Ideology. As others have said, U of T does clinical and research - and it heavily employs evidence-based, colonialism-derived knowledge (from what MSW students and professors have told me). For example there is a course based on the DSM, a manual that my current school critiques in pretty much every class. Other ways of going about social work - radical, critical, activist, post-structural struggle towards upsetting the status quo and flirting with disaster on the margins! will not likely be a priority at U of T. An exception to this might be the Social Justice stream, but even then, for all the stranglehold that U of T has on placements in the city, I have heard that SJ placements are largely policy based, with few clinical or grassroots options (again, just what I've heard, take with grain of salt, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). So if you are okay with learning from that kind of administrative, bureaucratic, generalist perspective (and as a waitlisted applicant, I was okay with that), then U of T might work for you. If you're hoping to dig deep and challenge popular social work themes like "AOP", "resilience", and "at-risk youth", then I don't know if you will see a lot of that kind of analysis at U of T (outside of the social justice stream).
 
Another issue with the university is that they are kind of "wholesaling" MSW education - They take in the most students of the GTA universities, and charge them a high tuitition while the dean makes a small fortune each year. They also have an absolutely atrocious first-year placement system for the 2-year MSW, where a "computer program" randomly chooses your placement for students. I've heard that some people got incredible placements that led directly to work that they wanted, while others felt that their placements were horrible and completely unrelated to their goals. I've also heard that advanced placement/2nd year students have much better control over their practicums.
 
That being said, there are other options for you that might better fit your needs.
 
Do you want to do research with a high chance of getting funding? Great! York and Ryerson both require a "thesis"-like research paper, and York will even pay you via a guaranteed assistanceship while both programs give out a lot of entry scholarships.
 
Do you want to receive a clinical MSW from a top school with an excellent reputation and prestige? Try WIlfred Laurier, whose clinical program is supposed to be amazing and whose reputation has often surpassed U of T (from what others have told me).
 
Do you want to focus on work with Aboriginal Peoples and rural settings? Try Lakehead, who some people have told me is their "it" school for critical social work.
 
So why was U of T my first choice? I wanted to explore clinical social work and was banking on the likelihood of a clinical placement (which you can choose amongst several options in the second year/advanced standing, unlike the first year). I also wouldn't have to justify being a clinical social worker with any regulatory body. The program ends a semester more quickly than Ryerson or York (I would have my MSW in a year!). There is no "thesis" requirement. The school is central to everything, and close to where I live.
 
Why is it no longer my first pick? Obviously, I wasn't accepted (twice), but in being waitlisted for two years in a row, I've come to realize that I wouldn't be a good fit, especially not in the health and mental health stream that I chose. My GPA is a 3.9/4.0, with an A in research, and I have about 4000 hours of paid social service work and at least another 1000 in volunteer work. I'm guessing that it was the written statemtns in my application, both this year and last, that stopped me from getting accepted, and maybe that's because who I am as a social worker is simply not what they are looking for. I also think that what I've learned in my BSW would get muted there to some degree - I would be learning diagnoses rather than deconstructing  them. While I won't be able to call myself a clinical social worker without extra training after I graduate, I now have an opportunity (mandatory) to work on a research project of my choice, and I'll get paid to do it.
 
Hope this wasn't too personal relfection-y or too negative-y. Most of my opinions were based on other students' experiences, rather than my own. Had U of T accepted me, and I didn't have to think about other options, I'd probably be going there. Getting into U of T is a huge accomplishment, and I have also seen many people go on to do really wonderful things with their degrees. For me, however, the other options seem better,

Just got a call at home offering me acceptance into u of c for fall msw 2015.!!!... Not by email, u of c status or snail mail.. Personal phone call! Was not expecting that !!! So I am in for fall !!:)

Dannika_Star
 
I think I read a while back that you were interested in putting together a Facebook group for new MSW students entering UofT? Are you still interested in doing that or have you already done so?

I havn't received anything from UofT yet but considering I was wait listed last year and I doubt I got in again... I decided to officially accept my Laurier offer today! Super excited and nervous to begin this next step in my career cannot wait to meet everyone else in the Fall. For everyone still waiting my fingers are crossed for you!

Virginia Commonwealth MSW, Masters (F14) Rejected via E-mail on 1 May 2014 1 May 2014
Please, like I needed this. I already accepted another, much, MUCH better offer months ago. I don't need to go to this school. I don't even care that they rejected me I'm so much better than that anyway. They got back so late. May 1st? Really, like, they are so disorganized like omg. So glad I got a much better offer. They can reject me all they want I dont even care like I really dont.


so this person really doesn't care that they were rejected, lol

I got waitlisted at U of T!!!!!! got my letter this morning!!! I can;t believe how excited I am for a wait list lol!!!

We are not all privileged to be able to afford school without financial assistance. Bursaries can be extremely beneficial for some people and can greatly ease the financial burden. As well, some programs like business and engineering pay their students to complete practicums and most masters programs with a thesis provide funding so many students can attend school debt-free. So I do not think it is unreasonable to hope that an MSW program would provide some financial assistance.
 
In your MSW program, there will be lots of discussions and readings related to social location and privilege. After some deep reflection on your own social location and the social benefits and privileges it affords you, as well as reflection and analysis on others with different social locations from you (as MSW programs typically encourage students to do), your perspective on the importance of some people receiving funding in order to be able to attend school could change over time. Some food for thought.

Isn't the opportunity to be a social worker the greatest incentive of all

Got accepted to York yesterday! Im over the moon!! Still surprised i didnt get in to York, they are clearly looking for something very specific.

Hi all!

I'm Lorri, i'm a first time poster, but long (embarrassingly long) time reader. I think I was trying to keep my cool by sticking to lurking, but it's really nice to see a bunch of people in the same boat! The past couple weeks have been so high-stress (and i'm definitely over keeping my cool now). 
 
I applied to both the UofT and WLU 2-year program, and received my WLU rejection yesterday. My plan B is to get a post-grad cert in mental health and re-apply in a year or two. Are we thinking that for UofT it's just waitlist/rejections now?

Congrats to all those who have been accepted, and good luck to those still waiting  

eh?? were you accepted or not?

I am trying to decide if I should apply to the HBSW at Lakehead Orillia. I think my chances of getting accepted are very high, but it would kill me to live in Orillia for 6 months. I am a city person, and I don't own a car or anything. Does public transit even exist in Orillia? 
 
If I don't get into any of my other choices, I will kick myself for not applying to Orillia, but I am struggling because it's $200 for the application. 

Agreed. I have thought about this as well especially because after a few weeks of starting the program you don't get a refund of your tuition! Which would suck.