MSW-hopeful-2016

Which schools are you applying to? UofT uses the SGS portal not OUAC. That's about all that I know.

Hey guys, Anyone else on here applying to OISE (UofT) for their MEd in Counselling?

Hi Everyone, I guess since this thread has slowly begun to start up again, and It's almost that time to start thinking about our applications, I will share my experience and hope others can do the same. I was waitlisted last year for the 2 year-MSW program at UofT. It was the only program I had applied to. I have my Honours BSc in Psychology. My GPA in my last year was 3.9. I got an A in research methods, and an A+ on my honours thesis. I currently work as a research assistant at a chronic pain clinic, but aside from our own research, we also take on clinical trials in various areas (nicotine dependence, asthma, diabetes, etc). Before this position, which I started in April, I spent 5 years working at a retirement home, as a front desk concierge. Prior to this, I was a camp counsellor for 2 years. I'd like to think that working with both seniors and children has strengthened my abilities to be patient (haha!). I have volunteer experience at: Bellwood Health Services (300 hours) - presently volunteer here this is my most substantial experience in terms of volunteering, as it is an addiction and rehabilitation facility not only for substance use and alcoholism but for eating disorders, sex addiction and gambling addiction, allowing me to experience addiction in a multi-faceted lens. I hope to be able to get my MSW and use it to practice addiction counselling in minority populations. Canadian Mental Health Association (250 hours) Greenview Lodge Senior Care Residence (200 hours) Toronto General Hospital - eating disorder outpatient clinic (50 hours) Pride Toronto (12 hours) Town of Richmond Hill (300 hours) I have practicum experience from my undergrad (about 84 hours), where I was partnered with a child with a DSM-5 diagnosis in a classroom setting, to provide peer mentoring and assistance with school-related activities. I believe the missing piece to my puzzle last year was that I had not had any research experience and had yet to finish my thesis. I was truly upset and in shock for a few weeks after realizing that I most likely wouldn't be getting in that application session. So my advice to those applying straight from undergrad, as I had, do not take anything but acceptance as a failure, take it as a gift and as a lesson. A year off to work, strengthen your application and have some time to yourself is not a bad thing (trust me!!!). Having said this - good luck to everyone this coming year - and I hope this thread will be as active as last year. It was nice sharing the stresses of applying with similar minded individuals.

Let's not get this thread started too early. Some of us are trying to enjoy what little summer is left before the application season begins (haha!)

If anyone hears from the 2 year U of T wait list please post in here

That is really so awesome we need more people like you who want to help such a vulnerable minority population! My goal is to help LGBTQ+ youth and adults who struggle with substance use. Too many people from the community turn to drugs to help mask their suffering and trauma, and I find there is not nearly enough support for them. The fact that CAMH was the only gender identity clinic for 3 provinces in our country is so wrong....

with U of T being such a competitive school, I don't see many people rejecting their acceptances. Unless they are more interested in funding and places like York are more attractive to them (assuming they got into both).

I did the same thing, emailed the day of and Angela was very quick to respond. However I've already started job hunting / looking for research positions. With the amount of people they waitlisted, hoping for the best is kind of hard. But it has given me motivation to improve my application

critical thinking, like a true researcher haha!! I like the idea.

So.... did anyone get rejected? hahahaha or did the other 660 who didn't get accepted end up on the waitlist

Jeez the waitlist is so long for U of T. Seems like everyone on here who wasn't accepted was waitlisted. That's really wrong on their part. False hope isn't a good thing either.... For those who have been waitlisted, are you planning to stay on it?

I would be interested in attending. I'm going to be downtown that day anyways (going to the blue jays game :)). I was told by a friend of mine that even though we are told that the waitlist isn't ranked, if you call in and ask, they can tell you about your application. I'm thinking of trying this next week.

I received my waitlist letter yesterday, and my SGS just changed to "decision made" today.

What I understood from the letter is once spots open up, they review everyone's app's again on the waitlist and determine it from there. However I truly think the applications on the waitlist are ranked, and they're just saying they're not so they don't receive 50+ phone calls.

Agreed. Accepting two offers potentially makes another candidate lose a spot.

Now I wonder how many people end up coming off of it thanks for the reply!

They say the wait list isn't ranked and that as people reject their offers they look at all applications collectively, and will contact you by mail/telephone. We have until May 10th to let them know if we wish to remain on the waitlist.

So to me it seems like a lot of people were placed on the waitlist. Or maybe we're all keeners on here? hahaha!

Hi all, I was waitlisted for U of T. Congrats to everyone who got the letter today as well. Fingers crossed for us all

at least we aren't rejected yet. trying to stay hopeful.

Sweet thank you I just checked my mail (I live 30 mins north of U of T, in vaughan) and nothing yet.

Hi which results page are you talking about?

thank you for the kind words! I have been checking ROSI. As far as I know I think the lack of research experience is what's holding me down and I really am kicking myself in the butt about not looking for RA work the last 2 years and focusing more on volunteering and my grades. However i'm not going to lose hope till I find out for sure! Congrats on the acceptance it is such an accomplishment!!!!

A little background on myself; I'm interested in addiction and comorbid mental health in minority populations, specifically LGBTQ+ populations. I applied to collaborate in addiction studies and showed interest in the mental health and health stream. So at the time of submitting my app, I had about 1000 hours of unpaid volunteer work in the social services, 250 specifically in a rehab facility which I mainly talked about in my statement. 250 hours volunteering with the elderly at a retirement home, 200 hours with the Canadian Mental Health Association, some hours leading a program with at-risk youth (involved with drugs/the law) and some doing community outreach events. I had about 60 hours as an admin assistant in the eating disorder clinic at Toronto General Hospital and the rest of my volunteer hours were from doing summer camp stuff. As for paid work I've been a front desk concierge at a retirement home for 5 years and accumulated over 3500 hours, however I know it doesn't directly relate to social service work and the area I want to focus in, but I tried to tie in how working with seniors has opened my eyes to a lot of things and how its made me more resilient and allowed me to develop some of the qualities necessary for social work. My grades are my strongest, I have a 90% average in my last year (4 A+'s and 4 A's). Research wise is where I fall short, as besides my A in research methods, I only have my thesis which I just completed so when I submitted my applications it was halfway done and all i could do was talk about my hypothesis and why I chose my topic.

Wow your experience is amazing! Very surprised you haven't heard back yet. I'm still waiting too, but at this point as there seems to have been 3 waves of acceptances, I believe the rejection and waitlist letters are coming up But we never know. I believe people still received acceptances up until the 2nd week of April last year.