forbuss

Here is a question! When looking at your GPA, does the school use their grade system to rank them?

Hey all! The only school I will be applying to is York. Super nervous!

Any tips for someone just entering their 2 year BSW (no prior degree) and who wants to apply for their MSW right out of undergrad? Develop close relationships? Etc?

Dal is the only program I know of that does distance. You still have to be in Halifax for 3 weeks I believe, though.

I did! They sent them on Tuesday though and I am in Halifax, very close to the school. The letter was even dated for tomorrow! I also know that they have NOT sent out rejections yet. At least not on Wednesday when I checked. Who uses snail mail anymore, anyways?

Got my letter from Dal today, I have been accepted!

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

Has anyone heard about Dal yet? I go into the building everyday just to feel the energy and send positive vibes.. I have not heard anything, but it should be any day now!

Yeah I called to inquire about where they are at in their admissions (I have not inquired before now since applying) and I heard a very deep, dramatic breath followed by a robotic "You will receive a letter in mid-May" Guess there not keen on letting people know haha. I understand though, a bunch of people are probably calling endlessly. I'm in Halifax so I should get my letter first, so I'll let you know!

Dal is the only school I have applied to, which I am regretting at this point. I have been moving around constantly since I was 18 and just wanted to come back to NS (where I am from) and live here for a little bit, give it a chance. I am still in contact with my prof from York however, I wish their program was in Halifax. Are you in Halifax now? I am such a wreck waiting to hear about Dal. I'll be so heartbroken if I don't get in

Hey all! I have applied to Dal BSW and should hear soon. St. Thomas is DEFINITELY not the only or even the most structural/critical in North America. My friend just graduated from St. Thomas, and I started my BSW last year at York who are known for their progressive programs BSW/MSW/PhD. I only did one intro social work class and my friend has a BSW and I know about concepts and ideas that she wasn't even introduced to in her program, but I was at York. Their faculty is incredible and well respected, and the program is under constant fire from CASWE because their program is so advanced that it it borders what is acceptable in the curriculum. It was an AMAZING year and I learned an insane amount. It's also very diverse! I would say that St. Thomas is probably the most critical in the East, including Quebec. I have also heard that Laurier is close to York's level of social discourse and issues.

You should say something like "Sadly, I believe my GPA and my volunteer experience were not competitive enough, so I am going to be volunteering this coming year." Even if it isn't true I think this would be good. They can also see that you still care and are going to continue expanding on your well of knowledge. It is tricky for the volunteer/work references because chances are the academic side will understand that sometimes things don't go your way even if you have a strong application.

Well the other people applying will not affect me. I have applied under the affirmative action policy as a queer person, so this means that my application will not be evaluated against the pool of applicants, rather it will be assessed based on my qualifications alone. Yeah I honestly have no idea who will get in and who won't. A friend of mine had a great application, but didn't speak at all about privilege/oppression in her letter - she is a very privileged person, maybe that explains it. She ended up getting in. She also didn't speak very much about social issues or discrimination and instead focused on young cannabis users in small town Nova Scotia. As a person who supports ending the bad stigma around cannabis, of course, I didn't think this was a very strong focal point in the grand scheme of things. I guess I won't know until I know! Haha. Thanks for your reply.

Wow! It sounds like they really didn't have a choice whether to accept you or not with all that experience. Did you apply under the affirmative action policy? Here is my volunteer/work experience: -Ran a program that collected toys, food, and gift cards for women with children who were living at my local transition house for abused mothers. -Volunteered at the Toronto People With Aids foundation for 1 year in their food bank as well as their needle exchange. -Worked for 4 months (and currently am back again) at a local summer camp for underprivileged children. I worked with children who had autism, learning (dis)Abilities, and one child with schizophrenia. -LOTS of work with the Canadian Cancer Society -I am currently working at an elementary school with their after school/lunch program, but they are basically all wealthy. This has really deepened my understanding of privilege. Since I was just hired, the school does not know this. I sadly didn't really talk about any of this in my personal letter. I mostly talked about social issues (homophobia, violence against the Indigenous community, and issues surrounding mental illness) because at the time I didn't want to just talk about my experience, because I thought that it spoke for itself. I think this was a mis-step. I also talked largely about my experience as a queer person in Nova Scotia and my passion to enter policy work to change oppressive structures that encourage privilege/oppression. I also spoke of my experience in being diagnosed with anxiety/depression and how psychology pathologizes people and makes it seem like it's a problem with YOU, where as social work has a greater scope for social issues that cause this (ie the othering of queer people). Plus my GPA and references I spoke of in my last post. Does this sound like a strong application? I know some folks have much more volunteer experience with degrees and I am worried I wont get accepted because of this. I guess I should just wait and see because I should find out soon. It's just hard because I just want to get my BSW and enter the workforce. I did a musical theatre program when I was 18-19 (two years), then entered university three years after that. I am 24 now. Eek!

Did anyone here do their BSW at Dalhousie, or apply? I am in my second year (Gender & Women's Studies BA) and started my BSW at York. I can only imagine how much worse it is waiting for grad school results, but I am so anxious to hear back. I feel like I should get in, because my GPA is currently a 3.75, but am worried that because I don't have a degree my chances are less. I have heard from the director of admissions that around 85% of people admitted already hold a degree, and a friend in the program said there are "a few" people in the class without a degree. My references were solid (from my SW prof at York, one from the Toronto People with Aids Foundation where I volunteered, and one from my boss at a underprivileged kids summer camp) and letter was good. I am really hoping that their affirmative action policy for queer students will help push me to get accepted. Anyone have any information on Dal BSW/MSW acceptance?