[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

20 hours ago, lovelife905 said:

if your in the two year program your practicum counts as a summer course. 

Sorry.

To clarify, 3 is the max in the summer and the practicum from the Winter session counts as 1.

So you can take 2 courses in addition to the practicum which ran until June 1st this year.

If you choose a summer practicum, you also have to take a certain course in the summer instead of Winter. So you could only take 1 course in addition to a summer practicum and the simultaneous mandatory course.

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

1 hour ago, cat_not_kitty said:

Thanks for all this info, kiki14! The email was from April in FIFSW Student Services. The subject line is "2018-2019 OGS Application Result" – she confirms the nomination by the FIFSW selection committee and says that we'll receive an official offer letter from the SGS in July, after final review and confirmation of eligibility. The language is quite definitive e.g., "the value of your scholarship will be...", "should you anticipate declining...", "I would like to extend my congratulations" etc., so was thinking that the SGS stuff was just a formality...sounds like that's a good bet. I'm going to allow myself to be supremely excited ?.

Oh, I was going to ask about 2 versus 3 session awards! So you have to take at least one summer course to be awarded the full amount...good to know. Good incentive to take one or two and lighten the workload slightly for other semesters anyway.

Yeah, I wouldn't think there'd be any chance of getting one of the internal awards other than the merit-based entrance awards, as it's important to distribute what little funding there is equitably.

 

 

 

This is what I got  about the OGS summer. It could be difficult to reach 12 consecutive weeks with only 2 summer courses which is the max courseload

You need to be registered for 12 consecutive weeks.  Typically, you take a directed reading course SWk4801H Special Studies that meets over the 12 weeks.

 

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

On 5/14/2018 at 5:23 PM, MSWpost said:

 

This may seem like a silly question, I had to miss the orientation back in April. But does anyone know how many semesters the 1-Year Advanced Standing at UofT is? Is it 1 full year? or 8 months? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Not silly and it’s a common question. The advanced standing is very similar except that an additional research course is needed.http://socialwork.utoronto.ca/programs/msw-programs/year-two-and-advanced/

So Fall & Winter session (not sure of the exact # of months) but less than the full year.

 

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

2 hours ago, cat_not_kitty said:

Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!! So excited to hear that you've been nominated too!! I'll pop over to FB and let @kiki14 know that we've got a discussion going on over here that we were hoping she could weigh in on ?. 

As for eligibility for the FIFSW entrance awards, the OGS is an external award (though 1/3 funded by U of T) and the entrance awards are internal, so I don't think they preclude one another. I've seen folks receive both an OGS and an entrance award in the past (including kiki14 last year, I believe).

Huge congrats again!!

Oh I forgot to mention that yes it’s possible to receive both the OGS and an entrance scholarship.

At the advanced standing welcome session, Sharon said OGS would not affect internal awards.

Personally, I’m not sure how accurate that was since the internal awards are really needs based and designed to maximize the number of recipients so that as many students receive some sort of funding. I myself did not get anything from the internal awards and I think the other funding had an impact, which is understandable.

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

2 hours ago, cat_not_kitty said:

Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!! So excited to hear that you've been nominated too!! I'll pop over to FB and let @kiki14 know that we've got a discussion going on over here that we were hoping she could weigh in on ?. 

As for eligibility for the FIFSW entrance awards, the OGS is an external award (though 1/3 funded by U of T) and the entrance awards are internal, so I don't think they preclude one another. I've seen folks receive both an OGS and an entrance award in the past (including kiki14 last year, I believe).

Huge congrats again!!

Was the email from Sharon or OGS? I looked back in my emails and Sharon informed me of the nomination in late, late May then I got an email from OGS about  final confirmation of eligibility mid-June with a link for that elgibility form.

From what I recall, the form was fairly basic just confirming your basic information, the program, and the number of sessions.

After the eligibility check, results were sent mid-July. Something to keep in mind is if you want the full amount with UofT, Sharon recommends doing the Special Studies course over the summer.

Fingers crossed & congratulations to you both!!

 

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

On 2018-04-18 at 3:30 PM, Roosterduck said:

If anyone is going to U of T this fall and is from Ottawa or the area send me a message! Just got accepted this week

Hi,

I'm entering Year 2, but I'm from Ottawa too. There was a handful of us from the Ottawa area (4ish students)

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

52 minutes ago, nicoleMSW said:

Thank you!! I was wondering about entrance scholarships too! My package didn’t have any information on it either. The other part of the package that confused me was the sheet about the workshop we need to take... I looked online but there’s no dates. I’m assuming info about that will come later as well though!

I don’t have Facebook, but considering making one just to join the group!  Very excited to meet everyone! 

I looked through my papers and I was admitted in late March and the entrance scholarship was dated May 9th. I'm sure it varies year to year, but there was a pretty big gap in time between the admissions decisions and the scholarship. 

Was the workshop about diversity or orientation? If it's the diversity workshop, they'll eventually let you sign up on Eventbrite. 

The facebook group for the class has definitely been useful so I would recommend joining. 

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

4 hours ago, MscMT said:

Hey Guys,

I have a question any of you.  You all seem super helpful and I also want to say congrats to people who have received/are receiving acceptances!!

I was wondering if you guys could gauge if  you think I have any shot at all at getting an acceptance to a MSW program (ideally U of T) within a couple of years.

I only recently began thinking about pursuing this option, mainly because I was not well-versed what a social worker can actually do.  I did my bachelors in biochemistry/psychology.  I am currently finishing up my MSc in pharmacology, and for this degree I have been doing brain-imaging research in individuals with early psychosis.  It is during this time I met many of this people and developed an interest in social work. (I also have a depressed/suicidal friend that highly impacted me and he told me that his therapist had a MSW which sort of peaked my interest as I had no idea that was someone you could do with a MSW).  I also have no where near the kinds of community experience/volunteer hours you guys have - it's really really impressive how much experience you guys seem to have when applying.

Anyways, sorry for rambling!  Basically, just wondering if you know anyone coming from a pretty different background (I am pretty well versed in psychiatric illnesses, clinical interviews, etc).  If I worked for a year or two and volunteered some more do you think that I would be an enticing candidate, or is my background way too far off, being from natural sciences?

Any input would be appreciated - thank you and good luck/congratulations!!!

 

*also my username says MScMT because I did actually apply to OISE this year and got accepted but am still thinking whether or not I want to go

 

 

I wouldn’t say that your previous degree excludes you from being a competitive MSW candidate for U of T. A handful of my classmates have a background in science, myself included. I think it would depend on how you depict the relation between your education and social work practice. For example, I’m most interested in health and realized that social workers are very impactful. I also spent the year before working and volunteering to improve my application.

Feel free to message me if you want a second opinion. We’re just in the midst of our final assignments so it might take a week for a thoughtful and coherent response.

 

 

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say congratulations to everyone who got into their school of choice! I’m looking forward to meeting the U of T students at the Welcome Orientations for Year 1 and Advanced Standing (2 separate events).

 

For those waitlisted at U of T, please don’t lose hope, but like another poster said be cautiously optimistic to protect yourself. A significant portion of my Year 1 classmates were originally waitlisted and the latest I know of personally was mid-August.

Please, please don’t associate your status with your worth or personal qualifications. My waitlisted classmates were just as successful, if not more, than the non-waitlisted students. This is a difficult process that requires a lot of patience, but hopefully we all make it through.

 

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

1 hour ago, cat_not_kitty said:

Thanks so much for the additional/insider info, kiki14! Wow, mid-July is SUPER late...but good to know, so we don’t assume the worst if we don’t hear sooner.

How have you enjoyed your first year at U of T so far? Any feedback or tips for us (hopeful) incomers?

I was just going through my emails and I'm surprised others heard back earlier. Based on this link, people will hear back mid-July this year as well (http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/currentstudents/Pages/Ontario-Graduate-Scholarship.aspx ). Nomination was confirmed mid-June, then eligibility had to be verified and offer was given mid-July. 

Overall, I'm really enjoying it. It depends on what you're looking for as Toronto is primarily clinical and less critical than other SW schools. My biggest tip would be to get involved. The first semester can be overwhelming with so many courses, but it's actually the best time to be involved with school activities. They're a great way to meet other students, faculty, and alumni. I'm completely type A and I've been trying to work on that as the grading can be inconsistent based on the instructor. Honestly, it's so cliche and yet totally accurate to focus on your learning instead of the marks.  

[Canadian MSW Applicants 2018]

On 3/11/2018 at 8:34 PM, cat_not_kitty said:

I feel you re U of T admissions – hang in there...we've waited this long. 

Re OGS: Results vary wildly (like, literally by months) from school to school. Not sure when Laurier's are released, but last year a Grad Cafe member heard back from U of T for social work on May 31st (see linked forum). The online application site says updates will be posted there by the end of June...so looks like we shouldn't start holding our breaths anytime soon, but we may hear directly from the FIFSW or SGS before the system updates.

Thought I'd share what I'd found in terms of our chances, since the FIFSW has very little transparency around their OGS quotas (take this info with a healthy dose of salt, as it's all based on my own investigative work and conjecture). The only information I've been able to dig up on the number of awards granted is on page 38 of their 2014 Self-Study (http://socialwork.utoronto.ca/about-us/utqap-self-study-2014/), where they said that they awarded a mere four(!) external awards in 2013-14. This was down from an average of 17 over the 8 years prior (this massive shift downwards is likely due to the overhaul of OGS in 2013). This number could include CGS-M (for second year/advanced standing students pursuing a thesis...I've seen at least one get awarded in the past few years) and likely does include at least one international student OGS award (there's a quota between one to three international OGS awards allocated to each graduate unit, per the info on their "Financial Support" page, http://socialwork.utoronto.ca/current-students/financial-support/). Taken together, I'm assuming that a maximum of three OGS awards are awarded to all ~384 enrolled students (95 1-years + 145 first year 2-years + 145 second year 2-years – 1 international OGS recipient), meaning our chances of getting one are sitting at less than 1%. Please don't shoot the messenger ! 

Good luck!!

 

 

Just wanted to echo that it truly varies.

For UofT, I heard mid-July. I know the chances are probably slim, but I don't think it hurts to try especially on the off-chance that you get it. I really encourage my classmates to apply because I thought my chances were low too. 

I know funding isn't mentioned a lot with UofT, but they've actually sent quite a few emails about scholarships, research positions, and job opportunities, so these opportunities do exist. 

[NEW Canadian universities M.S.W thread (2017)]

4 hours ago, moli said:

Has anyone got off the waitlist yet for lakehead? 

Hi,

It's unlikely anyone has since offers weren't withdrawn until May 12th at 4pm.

The waitlist will probably start moving soon. Good luck!

 

 

[NEW Canadian universities M.S.W thread (2017)]

6 hours ago, mitchae said:

I have been admitted, but have yet to receive my mail offer. I am unable to view the online offer as well.. If it weren't for you, then I would have potentially missed the deadline. What information does yours say? Do I just have to accept through OUAC? Thanks! 

Yes. The deadline of April 28 applies to ouac and emailing the school of social work to confirm your acceptance. It says to email Sonya, but that may be outdated since Sonya said she no longer works for the department. If you don't respond by the 28th, you forfeit your spot and it will be reallocated by May 1st.

A $200 deposit is due by June 1st. There is also a form to sign about placements, but there's no date on it.

[NEW Canadian universities M.S.W thread (2017)]

On April 20, 2017 at 10:56 PM, sasko28 said:

Hey there,

First of all, thanks to everybody for making this topic, and congrats to those already accepted! Does anybody know the accept/reject deadline for those given offers to the one year HBSW program, in either Thunder Bay or Orillia, at Lakehead?  I'm on the waitlist for Thunder Bay, so I'm just curious when admissions will start taking a second look at the waitlisted applications. 

Looks like the deadline is this Friday. I got my offer in the mail today so the notice is quite short. 

If anyone hasn't gotten their mail offer yet, I highly recommend contacting them as soon as possible since their admissions office has been hard to reach due to weather conditions.

[NEW Canadian universities M.S.W thread (2017)]

10 minutes ago, gradschool2017 said:

Were you accepted?

Sorry for not clarifying. Yes, I was.

[NEW Canadian universities M.S.W thread (2017)]

2 minutes ago, sososocialwork said:

Thanks for calling and for notifying us. Are you sure she said that all of them will be sent out at the same time (usually they do it in waves every year)? I just checked my mail and I'm in Toronto and I don't have anything from U of T, and I should by today if it was mailed on friday. My ACORN status says nothing so far. 

I think local mail can take up to two business days although I got my letter today and I live in Etobicoke.

[NEW Canadian universities M.S.W thread (2017)]

1 hour ago, lovelife905 said:

SAME!!!!!

Same change on ACORN and my last name begins with a T

Hope that helps!