thelionking

When you say that the cost is the same, are you taking into account the cost of rent and tuition vs. cost of tuition and free rent? Or are you just looking at tuition? If it's the latter, then they are not similar in cost and you will need to determine the total cost and decide if you are willing to pay (or get a loan for) the difference. When you say that you are worried about being able to adjust, are there any specific life experiences you've had or things you know about yourself that give you the feeling you would have a hard time making new friends and adjusting? Or do you think it comes from never moving before, being afraid to do it and not knowing what to expect? This could be an opportunity for you to step outside your comfort zone, to see a different part of the country and to learn new ideas, meet new people and to make new friends. By overcoming your fears, you can become more self-confident and proud of your self for overcoming one of your fears. You will also become more independent and mature in the process. If, on the other hand, you have more profound reasons for not wanting to leave - maybe you are extremely timid, used to be bullied in school, possibly have a social anxiety disorder or other health/mental health issue you need extra support for - then having stability, consistency and a solid support system might be what you need to excel. Only you have the right answer to this question. When all is said and done, barring any extenuating circumstances making it difficult for you to leave, I'd go with the first option for the reasons the poster mentioned above. But if you have to take out a loan for this option, then I'd go with the second if it means you'd have to take out $30,000-40,000 is loans or more for living costs (but only because only because I hate taking out loans. They're no fun paying back).

Do you live in Ontario? If so, you can apply for OSAP (or the equivalent in your home province). There is a certain annual income amount you need to fall under to qualify though and I don't know what it is. If you are married, you will also need to report your spouse's income. If you do not qualify, you can apply for a line of credit at a bank. I know someone who did this in BC because her loan did not cover all of her expenses. The interest rate will be higher than a government student loan, however, and interest will begin from the day you take the money, rather than 6 months after you graduate. You might also qualify for an entrance scholarship from your school or a university scholarship after you begin the program. If these options aren't appealing to you, then you can always try to defer your offer for one year due to financial reasons so that you will have some time to save the money you need ,or apply to a part time program so you can work while you study. Windsor's MSW for working professionals is a good option because the classes are only offered on the weekend. You can also look into Laurier, UofT and some online options like U of Waterloo. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Most people do not recommend accumulating more debt that you expect to earn in your yearly salary after you graduate. Ultimately it is your call though. To get a better sense of perspective, have you calculated the total costs of attending other schools?

It is not a clinical program, if that's what you are looking for. But it is an MSW so you always get extra training through workshops, certificates, volunteer work, etc, after you graduate. In Ontario, this program offers significantly more funding than any other MSW program and the tuition fees are amongst the lowest of all MSW programs (probably the lowest in Ontario) , so you are quite fortunate in that respect. The cost of housing is high in Toronto but your scholarship will help to compensate for it. Unless you are able to arrive in town 1-2 weeks early to look for housing, or you can drop by for a few days 1-2 months in advance to find a place, you'd have a much easier time renting in residence. They should have options for grad students so you can live with more mature students. Generally, I find that residence is more expensive than renting off campus, but it's convenient and you can make friends from other programs more easily that way, which is a nice bonus when you are moving from another province. And you can opt to rent for only 1-2 semesters and move off campus later on if you wish to get something cheaper and save some money. If you want more neighbourhood or housing options (as the Jane & Finch area does not have the reputation for being the safest part of Toronto at night), there is also a really lovely, smaller campus called Glendon located in a nicer part of the city (Bayview & Lawrence) that offers free shuttle service back and forth in between both campuses, in case you prefer to live somewhere else in the city or find a great apartment in that area and want to save money on bus fare.

Have you calculated the actual figures for each of these schools in terms of tuition fees and cost of living in each location? I think this will give you the true cost of your education at each school and it might help make your decision a little easier to make. I've heard many people on this website recommend not accumulating more debt than the annual salary that you expect to earn after you graduate. If your dream school ends up being too costly to afford (I hope not, but it it does), would you consider taking the first offer you mentioned with the best funding and working somewhere in state for a couple of years after you graduate (as you mentioned that most grads end up doing)? During that time, you can network with other professionals in the state you want to live in via LinkedIn, local workshops and conferences, research projects, etc...After you have a couple of years of experience, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to relocate. People move all the time for work. Some food for thought....

You will need to double check with the school but it is likely that you will be reimbursed the fee after the semester has started, as long as you attend. Usually schools want some kind of a deposit so they know that you are serious about attending. Most people will think twice about accepting an offer if they know they will lose $500 if they change their mind later on.

I hope there is still enough time to be considered for admission. Good luck!

Sounds like a great decision. When there are so many things you're not excited about, it just isn't worth it. Especially for such a long program. Hope the next year will bring you more clarity and insight.

I think it's meant to let you know you haven't been eliminated from the process. So if you are waiting on this school to make a final decision, you still could get an offer later on. Sometimes people hear early from schools and assume other schools aren't interested in taking them if it takes a really long time to hear back. Looks like to you made it to the short list!

Are there any other reasons why this program doesn't feel right, other than the location? Or is it just the location? Have you visited the city and campus? If you haven't, then you definitely should before making a final decision. If you want to get into academia afterwards, keep in mind that you will probably need to move for your career and also for a post doc. So you'd only be delaying the inevitable. But ultimately it is your choice.

If one school is going to send out the offer tomorrow by mail, is there any way you could get the reply by phone tomorrow if you explain the situation? Can you go in person (if the school is driving distance) to show some ID and get a reply? Or maybe they could make an exception and email the decision to you if you speak to the director and explain the situation. If you explain that you prefer to attend their program (and explain the reasons why you like their program) but you have been put into a position where you need to accept the first offer to be guaranteed a spot somewhere in the fall, then they might be more willing to make an exception and tell you in person or by email. If the offer to the second school is more attractive, then you can decline the first one and wait for your third result before making a final decision. If it isn't, then you might just need to go ahead and accept it before hearing back from the third school.

I haven't experienced what you are experiencing at school. Some if your unhappiness may have to do with the circumstances you are in and some of it likely has to do with your depression. I encourage you to seek support for your depression and to take some time for yourself every day for hobbies or other activities that you currently (or used to) find enjoyable, relaxing and fun so that your can get a break from the stress you experience every day at school. Sometimes it helps make friends outside of school that aren't grad students to get a completely different perspective on life, or to connect with family and close friends by phone or in person. You are almost done the program. You might not find any benefits to your degree right now, and perhaps you never will. But that doesn't mean that someone who will hire you one day won't find value in your education. This might be the very ticket to your dream job and you just don't know it yet. Hang in there. You are only a few months away from moving away and moving on.

You just mentioned that you are not competitive enough because you are lacking experience compared to other candidates. Take this opportunity to get the experience you need so that you will be more competitive next time you apply. It sounds like this time off is the perfect opportunity to make plans for your future goals.

If you can find someone who is willing to teach you how to write a news article and other stuff (like how to read editing codes when your work is corrected by an editor, what to do when you have a hard time getting people to agree to an interview, etc) then an internship might be a great alternative to schooling. When you are ready to enter the job market, your portfolio will be most helpful in finding a job afterwards, as well as the skills that you develop at the internship. If you have a minor in political science or history, that is something you should highlight if you want to intern for a newspaper like the National Post or Globe and Mail. If you want to intern for a trade publication (ex: stamp collecting, etc) then it would be a good idea to highlight your studies or any areas of expertise that you may have in that area (ex: long standing member of a stamp collection organization). I'd recommend taking an internship from a reputable organization that will do a thorough job of editing your work. It's important to have work published that is error-free (in terms of facts, spelling and journalistic style) because if you make a mistake (or even if you don't - sometimes changes can be made in the publication process that you won't see until after publication) in journalism it is always the writer's fault (even if it isn't) and you won't be able to add the story to your portfolio (or you shouldn't do it anyway because it wouldn't reflect well on you, even if you wrote about biggest news story of the year or had to escape a vicious lion to get your interview). Your portfolio will be your most valuable tool in finding a job after the internship is over. It's a big decision to make. Good luck.

I find the title of your thread very interesting. You could have named it virtually anything, really. ex: Prestigious School vs. Best Fit, School in Home Town, etc.... Yet you chose to name it: Prestigious School vs. The Right School. To me , it sounds like you already know what you want to do. The problem is that it's really difficult to let go of an offer to a prestigious school that you never expected to receive and it's thrown off you off track.

What type of journalism interests you? I assumed print because you are questioning whether or not you will need further schooling because of your literature background, but correct me if I'm wrong. Journalism has changed substantially over the years due to the internet explosion and multitude of online publications that currently exist. If you work for a reputable publication such as Macleans, The Globe and Mail or The National Post, all of the writers follow a certain format that you will need to learn in school. For instance, you will need to learn about writing a lead sentence, the maximum length of a lead sentence, how to write a good headline, how to determine the order in which the information you write about appears in your article, how to use a Style Guide to reference people's names and write about other things. ex: Do you write President Donald Trump, Donald Trump, President Trump, or just Trump? When you write about a school teacher, a famous movie star, a CEO, a firefighter, an average citizen, or the queen of England, what will you do then? This is what a Style Guide will tell you, plus a whole lot more. On the other hand, I've seen lots of amateur stuff online that looks like it's been written by people who only have a high school diploma. None of the rules in the style guide are followed. Many yahoo "click bait" or "fluff" stories (as I like to call them) don't even indicate the city or country in which the story occurs, which as a big no-no in journalism. If you want to work for a reputable organization, then you would definitely need to get a certificate in journalism as a minimum to learn about all of those things and more.

Jaylynn, Where there's a will there's a way. I don't know your personal circumstances, but are you hoping to land a part time job in Windsor to make ends meet? If this is part of your deciding factor, feel free to PM me. I know of an opportunity that could work out really well for you, if this is your situation.

Sounds like a tricky situation. No matter what you decide to do, someone won't be happy about it. So you need to decide which is the better of a few less than perfect options. Are you entitled to vacation time at work? If so, you could schedule a 2 week vacation when you plan to leave for school. Then, on your last day before you begin vacation, tell them you won't be returning. That way, you give them 2 weeks notice and they can't terminate your position early because you'll be on vacation. But this doesn't resolve the issue of how to deal with your students. It's a tricky one for sure.... If you have the phone numbers or emails of your students, maybe you could contact them a week or two after you leave to follow up and see how they are doing. If they are happy with the new teacher the school gives them, let it be. If not, you may choose to refer your musician friend.

Angesradieux, Perhaps you could provide a list of recommended teachers to your students (a list of teachers who are taking on more students in your neighbourhood and charge similar rates) so that they don't need to scramble to find a new teacher under short notice. If they like working with you and you give them recommendations, they are likely to trust your judgement and be happy with the options you provide. Good luck!

So how did it turn out for you? I wish you luck.

I think you've missed out on few things... is the apartment furnished? Even if it is, what about internet, paper and ink for printer, toilet paper, laundry detergent, cost of laundry machine (in Canada people can spend about $30/mth on a coin operated machine), cleaning products, saran warp, foil paper, dish detergent, vacuum cleaner, dishes, microwave, and spending money for getting take-out, going out for a movie or drinks, clothing allowance, etc.. Plus all of the stuff mention above.

The only other way around it that I can think of is to accept the offer and to defer for 1 yr. If you get another offer by April 15, then withdraw your deferral and decline the offer.

Hi, this is my first time posting on this thread. This sounds like a stressful experience and I wish all of you good luck! It won't be much longer now until you hear back from all of your schools and that is bound to be exciting and to bring you some relief so that you can plan the upcoming year accordingly. I'm taking a year or two off to gain experience in the field before returning back to school. I noticed that some people here with BSWs have some strong work experience and I wanted to ask if you know which communities in Ontario have the strongest job market for social workers. I've been finding lots of part time and short contract opportunities and am looking for a permanent full time opportunity that I can do for a coupe of years so I can save up for school, get good references, and have a stronger resume for my application. I'm aware of Nunavut, Nunavik, and Thunder Bay, as well as the booming job market in Saskatchewan. But I also wanted to hear of other suggestions about where you think the job market is the strongest for social workers in Ontario so that I can find an awesome job and get great experience in the field. thanks!