GeminiCore

Hey! I believe you accept four weeks within the date the acceptance letter was mailed. That's what it said on my letter at least.
Good luck! Hope you get in the program of your choice!

@lindaMSW Please don't feel discouraged that you did not get on the wait list and were rejected in February. I am sure that there are many people who were rejected in February. The thing about this forum is that we're maybe ~50 out of a possible 800 or so who apply to the program. If they rejected you from the 2 year MSW in February, you must not have met some minimum criteria and you should inquire as to what that may have been to improve your chances for next time.
I think it is really important to look at what UofT's program is looking for. Look at their mandate for the MSW program and see if you can get experience in line with that. Try to upgrade courses because they do heavily weigh research experience/grades, but do not forget they also equally care as much about your experience and how you articulate it (I have minimal research experience but had high grades in my research class, and had a ton of experience that were out of the box). 
Put yourself in a position where UofT (or any grad school you are trying to get into) would be a FOOL to turn you down. Hit every mark they're looking for and excel in it. And make sure they are aware of how lucky they would be to have you and your experience. It's not what they can do for you or what you hope to gain from them -- because they know they are a top tier school -- it's about what you can bring to them. Whether that is your experience, grades, lived realities, USE IT in your SOP. Make your SOP as true to you as you can, and get it proof read. I had a friend in law school read over my SOP and ripped it to shreds, but it forced me to be intentional and think deeply about not only why this is important to me but why I am important for them. The finished product brought my professor to tears and she said it was the most heartfelt SOP she had read -- not for sympathy reasons, but for the risks I've taken and experiences I had that makes me an ideal candidate for them. For anyone struggling with the decision that UofT made, think of it as a second chance to take some risks and become a candidate they cannot turn down. 
 
 

For those of you who have been rejected/waitlisted, and you feel it's because of a low GPA, don't be discouraged!! Contrary to popular belief, UofT does actually look beyond the GPA, and my acceptance this year is proof of that. I was rejected to the program in 2014 and I thought for sure it was because of my grades (last 2 years were in the B/B+ range). That being said, I also didn't have much experience in the field, given that I was just coming out of undergrad. So, for those of you wondering what you can do to improve your application, here is what I did (it might work for you too!):
As soon as I got the rejection from UofT, I enrolled in George Brown's fast-track Social Service Worker program (it's a summer, plus one year ... similar to Lakehead's HBSW). I did a placement through that program, and was soon hired on as casual staff, and later on, part-time staff.  Through a connection at the SSW program, I got involved with a volunteer project at the City of Toronto This next piece I will hugely emphasize, as UofT is highly research focused: I spent over a year volunteering in a research lab, getting authorship on publications, presentations, etc. *Tip for UofT personal statements: mention wanting to do a thesis - even though only 3 students get to do one, UofT loves the idea of having social workers become researchers/academics, as it's quite rare. This was a tip I received from one of the faculty there, and it was very useful. I continued to work on my professional development, getting certifications in UMAB, harm reduction, etc. I then received a full-time job in the field It's all a process, and like previous posters have mentioned, if social work is what you're meant to do, you'll get there  Just remember, GPA isn't everything, and I can't emphasize that enough, especially since when I was applying, people repeatedly told me that the school was "too elite" for what my grades were. *not amused*.

In terms of 1 year BSWs in Ontario, folks, here's what I found from calling and talking to all the admissions coordinators - thought this info may be useful to everyone:
1) Waterloo - not really a 1 year. They call it a 1 year, but you need to almost an entire year worth of pre-requisite Social Work Courses. You can register as a non-degree student and take most of them online, but you'll be paying for each course. So it doesn't seem financially feasible. You can take some of the pre-reqs then apply for conditional offer to their "1-year" BSW program
2) York - it's a MINIMUM 2-year program as was mentioned in the information session. They say 2-years full time. It's a post-degree program and requires a cumulative mid-B GPA. That's 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
3) Lakehead - post-grad HBSW can be done at either Orillia or Thunder Bay Campus. The tuition is 11k - 12 k because the school year starts in July (YES - Summertime) and ends at the end of June the following year. So its fee structure is based on a per course sort of system - as I have been told by former Lakehead students. It is indeed a 1-year full year program - so the tuition is seemingly high. Their application process is said to be the most holistic - in that they don't put all the emphasis on the marks. They do require a 70% or higher in your final 10 full year credit courses.
Hope this helps.
For all of you who didn't get in. Don't lose hope. I'll tell you I have the lowest undergrad GPA I have ever heard of getting into graduate school... And to be honest, I thought applying to U of T was a long shot. What I lacked in academic prowess, I made up for in 9 years of experience with a number of social justice organizations ranging from advocacy, activism, working with diverse groups from marginalized communities. I have worked with survivors of violence, mental health & trauma, children and youth, elderly populations, populations struggling with food security, newcomers and racialized people. If you didn't get in this year, take this year to really put yourself out there and work in what you're interested in. Diversify and network and expand your working opportunities. When the time comes to write your written statement, you will be able to speak directly from your experience - and that authenticity will shine through. You have an entire year to come back - and if you really believe that social work is for you, you will make it happen.
 
 

Still waiting on Laurier...I heard absolutely nothing from them since I applied that I even forgot I applied to it. 

This is a public forum that anyone is invited to part take in. As prospective master's level students, everyone on this forum should research any information they receive or fact check before making any important career or vocational decisions based on information shared on the internet. If anyone is unable or unwilling to do so, I would question their ability to succeed in graduate level programs which call upon students to research, fact check and ensure that their sources are reliable when completing all research and assignments.
Errors can happen on the forum - either accidentally or intentionally. This is not a peer reviewed journal. The onus is on everyone to make sure what they are reading is valid and reliable. I think the professional thing to do is to privately PM anyone you would like to speak to about issues that are unrelated to the main topic of conversation. Putting someone on the spot publicly can lead to embarrassment and defensiveness which make it rather difficult to create a dialogue that is open and honest with another person that you are experiencing difficulties with. Some food for thought....
I hope that anyone who has more to say on this issue will have the courage and assertiveness to privately and directly address the situation with the person(s) involved while respecting the main purpose of this thread.
I wish everyone the best of luck as you await final decisions and congrats to all who have been admitted! 

pics or it didn't happen

LOL was just gonna say the same thing