meerkitty

I just got off  the  U of T waitlist today!!!  Feel super excited and I literally cried for a hour ! I had been rejected by the university THREE TIMES and I finally made it into this year!!

Having a thesis looks really good on your application. Have you presented your research at conferences yet? I feel like presenting at conferences helped me strengthen my application because not everybody who works as a research assistant presents at conferences.
I think presenting at conferences will help you whether or not you get off the waitlist. If you get into U of T this year it'll look good on your resume when you look for a part-time research assistant position. If you have to try again next year it'll look good on your resume, too. 
My prof said that U of T probably wants a variety of students since they accept a large number of students (for a graduate program); some students may get accepted based on their outstanding experiences while other students may get accepted based on their outstanding research & academic records (plus a bit of experiences). So I think social work experiences aren't a must.
Also, remember that being waitlisted is already an accomplishment because there isn't just enough space for all qualified applicants. My professors often tell us not to take it personally even if we get rejected from grad schools. Even my professor who is super smart said she got into only one of the graduate schools she applied for when she was a student. The competition today is even worse... 
I also think whatever the final result you'll get, everything happens for a reason. Although I'm just finishing up my undergraduate degree I'm a mature student (I didn't include my work experiences prior to my undergraduate in my application though). I also spent some extra time figuring out what I really wanted to do in my undergraduate. Taking the extra time really allowed me to gain many valuable experiences and skills, which will help me in my graduate degree. As long as we keep working toward our goals we'll eventually get there, and things happen at the right times for us.  
I really hope you get off the waitlist though!!

Congratulations, meerkitty (from one 'kitty' to another )!! Thank you for so generously sharing your experience with us – it's a testament to your perseverance and reflexivity, and to the admission committee's commitment to assessing applications comprehensively and holistically. I look forward to being classmates!
 
 

you definitely do not sound like a broken record! more like an inspiration- especially for other msw students and applicants who also have mental health and health issues. I personally, have both as well and knowing that you're coming into the program with such immense empathy and compassion gives me hope in the future of social workers but also how wonderful it would be to have discussions with you in class! I'm happy you found the tools of self care which work for you  knowing how to cope but also what works for you is definitely key! healing is a process but you made a choice to make it happen and I'm so happy to hear that but also how self-aware you are. Definitely will be an asset during your time at uoft. Funny thing is, even my therapists were MSWs from uoft! how impactful they are eh-really makes you work even more passionately towards your goal. So happy to be meeting you this coming fall! 

Hey All!
I just wanted to chime in the conversation. Long time lurker. I also got accepted earlier this week (I have the 'Invited' on my Acorn account). My last name starts with 'A'. I was previously a student at UofT. I did really badly due to health and mental health issues. My GPA was around 2.4. I did do really well in the research courses, which I know they take into consideration. I decided to do a certificate program at York and did extremely well (8/9 GPA). I applied to UofT Sept 2017, and was put on the waitlist. I was hesitant applying for 2018. I have a lot of volunteer experience in the social services field. I showed a lot of vulnerability in my essay, and showed how I overcame it.
I might sound like a broken record, but don't give up! Don't take rejection as a reflection of your self worth. Work on yourself first. Find inner happiness and strength. It took a while to learn that. I am in a much better place now because I learned the proper tools for self care.
My therapist mentioned to me that they are pretty big on mental health (She has MSW from UofT). Also advised me to get volunteer experience where they train you in counselling (eg. Distress Centre).
 

It's quite rare to get into your MSW directly from undergrad, but there's so much you can do to improve your application. Here are just a few ideas for anyone to improve their chances at the UofT program that I've picked up throughout the years:
- Get more related experience (obviously). UofT really cares about the number of hours (as opposed to the number of months/years), so you should really try to get more direct experience where you can, paid or unpaid. 
- boost your stats mark if it's low. At the information session, they kept pushing that no one got in the past couple years with a stats mark under a B. They recommended retaking it if you need to.  (Angela typically mentions Athabasca university, as you can do it online) 
- College programs. There are lots that you can try. They seem to really like people who have done a SSW diploma (and i think that some have a placement as well?). 
- Research experience. UofT's program is very research oriented -- you can tell just by reading the course descriptions. In past forums, people often talked about how much UofT values research experience (related to SW or not!). I often find some organizations around my community that are recruiting research volunteers. 
- BSW. This makes it way easier to get into an MSW afterwards. I did mine at uWaterloo (Renison). The 10-month program is not online actually. To get in, you need 10 prerequisite courses or equivalent, most (if not all) can be taken online. It can be a bit of a gamble, because you need to pay and take the prereq courses for a chance to get in. I can speak more to this if you have more questions. 
- References. People so often neglect the importance of references, but they are so so SO important and you should take them seriously. At the last information session, Angela said that we would be surprised by the number of reference letters they get that are not positive! Here's my tip: When asking for a reference, always ask if they have the time to write you a positive reference. Better to know then than to submit it in your application. 
- Do more research about what kind of applicant they are looking for and what the program values. This point is really about program fit, and how you can convey that to the admissions committee. For example, UofT values research, so one tip I got from a previous student was to mention what research topics interest you, or say that you would want to do the thesis under the supervision of professor X. Another example is to look at the course description and explain why this program's courses interest you because of your previous experiences. 
I hope I didn't forget anything, but this is the list I had in my head when preparing for my applications. I hope this helps you!

I was wait-listed as well! I honestly was expecting a rejection letter and it made me sick to my stomach when my mom told me that she received my letter. She then told me over the phone that I was wait-listed and I started shaking. I just came out of my undergrad although I am a mature student and got into Uoft through the Bridging Program (I only completed grade 10). Since I withdrew from high school, I was nervous how the faculty would respond to my application. In my personal statement I described how my biggest accomplishment was deciding to go back to school even though I've been out of school for 5 years.
@Nervousme, congratz for getting in! I know what it's like to feel down and suffer from psychological distress, it is part of the reason why I originally dropped out. I'm sure you will make a wonderful contribution to the program because of your life experiences. 
I have been following this thread since the beginning and I'd like to thank you for being so kind, helping out through advice and giving reassurance.  Some of your suggestions have made an impact on me and made me push forward through pursuing a post-graduate college certificate and going back to a research assistant position that I gave up because I moved.
Congratulations to those who were accepted, you guys deserved it! Wait-listers continue on with your lives and be happy that UofT gave you a bit of a chance. Rejections keep applying if you want to become a UofT MSW applicant and continue getting volunteer/work experience. If this is a passion of yours then nothing should stop you from pursuing it. I tell myself that everyday!

Congratulations! Your dedication, persistence, and passion are encouraging and inspiring, so thank you for that I definitely think that the self-care piece is a very important thing, and something that I will definitely be working on in this year off. What are some tips that you have or experiences that you can share that helped you get through the tough time and through getting waitlisted? 

Hey All!
I just wanted to chime in the conversation. Long time lurker. I also got accepted earlier this week (I have the 'Invited' on my Acorn account). My last name starts with 'A'. I was previously a student at UofT. I did really badly due to health and mental health issues. My GPA was around 2.4. I did do really well in the research courses, which I know they take into consideration. I decided to do a certificate program at York and did extremely well (8/9 GPA). I applied to UofT Sept 2017, and was put on the waitlist. I was hesitant applying for 2018. I have a lot of volunteer experience in the social services field. I showed a lot of vulnerability in my essay, and showed how I overcame it.
I might sound like a broken record, but don't give up! Don't take rejection as a reflection of your self worth. Work on yourself first. Find inner happiness and strength. It took a while to learn that. I am in a much better place now because I learned the proper tools for self care.
My therapist mentioned to me that they are pretty big on mental health (She has MSW from UofT). Also advised me to get volunteer experience where they train you in counselling (eg. Distress Centre).
 

Hey All!
I just wanted to chime in the conversation. Long time lurker. I also got accepted earlier this week (I have the 'Invited' on my Acorn account). My last name starts with 'A'. I was previously a student at UofT. I did really badly due to health and mental health issues. My GPA was around 2.4. I did do really well in the research courses, which I know they take into consideration. I decided to do a certificate program at York and did extremely well (8/9 GPA). I applied to UofT Sept 2017, and was put on the waitlist. I was hesitant applying for 2018. I have a lot of volunteer experience in the social services field. I showed a lot of vulnerability in my essay, and showed how I overcame it.
I might sound like a broken record, but don't give up! Don't take rejection as a reflection of your self worth. Work on yourself first. Find inner happiness and strength. It took a while to learn that. I am in a much better place now because I learned the proper tools for self care.
My therapist mentioned to me that they are pretty big on mental health (She has MSW from UofT). Also advised me to get volunteer experience where they train you in counselling (eg. Distress Centre).
 

Hey All!
I just wanted to chime in the conversation. Long time lurker. I also got accepted earlier this week (I have the 'Invited' on my Acorn account). My last name starts with 'A'. I was previously a student at UofT. I did really badly due to health and mental health issues. My GPA was around 2.4. I did do really well in the research courses, which I know they take into consideration. I decided to do a certificate program at York and did extremely well (8/9 GPA). I applied to UofT Sept 2017, and was put on the waitlist. I was hesitant applying for 2018. I have a lot of volunteer experience in the social services field. I showed a lot of vulnerability in my essay, and showed how I overcame it.
I might sound like a broken record, but don't give up! Don't take rejection as a reflection of your self worth. Work on yourself first. Find inner happiness and strength. It took a while to learn that. I am in a much better place now because I learned the proper tools for self care.
My therapist mentioned to me that they are pretty big on mental health (She has MSW from UofT). Also advised me to get volunteer experience where they train you in counselling (eg. Distress Centre).