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I’m sorry to hear about the anguish I hope you don’t lose faith! It is still early on in the acceptance process (like really early). So there are still people who may have not heard back and people who will decline their offers down the road! I was in your position for the last few years. This was the third time around I applied for my MSW and only till this time around was I successful. It’s great your thinking of strategies to help with this stress though! I wish I did that in the past. I hope if there’s anything to take away from this post, I hope you don’t lose faith in your passion and abilities! Regardless of what the outcome is, keep striving for this dream. It sounds like you are passionate and care about this career, so I hope that drives helps you achieve your goals in the end. Best of luck with everything!

My status has changed as well for UofT and I’ve also been invited to the program! ? Best of luck to everyone else, you’re almost there! And congrats to those who’ve been accepted as well!

From my experience applying in the past for both BSW and MSW programs and from my friends who got in after we just graduated from our BSW (I.e we finished in June and they started in September), you don’t have to have post-social work experience as in working as a “social worker”, counsellor, etc. They want you to have experience in social service/human service related work and have skills that can be applicable to social work (I.e analytical skills, program facilitation, case management, active listening skills, assessment experience, advocacy, etc.). So if you can validate your work or volunteer experience being related to that field and the skills you have acquired related to social work, you should have a good shot. Hope this helps!

Thank you for the info! Best of luck!

Hi @Deanna11! Sorry for the late reply (I haven't been on the forum in a while :$) I was able to complete the program in just under a year. I started July 4, 2017 and completed my final placement and classes June 16, 2018. Some classmates took a bit longer, just depending on how quick they were completing their placement hours and when they were placed. I just managed to get a placement in December 2017 so I could start January 2018 and just pump as many hours as I could in at once. Started doing placement 4 days a week. I also worked through my reading week, and anytime I got sick or had to miss a placement day, I would make it up on my day off. Once I completed most of my courses and just had my placement, I did placement 5 days a week since my course load was a lot lighter. My placement provided me with that flexibility which was nice. As for my practicum, I worked at a shelter, so I was exposed to so many different populations and situations which was really good. One drawback though was that there was no counselling services on sight or RSW (I did work with people who graduated with a BSW, SSW and MPsychotherapy). So I didn't get experience with counselling and how that works. However, I did get to assist in facilitating assessments, phone screenings, housing applications, and workshops, among other things. If you get into the program, I recommend being really on top of your placements and giving your coordinator feedback (or lack of feedback) from placement opportunities. A few of us were placed very last minute (either in December or later), so we had to take whatever placement was given. If you have contacts at agencies, give that information to your coordinator so they can talk to the agency as soon as they can. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions, please let me know! I promise I will be on more frequently haha

Hi there! I was accepted and completed Lakehead's One-Year HBSW program, so if you have any specific questions i'd be glad to help

I think depending on what stream, you should be fine without a lot of research experience. Most of the friends and classmates I know who got into U. of T. did not have a lot of (if any) research experience. I think their more looking into GPA and overall education and experience related to the stream you are applying to. Hope this helps and best of luck on your application!