SC-MSW 2019

It is entirely possible to have a college professor be your reference for the MSW. It sounds like they all are very qualified since they have graduate level credentials. If you want to be certain, contact the specific school to inquire if they have a preference or not. I had two Social Service Worker professors from Sheridan College be my references for the Advanced Standing MSW. I was advised by some professors that I should have one college professor be my reference for each school (if I wanted to include a college professor's reference) and that the rest of the references should be from university professors and/or practical references. For York, my references were a university professor, a SSW professor (who had her PhD in Adult Education and Community Development from U of T), and a volunteer services manager from a disability agency. For Laurier, my references were a university professor, a SSW professor (who had her Masters in Adult Education and Community Development from U of T), and a volunteer services manager from a disability agency. I personally thought that using both a university and college professor for each school demonstrated the diverse skill set I have acquired from both schools. In addition, my college professors knew me longer, so they were able to include that into their reference. It's really up to you how you want to do your references and the requirements of each specific school

I have talked to a few York MSW students and they said that they enjoyed the program and that they felt that York challenged the way they thought about Social Work practice, bureaucracies, and various theories. They said that most professors were very good (and that it's best to research your professor prior to enrollment as some are much better than others) and that they thought that their electives were interesting. They said that they would have preferred it if York spent more time focusing on clinical practice in their curriculum, however, some were able to acquire clinical skills through placement, certificate programs, or at work. Some students enjoyed their practice based research paper (and they thought that the practice based research paper would make them stand out to employers), however, some did not enjoy the process. In addition, most of York's MSW program is mostly comprised of York and Ryerson students with a small amount of students from other universities. York is not always the most organized school, but the School of Social Work has always been very helpful with any questions I had. York's $10,000 graduate fellowship is divided between the three semesters as long as one is enrolled for the whole year. I know of a classmate who did her BSW at York and did her MSW at U of T. She told me that she expected more from U of T and that she felt that she acquired more knowledge and skills at York. I cannot speak upon this as I have not started my MSW, but I know each school has its pros and cons.

Congratulations on getting off the waitlist for York and for getting a promotion at work! I am a current BSW student at York and I will be doing the Full-Time Advanced Standing MSW at York in September York's MSW is a very progressive program which focuses on Critical Social Work, social justice, advocacy, and research. York focuses on challenging macro societal issues and systems of oppression. A lot of critical thinking and self-reflection is used throughout their Social Work programs, however, like you mentioned, Clinical Social Work practice is not a main focus in the program. You could get some exposure to Clinical Social Work practice by taking York's MSW electives. This year they are offering electives in Mindfulness and Just Relations in Social Work and Narrative Therapy and Critical Social Work. In the summer they have an elective called Group Facilitation and Social Justice which is somewhat more practical than some of the other electives. They also have a wide variety of other electives to choose from throughout the entire year, but they fill up quickly. At York we will have to do a 50 page practice based research paper that takes a year to complete. There are two classes throughout the year which help us throughout the research process and they are graded as a pass or fail. There also is a large emphasis on Marxism and Foucault in the MSW. In my opinion, it seems like York's MSW program will offer students new learning and would prepare us to be progressive Social Workers. All full-time MSW students receive a fellowship that's worth $10,000! Financially, York is an excellent choice as no other school provides this amount of funding to their MSW students. As for placement, York does have some hospital and school board connections, however, there wouldn't be as many clinical options like U of T. From what I've heard, York does have a good variety of placements predominantly in the Toronto, Vaughan, and Scarbrough area. This of course varies each year. We have to do a generic cover letter and resume in addition to filling out an online application with our population and social work practice interests. York matches us with a placement and then they arrange for students to go for interviews. There always is the option to do a certificate in a specific type of counselling after the MSW. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter to employers where you did your MSW, so it's really up to you if you want to do the MSW at York. Hope this helps!

Hello York University Advanced Standing MSW Students and Alumni, I am hoping we can use this forum to share tips, resources, and experiences regarding the MSW curriculum and the placement process at YorkU. I'm looking forward to starting the program and learning from one another!

Hello fellow MSW colleagues, I have created this forum as a way for MSW students and graduates to share their placement experiences with one another. I would appreciate it if people can share their experiences at school boards, hospitals, counselling and advocacy agencies. More specifically, if anyone did their placement with Peel Children's Centre, Peel District School Board, or the Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board, I would be very interested in hearing how your experience was. Thank you!

For candidates who got into York, I recently found out that our welcome orientation would be sometime at the end of May. The Graduate Program Engagement Coordinator and the Graduate Program Assistant would be sending out an email closer to the date. Looking forward to meeting you all there! 😊

I also have not seen or heard of anyone creating a group for York's Advanced Standing MSW. I don't use Facebook, but I wonder if people in the past have created LinkedIn MSW groups or a separate forum on The Grad Cafe.

If anyone on this forum can share their MSW placement experience, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

In my opinion, you have multiple diverse experiences in social services which is quite impressive!! Continue doing what you have done so far as it definitely is making a difference in the communities you are working with. If you want more experience in the field, pursue any opportunity that interests you. A lot of times when it comes to the MSW, schools are looking more for fit than anything else. It is hard to say exactly what each school is looking for, but an overall strong application (written statement, experience in social services, references, and GPA) would increase one's chances. Best of luck!

I applied to Laurier's On-Campus Advanced Standing MSW for September 2019 and I was rejected because I did not have enough hours in the field. In my rejection letter they stated that successful candidates had 3-6 years of full time experience in the field. I know that the online MSW is more competitive and that they have people apply with many years of experience (7+ years). It is extremely competitive and it is difficult to acquire that much experience for people who are recent graduates. I unfortunately was not aware of this when I applied as I thought that my 4515 hours of volunteer, placement, and summer work experience would be sufficient. If their website stated this information, I may have re-evaluated where else I applied to. Luckily I was accepted to York shortly after I got rejected from Laurier! I likely am going to enroll in Laurier's certificate programs after the MSW to acquire more clinical skills. It's great many on this forum are applying and doing the best they can! Better to try than to regret not attempting it. All the best everyone!

No problem. It unfortunately seems like they waitlist a lot of people. I know around 180 people applied to York's Advanced Standing MSW this year. Hopefully you and others are accepted soon!

My friend's classmate called York recently and they said that they are most likely going to waitlist applicants who have not received an acceptance into their Advanced Standing MSW. Hopefully they accept more people who are awaiting a response. All the best to everyone!

Has anyone created an online group or a forum on The Grad Cafe for York University's Advanced Standing MSW?

Congrats on getting into York's 2 year MSW!! I am a current BSW student at York who received entrance into their Advanced Standing MSW on March 14. In my acceptance letter I was offered the York Graduate Fellowship ($10,000) and the York Graduate Scholarship ($8,000)! York is the most generous school when it comes to funding! I am not certain what the amount is for the 2 year MSW, however, York would specify the amount on MyFile. If the letter isn't uploaded yet, you could always call the School of Social Work and inquire about your funding package. Here is the link for the program structure of all the MSW programs: https://socialwork.gradstudies.yorku.ca/msw/msw-program-structure/ You could also check out which courses were offered this year and what their time slots were on this website: https://w2prod.sis.yorku.ca/Apps/WebObjects/cdm.woa/6/wo/iYYEME69ysrVOBQKIFEs60/0.3.10.21 York generally has most courses run at the same time with most of the same professors that were listed from prior semesters. At times this changes, but at least you can get an idea of what was available prior. York's MSW is a very progressive program which focuses on Critical Social Work, social justice, advocacy, and research. York focuses on challenging macro societal issues and systems of oppression. A lot of critical thinking and self-reflection is used throughout their Social Work programs, however, Clinical Social Work practice is quite limited in their program (they have two electives which somewhat touch upon clinical practice such as Narrative Therapy and Critical Social Work and Group Facilitation and Social Justice). There also is a large emphasis on Marxism and Foucault in the MSW.

Thank you very much for this information! It is great to hear that prior MSW students have advocated to keep the discounted price, however, it's unfortunate to hear that it didn't remain. I am also interested in those certificates in addition to the mindfulness certificate. I most likely would enroll into a certificate or workshop program after I complete my MSW in order to help me specialize in certain areas of practice.