I am wondering if it depends on the province. We had a MSW student at our clinic (in NS) who was working as a BSW prior in New Brunswick. She told us it is not uncommon for BSW's to do clinical therapy (mostly CBT and SRP) in community mental health clinics. It may be because the need is so high with all the rural areas with limited resources in the maritimes.
Friends and colleagues have told me that Dal is not a very clinical school for both BSW and MSW. I think it totally makes sense to do a distance bsw esp if you are working and then only have to do a 1 year msw! I would do a pros and cons list
LORIS is where you can check if the page looks the same as when you uploaded all the stuff, my understanding is that a decision hasn't been made yet. Good luck!
Hi, I emailed them about 2 weeks ago and they told me they are hoping to start sending our letters in May... so fingers crossed ?. If you dont mind me asking, what is your full time occupation?
I am still waiting to hear from Laurier for the two-year on campus and online program.. is anyone else in the same boat of hearing nothing?
Has anyone received a rejection for either of the Laurier programs yet ?
SO STRESSED with this waiting!
I found out I was accepted to Laurier through Loris before the e-mail went out, if that helps at all. I am still waiting to hear from Waterloo. Positive vibes to all!
Did you apply to the 2 year or advanced standing? From my understanding, offers are done in stages and 2 year offers go out after advance standing.
UofT advance standing went out last week... so hopefully soon!
The wait for Laurier is also killing me right now... checking my email FAR TOO OFTEN
if anyone hears back from Laurier this week please let us know! ?
Same goes for Western and U of T but I am am told that those are sent out mid March. ?
I have applied to the 2 year program for all of them.
Hi everyone I’ve been following this forum for a long time! I’ve applied the past 3 years now and the past two years was rejected/waitlisted. Last night I got an offer to the 2 year program at UBC! Still waiting to hear from UofT 2 year though. I’m just wondering if anyone else accepted/applied to UBC and knows of any Facebook groups or anything for the 2 year program?
Today at around 12:20 pm I found out through MyFile that I was accepted to York's Advanced Standing MSW Program!!!! After being rejected from Laurier last week, this news made my day! I'm so excited to start in September.
All the best to everyone applying!
Hi to everyone considering York! I wanted to share this message that I found in last year's forum - I found it really helpful in my decision making process. Apparently it is from 2016, but anyone with time could do a search and find the original post.
If any of you find similar testimonies from other school elsewhere on this website, please do post them here! This type of first hand information is invaluable to me as I try to sort out my best fit.
Again, this is not me! I just copied it from the Canadian 2018 MSW thread.
_______________________________________________
(Posted March 16, 2016)
"Hi everyone. I'm currently in the MSW program at York University. I remember very well what it was like to repeatedly check my email and the various online application systems, and my mailbox... for those of you who are still waiting, hang in there! I wanted to share some information about my program that I wish I had known when I was applying, and when I was making my decision.
To be completely fair, here is a brief overview of the type of person that I think would be a good fit for the York MSW program:
- You are very interested in critical social work theories, including Marxism, critical race theory, feminism, queer theory, critical disability studies, etc. (*York does not yet have a strong Indigenous component to the program. UVic is excellent at this if that's what you're looking for. Arguably we should all be looking for this, but I digress.)
- You did a BSW that heavily focussed on clinical skills OR somehow have clinical skills already. In this instance, I actually think York would be a really good complement to your existing skills.
- You want to do macro or meso level social work practice, such as: community work, grassroots activism/organizing, research, group work, programming. York is a good choice for this as it focuses on critical social work practice, which translates well into macro/meso social work practice.
- You want to do a PhD and are very interested in theory and want to write a major research paper. U of T limits the number of students who can do a thesis, so York would be a good choice for you as every student needs to write a practice-based research paper (same as a major research paper; note that a PRP is shorter than a Master's thesis) and this is a requirement for many PhD programs.
Unfortunately for me, I don't fall into any of these categories and I have been disappointed with the program. I'm writing this in the hopes that you will have a bit more information than I did when making an admissions decision. There are a total of 20 students in my cohort/class, and we have had many extensive discussions as a group about our shared frustration and disappointment with the curriculum, faculty, and department. I would estimate that: 3-4 students have seriously considered dropping out or transferring (including me), 10-12 actively and vocally dislike/resent/are disappointed with the program, and 5-6 aren't happy or satisfied but are committed to just getting it over with. There isn't a single person in my cohort that has expressed basic satisfaction - let alone enthusiasm - for any aspect of the program, aside from the funding package (more on that later).
There were some 'rumours' that went around the forum during my application year that I can now comment on based on my own experience. York does not have established relationships with key clinical practicum agencies in the GTA. York has good relationships with a lot of agencies that would interest you if you're interested in community work, policy, research, or activism/organizing. U of T has exclusivity agreements with many clinical agencies, meaning that the agency agrees to only take on U of T students. These include many hospitals or clinical facilities such as Hincks-Dellcrest, CAMH, and the University Hospital Network. Aside from these exclusivity agreements, many clinical/counselling agencies will not accept placement applications from York students. There ARE some exceptions to this rule, but everyone at York who wants to go into clinical/counselling work then has to compete against each other (and students from other schools) to get those limited placement positions. Generally speaking it is true that U of T has a lockdown on key clinical placement sites.
If you have ANY interest in doing clinical work (counselling, working in a hospital, crisis work, trauma work, individual/family/couples/group therapy), and you are seriously considering attending another program, go there instead of York. This is the bottom line.
Secondly, even if you feel optimistic about securing one of the few clinical placements available, you should know that York does not teach any clinical or practical skills. I knew this when I was applying, but I didn't REALLY understand it. Examples of skills or clinical topics that you will not learn at York include: developing a therapeutic alliance (this term is never used at York), building trust and rapport, phases or stages of a counselling relationship, communication skills (open-ended questions, active listening, reframing, summarizing), assessment skills, documentation skills, treatment planning, crisis intervention, counselling theories, counselling methods, ANYTHING related to mental health conditions (signs, symptoms, therapies).... you get it. There is one class on group facilitation and one class on narrative therapy (the only counselling course); both are electives.
This is because York's MSW programs draw on a wholly different knowledge base than U of T, or other clinical programs. Critical social work draws on critical social theories, like Marxism, feminism, critical race theory, queer theory, critical disability studies, etc. U of T's social work program primarily draws on psychology, the medical model, and psychotherapy as a knowledge base. This is why York's mission statement and admissions process emphasis anti-oppression and social justice, and U of T's mission statement and admissions process emphasize research, "clinical" practice, and evidence-based treatment.
To illustrate this difference, U of T offers classes on Social Work Practice in Mental Health, Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families, Advanced Social Work Practice in Mental Health, and electives related to trauma, counselling theories, cyber-counselling, child and adolescent trauma.... etc. York offers classes called Critical Perspectives in Mental Health and Critical Social Work Theories and Practice Skills. In the latter, you will learn about how and why various therapies (e.g. CBT, solution-focussed, strengths approach) are inherently problematic. You will not learn how to practice any of these therapies, OR even learn how they are done. You will also not learn how to practice any alternative treatments (in fact, you would never ever say 'treatment' at York). York focuses on critical and structural social work, so their critique of CBT, for example, would be that CBT individualizes a person's symptoms (let's say anxiety) instead of looking at the structural and contextual factors (e.g. the person who feels anxious is a racialized person living in poverty and on the brink of homelessness, so York might say that instead of medication and CBT, we should advocate for affordable housing and a guaranteed annual income). This is IMPORTANT and I have valued this, but I am not better prepared to work with someone with anxiety (meaning I still have no clue what to do). (This is why I imagine that a clinical BSW + a York MSW could be a good combination).
So, many of us are stuck and eager to wrap up the program. Some students are doing external training - which, by the way, is incredibly expensive (a one day workshop ranges from $300-$500 and a certificate course in CBT could be $2000). Don't bother thinking, "Oh I'll just take electives at U of T", because there is only a very, very, very miniscule chance that you will be allowed to do so.
One redeeming aspect of the York MSW program is its generous funding package. If finances are an issue for you, then it's worth seriously considering attending York as the funding packages are generous. In the 2-year program everyone gets a $15,000 package ($9,000 in Year 1 through a graduate assistantship (which requires 5 hours work/week) and other money, and $6000 in Year 2 through a research assistantship which doesn't require any work). If you get a York Graduate Scholarship then you get $6000 on top of this package. You will get all of this information in your acceptance letter. York also has very low tuition at roughly $1800 per semester. By comparison, the tuition at U of T is TREMENDOUSLY higher and they don't offer any funding packages. ** This is not inconsequential and despite everything else I've said, the money makes a huge difference **
/end rant"
I attended Dal's BSW. I enjoyed it, however it was very social justice and research-oriented and not very practical. I have heard the MSW is a lot more practical though. I've heard really good things about Waterloo's MSW, which is very clinical. So it really depends what you're looking for.
Full disclosure: Have never attended Dal. I work with ++ social workers who enjoyed Waterloo and bash Dal, especially the undergrad program. I know about 5 who have completed DAL MSW and they said it did not blow them away and at the same time got them the piece of paper they needed. Part of the reason why I didn't apply there.
With respect that is quite a negative and verging on rude outlook. While I haven't read every page of this forum it seems like people have been very positive and supportive of one another. At the same time, no one has posted their personal statements so it is impossible to determine someone's 'WOW' factor as you put it. I find that kind of judgement pretty harsh. I believe everyone here has worked very hard towards their goal, but everyone is at different places along their journey towards that goal.
Personally, I applied back in 2016 with what I thought to be a good amount of experience along with a solid application and I got rejected from every school I applied to. Over the past few years, I logged a lot more hours and worked hard to get where I am today.
In this forum just like in life, we have no idea the path other people have walked. And any comment, regardless of its original intent, that minimizes people's efforts and disvalues what should be a celebration of their hard work is not okay in my books.
I agree that this kind of forum can have a negative impact on personal well-being as it becomes easy to compare ones-self to others and make it seem more like a competition. For me, it's important to recognize that different schools are looking for different things based on their values and mission statements. And there are grossly more applicants than there are spots UofT and Laurier for example last year were only able to accept 17% of the applicant pool.
I believe its important as future social workers for us to know our own limits, so if you feel this group isn't a positive space for you then follow that instinct. However, that doesn't mean it is okay to discredit other's accomplishments.
I wish you all the best where ever your journey takes you.
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!
the.social.nurse got a reaction from Lilyvalley in Canada MSW 2019
the.social.nurse got a reaction from blueeyedblonde in Canada MSW 2019
the.social.nurse got a reaction from SC-MSW 2019 in Canada MSW 2019
the.social.nurse reacted to jasp22 in Canada MSW 2019
the.social.nurse got a reaction from hellohamilton in Canada MSW 2019