Hi all!
Wanted to chime in my experience... I flip flop every day on whether I need to go for an accelerated bsw or to apply to MSW programs!?!
For education:
I did a 4 years bachelor's degree at University of Manitoba (my home province) in Recreation Management & Community Development (BRMCD) in april 2019.
My first couple years I didn't do well in Uni due to some family loss and mental health woes. Once I got into my faculty I turned it around. Cgpa is 3.6/4.5 and Agpa is 4.1/4.5. I was awarded the University Medal for graduating with the highest standing in my program which was such an honour considering how low I felt at one point!
Prior, I had been a mentor at BBBS (Big Brothers Big Sisters) since I was a teen, worked 3 summers planning programming for the youth, and have served 3 terms as a delegate on their National Youth Council.
While studying, I worked as an adult mentor in an afterschool Indigenous mentorship program, and conducted a literature review of mentoring programs in Canada. I also worked briefly as a research assistant on a related project.
I try to volunteer a lot. Since graduating, I underwent the in-depth 3 month training to become a volunteer Pregnancy and Birth Control Counsellor at my local feminist health clinic.
My 1st year out of Uni, I worked as a Caseworker/Mentoring Coordinator for BBBS. Doing assessments, intake, screening, monitoring of matches, etc.
I was unfortunately laid off during COVID... but I recently became employed working in Therapeutic Recreation at a hospital in our regional health authority. I do assessments, charting, care plans and plan therapeutic interventions for marginalized folks in a transitional care unit. The programs aim to increase the patients social, mental, physical and community well-being.
I don't know if my degree practicum is relevant too, or other random things I'm involved in. I'm paranoid that since I'm applying a few years after Uni that my professors will have forgotten me!!
I'm also paranoid that my undergraduate degree isn't related enough to social work, despite it being very rooted in non-profit and community work.
For schools I'm interested in... ack... anywhere that will take me ? the dream being maybe Wilfred Laurier (which I know is basically impossible), so otherwise maybe U of Calgary, Western University, UBC-O, Dalhousie.... idk!!