I applied to the UofT 2 Year Non-BSW program and Laurier's program. Found out recently that I did not get accepted into the UofT program; I am still waiting to hear back from Laurier but in realizing all this competitiveness and how people have so many more relevant volunteer/work experiences than I do, the chances are seeming increasingly slim of me getting into that one either.
It was a kind of a leap of faith that I took in applying, as I decided I want to go into counselling/therapy and after researching the MSW and Counselling Psychology, the MSW seemed like the best bet with more opportunities and best overall fit for my interest of study. I have been working for a few years now since finishing undergrad in not a very relevant field/job but there were still some transferrable human service/customer service related skills there. My past volunteer experiences are social services related but not super directly correlated with the line of work I am trying to get into, so I anticipate myself having to strengthen my application with more volunteer work and related work experience/skills before feeling more confident to re-apply. Also, the required research methods course I feel lowers my chances too as my highest mark was a couple minus signs below that recommended grade mark - so it is advised that I re-take that course before I even consider re-applying?
At this point, I'm not feeling very confident about my application/experiences/references to re-apply next round. I am wondering if anyone has any advice on what my options are. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed as my attempt to apply this round was trying to get to the next place, but currently I am caught between the desire to get to that final destination and the feeling of being burnt out (from my horrible work-life-relationships-self care balance these last few years that I am still trying to recover my own mental and physical health from).
I'm hoping someone here may be able to provide some advice to me. I was reflecting on this and I realized it is a bit ironic that I am being driven to go into a helping profession right now when it's clear to me that I myself, am not totally in a well-balanced state of being mental/emotional/physical health-wise. I feel so exhausted that when I think about everything I have to do next, it feels overwhelming and I'm not sure I can do it. For example, re-taking a university course and volunteering in a related mental health position on top of working when I still have my own stuff to manage feels like a lot. I'm currently unemployed and looking for full-time work, and I am wanting to move out to live on my own soon, so there is also that. I'm also feeling anxiety and pressure over that the full-time job I am looking for right now should be perfectly related to social work/counselling in some way so that it can help me for the next time I apply.
Does anyone know what kind of positions and organizations might be helpful for strengthening my application next time around? Or would it not really matter if I am going to say, volunteer for a crisis line anyway? Given some of the posts I've read here, it almost feels like I should be volunteering for at least 1-2 years to get the minimum competitive amount of hours required. I saw someone mentioning that they had gotten a Social Service Worker diploma before they re-applied, so I was thinking that could be an option for me too, if I try to apply for that instead and gain some field-placement experience, some outside volunteer experience as well and then re-apply . But I'm not sure if re-applying right after a diploma without the relevant work experience will be useful.
Has anyone re-appliers here gone through a similar situation in their process/journey? Would it be my best bet to just take it slow and accumulate the experiences first needed? Not sure if anyone can relate to this and if it's a sign I am not yet ready for grad school, but given that my work-life balance still needs work I was very nervous about the idea of going back to school since undergrad itself took a toll on my physical and mental health. As someone with a personal connection to mental health, I'm wondering if me still being in a thick of my own healing journey right now is also a bad idea for me to totally devote myself to chasing this career where it requires a certain level of presence, capacity and competence to help others.