Siofra

My first undergrad was a hybrid program at University of Guelph for bachelor of applied science + social service worker diploma from Humber College. My second undergrad was at McMaster for their post-degree BSW program. After speaking to a TMU (Ryerson) alumni who got into UofT's MSW and is now working as a discharge planner in a hospital (basically what I want to do), she told me that getting into McMaster was a pain in the booty and she got waitlisted. She ended up going to TMU for her BSW. Waterloo offers an MSW online for full-time, which I like. The only thing that makes me reconsider this option is that the quality of securing a placement might be harder because Waterloo may not have a relationship with that agency depending on how far out you are. I imagine UofT's got their hands in a lot of pockets of hospital agencies which is where I want my placement to be. A good uni-to-agency relationship means your placement coordinator is on a first name basis with the agency connection. Thats just my opinion though, maybe it doesn't matter- I know a person in McMaster's BSW program who is completing their placement in Quebec. Research experience, work experience, strong grades. Pick 2. Overall, after peeling through 4 years of Gradcafe and Reddit testimonies of people's experiences getting into MSW, people seemed to have at least 2 of those qualities when getting in. A strong reference and a strongly written statement of interest is naturally helpful as well. I was there once, don't give up girl! I waited patiently and collected my experience before trying again haha

I applied to UofT only in 2019 and then again for this 2023 year for Waterloo, McMaster, and UofT. I am still rejected from Waterloo haha :') I got a BSW + 500 ish hours of Hospital experience in both placement and volunteer settings. I also volunteered at a hospice before covid began. I have been working at a food bank since 2017 in a placement student/volunteer/covid emergency worker capacity and ended up taking on a leadership role. So in 2019 where I had 2ish years of experience, in 2023 I had 6-7 years of social service experience. Lastly, my average at my first university was 80. I am now at a 95% cumulative average in my BSW. My references know me very very well, at least, enough to write a social-work-y reference that tailors to what the unis want Hope that helps

When I applied to the 2-year program in 2019, Angela told me there were 945 applicants that year. Previous gradcafe's also mention that there's 145 spots available.

For the 2 year stream, UofT receives 800-1200 applicants each year who compete for 145ish spots. For the advanced standing stream, they'll get about 300 applicants who compete for the same 145ish spots. Mental health is the most popular specialization and is significantly more competitive to get into compared to the other streams available

Hey there! I ended up accepting a post-degree BSW from McMaster and removing myself from the wait list in the April of that year. I will never know whether or not I was close enough to get in

its real! the invitation on acorn really means you're in! OMG! Congratulations to everyone else who got in. For those who are on the waitlist, I really hope you squeeze in! I was on the waitlist for the 2019 admission for the 2 year program and it was tough!

Hi all, Got an update from Acorn for UofT's advanced standing. I have an invitation and I paid the deposit, but it still doesn't feel like I got in! I'm still waiting for a confirmation letter or admission decision email or SGS update before I say I'm for sure-for sure admitted. I applied for the Gerontology stream, and my last name begins with R. I'm waiting to hear back from McMaster now!

Rejected from Waterloo, admission status says deny ?

Heyyyyy all! I am joining the anxiety-induced fray that is this application season :') here is my profile: - BSW GPA: 3.8 - Had 4 social service placement experiences totalling 1300ish hours - Graduated University of Guelph in 2020 and will be a McMaster graduate in 2023 - Had a volunteer/employment relationship with one of my placements for 5 years at a food bank - Volunteered at a food bank, hospice, and hospital. All of my formal experiences (Vol/work/placement) would be shy of 2000 hours. - No research experience I applied to McMaster's Critical Analysis MSW, Waterloo MSW, and UofT Advanced Standing (hopefully Gerontology specialization), all full-time. I tripped at the finish line in the following ways: Waterloo Paid for the application and submitted everything on time except for 2 items. I forgot to hit submit for my statement of interest until days later. On top of that, my third referee also failed to submit their LOR. I called the school and I was allowed to request to change referees last minute. My new referee who was my current placement supervisor submitted their LOR the next day. ALSO, I did not format my resume in the pre-BSW post-BSW format. Failed to read Resume instructions. I'm toast. UofT Paid for the application on time but submitted my previous-previous school transcript late + the same referee problem. When I called the school, they replied that they will allow me some buffer time, but only for 1 week. The third Referee submitted the LOR the moment she got the email. McMaster The only application process that I was able to complete smoothly. My late submission blunders with Waterloo and UofT happened because I was confusing their deadlines. What I'm worried about the most: My referees were a professor, my placement professor, and my placement supervisor. I am worried that their positions may not complement the referee requirements for UofT and Waterloo as they require a professional, academic, and placement reference (with varying allowances). My third reference who flopped was my professional reference, who was now replaced by a placement supervisor. I'm anxious, but I am just using this as a platform to vent. Thank you all if you read this far. I will look back on this post in March 2023 to see the results of the cracks in my application. You know, with the late submissions and incorrect formatting and... all that haha. I hope everyone else here has a smoother application process for my sake :')