MSW13

Eager, you are definitely the 'Dear Abby' of Gradcafe! Thanks for being so supportive

crip culture

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I would call up or email Angela Umbrello (admin coordinator for admissions) and ask. Her number is (416) 978-3257 and her email address is angela.umbrello@utoronto.ca If you call, you might even be able to sneak in a question about waitlist status and find out if it has been moving

That is so disappointing to hear DreamingMSW. Hang in there...if it doesn't happen this year, there is a lot you can do to make sure next year will be better. Just a thought, perhaps you can attend one of the information sessions that U of T are currently holding? The next one is May 22nd (according to the website). It might be a good way to meet some of the staff and ask questions.

Rat Pack

I see, thanks for that. That is about the same that U of T accepted last year for the 2yr. They accepted 90 for the advanced standing but this year I think they only accepted 80. Not sure about that though.

How many students did each school accept and was the 230 just for the 2yr? Sorry, I'm just curious. I have U of T's #'s for last year but I *think* they accepted fewer students this year.

lol...yes and no. At the beginning when I started my BSW, I had some friends acting guarded around me like I was able to 'sense' their problems. When they finally figured out that I wasn't a mind reader, they relaxed. I find that people are more likely to share personal details quicker but it could also be because you have an approachable demeanor. Eventually you learn how to keep a healthy distance from those who over-share. Good luck!

Wow, that is awesome, congratulations! At U of T, the most you can expect right off the bat is $4000 which is awarded to the top 25 based on academic merit. After that, you have to apply for different scholarships. The tuition for the 1yr is just over $9000. Yes, so based on this I can see why someone would be very tempted to take York's offer based on scholarship alone. I didn't apply to York but if I did (and got accepted), I would still have gone with U of T. But I say this as someone who is not shoulder deep in tuition debt. If I was, I would seriously consider York....but would still go with U of T

Yes, I stand corrected, you are right. I was not clear--what I was referring to was the fact that a specialization can help you get hired much easier than a scholarship would because it signifies a skill base ideally sought after by an employer. This is not in any way meant to minimize a scholarship. Obviously it speaks volumes about academic achievement. I'm just thinking more down the road when you are actually trying to find a job. If we are both applying for a job working with seniors and I have 'scholarship' written on my resume while you have 'gerontology specialization', I'm thinking that the employer would lean towards you. edit: I just thought about it and I'm not sure what 'generous' funding package means. Is York offering a full scholarship?

Hello, What a tough decision! Although I don't think you can go wrong choosing either, I would go with U of T. My reasoning is that although York funding is really attractive, it is not something you can put on your resume like you can with a specialization. Also, if funding is an issue, U of T offers many, many scholarship opportunities. There are also a variety of placement opportunities and if you are eyeing a hospital placement, U of T has tons of those. Finally, you cannot beat the name recognition of U of T. My feeling is also that a lot of your learning will be self-directed. Just because York explicitly names your area of interest, that in no way means that you cannot achieve that same learning at U of T. However, having said all of that (like a recruiter for U of T! lol) York is also a very well respected school and there is no shame in going there. Really, I'm not sure that either school will actually deliver on everything they promise in their brochures. It is up to you to seek out and get the education you desire and this can be done at either school.

Aww, thank you so much! I'm so excited to start this new journey in my academic life. Also, I'm not much of a dancer but what the heck, wooooo hoooo!!

Very well said Eager! I totally understand how Kaipsychology may be feeling. I'm not sure if this analogy fits but it is sort of like when you *know* that your boyfriend/girlfriend has broken-up with you and even though they have pretty much said it, you still don't quite believe it because you've created a different measuring stick in your head. For instance, he/she cant possibly *mean* it if he/she is still calling me/emailing me, etc. It sort of negates the break-up statement because it doesn't fall in line with what a break-up means to you. So in this instance, even though the POI told Kaipsychology that he/she was rejected, the fact that the letter didn't come might mean that they are reconsidering. Obviously to those who are not emotionally invested in this, the writing is clearly on the wall. But for someone who is looking for the faintest bit of hope, no letter means 'it ain't over till it's over'. Chances are it is just a situation where the paper work is still being processed but the decision that was relayed to the applicant is the correct one. It is a hard truth to accept and I truly empathize with Kaipychology. Hopefully the letter will come soon and provide the closure he/she is waiting for.

I remember reading how strong your credentials are and it is such a shame that so many great candidates have been waitlisted. Are you waiting to hear back from any other school besides York?

Research is an important course for many MSW programs. I took my course a while ago so I have to ask, is stats rolled into the research course or is it separate all together? Regardless, if you don't have this course, I highly recommend it since many MSW programs require it. As well, make sure you get an amazing mark since it can be a deal breaker for some schools (like U of T). Have you heard back from all of your schools or are you still waiting?

Laurie, That is so disappointing, sorry to hear that. Although it may be an issue in other fields, personally I don't believe that age is a barrier in social work. As I mentioned in another post, I attended U of T's advanced standing orientation on Monday and the group was incredibly diverse. It was a great mix of older and younger students. I am certain that you would not have been the oldest person in the room by far. I don't know what the make-up of York's incoming class looks like but I can imagine that it is somewhat similar. I hope you will be pursuing your BSW in September (if U of T doesn't work out) and try for your MSW a year or two down the road. Really Laurie, there were several people in the room who were clearly in their 50's. If you work until you are 65, you still have about 20 yrs of work ahead of you. Don't give up on an MSW, there is still plenty of time and when the moment is right, it will happen.

Very well said! I love how you said, "take a rejection as an opportunity". That is the perfect way to view this process. If you get too wrapped up in 'getting rejected' while hiding in a corner in shame, you are missing a chance to better your chances for next year. It is so true, you'll be doing this for decades to come. One more year of prep is not going to throw you off the rails. It just feels like that because it seems like everyone else got in somewhere and you feel a bit left behind. But really, many people have to try at least twice to get accepted. Yesterday I attended an orientation session at U of T for advanced standing students. It was amazing to look around the room and see how diverse the crowd was. Some people were right out of undergrad while others had clearly been in the field for a while. What this told me is that not everyone is ready to complete their MSW right after undergrad and there is absolutely no shame in this. You have to be ready for it, both mentally and by experience. To everyone shut out this year, hang in there! Just because an MSW doesn't happen immediately, that doesn't mean that it will never happen at all.

Congratulations, that's awesome!!!!

Congratulations!! I don't know what the procedure is for York but according to U of T's website, they do not want you calling around trying to arrange your own placement. They have a lot of really great placement options. My understanding is (purely anecdotal, I don't actually know for sure) is that if you want a hospital type placement, U of T has more of those than other universities. Also, they are just bigger with lots more students (200+ for both advanced standing and the 2 yr compared to York which has less than half that amount). This isn't to imply that they are 'better', just that they have more connections.

What an awful lot of stressful uncertainty to carry. I'm sorry, I don't know much about PhD application processes so my suggestion may be totally wrong. But I wonder if you can call the school and find out what the chances are of being selected off of the waitlist at this point? Perhaps you can email your POI and get a general idea of where you stand? Depending on the answer, you can decide if you are willing to hang in there just a little bit longer. However, if you decide that the uncertainty is just too much to bear regardless, would you feel comfortable sending an email to your POI/school and say that due to the amount of time sensitive adjustments you would need to make in order to relocate your family for September, unfortunately you can no longer stay on the waitlist past the end of April/May (?). However, you are still very interested in the program and will be reapplying next year...you'll spend the following year strengthening your application and hopefully will have better success... It is my understanding that PhD programs have pretty small waitlists so chances are they know you a bit more personally. For this reason I think it is important to send an email to explain your decision-making process rather than just pulling yourself out of competition without warning, especially since you plan on applying again next year.

Beautifully said and I couldn't agree more! Congratulations on both your admission and your perseverance, good for you!

Hello, I just sent a 'join group' request. But I just want to make sure it is okay because I'm in the 1yr program, not the 2yr. Hope it's still okay!