MSW13

Awesome, congratulations!

I think that if it happened once or twice over the course of 4 years, it wont really be looked upon badly. However, if it is happening every second semester, I'm guessing that it perhaps says something about your ability to handle the workload. Really, *most* people do end up dropping a course here and there because it wasn't what they were expecting or they just didn't want to load their schedule with too many hard courses at once. In some ways, it can be taken the same way as someone who takes a course twice to improve their mark. If the committee is deciding between them and someone who didn't need to repeat the course, they would (in theory) go with the person who didn't repeat. I'm guessing that you would only need to worry (a bit!) if you have a lower gpa (say a B or low B+). If that is the case, remember that they consider your application as a whole. If it is strong in other areas, it could very well negate the negative effects of a dropped course. I hope that makes sense.. p.s. I dont actually know U of T's position on this. I am just offering my best guess (which may not be anywhere close to what the 'real' answer is

Pears, I tried to 'up vote' the dog but apparently I've reached my quota of positive clicks for the day... It's so strange that gradcafe gives you a maximum amount of 'likes' a day...but I digress... Well I am not fond of cats and really not a pet person at all, the dog in a tux was too cute.

What a terrible feeling! I'm sorry I dont know what a CR/NCR stands for (I'm sorry, it's been a while! lol). Is that like taking an incomplete? As far as getting into an MSW program, they are basing their decisions on the transcript you have submitted so far. My guess is that if you are granted admission, they will likely ask you to submit another transcript at the end of the semester. As long as you have remained above their gpa cutoff (which is a B in most cases), you are fine. However, if this is more about maintaining an 'A' average, honestly in the long run, it wont matter much if you got an A or a B. Please dont take this the wrong way, I totally get why it is important to you and I dont want to minimize your stress at all. It is just that if you get into an MSW program, your undergrad gpa will quickly become a distant memory. If the worst happens and you dont get in (which sounds unlikely), you have all summer to take more courses to bring your gpa back up again. I apologize if I'm over simplifying...

Hi, thanks for your response. I guess I am basing a lot of my impressions on the single mothers I know and I cant think of one that left on good terms. Those that get along with their ex (as opposed to just 'tolerate' them) took years to get there. That is great that you have a positive relationship with your ex, it is definitely uncommon and shows a great deal of maturity. I had wrongly assumed that you didn't have a good relationship because you had mentioned a few times that you didn't have support. Regarding the financial burden of reapplying--I did think of this but had wrongly assumed that you have a certain level of financial security and it was likely not a factor. What I have learned is that it is extremely easy to create wrong impressions of people when you are basing your opinion on a few discussion board posts written in a drunken rage, haha I'm glad you are in a much better mental place than you were a few days ago. Have you given up on the PhD for this year or do you still have some schools you have yet to hear back from?

Obviously I dont know you so everything I'm writing is just based on my impressions of some of your posts. I may be way off base on a lot of stuff but again, it is just my impressions... Being a single parent plays a huge role, especially on an emotional level. Obviously, doing well (whatever your definition is of doing 'well') would show your kid(s) just what you are made of. That is, you want to be a good role model just as your father has been for you....and you set your standards high. Also, assuming that you did not part with your ex on the best of terms (and probably when you could have used his support the most), getting in would have been a great way to vent some of that anger and say to him, "See, I did it without you, so f*ck you". Being a single mother there is so much more you have to 'prove'. You have to prove that you are better off without your ex. You have to prove that you can excel without a partner to cheer you on. You basically have to demonstrate how strong you are. When you didn't get in to what should have been a no-brainer, it shattered all of this. I am guessing that you had a lot of pride riding on getting in. Not being able to 'stick it' to your ex coupled with the fact that your family only considers a certain level of academic acheivement to actually signal success, not getting in was demoralizing and humiliating. The bottomline is that single mothers (regardless of socio-economic status) have a lot to prove. They have to show 'the world' through their successes that they are not failures or 'defective' for not being in a relationship. There is a lot of stigma attached to the 'single mother' status. I can totally see why you were so very upset at getting those rejections. Also, although you may have some regrets, it is great that you actually wrote that post. Sure, it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way but really, it was raw honest emotion. Perhaps you projected some of the feelings that others have but just aren't comfortable to admit it on such a public platform. Anyone who says that they dont create a hierarchy of applicants in their head and place themselves at or near the top is just not being truthful. I haven't met a single person who was rejected and didn't at some point say, "I cant believe so-and-so got in!" In the moment of anger, we all are capable of belittling others to make ourselves feel better. But, once the anger subsides, you put things back in perspective and hope people dont hold your angry rant against you later on

Thank you so much for this information! Sorry about your problem with York and I am very glad that you sorted out the issue. I recall that last year a few people had to get their rejections reversed because of a 'clerical' error. General graduate admissions can be a total nightmare but once your file passes through the initial screening, you can feel confident that your application will be reviewed in full.

Yes jenste, I agree with the 'no news is good news' idea. I've been searching around and have found that (at least anecdotally) many schools will send out rejection letters to those who clearly will not be considered well before the official response date comes to pass. However, once that date arrives all admits/rejections that were fully considered will be notified at once. Some schools may hold back a bit on sending out waitlist notifications. I'm just wondering if anyone has any evidence to support this for the current application season. For instance, is anyone aware of someone who has already received a rejection from U of T or York? I guess you can say that I'm just trying to pass the time until I hear back in another 2-3 weeks or so

Thank you, I missed that!

Interesting. When I read a few of ApexKnowledge's posts I got the feeling that he(I'm assuming 'he', please correct me if I'm wrong) is experiencing intense pressure to live up to the unspoken expectations placed upon him (by himself or others) simply because his father is so accomplished. Gaining admission isn't just about being rewarded for your hard effort, it is also about maintaining a certain image. If you get in, you wouldn't think twice about it. However, if you get rejected, you can have strong feelings of shame, embarrassment, and an overwhelming feeling of disappointment--both for yourself and for those around you. For instance, he might feel like he has embarrassed not only himself but also his dad with the rejections. How can you show your face amongst those who got in when everyone in the room knows that you are way more qualified (at least on paper)? You can say that it shouldn't matter what daddy has accomplished academically or what your references think about your rejection but the truth is, we all have people in our lives that we dont want to disappoint or people who we are trying to 'prove' something to. If you dont have the faintest clue as to why you would be rejected while others with significantly less accomplishment are admitted, it is easy to get bitter. Somewhat irrational questions like 'is it my age? my academic history? do you just not like me? start to surface. Add a bottle of vodka and the irrational thoughts just flow and flow. No matter who you are, it will take time to clear your head, shake off the hurt, and find a way to make your dreams happen regardless.

Hey guys, Just wondering, has anyone heard anything about acceptances/rejections from their circle of friends who applied to U of T and York? Last year this time there were already a few rejections posted. I'm just trying to figure out if these two schools are on the same timeline as last year, if that make sense. lol..yes I know I'm reaching here! I'm hoping that someone (ANYONE!) has heard something from these schools so at least I know they are making decisions.

mmmm....blueberry scone.... definitely on tomorrow's menu

Sorry about this previous post. It was entirely off topic. For me, I received my notifications last year in the afternoon during business hours.

Sorry, this is a little off topic but is there any truth to the idea that schools send out rejections faster if you call and inquire about your status?

I've been making cakes, muffins, cookies...basically anything that will let me use the bulk bag of chocolate chips I bought from Costco. I haven't put on weight (I refuse to weigh myself so the last known number is 'accurate' as far as I'm concerned) but I'm sure that my belt disagrees.

I put U of T first because I really like their program and they really impressed me by their responsiveness to inquiries. They have always been professional and courteous--'classy' might also be a word I'd use to describe my experience with them so far. Also, they offer quite a few hospital placements which is something that I'm very interested in. I've heard good things about Laurier but I didn't apply because the commute is just too long. Although I'm sure they have a good program, I didn't rank York very high just because they are terrible on their administrative side. Everytime I called about a certain issue, I received a different answer depending on who I was speaking with. Not a good sign. Geographically York is the closest to me but I cant shake the bad feeling I got when I toured the campus during my undergrad. My sister graduated from there and although she was an A student, she hated the school. So basically, I dont have a social work related reason to rank them lower, just a gut feeling. It has nothing to do with the professors, it is just that I didn't like the atmosphere at all. Ryerson is the other school I'd consider. But I was totally turned off by the fact that they never responded to any of my email inquiries. They focus quite heavily on AOP which is an area I'm quite familiar with so I'm not sure that I would have had a *new* learning experience anyway. Also, I've never met an MSW grad from Ryerson in the field so I really dont have a working knowledge of how well they prepare students for future employment.

My status still says 'under review'. Last year I received a rejection in the mail but my status didn't change online until a while after. I'm not exactly sure when since I stopped my frequent checking...

I love how our brains dont accept failure even in our sleep. I had a dream that I had my laptop beside me in bed and I kept waking up to refresh my messages. So I finally get a message that says I've been "non-rejected". Wtf?? Yes, stress dreams can get very bizarre indeed.

Thanks for the comment CMarie! Logically I know that the earliest we will hear back is early March (for advanced standing at U of T anyway) but it would still be nice if they'd let us know where they are at in the process. For instance, how hard would it be to tweet that they've met and will be releasing results in the next week, or that they are still making decisions and the earliest they'll send out results is mid March?! Yes, in my dream world, that is how it would work...or better yet, they'd have a live feed into the boardroom while decisions are being made while you watch online waiting for your name to be mentioned, haha.. At this point I'm feeling like giving birth is easier than waiting to hear back about admission results. Regarding York, I hate to say it but you may be in for a long wait. I recall last year they took forever (well past their posted decision timeline) to tell people where they stand. But come to think of it, I think that was more the 2yr applicants...the advanced standing *may* have found out in a timely manner.

Awesome Pears, congratulations! And thanks for the manatee... I've really got my zen going on now

Only 6?? Amature.

Is anyone else experiencing a deafening silence from their schools? C'mon U of T...say something...ANYTHING!

spacezepplin, I'm of the 'older generation' and I want a freakin postal carrying owl to bring me my letter too.

Failure is never trying at all. Hang in there...the fact that you got interviews and a waitlist standing says that you definitely have potential. Many, many people have to apply a second (or more) times to gain admission. Last year, every school I applied to rejected me. I even found out pretty early (Jan/early Feb) when decisions were supposed to come out March/April so I can pretty much guess that I was in the 'hopelessly rejected' pile. The thing I did was call up the schools and find out what went wrong. I made improvements and now this year, I feel much more confident about my chances. Also, I passed the 'early rejection' deadline (based on last year's experience) and feel like I've already experienced some victory. One thing that is very important is to NOT tie your sense of self worth to grad school. Start working on your plan 'B' and try again next year. Believe me, everything ALWAYS works out for the best. This year, I may get in and I may not--but I will never think that it makes me a lesser person for getting rejected or a superior person for gaining admission. Congratulations for getting the interviews--that is impressive. Hopefully your waitlist status will change and you will get in this year. If not, ask for feedback. You may be surprised by what you hear.

I may be way off base but I think that the sorting process begins fairly soon after the application deadline. Although this may not be the case for every school, I thnk that they first weed out the obvious rejections (for low gpa's, incomplete applications, very negative references, etc). Then admissions committee members start reviewing applications. When they meet (say mid-March), it is just to confirm the admits and wrestle over which 'maybe' candidate should get an acceptance. I highly doubt they are just sitting on applications until then.