MSW13

I would suspect that it may be avoidance. Firstly, IMO your boss should not have emailed--it is none of her business and it may have put your POI in an uncomfortable position. I mean, what is your POI supposed to say? It wasn't you making the inquiry it was your boss who really had no authority to do so. If I received a similar email I might be a little upset at my friend for not really respecting the process.

Oh, thanks for sharing! I completed my BSW over 10yrs ago and have been working in the field ever since. This waiting to find out is unreal. Sometimes I feel like I can barely wait another minute. Funny, I find weekends easier since I know that nothing is moving. But it is the weekdays that are difficult because I know they are making decisions as we speak. I cant wait until decisions are made so I can get back to being 'normal' again! haha

I think some people may have heard back from Laurier already but U of T will not be sending out 2yr acceptances until April. This is based both on U of T's website and what people have posted on the 'results page' in previous years.

Yes I believe U of T takes in the highest number of students but percentage wise, it is still only around 25% of total applicants. Really, all three schools are very competitive..

Although I think it is great that there are so many academically inclined individuals out there, I tend to agree with you. Maybe this is just a personal bias but I tend to think of PhD's as people who have at least spent a few years in the 'real world' to really round out their knowledge base. Dont get me wrong, I dont want to take anything away from younger students because it is no small feat to get into a PhD program. It just strikes me as a bit premature. (I see you're from Ottawa--maybe this is just a Canadian perspective??)

I can appreciate your sentiment but it is important to remember that not everyone copes the same way. For some, it is entirely unhelpful to say, 'stop freaking out' as it does not minimize the anxiety at all and may actually make them end up feeling worse.

lol, that was funny. This has got to be waay worse than waiting for that guy who took your number and said he was going to call to finally call. But seriously...that has got to be an agonizing wait. I think I'd prefer to get a decision in the mail.

Waiting is difficult when you are not 'already attending' like your profile states you are. For a lot of people, this is a HUGE deal so instead of slamming people for 'freaking out', perhaps you could offer some empathy or at least offer some ideas on how to manage the wait.

Congratulations!!! I hope you can spread some of that luck on those of us who are still waiting

I am so impressed by the academic drive in you 'kids'! When I was 23 all I could think of was graduating and getting as far away from my university as possible. Honestly, good for you! I hope you do amazing in your studies.

A BSW is only necessary when you are applying to the 1yr program. Everyone else who applies to the 2yr program is not required to have a BSW. Unless the programs you applied to clearly state a 3.0 or above cut-off, you are still in the running. The truth is, no matter how much or little experience you have or how high/low your gpa is, you will worry that you are lacking in *something*. So you are not alone. Hang in there, you have some really great experience

I hear your frustration and I dont blame you. In some ways, I've been there too. What I came to realize is that there are so many glass ceilings in the workforce. You are constantly trying to get out from under them and it is awful when you see people who seem to have nothing but dumb luck going for them (or a slightly different degree) leap frogging ahead of you at every turn. It is easy to become bitter but what you are doing is great. You are looking at your options and making thoughtful decisions about which one would work best for you in the future. An MSW is amazingly versatile. One thing is, may organizations are 'accredited' and part of this accreditation process is often having employees with a certain level of education. Often an MSW will do it for many workplaces (ie/ hospitals, schools, government agencies). And also, before social workers had a regulatory body, I remember having the same type of frustrations as you do now. Hang in there, it will all work out for the best...it always does

Thank you so much for such positive feedback! Yes, I agree--I hope we all get some acceptances and our biggest worry is choosing which one to go with

Hi, I think a lot of people have said some very important things. I just want to add something that I had written on another thread a while back. It seems appropriate..... Self care is so very important under stressful conditions. Sometimes it is important to take a step back from the situation and gain some important perspective. You may get in, you may not. You may have to make some tough decisions in the next few weeks or you may not. But no matter what, there will not be a scenario that you CANT handle. In the larger scheme of things, this is just one hurdle in your life and believe it or not, it will not be your biggest. It just feels like it because you are in the 'here and now'. If you look back at your life, consider all of your accomplishments. I'm willing to bet that you can think of several examples where you had to do something at least twice to get it right--whether it was learning to ride a bike or perfecting an academic achievement, it took time and patience to get it right. You still have plenty of time to hear back from your schools. If you get in, that is wonderful. If you dont, it is not the end of the world. If it helps, think about your plan 'B'. Although it sucks to get rejected, knowing that you can do something about it is empowering and motivating. Most importantly, remember that getting into the perfect grad school does not define you as a person nor should it measure your sense of self worth. It is just one aspect of 'you'. If you get in, be proud because you have every right to be. If you dont get in, be persistent and know that you can and should reapply. And, be proud. This process is not for the faint of heart and getting this far says a lot about you as a person, regardless of the result.

I went to U of T's info session and they said that last year they accepted 140 to the 2yr program and 90 students to the 1yr. I think York has the worst acceptance rate.

I can totally relate to your sister! It's so awful to experience. After I was rejected, everytime I saw the school name my stomach turned. I really couldn't stomach seeing it in my emails. Anyways, I'm well past that now and I hope for good things this year! Regarding your situation, that would be pretty bad of your program director to mention funding and not mean it. Will that make a difference between you accepting and not? Because it does seem like you are 'in' and now it is just a question of funding. At least that is my take on it!

Ugh, know what you mean. You put so much time and effort into this process, it is definitely frustrating when people just jump on the bandwagon without much thought. They also seem to be the same people who are super lucky and always seem to come out on top. Undoubtedly you will hear about people who got in who seem to have no business being there and people who are total stars who get rejected. It is the nature of this process. The admissions committee only gets a snapshot image of you through your documents and you just have to believe that you showed your capabilities the best way possible. As hard as it is, remember that it isn't between you and her, it is about you and your fit with the programs you've chosen. Since you've spent so much time preparing for this, hopefully you come across as someone who has thought long and hard about your future and planned accordingly. There is some definite maturity in that which is something that is so important in grad school. Also, the truth is we dont know what is happening behind the scenes and we dont know what their subjective criteria is for admission. You did your best...now it is up to them.

That is an honest nightmare. How horrible! Glad to hear that it eventually worked out...although it probably left a bitter taste in your mouth for a looong time.

What's your story, if you dont mind sharing.

It was a local university in Toronto called Ryerson. What this process has made me realize is that some schools are just really bad at communication.

Thank you...it was pretty awful but like all terrible things, eventually you move past it. Needless to say, I didn't apply there again this year.

I wonder where this surge in applications are coming from?! The past few years have been relatively stable in terms of numbers...but there does seem to be an upward trend. I can only imagine that there are more people getting degrees in fields that are only relevant (for employment purposes) with an advanced degree (ie/ psychology, womens studies, etc). Social work seems to be the go-to profession for people who studied the social sciences. But it is also important to know that many people apply who do not have strong credentials. So even though the numbers are going up, that doesn't necessarily mean that the calibre of competition has also increased. At least that is what I keep telling myself, haha.

Last year I got an email rejection and before I could pick myself up off the floor I received another email telling me that in case I received an acceptance email it was and error and I'm really rejected. A day or so later I received another email again reminding me that I've really really been rejected. So basically, the same school rejected me 3 times. Luckily by the 3rd email I was dead inside so it didn't affect me as much as you might think. The silver lining? I've come to realize that the school in question sucks ass. Any school that cant complete the simple task of sending appropriate email regarding such a sensitive matter is no school that I want to attend. (well, not attend *again* since I did get my undergraduate degree from them, but still...you get my point)

It sounds like everyone has some pretty amazing experience! For anyone reading this who has less than what has been posted so far, dont feel bad about it. I think we all know of a few people who have been admitted with minimal experience. This is where the other parts of your application can really help (ie/ great gpa, reference, written statement).

Has anyone heard anything about U of T? (lol, I think I post this question every few days). It's torture waiting...and waiting...and waiting.... I know the website says advanced standing applicants should find out by mid March and 2yrs by mid April but from past years, it looks like some found out in late Feb/early March. Is anyone brave enough to call and ask if decisions have been made?? (ya, I'm a total chicken)