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Hi Citychild, thanks for writing When you mention the opposites thing, I actually have that more in mind - my last relationship was with an engineer and, while you can't define a person solely by their field of work/study, I have always kind of wanted to end up with one because I find that kind of thinking attractive (different from my own). You're totally right about not looking as one way of finding...as I read that, I feel a little self-conscious of this post because it sounds kind of desperate and advice-columny, but I feel like I've been 'not looking' for a long time and just want to create a more favourable environment for meeting more people. I am curious about peoples' own experiences so thanks for sharing yours

Hi fellow MSW students/grads! As I prepare for my first year of grad school in a new city, I find my mind occasionally wandering away from thoughts of course readings and practicum opportunities and toward thoughts of...romance? Hear me out: I have dated a little bit on-and-off since my last serious relationship a couple of years back, but found that since leaving school (the world's greatest dating pool, IMO), it was harder and harder to meet like-minded and compatible male partners. I also spent the last 2 years working in public health, a predominantly female nurse-populated field, and while my social life was great, I mostly spent time with the same core group of friends and didn't meet a lot of potential partners. SO, that being said, I can't help but ask: Does anybody have any advice for a single straight female who wants to meet folks of the opposite sex while on or off campus? It likely won't be in class - last year's cohort had 1 male who also happened to be interested in other men, so that's not promising! I am open to getting involved in things, but I also know that many of my volunteer or recreational interests are in female-dominated areas, eg. volunteering in a peer help centre or joining a theatre/choir group. I hope this doesn't come across as ridiculous or vacuous in this forum. Obviously, my studies and career are my top priority as I start my MSW and I don't intend to waste precious working hours desperately creeping the campus bar trying to 'hook up.' However, I can't help but also see going back to school as a great opportunity to meet passionate, intelligent and driven people who might make for (a) great partner(s) and want to see what other MSW students find has helped them meet folks outside of the female-dominated class environment. Thanks guys!

I have been wondering this same thing...! I'm also starting my foundation year MSW in 2 weeks! Best of luck to you I think that michigan girl has it right overall, plus if your course outlines/syllabi have not yet been made available online, it is pretty hard to know what you should start reading. That is the case for me, anyway. That being said, I have already been a keener and started looking at previous years' and profs' recommended and required course texts and scouting out cheap prices online/seeing if they are available at my local or university library so this poor student can beat the rush! I do have a related question, though: As a non-BSW student (and without a counselling or psych major - I was an int'l development student), I am wondering if anybody has recommendations for foundational reading on human psychology/sociology that you think would make for good prep before courses start in 2 weeks. THANKS!

Hey Pinsandneedles, I'm so sorry to hear about U of C. Your posts on this board definitely suggested that you have a passion for social work and you are SO qualified, so I hope that you keep at it! I feel like you mentioned in old posts that you were thinking of taking a stats course - DO IT! I was accepted to Carleton but on condition that I take stats, and It was going to be an insane headache to fit that into the summer before starting. Lots of unis require this, so if you do one thing to improve your app for next year, I'd totally recommend that! It stopped me from applying to a ton of good schools. As per your question in your post, I did get in to U of C, although I think in a 'second round.' I have no clue why I was successful while others were not, and am really grateful. I was accepted to 2 schools fully and flat-out rejected to 1, so it's hard to say what the key components were that worked for 2 schools but not for the other. I don't know what U of C focussed on, but since you were asking for qualifications, I personally had 2 ft and 2 pt years of health- and youth-related experience, and around 4500 hours of volunteer work, although not that much direct social-work experience and I didn't feel like I rocked my SoP! I'm 23 and graduated 2 years ago with an A- average. I also applied for the Intl and Community Development specialization and have an undergrad in International Development, so that was likely a helping factor. I don't know if I would have been successful if I'd applied for the clinical program, to be honest. That may be some food for thought - the fit of your background with the specialization? I know you have a ton of experience as well.... if I was on the committee I definitely would have accepted you!! I wish we could all get some honest answers from schools about why they made their decisions, though. It would certainly help with personal and professional growth in the successful and unsuccessful cases, and definitely help for re-applying to programs. Although I have ZERO knowledge of how admissions decisions are made, if you want to pick my brain about my application or quals for the sake of reapplying next year (and again, I have NO idea as to what got me accepted), feel free to message me. Best,

Hey all, I thought I'd contribute to the updates about MSW acceptances/rejections - I also checked Myfile and finally have an updated status - unsuccessful. Rejection always sucks, but this doesn't hurt too much as I had planned for Calgary since they accepted me in April. I'm also sharing this to help give others who are still waiting for other schools some hope! I didn't get into York, but was accepted to both U of Calgary and Carleton. Calgary does accept about 30-50 students, more than York, but they're also Alberta's only MSW. Carleton only accepts 20, like York. SO, even though York outright rejected me, I was accepted fully to 2 other schools. So, for those of you who were not accepted to York, have hope if you're still waiting! The MSW is so clearly about fit, as is evidenced by so many of you awesome people who are accepted and rejected at different places. Best of luck to everyone! [Anybody heading to Calgary? Would love to connect!]

Hi Pinsandneedles, welcome! and yes, you're definitely not alone in the waiting. York has clearly been driving many on this board a little nuts with their sketchy responses, but there's nothing like some 'online solidarity' to help with the patience! I did hear from U of C in April, but someone else here apparently heard in March, so it's possible that they're doing the rolling acceptances as well. I had until last Friday April 27 to accept my offer, and with how backlogged the admin is there, chances are they won't have yet had a chance to send out more offers (if that's how it's working) Congrats on your acceptance to the MA! I couldn't give much advice comparing the two as I'm less familiar with the MA, but I can share that one reason I have personally chosen to pursue an MSW is because of the specific professional designation afforded by graduates - yes, you pay some minor fees (wah-wahhh), but there's something so attractive to me about having that professional community behind me. Also, because the social work community has fought hard to have the profession recognized in an official way, there are some jobs that specifically require an MSW. I wanted to keep as many "social service work" doors open to me as possible, and getting an MSW seemed like the most appropriate degree for that. However, if you have a real passion for working with children and families, your MA will probably give you much more specialized knowledge rather than the more generalistic MSW. Just my 2 cents! Crossing fingers for you! And for everyone! Yorrrrrk!!! [May I also ask, then...has anybody here been accepted to U of C 2-yr MSW? I'm doing the Int'l Dev specialization...would love to meet my future classmates!]

That's excellent, Nala! Big congrats on York! That is such a huge achievement and I'm glad to hear you are glad about the fit with their program design. I think the 'super -excitement' and nervousness is normal - I feel it too! I did decide to go to Calgary and am making plans along those lines. It's such a big move, but I have been wanting this since I first applied and I know it's the right decision. My friends in Ottawa just can't help but jokingly point out that it's King Harper's Alma Mater and the Big Oil city, but I like the idea of being in a setting where you're consistently challenged and not just around people who think the same way you do - and also, most of the stereotypes are just that, and I found living there a few years ago was a great experience. It's a really diverse city. That being said, I WOULD still love to hear from York, just like others on the boards have mentioned. They've unsurprisingly failed to meet their end-of-April commitment, and even though I'm not counting on it, it is good to know where you were or were not accepted to put things into perspective a bit. Best of luck, everyone! Just checked myfile and nothing.

Thanks so much, Nala - I'm so glad to not have to take stats! It's funny, because my dad is actually a high school math teacher and I'm always talking about wanting to re-learn math, but NOT like THAT! lol. I am feeling very blessed/lucky/fortunate right now Have you made a decision? FYI, no notification on myfile for me at York. Good luck everyone! Maybe by tomorrow?!

It does seem like York is a little on the slow side. Luckily, though, I think there's no need to worry after seeing one of our fellow posters already get accepted. I think I'm an ok example of this - one poster was accepted to UCalgary's 2 year program in March, but I got my acceptance last week! Hang in there everyone! By the way...anybody else get accepted to UCalgary? I would love to meet you! I am pretty sure I'm going!

Here's my two cents: I went to Uottawa in my undergrad and live in ottawa now (off to Calgary though!). If you're looking for somewhere that's close to school and you can have an easy and rich social life, I recommend Sandy Hill. It's close to school, not that much more expensive to live than further away, and even though it's 'sketchier' than a white-bread suburb, it's relatively safe...especially compared to Vanier! Sandy hill does have a lot of undergrads, but if you find a place north of Laurier, it's a bit quieter than south and just as close to the Uni. This is also where many embassies and well-to-do Ottawans live, so it's not a "student ghetto" as you might typically see elsewhere. I currently live in Sandy Hill as a non-student and I love it. TBH, Vanier's getting much better in terms of safety and security, but is certainly a little more colourful than some people feel comfortable with. I just can't recommend it to someone who doesn't know Ottawa that well. Another good and close neighbourhood is Centretown, just west of the Rideau Canal. The "golden triangle" is Canal to Elgin street, and it's pretty safe and student-filled, plus it's close to an older crowd versus undergrads in Sandy Hill. The entertainment and food in that area are good too! Try the Manx for a good Sunday brunch! Plus, Ottawa's central public library is just around Metcalfe and Albert, so if you're in that region you're close to a great study zone outside of the U of O. If you want to save money but not be too, too far from school, I'd recommend planting yourself somewhere close to the Transitway. Lees, Hurdman, and even Lincoln fields stations have lots of surrounding apartments and small houses that are sometimes more affordable than Sandy hill. I should also note that you might find 'nicer' accomodation for money in these spots or further-off places, since many downtown apartments that are relatively affordable are older houses. They have charm and character, but they won't necessarily look super modern. If you have a car, feel free to live in the Burbs! They'll be much more affordable. Finally, my favourite neighbourhood.is Hintonburg. I lived there for a year and loved it, and a 2- bedroom cost me and my roomie $995 with parking and most utilities included. If you find a place close to the transitway, it's only about 15 mins to the university. Check out this awesome blog post about it: http://apt613.ca/bet...ood-hintonburg/ Hope this is somewhat helpful! (and not too long!)

Hi everyone, I just thought I'd let you guys know that I heard from the University of Calgary today and was accepted. I am over-the-moon happy and I think I am going to accept the offer. Just waiting to hear back from them on a few things, but if I hear what I'm hoping, I will be headed there in fall 2012! That also means that I will likely be freeing up a spot at Carleton University, so anybody who is on the waitlist can potentially snag that! It was a 2-year MSW, Clinical. Nothing yet from York, but Calgary was my first choice so...YAY! Best of luck to everyone. The wait should be over soon!

Hi Kaur, I guess that just adds to the confusion around U of C! But Congratulations on your acceptance! Was it for a particular 2-year program? I know they offer so many different entry points. I did get an e-mail back from the prof I was e-mailing, and she notified me that due to low staff numbers right now, they were behind in sending out letters (of both admission & rejection, I assume), but now Kaur's message is making me think they did send admissions already. Ah well, I guess we shall see in time. The prof said she was trying to get everything out by the end of the week.

Wow, all of the Calgary applicants are coming out of the woodwork. Hopefully it is a slight comfort to see that we're all struggling through it together. Hang in there everyone! I had a mini-breakdown tonight, but I'm off for some beers and pub food with dear friends and I already feel a bit better. I promise to post something as soon as I hear something, and I hope all will do the same! Hopefully it's not December by then! Lol kidding...should I even joke about that? Best of luck to everyone! Including those who are non-Calgary waiters (Sorry that we have taken over the board a bit today!)

I called today. Super unimpressed. Guess what? Their only admin contact around graduate student services is on Vacation until May 14th. Seriously, these folks should win an award for disorganization. The actual other general admin I talked to who wasn't on vacation, which is the same one who told me last week that they were sending everything out April 15th, had no clue about anything. She couldn't even give me a general sense. So evidently there is a gap forming here. They gave me an e-mail of a prof whom I believe is linked with graduate student admission, so I am hoping she can give me some answers. I was polite and composed, I swear! I have not been upset or angry towards an institution throughout this whole process, but I am reaching that point now. On the upside, It's definitely teaching me a lesson about the kind of social worker I do not want to be (ie. one who lies/fibs to clients, one who doesn't do a good job of listening...). Life lessons in all places!

Hey Tasha, glad to hear someone else is in it too! Any word from U of C for you? I am contemplating calling them today...even just to say "If you can give me a date, please give me the correct one. Otherwise, give me a general timeline if you don't have a date and I'll stop bothering you." I think my positive experience with Carleton spoiled me...but seriously, I'm trying to figure out how appropriate this is for admins to give guaranteed dates to students when they call and they end up being completely wrong. At least York seems to be honest with people about "End of April" comments. Although we really don't know that until we get there either! Breathe in-out....Sorry if I'm coming across as a negative nancy! My aunt who lives in Calgary reminded me that I am LUCKY to have this kind of 'problem' and she is completely right. What a huge privilege to be in our positions as potential graduate students! So I'm going to try to think that way. Seriously, though, is calling today going to make me start looking super nutso? They never got my name any of the other times I called...

Way to go Thumper! That's fantastic! Congratulations - Obviously you must have some extremely fantastic experience and a great SoP, which are just as important if not more important than grades! Well deserved

Hi all, I'm sure many of you are feeling the anxiety by now, but I wanted to ask another quick advice question. As I mentioned before, I called U of C last week, Tuesday, and was told that they would be e-mailing EVERYONE on April 15th. That's a Sunday, so it was my assumption that they would actually get back to us by today, the 16th. As of now, which is 3pm Calgary time, I have gotten nothing. PLus, nothing's on the results survey which suggests nobody else has heard either. This is after already delaying their reply date from "end of march." I even called them March 28th to confirm this and they did. It just seems so disorganized and I'm a little frustrated at this point. If they didn't know or knew it would be later, why can't they just be honest? In the meantime they are making my blood pressure rise every day that I've been TOLD to expect something and get nothing. I should note that those two phonecalled plus one other in Feb are the only ones I've made, so I'm not a complete nutbar and! If I don't hear by tonight, should I call tomorrow? Should I cross Calgary off my list because their admin seems to be a disorganized mess? I know mistakes happen and the grad app process rarely goes as expected, but Carleton has been absolutely fantastic by comparison and I'm already frustrated with Calgary's admin and I'm not even sure if I'm in or not?! Haha, sorry, I guess I needed to vent a bit, but just like most of you, the wait is killing! And it wouldn't kill if they'd just be honest with me about when to expect a decision.... (I'm secretly hoping I get an e-mail within the next hour and look like an idiot...it would be welcomed!)

MSWhopeful and Nala, thank you so much for your insight. Lots of what you both said is both comforting and reinvigorating for me. I am glad I had that moment of shakiness, because now, 24 hours later, I am already feeling more confident in this choice. MSWhopeful, thank you especially for talking a bit about the case management environment. Stress and difficult cases are certainly part of the job, but I'm glad to hear from a practitioner about how support systems exist to help mitigate the effects of that kind of stress, especially in extreme cases such as the death of a client (Which I'm sure is a relatively rare but still occuring part of the job). Although my work at public health involves both client-oriented and policy/programming work, I have found that the most important part of that work for me - outside of the actual work itself! - is the 'we're all in this together' attitude of my colleagues, and it sounds like you have experienced a similar culture which is awesome. That's not to say that social work jobs will all offer that kind of support, but I am optimistic - especially given how impressed I've been with the posters in this forum. I am truly rooting for you all! and MSWhopeful, I can only say that I think that you will make a BEYOND excellent MSW student when you reapply - thank you again for all of your insights! I'm so excited to embark on this career path - I wish everyone here the best of luck too in the next few days! FYI nothing from York (2 year) from me either! Nor Calgary, but I'm expecting Monday

Hi everybody, I thought I would change the pace a tiny bit and talk about the profession itself and some of the anxieties around making a choice to pursue a career in social work. If you are insanely stressed about acceptances and don't feel like getting into this kind of discussion, please skip! I don't want anybody to be put off by it! I was just trolling some online stuff last night about the pros and cons of the social work profession. I’ve definitely heard about the stereotypical (but still legitimate, I assume) cons: Quick burnout, mediocre pay, and an overall high level of stress without enough ‘compensation,’ whether emotional, financial, etc. When I realized a year ago that social work was the profession I absolutely wanted to pursue, I softened a lot of these cons in my mind to focus on the positive aspects that I perceived to be a part of this profession : helping others and contributing to social change, challenging myself emotionally and intellectually, having an actual profession (I have been somewhat jealous of my nursing colleagues and am attracted to that kind of professional designation), and holding a job that will enrich my life rather than just take up 8 hours a day of it. With that being said, I had a little moment last night after my trolling session. Many of the forums and ‘ask’-type places I stumbled upon were full of social workers practically BEGGING to get out of the profession, and offering up warnings to those who wanted to pursue that work. What if I go to school for 2 years and end up hating this career? Do I really want to give up my current job where I make a fantastic salary for the potential to make $17 an hour working in much more emotionally and possibly physically difficult situations? At the same time, I realize that an MSW opens up many doors, including jobs that allow for client contact but perhaps at a less ‘drudging’ level, and the potential to make a very reasonable salary (I’ve never felt a need to make 6-figures and I see 45-65k a year as truly great living wage). I also feel like I am a fairly resilient person and could manage a lot of the stress. But I still have some fears about burnout, feeling overwhelmed, compassion fatigue, not being appreciated/respected. I still like to feel like I am ACHIEVING. Has anybody else had these fears or thoughts? How have you managed or dealt with them? I know that part of our training through the MSW is around preventing burnout and self-care, but I fear that no amount of self-care can heal someone if they feel disengaged or incredibly exhausted at their job. Sorry all, just freaking out a tiny bit! I still intend to get my MSW and am waiting anxiously for more news, but I wanted to get these thoughts out and see if folks had thoughts to contribute. Thanks!

Ditto to all of this. It is a huge accomplishment and we're sending super positive vibes your way!

Fingers crossed for all! I don't think many folks here are waiting on U of C, but I thought I'd mention that I phoned them up today after hearing two weeks ago that all notifcations were being sent "as we speak" - obviously that didn't happen, so I got impatient and was politely informed that we would hear on April 15th due to some 'slowdowns' or some kind of university mess up. No surprise, but also doesn't bode super well for my impressions of the university! Anyway, that's the scoop for Calgary! Hope folks hear back soon about U of T, York, etc.

I just had a dream that I was accepted to U of C with a graduate assistanceship....it was glorious. I hated waking up...

Thanks for the insight, Nala! You're right about York being fairly competitive, so BIG congrats on that. It sounds like the perfect fit for you. I am luckily not holding out for it, although I know they often offer really decent funding! Thanks for the congratulations on Carleton. It was a big surprise for me, actually, because I DON'T actually have the stats requirement - I thought at first that my two methodology classes that I submitted were enough, but recently discovered that completing a stats course is a condition of my admission that wasn't in my original letter of offer, which is a bit of a pain. No matter, if Carleton ends up being my only acceptance, I will make it work! My dad is a math teacher, so I should be able to use him as a resource In the meantime, I have the (love/)hate on for Calgary right now. As mentioned, I called Thursday and they said they were sending out acceptances/rejections/everythings as we spoke, but it's been a week and nothing. I'm out-of-province so I know that mail can take a few days, but almost all Calgary results on the survey page suggest e-mail responses, so I'm going a little nutso. If anybody has heard, please let me know!

First off - Only in the social work profession for the money and convenience? Sorry to say I think that dude was delusional! Maybe one selfish reason could be the the (relative) job security, but that wouldn't make up for a lack of passion or at least interest! Thanks for sharing the positivity with us - I agree that I'm pretty impressed with and rooting for all the folks who've posted in this topic! On the York question, firstly: Congratulations on your acceptance! That must feel really wonderful. I was meaning to ask, did you submit your application package in any kind of early acceptance pool? I did the December 12th deadline. Regardless, I suspect that either you are part of their first wave of acceptances and they're waiting to admit people on an unreleased waitlist once they hear back (2 weeks is insane!), or you are part of that first wave and maybe some others will get acceptances after? Ah, the whole process is so opaque that it's hard to predict. I (like many of you, I suspect) really want to go into a 4-day Easter weekend with some answers so I can mull over my decision without the stress of a full time job! I am fearful of getting an answer while at work and needing to go cry/dance in a corner and forfeit the rest of my day lol. Positive vibes all around!!

I too am sorry to hear about Laurier! I hope that you will hear some positive news back from your other schools! Nothing yet from York for me either. That program is fairly competitive as well, I believe. Stephanie, do you personally know some folks who got accepted already? All I've seen is one posting on the results page that someone got accepted via Myfile, but all I see is "No Decision Yet." I was out of town this weekend and was able to clear my mind and not worry for a few days, which was amazing...but I was so hoping to come back and find results! Ah well...