kk_2012

Ah man. So you're not from KW! I miss living there I now live in Newmarket (decided to move back home for school). I work in Toronto though on weekends. We could probably meet up. I wonder what York would do if you just showed up in person with all your documents from them and emails printed out saying that they had everything they needed??? Nothing like making an argument and having solid evidence in your hands!

When I was finishing my BA at U of Waterloo this is what happened to me: I was accepted into Laurier's Master's of Community Psychology program in April but was not done my thesis yet. So, the offer of acceptance was conditional - I had to successfully complete my thesis and then I was in 100%. So, I finished my thesis in August and started the Master's program in September. Conditional offers are usually used for such purposes. I have no idea if schools vary in such policies though. If I were you, I'd do that BSW program you're in and then do the MSW at Renison. If you're already situated in KW and love U of Waterloo...I'd just stay there. In the end, a MSW is just an MSW is just an MSW. Some people will want to tell you this and that, how some organizations have preferences and such, but in the end, it's how you sell yourself and your experience that will get you hired so just stick with Renison

Of course, I think Google has groups too if people would rather leave Facebook out of it.

I think I'll create a Facebook group for us to-be Social Workers. Any takers if I do?

Well, I have heard people say that York overall is disorganized, not just its Social Work department. This doesn't faze me too much though, as I am a survivor of Laurier's administration as a Graduate student. Getting into Laurier was no problem - the department (Psychology) was super organized. The pitfalls started to happen once I was already in the University. Getting paycheques all wrong; missing deadlines; losing important documents and lying about it to me - (I had to fight with admin to prove I had sent my cheque in for graduation and they had misplaced it, all the while arguing that I had never sent it). Plus, I went from U of Waterloo which had great tech services and internet, to Laurier where things were behind a few years in all fronts. Anyway, the point is: all Universities are just big businesses and therefore, tend to have shoddy administrative parts just like any corporation you run into *cough cough* Bell or Rogers lol. So if you haven't run into any difficulties yet, still tread with caution and always back up your documents, proof of payments, and receipts (and emails) because the ease of getting in (i.e., paper work and timely process) is only one aspect Just protect yourself in the shuffle so to speak. I sound bitter lol...but now that it's my second time around, the innocence of first-time-grad student has worn off and it's all business to me this time. I know what they're capable of, what I should rightly expect of them, and what my and their responsibilities are. Am I tad worried that it's this late...yes...but I'm also armed with assertiveness to go forward into the year lol. Chins up everyone and soldier on!

Either. Both seem good to me. Facebook might be more convenient for some but I really don't mind.

After being on here for a month I feel that regardless where we all go, we should make a group and keep in touch throughout the next year.

I went through the results pages on here and apart from myself, I think I saw three others which would bring the count to 4 (at least on this forum). I have a friend who is in her second year in this program and she said that they usually have a class size of 20 ish. All I can say is: what a bad time to move. Would have made more sense at a less critical period!

I can't believe York hasn't said anything to those still waiting. I wonder what the hold up is?

I did my undergrad at U of W and loved it! I totally wish that they had a free standing Social Work program of their own. I would have chosen it hands down. They were organized, timely, and on top of everything all the time. I can't say the same thing about my Master's experience at Laurier

RE: Laurie S: With us they were sent out together. Then, when people opted for other programs, people from the waiting list were sent acceptances. With York, I'm not sure. Knowing universities administration processes, they likely haven't sent them all out *shrugs shoulders*. It is surprising that it is taking this long considering that 20 positions isn't that much. If your MyFile doesn't say waitlist, then you musn't be on it but rather waiting for someone to click that "admitted" button on MyFile. Sometimes I wish we could just go in person and ask them lol. Like a group of us bombard the social work office.

It is frustrating...I know. In my last Master's program (Community Psychology), they let two Master students sit in on the selection process of the incoming students. I did it for one year. Of course, Psychology is different from Social Work but this is what our selection process ran like: 1) The secretaries in January had to go through all the applications (hundreds) and weed out anyone who didn't meet the obvious requirements like GPA, references, type of education, and other things like if they sent in all the materials required. That surprisingly cut out quite a bit of people. Then, the remaining applications were sent to our committee to review. 2) Each of us on the committee (six - four professors and two students) got a pile of the applications and were asked to review them based on criteria like GPA, educational experience, real life experience, volunteer experience, reference letters, and their own letter of reference (which was a huge component). From this point, we ranked ordered from most impressive to least impressive, and brought our findings to the committee where we'd share, discuss and debate each candidate. From these discussions, we'd select people for interviews at which time, those not selected for interviews were notified of rejection. 3) Interviews happened, and then we'd come back to committee and discuss once more, how the candidate tied in their experiences (academic and real life) with their letter of intention, and how that reflected on what the reference letters said about them etc etc...From this point, some people were sent rejection letters and others were sent requests for second interviews --- repeat process. 4) At this point, about fifteen people were left (April) and we had seven spots. The committee came back together and final rank ordering happened. Surprisingly, GPA did not pull the most weight but their letter of intent did, with their experience and references rounding it out. Some people had all the grades and experience, but their letters of intent did not fit into our program's values and mission statement as well as the other candidates did. So, it's a tricky process that sometimes isn't about having it all, but about how well you sell yourself to the committee that you're the best fit for that particular program. 6) End of April, the seven acceptances went out and the few rejections did too. Social work seems different as there are more spots and no interviews, but I'd imagine that there was a committee thinking about similar things. The only advice from my experience is (after listening to the profs argue back and forth)is to write your letter to shadow the mission statement and values of the program, and weave in your background and experience into that. I hope they're just being slow though as it would be nice to have you guys as classmates!

Hi, Yes, I accepted. I just finished a Masters of Community Psychology at WLU but there were no jobs at all. Plus, I learned through all that community-based research that my skills were with the people and I loved it! I'm excited about the fall

Hi all, Just got accepted into York's 2 year MSW program today. Just checked MyFile (as I usually do every hour lol) and was shocked to see it say: "Admitted" and beside it a button that read "Press to Accept offer". Hope others hear today as well!