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Peter Nincompoop

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    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    Well, I got some very happy news today and an offer to attend UVic.  I had been eighth on the waitlist.  This was my first choice, and so I have decided to withdraw from my spot at Dalhousie.  If there is anyone here waiting on a spot at Dal, I've just opened one up, and maybe for you!   I just wanted to say to everyone on this topic thank you for your support.  It has been great having someone to commiserate and be anxious with.  Now I am working on how I will balance full time work, school, and two little kids.  Wish me luck!     Waitlisted:  McMaster Still waiting for any kind of formal reply:  University of Calgary Accepted:  Dalhousie, UVic Attending:  UVic
    Congrats. I did my undergrad at UVIC and even took a couple of social work courses back then as electives. It is a great school is a great city.

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    So I had a random comment to make: I applied to two programs- social work and OT ( I am DEFINITELY leaning towards social work). Anyway, I also look at an OT forum and I have to say that the difference between the people on there and the people on here is insane. On here everyone is supporting one another and encouraging one another and on the OT forum it's like a huge competition- people laughing that they are getting interviews when others aren't etc. This is what pushes me towards social work- the fact that the people in the program seem to be so friendly and actually INCREDIBLE people. I am very turned off by what I see and have seen from the people in the OT programs. Unfortunately it seems that OT schools focus on grades as around 80% and experience for the other 20% which is very unfortunate as these are the people who will be helping many of the aging baby boomers.

     

    This system needs to be changed.

     

    BUT I am glad to say that social work takes experience way more seriously and realizes how important it is for someone to have experience and a kind heart for this career.

     

    Yay social work!

     

     

    It's funny you mention OT school...

     

    As I have mentioned previously on here, I was admitted to a couple MSW programs last year and deferred to 2013 for personal reasons.  During that time, I worked for a not-for-profit program which works closely with OT's and I have been wondering if I should have applied to OT schools as well (I almost did this year, but decided against it at the last minute). 

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    Can anyone here recommend a good housing website for the Kitchener region? So far I've tried kijiji, craigslist and WLU. They lump all of the Kitchener and Waterloo listings together. Since I don't know the region, it takes me forever to go through the listings because I am unfamiliar with the street names, and almost all of them end up being in Waterloo. The WLU housing database seems to only have Waterloo listings. Any help or advice on this would be much appreciated. I know it's a bit early, but I am just trying to get a sense of my approximate living costs for the type of dwelling I will be looking for so I can calculate my yearly budget. thanks!
    Try Padmapper. It pulls listings from a bunch of different sites and puts them on a map.

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    It sounds like you have pretty awesome experience!  Also, it isn't necessarily what you are doing, it is how well you are able to link it back to your future goals as a social worker. Your post made me curious, what do you think constitutes 'related social work' experience and why do you think your experience doesn't quite fit the bill?

     

    Well, in my mind, the work I was doing was more service-oriented than it was social-service oriented (if that makes any sense) and I think that you could argue that the two are quite different.  It wasn't like I was waiting tables or anything, but I also wasn't working in a not-for-profit or government agency either.

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted · Edited by Peter Nincompoop

    Ironically your work experience was probably the strongest than you give yourself credit for.... although your grades are awesome as well..... working with vulnerable ill elderly persons is very much direct social work .... IMHO :)

     

    It was definitely helpful and it certainly helped me define my career goals (I'd like to work with the elderly and the terminally ill), but prior to applying I worried that it wasn't closely related to social work because of the type of work I was doing.  However, a couple of schools clearly disagreed with my assessment :).  Still, I think my experience pales in comparison to most people posting in this thread.

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted · Edited by Peter Nincompoop

    Hello,

    I recently received a letter from Laurier indicating that my application was unsuccessful. I am thinking of applying again next year. I'm just trying to gain a grasp of what I need to do to be accepted next year. Can you advise me on how long you have been working/volunteer in a social work organization? Also what was your average in your final year of study. Any insight would be appreciated.

    Thank you

     

    Hi Erin,

     

    I'm not sure why I was successful to be honest, but I'll speak briefly about my experience here.  The entrance requirements for social work in particular seem hard to gauge because they put so much weight on the more subjective parts of your application (personal statement/preparation/apparent motivation and work/volunteer experience).  I'll apologize in advance for what is going to be a long post.

     

    Last year, I applied to 3 schools (Calgary, Laurier, and York).  I was accepted into Calgary and Laurier, and waitlisted and ultimately rejected by York (who took an absurdly long time to give any notifications). 

     

    I actually think my work experience was the weakest part of my application: I had about 8 years of working with vulnerable people (ill elderly persons) and a bit of not-for-profit experience, but nothing directly related to social work (though I now do).  I also volunteered as a case worker with a local politician for a few months, but that was really about it.  

     

    I did have pretty decent undergraduate grades.  My overall average was between an A- and an A, and I had a solid A average in my last three semesters.  I also did a double-major, which meant that pretty much all my 3rd and 4th year courses were upper level ones (which I have been told by profs looks pretty good on a grad school application).

     

    I think the strongest points of my application were my references and my personal statement.  My referees gave me glowing letters and I feel that in my personal statement I was able to very clearly describe both my motivation for pursuing social work and how my personal, academic, and professional experiences had informed my decision to apply to an MSW program.  I also had a friend of mine who is currently in grad school look over my personal statement and give me feedback.  

     

    Finally, I also contacted a couple of school prior to applying to see if I would be a good fit in their program.  I also studied the faculty at each school with an eye towards who I would like to work with and even emailed a professor whose speciality is very similar to my own interests.

     

    One other point, because of the current economic situation and because of the glut of persons, like myself, with generic BA's, ALL graduate schools are becoming harder to get into.  Being rejected isn't necessarily a negative reflection on yourself, your experience, or your application; it's just really hard to get into professional graduate programs at the moment.  

     

    Sorry for the long-winded reply, I hope this makes sense and that it helps you in some way.  Good luck next year if you decide to reapply, LOTS of people get admitted into graduate school after initially being rejected, so don't lose hope.

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted · Edited by Peter Nincompoop

    At the end of the day, that MSW designation is what is going to help land you a job.  Although you may not like the Ryerson program, you will undoubtedly learn something that will help you in your career. Sure, Ryerson doesn't have the same ivy league appeal of U of T or other highly ranked universities but it is AMAZING for social work. If you get accepted, don't minimize it for a second.  It is an excellent school for social work and you will receive a quality education. Best of luck!  

     

    Absolutely.  I doubt many will care where you did your degree, except perhaps if your goal is to do a Phd.  Potential employers will be much more concerned with your qualifications, your experience, and what you learned during your studies.  As long as the school is accredited, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    Does anyone know what it might be like or if it's any different in social-work for someone who identifies as male?  I know that at Laurier they have an Inside-Out exchange program with a local female prison, which would make me think that male students are excluded.  On a general note, I think that men in social work is an interesting subject matter.  I think there is a lot of stigma towards men who are interested in working in child protection services in particular, due to the incidence of previous sexual abuse cases, which I think is very unfortunate.

    Here are my stats: Philosophy major, A- average, 4 years of volunteer work in social services.

    I was admitted to Laurier last week and am awaiting UofT's decision.

     

    I am a male who will be entering a MSW program in 2013.  In my very limited experience, I have found social work to be quite welcoming.  I know at least one school I spoke to before applying was very excited to see the number of male applicants increasing.  That being said, I do think that it would be quite difficult, if not impossible, for males to work in some areas; that's just the reality of the situation. 

    Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    Thanks that really helps. I know this question is a bit hard to answer, but what would you say is a good GPA to apply with?

    Sorry I didnt reply sooner, life has been a bit hectic lately.

    I think Calgary lists their cutoff as a B average. I dont know about other applicants, but I had an overall average of between an A- and an A, and an A average in my last two years.

    I think SW schools tend to weigh work/life/volunteer experience pretty heavily as well, so Im sure admissions criteria vary from program to program.

    For what it is worth, last year I applied to three schools - was accepted to U of C and WLU and waitlisted and ultimately rejected from York.

    Wilfrid Laurier

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    Hi Thumper,

    Thanks for all the info. I've been so busy that I completely forgot to reply to this thread!

    I ended up asking for a deferral due largely to a sudden medical issue, but it was denied, so now I need to make a decision. I'm going to see my doctor next week, so hopefully I will know whether or not I can commit to moving half-way across the country then.

    I have gotten a deferral from at least one other MSW program, but WLU was my first choice... I'll let you know how things turn out and thanks again.

    Wilfrid Laurier

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    Hi StreetsAhead,

    I hope that you're able to attend the program in the fall. I chose the individuals, families and groups stream. You?

    I chose the dual-stream option with a primary focus in IFG. However, as I'm primarily interested in working with the elderly and those who was in hospice/palliative care, and because I enjoy academic research, I'm considering just focusing on the IFG stream and pursuing a thesis.

    I hope that I can attend too. What are your feelings about the Kitchener-Waterloo area? I'm from the west coast (currently living in Vancouver) and I've never been there. I've done plenty of reading about it online, but that can only tell me so much.

    Wilfrid Laurier

    in Social Workers Forum

    Posted

    Hi,

    I have also been accepted into the 2-year MSW program at WLU for 2012. I might have to request a deferral because of some unexpected medical issues which have just come up, but if all goes well I should be there this fall.

    What stream did you choose?

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