Canada MSW 2019

[KD.msw]

4 hours ago, mswmbapp said:

Can someone please post a screenshot of their acceptance on Quest at Waterloo? Thank you. 

I get this screen after selecting "Master of Social Work" on the admissions page and applications tab. 

[Purple-Elephant]

6 hours ago, Princess kate said:

Just noticed on my quest account for Waterloo/Rennison MSW program.That I am under consideration. Just wondering if this is good or bad

To anyone worried about Waterloo: I did my BSW at Renison and was accepted through Quest too, but they didn’t give out acceptances all on the same day. My friend got accepted on a Friday and I didn’t get in until the following Tuesday! So there is a chance that they do the same for the MSW. My last name is an R, my friend’s was A. 

Edited March 1, 2019 by Purple-Elephant

[getthatbread]

7 hours ago, Princess kate said:

Just noticed on my quest account for Waterloo/Rennison MSW program.That I am under consideration. Just wondering if this is good or bad

Mine says this for York as well and it means they havent made a decision yet. Not sure if that also applies to you. 

[Back to School]

8 hours ago, Ihatethissomuch said:

You know, I'm not sure if this thread is the best for emotional well-being. Well, my own emotional well being anyway.

One can recite their own stats and read others but still wont have any idea if they will get accepted or not. I've seen some extremely qualified candidates get waitlisted and some candidates who may not 'WOW' on paper get acceptance. I've given up trying to have any notion of what admissions want.

2

With respect that is quite a negative and verging on rude outlook. While I haven't read every page of this forum it seems like people have been very positive and supportive of one another. At the same time, no one has posted their personal statements so it is impossible to determine someone's 'WOW' factor as you put it. I find that kind of judgement pretty harsh. I believe everyone here has worked very hard towards their goal, but everyone is at different places along their journey towards that goal.

Personally, I applied back in 2016 with what I thought to be a good amount of experience along with a solid application and I got rejected from every school I applied to. Over the past few years, I logged a lot more hours and worked hard to get where I am today. 

In this forum just like in life, we have no idea the path other people have walked. And any comment, regardless of its original intent, that minimizes people's efforts and disvalues what should be a celebration of their hard work is not okay in my books. 

I agree that this kind of forum can have a negative impact on personal well-being as it becomes easy to compare ones-self to others and make it seem more like a competition. For me, it's important to recognize that different schools are looking for different things based on their values and mission statements. And there are grossly more applicants than there are spots UofT and Laurier for example last year were only able to accept 17% of the applicant pool. 

I believe its important as future social workers for us to know our own limits, so if you feel this group isn't a positive space for you then follow that instinct. However, that doesn't mean it is okay to discredit other's accomplishments.

I wish you all the best where ever your journey takes you.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Back to School

[Ihatethissomuch]

9 hours ago, Back to School said:

With respect that is quite a negative and verging on rude outlook. While I haven't read every page of this forum it seems like people have been very positive and supportive of one another. At the same time, no one has posted their personal statements so it is impossible to determine someone's 'WOW' factor as you put it. I find that kind of judgement pretty harsh. I believe everyone here has worked very hard towards their goal, but everyone is at different places along their journey towards that goal.

Personally, I applied back in 2016 with what I thought to be a good amount of experience along with a solid application and I got rejected from every school I applied to. Over the past few years, I logged a lot more hours and worked hard to get where I am today. 

In this forum just like in life, we have no idea the path other people have walked. And any comment, regardless of its original intent, that minimizes people's efforts and disvalues what should be a celebration of their hard work is not okay in my books. 

I agree that this kind of forum can have a negative impact on personal well-being as it becomes easy to compare ones-self to others and make it seem more like a competition. For me, it's important to recognize that different schools are looking for different things based on their values and mission statements. And there are grossly more applicants than there are spots UofT and Laurier for example last year were only able to accept 17% of the applicant pool. 

I believe its important as future social workers for us to know our own limits, so if you feel this group isn't a positive space for you then follow that instinct. However, that doesn't mean it is okay to discredit other's accomplishments.

I wish you all the best where ever your journey takes you.

I certainly didn't mean to downplay anyone's accomplishments, and I'm sorry that you interpreted my comments that way. I also wasn't referring to 'wow-ing' on paper as the personal statements - as obviously I have not read everyone's statements. What I meant was that some individuals get in who may not have the highest GPA / highest amount of hours of experience. Obviously they have displayed something else that certain schools feel is fantastic/ beneficial / relevant to their program. 

I was not discrediting anyone's accomplishments. I was not minimizing anyone's efforts or dis valuing celebration of hard work. 

ALL I meant was that comparing yourself to others on here will not help anyone 'guess' or determine what their admission status will be.

 

I found your comment to be somewhat personally attacking of my character - however I'm not assuming that that was your intention. I am guessing you felt somewhat defensive of your acceptance. 

 

Edited March 1, 2019 by Ihatethissomuch

[SuzyH]

I just want to say you are all amazing. I both dread and love Fridays. I dread no news weekends, but it also gives us freedom from refresh! Happy Friday everyone!

[Chantalilly]

Has anyone heard from ryerson? Last year they heard around this time... ugh it’s killing me. 

[SW-kNM]

Is anyone waiting to hear back from UFV Foundational MSW? I feel like I am alone in this.

[SwagMaster]

22 hours ago, Ihatethissomuch said:

You know, I'm not sure if this thread is the best for emotional well-being. Well, my own emotional well being anyway.

One can recite their own stats and read others but still wont have any idea if they will get accepted or not. I've seen some extremely qualified candidates get waitlisted and some candidates who may not 'WOW' on paper get acceptance. I've given up trying to have any notion of what admissions want.

I was admitted into UofT's MSW advanced standing program last year and I'm currently in the program. If I told someone my GPA and years of experience at the time of my application, even I would admit that it didn't sound very impressive compared to some people. In my personal experience, I find that many MSW applicants focus a lot on GPA and years of experience when there are many other (and perhaps easier) ways you can stand out as well. I'd like to take some time to share my experience to hopefully help out you and other people on this forum. 

Here are my initial stats: I did a BA with mediocre grades. I immediately followed it with a 1-year BSW, and my grades were in the low/mid 80's on average (which was class average for the program). In terms of social work related experience at the time of application, I did a few casual volunteer positions at homeless shelters, my 10-month BSW practicum, and I was about 4 months into working my first full-time social work job. So my grades were decent but I was definitely light in terms of experience. 

How did I make my application stand out? 

- My goals were different than most other applicants - I want to be a health researcher. In my application, I wrote a lot about my research goals, research interests, issues/gaps in the current literature, etc. I talked about how I wanted to do the thesis option, what i would do it on, and which supervisor would fit my interests. Even if you are not interested in research as a career, any UofT applicant can benefit from writing about why research is important, how better research would inform your work, etc. 

- I had really good references. When I went to the MSW information session, Angela said that we would be surprised how many negative reference letters they receive. Towards the end of my BSW, I ended up building really good relationships with some of my professors. I ended up working on some projects with them and this led to really strong academic references from well known professors.

- I did my research and read between the lines to figure out who the program wants. In my opinion, you can figure a lot about who the program wants by researching the program. For example, UofT has a focus on evidence-based social work practice, so discuss that in your statement. Another example, ask about the program’s educational pedagogy, and in your statement, discuss how that aligns with your performed mode of learning. Key point here is to learn about the programs main values. 

Also, some food for thought. There may be somethings that the schools look for that they don’t explicitly ask for. Some examples I can think of include emotional maturity, professionalism when dealing with difficult/disrespectful clients, experience working in a large variety of social work roles, academic literacy, etc. I suspect that schools read your application to look for these things even though it’s not explicitly asked. 

My point in all of this is to take a broader view of your application. Don’t focus on just the numbers (GPA and years of experience). As social workers we often like to take a holistic view of things, so take a holistic view of your application as well  Best of luck!

[ayxl]

55 minutes ago, SwagMaster said:

I was admitted into UofT's MSW advanced standing program last year and I'm currently in the program. If I told someone my GPA and years of experience at the time of my application, even I would admit that it didn't sound very impressive compared to some people. In my personal experience, I find that many MSW applicants focus a lot on GPA and years of experience when there are many other (and perhaps easier) ways you can stand out as well. I'd like to take some time to share my experience to hopefully help out you and other people on this forum. 

Here are my initial stats: I did a BA with mediocre grades. I immediately followed it with a 1-year BSW, and my grades were in the low/mid 80's on average (which was class average for the program). In terms of social work related experience at the time of application, I did a few casual volunteer positions at homeless shelters, my 10-month BSW practicum, and I was about 4 months into working my first full-time social work job. So my grades were decent but I was definitely light in terms of experience. 

How did I make my application stand out? 

- My goals were different than most other applicants - I want to be a health researcher. In my application, I wrote a lot about my research goals, research interests, issues/gaps in the current literature, etc. I talked about how I wanted to do the thesis option, what i would do it on, and which supervisor would fit my interests. Even if you are not interested in research as a career, any UofT applicant can benefit from writing about why research is important, how better research would inform your work, etc. 

- I had really good references. When I went to the MSW information session, Angela said that we would be surprised how many negative reference letters they receive. Towards the end of my BSW, I ended up building really good relationships with some of my professors. I ended up working on some projects with them and this led to really strong academic references from well known professors.

- I did my research and read between the lines to figure out who the program wants. In my opinion, you can figure a lot about who the program wants by researching the program. For example, UofT has a focus on evidence-based social work practice, so discuss that in your statement. Another example, ask about the program’s educational pedagogy, and in your statement, discuss how that aligns with your performed mode of learning. Key point here is to learn about the programs main values. 

Also, some food for thought. There may be somethings that the schools look for that they don’t explicitly ask for. Some examples I can think of include emotional maturity, professionalism when dealing with difficult/disrespectful clients, experience working in a large variety of social work roles, academic literacy, etc. I suspect that schools read your application to look for these things even though it’s not explicitly asked. 

My point in all of this is to take a broader view of your application. Don’t focus on just the numbers (GPA and years of experience). As social workers we often like to take a holistic view of things, so take a holistic view of your application as well  Best of luck!

I actually remember you from last year's MSW forum when I was lurking all day everyday. should I get rejected by U of T again this year, I will definitely remember what you wrote here to refine my application.

thank you for sharing your experience! 

[Motherofbulldog]

4 hours ago, SW-kNM said:

Is anyone waiting to hear back from UFV Foundational MSW? I feel like I am alone in this.

I am - it’s been 6 months since I applied, I emailed them a couple weeks ago and they basically said “soon” which could mean anything. Checking my account multiple times a day at this point lol

[2019MSWToronto]

25-ish more days until 2-year UofT! We can do this

[sleepydeprived]

22 hours ago, Chantalilly said:

Has anyone heard from ryerson? Last year they heard around this time... ugh it’s killing me. 

I was waiting by my phone all day yesterday hoping for a miracle and then I remembered that last year in my seminar class two of my group partners who applied to Ryerson didn't receive their acceptance call from Jennifer Poole under until the middle of March....and the wait continues ? 

[mswapplicant18]

On 2/28/2019 at 2:22 PM, Ihatethissomuch said:

You know, I'm not sure if this thread is the best for emotional well-being. Well, my own emotional well being anyway.

One can recite their own stats and read others but still wont have any idea if they will get accepted or not. I've seen some extremely qualified candidates get waitlisted and some candidates who may not 'WOW' on paper get acceptance. I've given up trying to have any notion of what admissions want.

 

 

 

I hear ya, it can certainly be tough! I honestly I poured over these forums last year when I applied but it made it so much harder when I got rejections or waitlisted (and never got off the waitlist). I'd say keep applying and don't be discouraged. It's great that you're being mindful about your experience on here, it can be hard to look for advice or suggestions but then feel like it's unclear, because like you said a successful applicant can be so many different things. I re-applied this year and feel like there wasn't much difference in my application but was happy to be accepted. I think you're right to not stress about the details. Happy to help with any future applications should you need :)

[Chantalilly]

4 hours ago, sleepydeprived said:

I was waiting by my phone all day yesterday hoping for a miracle and then I remembered that last year in my seminar class two of my group partners who applied to Ryerson didn't receive their acceptance call from Jennifer Poole under until the middle of March....and the wait continues ? 

Ugh I wish you so much luck, so are ryerson acceptances rolling? Also do you know how many people they accept? 

 

What is is your interest in ryerson ? I honestly have heard little about the program on here but it’s my first choice 

[nicoleMSW]

On 2/15/2019 at 11:35 AM, MSW-101 said:

Nicole-  will UofT send an email notification when there is a status update or we continue to check ACORN daily?

Hi there! So sorry for the late reply - we are just past the midterm point and placement/assignments are taking up most of my time!

U of T didn't send me an email. They should update ACORN to "invited" when you are accepted, although I have heard of a couple of cases where they missed this step. They updated mine though!

After that, a letter will follow in the mail. Annoying, I know.... I was so anxious that my "invited" was an accident until I got the final letter! 

[nicoleMSW]

On 2/21/2019 at 3:27 PM, the.social.nurse said:

I know... Maybe they will be earlier, but that's when they've done it the past couple years. For the timeline, expect the worst, hope for the best...?!

[FK@UofT]

2 hours ago, nicoleMSW said:

Hi there! So sorry for the late reply - we are just past the midterm point and placement/assignments are taking up most of my time!

U of T didn't send me an email. They should update ACORN to "invited" when you are accepted, although I have heard of a couple of cases where they missed this step. They updated mine though!

After that, a letter will follow in the mail. Annoying, I know.... I was so anxious that my "invited" was an accident until I got the final letter! 

I got accepted to the advanced standing program this year at UofT .. and they sent out an email to check SGS for an update on their decision. However, this was a day after my ACORN changed to invited and a week later, I received mail.

Edited March 3, 2019 by FK@UofT

[nicoleMSW]

16 hours ago, FK@UofT said:

I got accepted to the advanced standing program this year at UofT .. and they sent out an email to check SGS for an update on their decision. However, this was a day after my ACORN changed to invited and a week later, I received mail.

Hopefully that means they've changed the process and aren't making everyone painfully wait for snail mail confirmation anymore!

[WaitingEndlessly]

Hi there, 

  For all of the YorkU MSW applicants , I have emailed Graduate Program assistant and she said will notify us within March which means we hv to suffer for more a bit haha. 

 

[MDS96]

7 hours ago, WaitingEndlessly said:

Hi there, 

  For all of the YorkU MSW applicants , I have emailed Graduate Program assistant and she said will notify us within March which means we hv to suffer for more a bit haha. 

 

Thanks for letting us know!! Hopefully "within March" doesn't mean the last day of the month haha. 

[WaitingEndlessly]

17 minutes ago, MDS96 said:

Thanks for letting us know!! Hopefully "within March" doesn't mean the last day of the month haha. 

Hi, 

Are you advance standing student?

[WaitingEndlessly]

I wonder which field did you apply even for the one that you get accepted?

 

And please state you are advance standing or 2 years program please hahah

 

I applied for Yorku advance standing:mental health x immigrants 

[the.social.nurse]

On 2/26/2019 at 11:33 PM, hellohamilton said:

i am in a similar position!  i have heard from dal - still waiting for laurier, u vic and waterloo.  the wait is so hard!  i think i am going to end up paying $200 to secure dalhousie as the deadline for that is march 2nd.  erg.  

wow that is not much time, when did you hear back from Dal (I didn't apply there, just curious)?

[the.social.nurse]

On 2/27/2019 at 5:39 PM, hellohamilton said:

does anyone have any thoughts on waterloo vs dalhousie?  i am leaning towards dalhousie (and good thing as i have paid the fee) but really want to know about laurier!

also even though i wasn't super keen on uvic i feel kind of bummed that i didn't get in and want feedback on my application!  does anyone else get this way?!?

Full disclosure: Have never attended Dal. I work with ++ social workers who enjoyed Waterloo and bash Dal, especially the undergrad program. I know about 5 who have completed DAL MSW and they said it did not blow them away and at the same time got them the piece of paper they needed. Part of the reason why I didn't apply there.