Canada MSW 2019

[Psych_101]

Anyone waiting on the 2 year UofT apply to OGS funding?? 

[MDS96]

5 hours ago, iamstressed said:

Anyone else freaking out waiting for UofT 2 year :(?

YEP - me too! Submitting our applications seems so long ago now...

[LilyGarden222]

Hey everyone!

I’m thinking of applying next year (to start program in Fall 2020) for a two year MSW program at Western, U of Windsor, and York. I’m currently double majoring in history and sociology. I have a 80/81% or A- average. I’m curious to know how likely I am to get accepted. I don’t have much relevant experience, maybe around 70 hours of volunteer work, expected to have 200 or more by the time I graduate. And hoping to get some paid job experience by that time too. How likely am I to get accepted with this little experience? I can’t find anywhere about how many hours U of Windsor expects applicants to have. That is the school I will most likely go to because it’s where I’m completing my bachelors degrees. If it doesn’t look promising I’ll likely work for a couple years after graduation and then apply. If you could provide me with any input that would be great! Thanks! 

[moonsun.jang]

Anyone know when Laurier and Western sends out their acceptances??

[Purple-Elephant]

14 hours ago, LilyGarden222 said:

Hey everyone!

I’m thinking of applying next year (to start program in Fall 2020) for a two year MSW program at Western, U of Windsor, and York. I’m currently double majoring in history and sociology. I have a 80/81% or A- average. I’m curious to know how likely I am to get accepted. I don’t have much relevant experience, maybe around 70 hours of volunteer work, expected to have 200 or more by the time I graduate. And hoping to get some paid job experience by that time too. How likely am I to get accepted with this little experience? I can’t find anywhere about how many hours U of Windsor expects applicants to have. That is the school I will most likely go to because it’s where I’m completing my bachelors degrees. If it doesn’t look promising I’ll likely work for a couple years after graduation and then apply. If you could provide me with any input that would be great! Thanks! 

Of course I believe you should apply no matter what! but MSW programs (especially 2 year ones) are extremely competitive. There is so much competition that the minimums schools list are very much “low balls.” You can still apply and follow your back up plan, working a few years would definitely help. 

I also suggest applying to 1-year postgrad BSW programs as well, if you’re able. It shaves half the time off of your masters degree so it wouldn’t be any extra time in school, but would give you a lot more experience and training for your masters. BSW programs are quite competitive too, but less so than 2 year MSWs!

[sarah_]

Congratulations to everyone that got an acceptance to the advanced standing MSW program at UofT!

 

I have been experiencing so much anxiety and received my wait-list e-mail yesterday. I have filled out the form agreeing to remain wait-listed. I’ll be contacting Angela to ease some of my anxiety.

[SC-MSW 2019]

12 hours ago, moonsun.jang said:

Anyone know when Laurier and Western sends out their acceptances??

On last year's forum people found out they got into Laurier starting on February 26. Not sure exactly when they're going to give acceptances this year, however, when I emailed Laurier earlier this month they said late February/early March. 

[Back to School]

1 hour ago, Purple-Elephant said:

Of course I believe you should apply no matter what! but MSW programs (especially 2 year ones) are extremely competitive. There is so much competition that the minimums schools list are very much “low balls.” You can still apply and follow your back up plan, working a few years would definitely help. 

I also suggest applying to 1-year postgrad BSW programs as well, if you’re able. It shaves half the time off of your masters degree so it wouldn’t be any extra time in school, but would give you a lot more experience and training for your masters. BSW programs are quite competitive too, but less so than 2 year MSWs!

I agree with the 1 year postgrad program suggestion. It equals out to the the same amount of time you get an additional degree and more social work experience. 

I applied in 2016 for two year didn’t get in so I worked for a bit then went back for the 10 month BSW at Renison (which is what I’m currently doing).

I recognize this path isn’t for everyone but it worked well for me. Good luck @LilyGarden222!

[Back to School]

1 hour ago, sarah_ said:

Congratulations to everyone that got an acceptance to the advanced standing MSW program at UofT!

 

I have been experiencing so much anxiety and received my wait-list e-mail yesterday. I have filled out the form agreeing to remain wait-listed. I’ll be contacting Angela to ease some of my anxiety.

Good idea Angela is so awesome (at least in my experience)!

That would be such a hard job but she does it well 

[Ihatethissomuch]

1 hour ago, sarah_ said:

Congratulations to everyone that got an acceptance to the advanced standing MSW program at UofT!

 

I have been experiencing so much anxiety and received my wait-list e-mail yesterday. I have filled out the form agreeing to remain wait-listed. I’ll be contacting Angela to ease some of my anxiety.

I emailed Angela requesting feedback on my application (what areas needed improvement etc) and got a copy and paste response email to frequently asked questions. 

Unfortunately they will not provide feedback. Kinda shitty considering it cost $200 to apply...

[Ihatethissomuch]

Just now, Ihatethissomuch said:

I emailed Angela requesting feedback on my application (what areas needed improvement etc) and got a copy and paste response email to frequently asked questions. 

Unfortunately they will not provide feedback. Kinda shitty considering it cost $200 to apply...

To elaborate I was also waitlisted. 

[moonsun.jang]

42 minutes ago, SC-MSW 2019 said:

On last year's forum people found out they got into Laurier starting on February 26. Not sure exactly when they're going to give acceptances this year, however, when I emailed Laurier earlier this month they said late February/early March. 

Thank you!!!!

[Back to School]

33 minutes ago, Ihatethissomuch said:

I emailed Angela requesting feedback on my application (what areas needed improvement etc) and got a copy and paste response email to frequently asked questions. 

Unfortunately they will not provide feedback. Kinda shitty considering it cost $200 to apply...

I would wait until offer season has died down to ask for some feedback, you might get better response. I’m sure she is getting inundated with emails at this point. Last year they accepted 90 people out of 350 so if 260 people emailed for feedback a copy paste is likely the only way to keep up with it all. On top of that she probably has emails from people who got in with follow up questionsas well.

If they still don’t provide feedback then I would agree it’s kind of shitty, but what I would suggest then is to seek information from one of their Liaison (recruitment) Officers or ask if they have any data about the accepted pool. Laurier was able to give me some averages of last year’s pool when I talked to them about applying this year to see where I stood.

[SC-MSW 2019]

17 minutes ago, Back to School said:

I would wait until offer season has died down to ask for some feedback, you might get better response. I’m sure she is getting inundated with emails at this point. Last year they accepted 90 people out of 350 so if 260 people emailed for feedback a copy paste is likely the only way to keep up with it all. On top of that she probably has emails from people who got in with follow up questionsas well.

If they still don’t provide feedback then I would agree it’s kind of shitty, but what I would suggest then is to seek information from one of their Liaison (recruitment) Officers or ask if they have any data about the accepted pool. Laurier was able to give me some averages of last year’s pool when I talked to them about applying this year to see where I stood.

If possible, would you mind sharing what Laurier's averages of last year's applicants were for the Advanced Standing MSW? Thank you so much! 

[utorontomsw]

Hey all,

I am a current advanced standing MSW at U of T. I remember the roller coaster of results coming out around this time last year. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask here or DM me. I got a lot of help from current students on this forum while I was applying, so I am here to pay it forward.

edit: I intentionally made a throwaway account because I don't want to be identifiable based on my post history before.

Edited February 23, 2019 by utorontomsw

[Ihatethissomuch]

36 minutes ago, utorontomsw said:

Hey all,

I am a current advanced standing MSW at U of T. I remember the roller coaster of results coming out around this time last year. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask here or DM me. I got a lot of help from current students on this forum while I was applying, so I am here to pay it forward.

edit: I intentionally made a throwaway account because I don't want to be identifiable based on my post history before.

Anyone in your program actually get accepted off of the waitlist last year?

[utorontomsw]

Just now, Ihatethissomuch said:

Anyone in your program actually get accepted off of the waitlist last year?

Not that I know of tbh. But to be fair, I don't think people advertise that much getting off of the wait list (not that there's anything wrong with it, I was wait-listed the first time I applied and did not get in). I'm sure there are some in my cohort that I don't know of. There are circumstances that lead some people to turn down offers.

I'm not trying to be discouraging but I'll be honest, there's a very small chance to get off the wait-list at U of T. They keep a huge list, I think around 70 people. It's not ranked as you probably know, and they do this so that they ensure each cohort is diverse in many ways (experience, specialization streams, culture, age, ability...etc). It's also an extremely competitive program so even making the wait-list, although not ideal, is an accomplishment. It means you have what it takes but maybe need to tweak your application to stand out more next year.

One of the SWs at my practicum did her MSW a few years ago and told me she got off the wait-list, so it does happen. If you look at the forums from previous years, the wait-list does move and you'll see a few people got in. There are unicorns! I just don't want to get your hopes up but I also want you to recognize that it is a really good sign to be wait-listed as well.

[Ihatethissomuch]

Kind of what I figured. I have absolutely no hope of getting off of the waitlist. 

I just wish they would offer some guidance as to which aspects of the application wasn’t good enough. 

[utorontomsw]

2 minutes ago, Ihatethissomuch said:

Kind of what I figured. I have absolutely no hope of getting off of the waitlist. 

I just wish they would offer some guidance as to which aspects of the application wasn’t good enough. 

I know how disappointing it can feel, I was there. I am kind of a cautious pessimist so please take my perspective with a grain of salt. If you want to DM me I would be happy to talk about your application with you. There can be many factors that influence your appeal to admissions. The most important I think is your personal statement, those 5 essay questions you have to write. I overhauled mine the second time I applied, had a new reference, and I got in. They're also a research intensive program focused on EBP so the marks you get in your research methods courses are important.

[Back to School]

1 hour ago, SC-MSW 2019 said:

If possible, would you mind sharing what Laurier's averages of last year's applicants were for the Advanced Standing MSW? Thank you so much! 

Hi! I just went through all the paper in my office (it’s a bit of a mess...) and I must have recycled the notes I took from their session BUT I went into my email and found this reply from Lynn I hope it helps ?

“Due to the volume of applications we receive each year the applicant pool is highly competitive not only with a high GPA ranking but also with direct experience in the field.  The competitive average for candidates who started the MSW Advanced Standing program in September was 10.8 (84%) and 3.6 years of experience.  This does not mean all candidates reflected this specific profile as it is an average, however candidates who reflected a strong B+ (78-79%) scored much higher in their experience profile.”

Always good to remember though that each year will be a little bit different based on that pool of applicants.

[iamstressed]

26 minutes ago, utorontomsw said:

I know how disappointing it can feel, I was there. I am kind of a cautious pessimist so please take my perspective with a grain of salt. If you want to DM me I would be happy to talk about your application with you. There can be many factors that influence your appeal to admissions. The most important I think is your personal statement, those 5 essay questions you have to write. I overhauled mine the second time I applied, had a new reference, and I got in. They're also a research intensive program focused on EBP so the marks you get in your research methods courses are important.

Do you happen to know what the usual research method mark is that those who have been accepted had?

[utorontomsw]

22 minutes ago, iamstressed said:

Do you happen to know what the usual research method mark is that those who have been accepted had?

The minimum requirement is a B. But I I know myself and a few friends who were accepted had much higher marks. I had a 93 in statistics and an 89 in a social science research methods course if this helps? It seems to be anything around an A- or above is safe.

[VanSW]

Hello!

Long-time lurker here, but decided to finally post.

I am awaiting responses on my applications to King's 2 year MSW, Lakehead's 1 year HBSW, McMaster's 2 year Post-Degree and University of Manitoba's 1 year pre-MSW.

I expect we will be hearing back from King's sometime this week (eek!), and expect to not hear back from Lakehead or Mac for another month or so (minimum). There doesn't seem to be much information on U of M. Any further info on dates would be great; looking forward to seeing who I could be in classes with!

Feeling very grateful for this forum. I am not sure if it has mitigated or amplified my stress levels, but either way I find it somewhat cathartic to be able to read about other people's experiences while we all navigate this stressful time.

[Laurabeth79]

Hello everyone,

This may have been answered so please forgive the repost, but does anyone have an idea when York starts rolling out acceptances?  I just wish they all came out at the same time!  Agonizing over making a decision before I've heard from all the schools....

[SC-MSW 2019]

2 hours ago, Back to School said:

Hi! I just went through all the paper in my office (it’s a bit of a mess...) and I must have recycled the notes I took from their session BUT I went into my email and found this reply from Lynn I hope it helps ?

“Due to the volume of applications we receive each year the applicant pool is highly competitive not only with a high GPA ranking but also with direct experience in the field.  The competitive average for candidates who started the MSW Advanced Standing program in September was 10.8 (84%) and 3.6 years of experience.  This does not mean all candidates reflected this specific profile as it is an average, however candidates who reflected a strong B+ (78-79%) scored much higher in their experience profile.”

Always good to remember though that each year will be a little bit different based on that pool of applicants.

I appreciate you looking into this for me. Thank you so much for this valuable information! 

Do you by chance know how many hours would be considered for 3.6 years of experience? I have a total of 4515 hours of volunteer, summer work, and placement experiences. Thanks!! 

Edited February 23, 2019 by SC-MSW 2019