Canadian MSW Applicants 2021

[skittles15]

I found these forums very helpful  

What Canadian MSW programs is everyone looking at? Tips/Advice/Feedback? Online versus in person?

[MSW2020lm]

Hi! Thanks for starting this forum

I will be applying to non-bsw MSW programs and post-degree online BSW programs for fall 2021. I will be applying to UofT 2 year MSW, Laurier online part-time MSW, Dal's distance post-degree BSW, Univ. of Manitoba post-degree online BSW and Univ. of Vic. post-degree online BSW. 

I applied to UofT straight out of my undergrad in 2014 and most recently Laurier's online part-time program for May 2020 start date, of course with no success. 

I graduated my undergrad with a degree in Global Studies from Laurier and since I have over 3 years experience working directly with newcomer children and youth and for over a year I have been working with refugee children and youth, trauma counselling. I completed an international practicum as well as different volunteer experiences through the years. My cgpa is low and my last year senior classes (for UofT) is a B and my research a B+. My grades aren't competitive but I am trying my luck as maybe my experience, statement and references will be enough. If not that's why I am trying to cover my bases with all the BSW programs. 

Fingers crossed and here's to everyone over the next while as we complete our applications and get to know each other. 

Can't wait to hear from all the future applicants. 

[mswcansm]

So glad you started this forum! I'm applying for Advanced Standing MSW programs as I currently hold a BA General with a concentration in Psychology and post-graduate BSW degree. 

So far I plan on applying to: U of T, Waterloo, Windsor, Lakehead and Dalhousie. I have about 6500 hours of experience including volunteering, paid employment and practicum. I have worked with children, individuals with disabilities and newcomers. My GPA from my BA General is about a B- and my GPA from my BSW is an A. 

I was planning on applying to Laurier, but after hearing they are very much experience-based and prefer well-versed candidates, I am deciding not to. 

If anyone has any advice or thoughts, let me know :) Would love to hear.

[skittles15]

20 hours ago, MSW2020lm said:

Hi! Thanks for starting this forum

I will be applying to non-bsw MSW programs and post-degree online BSW programs for fall 2021. I will be applying to UofT 2 year MSW, Laurier online part-time MSW, Dal's distance post-degree BSW, Univ. of Manitoba post-degree online BSW and Univ. of Vic. post-degree online BSW. 

I applied to UofT straight out of my undergrad in 2014 and most recently Laurier's online part-time program for May 2020 start date, of course with no success. 

I graduated my undergrad with a degree in Global Studies from Laurier and since I have over 3 years experience working directly with newcomer children and youth and for over a year I have been working with refugee children and youth, trauma counselling. I completed an international practicum as well as different volunteer experiences through the years. My cgpa is low and my last year senior classes (for UofT) is a B and my research a B+. My grades aren't competitive but I am trying my luck as maybe my experience, statement and references will be enough. If not that's why I am trying to cover my bases with all the BSW programs. 

Fingers crossed and here's to everyone over the next while as we complete our applications and get to know each other. 

Can't wait to hear from all the future applicants. 

Nice to meet you

 How did you feel about your Laurier application for May 2020? I knew it was competitive but I didn't realize how competitive it was until I started reading people's comments on here! What start date are you applying again to Laurier? I am also applying to Laurier and Dal, and I find them so intimidating because Dal is $$$$ and Laurier is so unpredictable acceptance wise. 

Good Luck to you!!

[skittles15]

17 hours ago, mswcansm said:

So glad you started this forum! I'm applying for Advanced Standing MSW programs as I currently hold a BA General with a concentration in Psychology and post-graduate BSW degree. 

So far I plan on applying to: U of T, Waterloo, Windsor, Lakehead and Dalhousie. I have about 6500 hours of experience including volunteering, paid employment and practicum. I have worked with children, individuals with disabilities and newcomers. My GPA from my BA General is about a B- and my GPA from my BSW is an A. 

I was planning on applying to Laurier, but after hearing they are very much experience-based and prefer well-versed candidates, I am deciding not to. 

If anyone has any advice or thoughts, let me know Would love to hear.

Hello! Nice to meet you!

I will also be applying to Dal this round. Have you heard tips or advice for Dal in particular, I haven't heard much about it.

Last winter I only applied to Lakehead and it was a big mistake for me to only apply to 1 school. If you got into Lakehead would you do the Orillia or Thunder Bay Campus?

[mswcansm]

1 hour ago, skittles15 said:

Hello! Nice to meet you!

I will also be applying to Dal this round. Have you heard tips or advice for Dal in particular, I haven't heard much about it.

Last winter I only applied to Lakehead and it was a big mistake for me to only apply to 1 school. If you got into Lakehead would you do the Orillia or Thunder Bay Campus?

I haven't heard much about the Dalhousie program. I emailed an advisor yesterday about getting some more information. I am applying for their part-time online MSW program. Is that what you're applying to as well?

I know a lot of people regret only applying to 1-3 schools so I'm trying to broaden my chances of acceptance. I would be accepting for the Orillia campus with Lakehead.

It's all so nerve-racking, but I find that talking to apply who have their MSW's and have also gone through the application process helps a lot.

[skittles15]

5 minutes ago, mswcansm said:

I haven't heard much about the Dalhousie program. I emailed an advisor yesterday about getting some more information. I am applying for their part-time online MSW program. Is that what you're applying to as well?

I know a lot of people regret only applying to 1-3 schools so I'm trying to broaden my chances of acceptance. I would be accepting for the Orillia campus with Lakehead.

It's all so nerve-racking, but I find that talking to apply who have their MSW's and have also gone through the application process helps a lot.

I haven't heard much either, I have emailed an advisor before but all I got back was what was on their website. Yes I am applying to the part-time online version at Dal, it looks super interesting but super expensive. Im a bit nervous because I am only applying to Dal, Lakehead, and Laurier  I can't move right now so I am really stressed about getting accepted. 

Good luck on your applications, maybe we will end up at the same school!

[MSW2020lm]

6 hours ago, skittles15 said:

Nice to meet you

 How did you feel about your Laurier application for May 2020? I knew it was competitive but I didn't realize how competitive it was until I started reading people's comments on here! What start date are you applying again to Laurier? I am also applying to Laurier and Dal, and I find them so intimidating because Dal is $$$$ and Laurier is so unpredictable acceptance wise. 

Good Luck to you!!

I felt good about it. When I talked to admissions she stated that most people have over 4 years of experience and some like 20 years. I am applying to Jan 2021 start date. Are you advanced standing? 

[MSW2020lm]

On 5/18/2020 at 3:38 PM, mswcansm said:

So glad you started this forum! I'm applying for Advanced Standing MSW programs as I currently hold a BA General with a concentration in Psychology and post-graduate BSW degree. 

So far I plan on applying to: U of T, Waterloo, Windsor, Lakehead and Dalhousie. I have about 6500 hours of experience including volunteering, paid employment and practicum. I have worked with children, individuals with disabilities and newcomers. My GPA from my BA General is about a B- and my GPA from my BSW is an A. 

I was planning on applying to Laurier, but after hearing they are very much experience-based and prefer well-versed candidates, I am deciding not to. 

If anyone has any advice or thoughts, let me know Would love to hear.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you complete your post-degree BSW? 

Edited May 19, 2020 by MSW2020lm
spelling mistake

[skittles15]

38 minutes ago, MSW2020lm said:

I felt good about it. When I talked to admissions she stated that most people have over 4 years of experience and some like 20 years. I am applying to Jan 2021 start date. Are you advanced standing? 

Yes I am and applying for the Jan start date

[MSW2020lm]

2 minutes ago, skittles15 said:

Yes I am and applying for the Jan start date

Oh! I am a non-bsw applicant! 

[skittles15]

Just now, MSW2020lm said:

Oh! I am a non-bsw applicant! 

oh okay so different applicant pools! I still wish you good luck! it seems laurier accepts different types of people each year

[MSW2020lm]

39 minutes ago, skittles15 said:

oh okay so different applicant pools! I still wish you good luck! it seems laurier accepts different types of people each year

Our applications are generally the same. Good luck to you as well  Ya, very diverse applicants. What is your experience??

[mswcansm]

7 hours ago, skittles15 said:

I haven't heard much either, I have emailed an advisor before but all I got back was what was on their website. Yes I am applying to the part-time online version at Dal, it looks super interesting but super expensive. Im a bit nervous because I am only applying to Dal, Lakehead, and Laurier  I can't move right now so I am really stressed about getting accepted. 

Good luck on your applications, maybe we will end up at the same school!

I haven't looked at tuitions costs at Dal yet. How much are they? 

Good luck to you as well

[mswcansm]

2 hours ago, MSW2020lm said:

If you don't mind me asking, where did you complete your post-degree BSW? 

I completed my post-degree BSW at the University of Waterloo.

[skittles15]

13 hours ago, mswcansm said:

I haven't looked at tuitions costs at Dal yet. How much are they? 

Good luck to you as well

I can't remember exactly but I believe their tuition is the second most expensive in Canada 

[angelicpiano]

I am very interested in the U of Toronto program, maybe York University. That is my backup.

[angelicpiano]

I am applying to the MSW program at U of Toronto this year or the September 2021 intake. In particular the 2 year program as I do not have a BSW. The admission requirements state that you need a minimum B+ in your final year, however transcripts are to be sent in by November. I contacted the department and it seems that the admissions will be based last year's grades. Last year I had a health crisis in my fourth year and had to drop some courses. I got to A's, but also a C and a D+. I did well before that year. Anyways, I am doing a fifth year with full course load. I am worried about  my possibility for acceptance. I think I can do very well this year in terms of grades, but they will not get to see those grades.

I am very paranoid about getting in. I am applying to York's post BSW as backup.

My other issues is that I do not have much experience. I have a lot of volunteering in non-profits, but it is not neccesarily related to social work. I volunteer at a non-profit where I participate in piano concerts for patients in hospitals and senior homes. I also volunteer at a non-profit at York where I teach French and Russian and I am the language department manager there, so I also organized all of the language classes, events, hired volunteer teachers etc. Lastly I had volunteering from a senior care home in hghschool. I am not sure if this can count as social service volunteering. I just changed my career prospects and due to covid-19, I cannot get the volunteering I planned for this year.

 

[mswto21]

Thanks @skittles15 for starting this thread! I came across this site a few weeks ago and have been lurking ever since. 

I've been back and forth on deciding whether or not I want to do my MSW right after I finish my BSW next year as I've been in school since 2016 (2 college diplomas and now final year of BSW) and I'm kinda tired. But, I think with the circumstances around COVID, I feel like I'm kinda missing school and campus life so I think I'm going to apply anyways and see what happens. 

Like @angelicpiano I had some health and trauma issues this year and I'm afraid of not being accepted because I finished our first research course with a C and then this semester's course with a B- (to be fair, it could have been a lot higher but a multiple choice midterm worth a majority of the overall grade was the death of me). But, I'm hoping that my 2+ years of experience within the sector will help make up for that.

I have a 9 page Google Doc of MSW programs and so far, I think my top choices are U of T, York and Ryerson. I'm so bored during this pandemic that I'm already itching to start applications. Hope you are all keeping safe during this time!

Edited May 24, 2020 by mswto21
clarity

[skittles15]

Is anyone interested in the distance ed waterloo program? I just discovered it and I was looking for some more information!

[BellaMSW]

Hi everyone,

So I have actually applied to MSW programs for a September 2020 start date. Unfortunately I was declined from Lauriers part time online program, and waitlisted from York’s advanced standing and University of Toronto’s advanced standing. While there is still hope I may get in if people defer or decline I have already began planning what schools I will apply to for September 2021. 
 

Right not I am looking at York, UofT, and Ryerson. I was interested in the Waterloo program but it requires a stats course which I don’t have and not sure if I want to get. Applying was an extremely stressful process and not really looking forward to doing it again but I really want to pursue a masters. Social work is super competitive which most programs taking 25-50 people. From the feedback I have gotten your application needs to have lots of experience working in the field or something similar. Research and gpa is also another big one. Schools with thesis will look at your research course grade and that will play a large role in your acceptance. 
 

Wish everyone luck!

[PotentialMSW2021]

Hi all, 

I will be applying to Advanced Standing MSW programs as I currently hold a BSW degree from Dalhousie University. I did not have an undergraduate degree prior to this as I was accepted into the program after 2 years of working on my undergraduate degree in Psychology (minor in sociology specialized in social justice and inequality). I graduated from my BSW in May of 2019 and, since then, have worked with our provincial health authority as a Social Worker. I've been working for just over a year now and by the time I begin an MSW program (given I am accepted for September 2021) would have two full years of experience working as a social worker in the healthcare system.

My GPA from my BSW degree was a 3.98 on 4.3 scale. Also, from my degree I completed a 750hr practicum; however, from what I have heard I don't believe some MSW programs take those hours into consideration.. has anyone else heard this?

I continue to volunteer with a local youth group, home for individuals living with (dis)Abilities. I also have experience in human resources (policy development, employee engagement and wellness).

With all that being said, I'm still super nervous I won't get into an MSW program.. When I completed my degree I spoke with a WLU representative just to learn more about their program for future reference and she basically advised me that if i was not the top in my class/had 20 years of experience i should not bother applying (little scared from this haha) I would love to hear more about the programs if there are any current MSW students on here or graduated MSW students from some of the schools you have described. I'm interested in more of a clinical and/or healthcare focus as that is where my employment is at present. 

Goodluck everyone!! :)

[PotentialMSW2021]

On 5/19/2020 at 12:40 PM, skittles15 said:

I haven't heard much either, I have emailed an advisor before but all I got back was what was on their website. Yes I am applying to the part-time online version at Dal, it looks super interesting but super expensive. Im a bit nervous because I am only applying to Dal, Lakehead, and Laurier  I can't move right now so I am really stressed about getting accepted. 

Good luck on your applications, maybe we will end up at the same school!

Hi!! 

So, I completed my BSW at Dalhousie.. I cannot confirm their MSW is the same but, in my experience the focus was primarily social justice with practical applications. However, I noticed that this year they have implemented an additional course and, in speaking with some of the faculty I know, they said the program is now has more of a critical take on clinical practice but not as clinical as say WLU if that makes sense! I enjoyed the BSW and I love Dalhousie as a school. 

[MSW2020lm]

2 hours ago, PotentialMSW2021 said:

Hi all, 

I will be applying to Advanced Standing MSW programs as I currently hold a BSW degree from Dalhousie University. I did not have an undergraduate degree prior to this as I was accepted into the program after 2 years of working on my undergraduate degree in Psychology (minor in sociology specialized in social justice and inequality). I graduated from my BSW in May of 2019 and, since then, have worked with our provincial health authority as a Social Worker. I've been working for just over a year now and by the time I begin an MSW program (given I am accepted for September 2021) would have two full years of experience working as a social worker in the healthcare system.

My GPA from my BSW degree was a 3.98 on 4.3 scale. Also, from my degree I completed a 750hr practicum; however, from what I have heard I don't believe some MSW programs take those hours into consideration.. has anyone else heard this?

I continue to volunteer with a local youth group, home for individuals living with (dis)Abilities. I also have experience in human resources (policy development, employee engagement and wellness).

With all that being said, I'm still super nervous I won't get into an MSW program.. When I completed my degree I spoke with a WLU representative just to learn more about their program for future reference and she basically advised me that if i was not the top in my class/had 20 years of experience i should not bother applying (little scared from this haha) I would love to hear more about the programs if there are any current MSW students on here or graduated MSW students from some of the schools you have described. I'm interested in more of a clinical and/or healthcare focus as that is where my employment is at present. 

Goodluck everyone!!

Hi! Did you complete your BSW online at Dal? I am looking into online BSW options incase I don't get into the MSW. Thanks!

[mswcansm]

On 5/28/2020 at 12:03 AM, BellaMSW said:

Hi everyone,

So I have actually applied to MSW programs for a September 2020 start date. Unfortunately I was declined from Lauriers part time online program, and waitlisted from York’s advanced standing and University of Toronto’s advanced standing. While there is still hope I may get in if people defer or decline I have already began planning what schools I will apply to for September 2021. 
 

Right not I am looking at York, UofT, and Ryerson. I was interested in the Waterloo program but it requires a stats course which I don’t have and not sure if I want to get. Applying was an extremely stressful process and not really looking forward to doing it again but I really want to pursue a masters. Social work is super competitive which most programs taking 25-50 people. From the feedback I have gotten your application needs to have lots of experience working in the field or something similar. Research and gpa is also another big one. Schools with thesis will look at your research course grade and that will play a large role in your acceptance. 
 

Wish everyone luck!

I am applying to U of T for Advanced Standing and was wondering what your grade was in your research methods course? If you don't mind sharing or want to personally message me. I'm a little worried about mine and considering on taking an additional research methods course.