Canadian MSW Applicants 2021

[BellaMSW]

5 hours ago, mswcansm said:

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.

I got an A in my research course 

[MSW2021RK]

I am planning to apply to MSW programs at UofT and Uwindsor (MSW for Working Professions) for fall 2021. Unfortunately my GPA is at the cutoff point (73%) but I have 4 years of experience in teaching and health promotion. Does anyone know how competitive Uwindsor MSW for Working Professions is? 

[mswcansm]

17 hours ago, BellaMSW said:

I got an A in my research course 

Thanks so much for replying. What kind and how much experience do you have in social work? Just trying to gauge if I should apply to U of T.

[BellaMSW]

6 hours ago, mswcansm said:

Thanks so much for replying. What kind and how much experience do you have in social work? Just trying to gauge if I should apply to U of T.

I am a recent graduate so I have 700 hours from my placement at a foster care agency. I have experience volunteering for multiple crisis lines like Kids Help Phone for over a year now. Experience as a teaching as assistant for 2 years. Also have work and volunteering experience working with seniors running programs. As well as one to one work with people living with physical and mental disabilities. 
While most of my social work experience is volunteer based I got hired at my placement so I am now working in the social work field full time. By the time September 2021 comes along I will have over a year of experience with my agency. 
 

I have a pretty high average in my social work program and especially in my last 2 years. I went to york and they have a 9 point gpa scale. Went I applied I had a 8 point average with A’s or B+’s in all my courses. 
 

U of T is the most competitive school. They have the most people applying from all over ontario and other places in the world. They take around a 100 or so students. If you are applying to advanced they have specializations. I’m not sure how many they take from each specialization but when I talked to the Gracie heads they said the child and family program is the most popular. Which just so happens to be the one I want to do. 
 

Hope this helps!

[BellaMSW]

19 hours ago, MSW2021RK said:

I am planning to apply to MSW programs at UofT and Uwindsor (MSW for Working Professions) for fall 2021. Unfortunately my GPA is at the cutoff point (73%) but I have 4 years of experience in teaching and health promotion. Does anyone know how competitive Uwindsor MSW for Working Professions is? 

I know someone who applied who had 6 years of experience working in the field and was denied. But then I also know someone who got in with 6 years of experience. I think there gpa made the difference especially on the research and stats course the school requires. Like most masters of social work program it is competitive and they really look and the type of experience one after completing there bsw and there education background. Strong references are also important. 

[MSW2020lm]

Hi Everyone! I will be applying to the non-bsw 2 year MSW at UofT. I received a B+ in an approved research methods course. Does anyone suggest maybe taking an Athabasca research course to upgrade? Has anyone done this? Will UofT look at the latest grade? Thanks!

[HopefulandCurious]

Like many people lurking around here I had applied to Laurier for May 2020 (part time, online) and was waitlisted; didn't make it in. 

I have also applied to Laurier again for the Jan 2021 intake; I figured there wasn't really much to lose and I'm a sitting duck until the Fall anyway because all other Fall 2020 applications had already closed by the time I heard back from the waitlist. Laurier is one of the only schools with 3 intakes, so I just applied again because it was open.

January folks are supposed to hear back September-ish, and pending that outcome I was debating applying to Waterloo and Dal for Fall 2021. Previously I had applied to just Laurier (once right out of my BA, pre-BSW, and then more recently). The application process is so mentally draining though that I really don't know if I want to apply to more schools or not.... But perhaps chances are higher elsewhere than just putting all my eggs in the Laurier basket! 

[mswcansm]

On 5/29/2020 at 11:10 PM, MSW2021RK said:

I am planning to apply to MSW programs at UofT and Uwindsor (MSW for Working Professions) for fall 2021. Unfortunately my GPA is at the cutoff point (73%) but I have 4 years of experience in teaching and health promotion. Does anyone know how competitive Uwindsor MSW for Working Professions is? 

From my understanding, this program is usually for individuals with 10-15 years of experience in the field.

[mswcansm]

On 5/30/2020 at 9:12 PM, MSW2020lm said:

Hi Everyone! I will be applying to the non-bsw 2 year MSW at UofT. I received a B+ in an approved research methods course. Does anyone suggest maybe taking an Athabasca research course to upgrade? Has anyone done this? Will UofT look at the latest grade? Thanks!

I have a B and I'm also looking into the same thing. Someone mentioned Athabasca but what is the course code? 

[BellaMSW]

Wondering if anyone would be interested in swapping statements once they are written? To help edit, or bring up things that could be added. May also be cool to get some inspiration or new ideas to write. 
 

I applied for MSW program for September 2020 and I did this with some friends who applied and found it helpful. Would love to do it with people I don’t personally know. 
 

If anyone is down you can dm me 

[Nancy Shi]

On 5/20/2020 at 3:00 PM, angelicpiano said:

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.

 

I am in a similar position have there been any updates for you?

[marymary1]

On 5/25/2020 at 11:53 AM, skittles15 said:

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

Hi! Are you referring to the 10-month BSW?

[skittles15]

12 hours ago, marymary1 said:

Hi! Are you referring to the 10-month BSW?

the msw  where you go for 1 week in-person at the beginning and end

[Kristine]

Hello, 

I applied to Lakehead for this year, and have been waitlisted. As it starts in a week or so, I guess I will not be getting in. Applied to Ryerson 3 year BSW and got rejected. I have an unrelated degree.
Does anyone know how it works when trying to bump up your GPA? If you take a new course will the oldest course in whatever last 1 or two years be eliminated, or is it the lowest grade?
Also, does anyone have any recommendations for courses to take?
Thanks

[skittles15]

2 hours ago, Kristine said:

Hello, 

I applied to Lakehead for this year, and have been waitlisted. As it starts in a week or so, I guess I will not be getting in. Applied to Ryerson 3 year BSW and got rejected. I have an unrelated degree.
Does anyone know how it works when trying to bump up your GPA? If you take a new course will the oldest course in whatever last 1 or two years be eliminated, or is it the lowest grade?
Also, does anyone have any recommendations for courses to take?
Thanks

Hi Kristine, 

It depends on the program! If you look at the admission requirements it will usually say the minimum average required and list a time frame, for example "applicants must have a minimum 75% average in their last 10 credits". Most programs follow the last 10 credits (2 years of full-time study) but not all so I recommend double checking the requirements for the programs you are interested in. That being said, if the institution does take the last 10 credits it will depend on your situation how many credits you will need to bump your GPA (meaning if you have a lower average in your last two years you may need to take a full year of credits to bump up your GPA, versus if you have a somewhat competitive GPA but want to raise it have a greater chance of being accepted you may only have to take one or two credits, it all depends on your situation). As your more recent courses are often used to calculate your application GPA (not your cumulative GPA), the older courses will not be used depending on when you have completed them - however - all grades are visible to admissions committees not just the last 2 years.

As for recommendations for courses to take I would recommend taking as many courses you can that are listed in a faculty of social work or social justice. It would likely look better to an admission committee if you already have an intro to social work course or something like that to show that you have some education and commitment to the field (I also recommend courses that may qualify as transfer credits to other insinuations in the future). 

 

[angelicpiano]

On 6/4/2020 at 1:00 PM, Nancy Shi said:

I am in a similar position have there been any updates for you?

I have not applied yet. I wanted to do the post-bsw at York, in case I don't get into the master's. I contacted the admissions and they said they are heavy on experience and my non-profit volunteering at York University is not enough to get in. They said it is highly competitive. I am taking a research methods course at Athabasca and a Psychology of Woman course. I am taking those in July. Hoping to score well, but the course seems very difficult. I am just freaking out about getting in. Applications are in November, so even if my grades improve, U of Toronto said they do not wait for your 4th year grades, essentially they go off of your 3rd year grades. I will let you know if I get any updates

[angelicpiano]

On 5/30/2020 at 8:12 PM, MSW2020lm said:

Hi Everyone! I will be applying to the non-bsw 2 year MSW at UofT. I received a B+ in an approved research methods course. Does anyone suggest maybe taking an Athabasca research course to upgrade? Has anyone done this? Will UofT look at the latest grade? Thanks!

I am taking the Research Methods for Social Science at Athabasca in July. I looked at the course material and assignments and it is hectic. There are three quizzes, one midterm, one essay, reviews of certain articles to write. On top of that you have to do an in depth research proposal with how you plan to conduct an actually project, then conduct the study, and write a finally paper which includes you methods, purpose of study, data, and interpretation. This is a 3 credit course. It is all online. I heard from some people that they tried really hard on an essay and got only 75. I myself am worried. The other psychology based research methods course at Athabsca was my other option. I decided against it because I heard a lot that a B+ is doable, but straight A's hard. I cannot comment on the other acceptable courses, but I am not sure it is a good option. How about this, I will take the course first. I plan to finish it by august if I try hard and I will let you know my first hand experience. From what I heard in most places.

In terms of weather or not they look at the second grade only, not sure for UofT, but I contacted York's program admission's staff and they said they only look at the second grade. Hopefully someone else know about U of T's policy. I also have some retakes and am worried about that.

[samsam99]

On 6/21/2020 at 11:45 PM, angelicpiano said:

I am taking the Research Methods for Social Science at Athabasca in July. I looked at the course material and assignments and it is hectic. There are three quizzes, one midterm, one essay, reviews of certain articles to write. On top of that you have to do an in depth research proposal with how you plan to conduct an actually project, then conduct the study, and write a finally paper which includes you methods, purpose of study, data, and interpretation. This is a 3 credit course. It is all online. I heard from some people that they tried really hard on an essay and got only 75. I myself am worried. The other psychology based research methods course at Athabsca was my other option. I decided against it because I heard a lot that a B+ is doable, but straight A's hard. I cannot comment on the other acceptable courses, but I am not sure it is a good option. How about this, I will take the course first. I plan to finish it by august if I try hard and I will let you know my first hand experience. From what I heard in most places.

In terms of weather or not they look at the second grade only, not sure for UofT, but I contacted York's program admission's staff and they said they only look at the second grade. Hopefully someone else know about U of T's policy. I also have some retakes and am worried about that.

Yesterday I emailed UofT on how they consider repeated courses and this is the reply I got:

"If you are applying for the two-year MSW Program, the GPA would be based on a full-course load of senior level credits, typically four or five full credits or equivalent, leading up to the awarding of your undergraduate degree. If it is necessary to go back to an earlier session, the Committee will review all the courses at the senior level in that particular session. If you are applying for the MSW Program with Advanced Standing, the GPA will be based on your final year of full-time study or equivalent"

So not really a direct response... 
 

 

[MSW204Bri]

Hi all!

Wanted to chime in my experience... I flip flop every day on whether I need to go for an accelerated bsw or to apply to MSW programs!?! 

For education:

I did a 4 years bachelor's degree at University of Manitoba (my home province) in Recreation Management & Community Development (BRMCD) in april 2019.

My first couple years I didn't do well in Uni due to some family loss and mental health woes. Once I got into my faculty I turned it around. Cgpa is 3.6/4.5 and Agpa is 4.1/4.5. I was awarded the University Medal for graduating with the highest standing in my program which was such an honour considering how low I felt at one point!

Prior, I had been a mentor at BBBS (Big Brothers Big Sisters) since I was a teen, worked 3 summers planning programming for the youth, and have served 3 terms as a delegate on their National Youth Council. 

While studying, I worked as an adult mentor in an afterschool Indigenous mentorship program, and conducted a literature review of mentoring programs in Canada. I also worked briefly as a research assistant on a related project. 

I try to volunteer a lot. Since graduating, I underwent the in-depth 3 month training to become a volunteer Pregnancy and Birth Control Counsellor at my local feminist health clinic. 

My 1st year out of Uni, I worked as a Caseworker/Mentoring Coordinator for BBBS. Doing assessments, intake, screening, monitoring of matches, etc.

I was unfortunately laid off during COVID... but I recently became employed working in Therapeutic Recreation at a hospital in our regional health authority. I do assessments, charting, care plans and plan therapeutic interventions for marginalized folks in a transitional care unit. The programs aim to increase the patients social, mental, physical and community well-being.  

I don't know if my degree practicum is relevant too, or other random things I'm involved in. I'm paranoid that since I'm applying a few years after Uni that my professors will have forgotten me!!

I'm also paranoid that my undergraduate degree isn't related enough to social work, despite it being very rooted in non-profit and community work. 

For schools I'm interested in... ack... anywhere that will take me ? the dream being maybe Wilfred Laurier (which I know is basically impossible), so otherwise maybe U of Calgary, Western University, UBC-O, Dalhousie.... idk!!

 

[MSW2020lm]

10 hours ago, MSW204Bri said:

Hi all!

Wanted to chime in my experience... I flip flop every day on whether I need to go for an accelerated bsw or to apply to MSW programs!?! 

For education:

I did a 4 years bachelor's degree at University of Manitoba (my home province) in Recreation Management & Community Development (BRMCD) in april 2019.

My first couple years I didn't do well in Uni due to some family loss and mental health woes. Once I got into my faculty I turned it around. Cgpa is 3.6/4.5 and Agpa is 4.1/4.5. I was awarded the University Medal for graduating with the highest standing in my program which was such an honour considering how low I felt at one point!

Prior, I had been a mentor at BBBS (Big Brothers Big Sisters) since I was a teen, worked 3 summers planning programming for the youth, and have served 3 terms as a delegate on their National Youth Council. 

While studying, I worked as an adult mentor in an afterschool Indigenous mentorship program, and conducted a literature review of mentoring programs in Canada. I also worked briefly as a research assistant on a related project. 

I try to volunteer a lot. Since graduating, I underwent the in-depth 3 month training to become a volunteer Pregnancy and Birth Control Counsellor at my local feminist health clinic. 

My 1st year out of Uni, I worked as a Caseworker/Mentoring Coordinator for BBBS. Doing assessments, intake, screening, monitoring of matches, etc.

I was unfortunately laid off during COVID... but I recently became employed working in Therapeutic Recreation at a hospital in our regional health authority. I do assessments, charting, care plans and plan therapeutic interventions for marginalized folks in a transitional care unit. The programs aim to increase the patients social, mental, physical and community well-being.  

I don't know if my degree practicum is relevant too, or other random things I'm involved in. I'm paranoid that since I'm applying a few years after Uni that my professors will have forgotten me!!

I'm also paranoid that my undergraduate degree isn't related enough to social work, despite it being very rooted in non-profit and community work. 

For schools I'm interested in... ack... anywhere that will take me ? the dream being maybe Wilfred Laurier (which I know is basically impossible), so otherwise maybe U of Calgary, Western University, UBC-O, Dalhousie.... idk!!

 

Hi there! 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Firstly, I would suggest to apply to both MSW and post-degree BSW's. You never know which ones you will get into/not get into but you want to cover your bases! (this is what I am doing this year)

It sounds like you have great experience! I would reach out to uni profs now and let them know that you are applying to programs shortly and were wondering if you could use them as a reference. Don't feel bad, it is a BIG part of their jobs. YES, include your uni practicum. ALL experience is good experience. Some apps allow you to showcase all experience and some ask for purely social service experience (which it sounds like you have quite a bit!). Your degree is very relevant. My suggestion to you is apply broadly, focus on your written statements and references and you will get in  Sending you all the vibes in your journey!

[MSW2021RK]

On 5/30/2020 at 5:46 PM, BellaMSW said:

I know someone who applied who had 6 years of experience working in the field and was denied. But then I also know someone who got in with 6 years of experience. I think there gpa made the difference especially on the research and stats course the school requires. Like most masters of social work program it is competitive and they really look and the type of experience one after completing there bsw and there education background. Strong references are also important. 

Thank you for your comment! Are you referring to the Regular track program or the Advanced for UWin MSWwp?

[cathySW]

Hi everyone, 

So glad this thread has been started. I'm hoping to apply for my MSW for next fall. I already have my BSW, so I will applying for the 1 year programs. So, far I am looking into McMaster, Calgary, Western and maybe Waterloo and Windsor (still debating on taking the stats course). I was wondering if anyone has any experience applying or any information for these programs, looking into admissions, all the programs are so competitive which is so nerve-wracking!

[ntsgrg]

On 5/29/2020 at 11:10 PM, MSW2021RK said:

I am planning to apply to MSW programs at UofT and Uwindsor (MSW for Working Professions) for fall 2021. Unfortunately my GPA is at the cutoff point (73%) but I have 4 years of experience in teaching and health promotion. Does anyone know how competitive Uwindsor MSW for Working Professions is? 

Hey, I am also applying for this program. Just out of curiosity are you speaking about your cgpa or your last two years? 

[skittles15]

I plan on applying to Laurier and Waterloo as my top two choices, then Dalhousie as my third, and Lakehead as my fourth. Does anybody have any suggestions/tips/experiences/advice for any of these schools? 

[m92]

Hey everyone! Just stopping by as I visited a few months ago prior to seeing if any schools were doing late intakes due to COVID19, thought I would sign up and ask a question since time is nearing for applications to be accepted at a lot of schools.

Two questions, one easy and one hard:

1) Nobody seems to mention UVic, is there any reason for this? Just curious.

2) My resume is by no means as impressive let alone in comparison to anyone else's, I've read most of last years thread, as well as this years and all of you have AMAZING CV's. My resume fits the requirements for most programs offering some sort of non-BSW entry but it's by no means competitive. I don't have too many hours of professional (paid/unpaid) human services experience, mostly from 6 years of coaching Special Olympics and volunteering on my university/college campuses, but that's it. It's a field I admittedly "stumbled upon" as I didn't have a ton of knowledge about the field until I started exploring more during the pandemic/current political climate. However, I have decent grades, have completed both stats and research methods, the latter with a high 70's. My GPA is a 3.3/4.0 and I definitely have some context to my grades being lower due to a newly diagnosed chronic illness during my undergrad but other than that it's a basic profile. Sadly, due to discovering the field late and with the pandemic, there aren't any ways to obtain work experience in my area except for through the Crisis Text Line which I will be looking to do regardless as it just seems like a great opportunity. I've reached out and due to the pandemic there just aren't ways to bring new hires in to volunteer, let alone work.

I think my potential is my upside, however, given the reality, is it even worth applying? I definitely got into the grove of things and reading everyones perspectives on various programs it seems as though a lot offer critical takes on the field as well as in other areas that social work is utilized (policy, healthcare etc.,) and for me that is as those are topics I readily engaged with in my undergrad (Political Science). The only saving-grace I have is that some schools mention two to three additional criteria that I hold which may give me preference in the application process. The first is that I'm a black person; the second being that I'm a POC, the two sometimes being stated separately or together; and finally I have a disability. I know they aren't earth-shattering circumstances, but if it's listed, I certainly want to capitalize on that, however, ultimately, I know that my CV/application itself is on the weaker side.

I know you can't sink a shot you don't take, but I don't know if it's even worth it? I'm kind of at a point where if I apply, 2021 would be the year, but the reality is applications are also costly, very costly, and I don't want to apply being potentially lowly qualified. I definitely have less than 1000 hours and there is no way I'll be getting to 3000 by the time applications roll around, that's about 8 hours per day over the next 52 weeks and sadly I've got to make money to live, let alone pay for apps. So what does everyone think? PS you can be honest, I don't mind.