MSW 2022 CANADA APPLICATION FORUM

[madamemsw2022]

Hello everyone

I just wanted to start a forum for everyone interested in applying for MSW programs for September 2022. The previous forums were quite helpful, and it would be nice to connect with others!

 

thank you 

[imogenchubarr]

Hello, everyone!!  Currently getting a spreadsheet set up for my application process -- super stoked to get going on this.  I'm planning to apply for sure to U of T, York, Ryerson, and McMasters; thinking about Laurier and Carleton.  Also planning on applying for some of the big scholarships to hopefully get some money together to finance my studies, so planning to start working on that as well.

[Jillianjiggs]

hi!

I applied recently to the May '22 start at Laurier.

I'm only applying to distance schools this go around, because I have a full time job and a mortgage! I've been volunteering or working in the field since ~2007 ahead of my BSW start.

Background:

• ~25,000 hours of paid/volunteer social work experience (residential youth care-2yr, child protection-3yr, emergency social services-5yr, disaster services-5yr, two BSW placements, forensic mental health); 20k was after BSW
• 2011 3.4/4 BSW, 2021 3.5/4 BA in Law/Sociology and Psych, Indigenous Studies certificate
• 88.3% over last ten courses (30 CH)
• 80% over last twenty courses (60 CH)
• 81% over last ten BSW courses
• Research assistant/teaching assistant for two semesters during BSW

Considering a thesis route and was approached by someone in my field of interest based on coursework completed during my BA/Indigenous Studies Cert so having an existential crisis over that, but that is for another day to solve!

 

[M.grad]

Hi everyone! Has anyone applied to the Windsor working profesionals program for a January 2022 start? I'm waiting to hear from them. If so how long did a response take? 

[MSW2022]

On 7/29/2021 at 7:34 AM, M.grad said:

Hi everyone! Has anyone applied to the Windsor working profesionals program for a January 2022 start? I'm waiting to hear from them. If so how long did a response take? 

I applied June 15 but haven't heard back yet!

 

[EastCoastCanadian]

Hey!

Is anyone applying to a 1 Year MSW right out of their BSW? Is that possible or do most have work experience? Thanks!

[never stop dreaming]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to say hello and good luck to everyone that is applying for this admissions cycle! Looking forward to chatting with you all during the waiting game ?

[FrostyMoon]

Hey everyone! Thought I could offer a guide for prospective applicants in figuring out which MSW programs might align best with their personal and career interests as someone who was admitted into an MSW program during last year’s admission cycle. I went through all of the accredited English-language MSW programs in Canada and subjectively categorized their area of specialization based on the university’s description of their program and what types of courses they offer. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, but it might help folks with figuring out which universities to apply for. 

Child Welfare: McGill, UBC Vancouver, UNBC, UofT.

These universities may offer a degree specialization in child and family welfare or have a significant amount of courses that involve social work practice with vulnerable children, youth, and families. If you are looking to work in or closely with child protective services, these MSW programs will offer a great selection of courses in this area.  

Clinical: Calgary, Laurier, UBC Okanagan, UofT.

One of the most commonly asked questions on these threads is whether or not a MSW program is clinically-focused. These universities have a strong focus in clinical social work practice and the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of people with mental illness. Both UofC and UofT offer degree specializations in Clinical Practice/Mental Health while UBCO’s MSW program is entirely specialized towards clinical social work practice. Laurier allows you to tailor your elective courses to either clinical micro-level practice or community macro-level practice. Additionally, all four MSW programs provide students the opportunity to pursue a thesis prior to graduating. If you are looking to practice in a clinical or counselling capacity in the future, these universities will offer a strong selection of courses that deal with clinical practice, administering psychological assessments, and working in mental health settings. 

Generalist: Carleton, Dalhousie, Lakehead, UFV, Western, Windsor.

You can’t really go wrong with universities that offer advanced generalist MSW programs. These universities don’t have a targeted curriculum focus for their MSW program, but you can usually pick-and-choose which courses or area of practice (e.g., aging, child welfare, international development) you want to specialize in. Other universities listed here may already have a predetermined course sequence for their MSW program, which provide a balance for direct and indirect practice. If you want to get a well-rounded education that allows you to practice across all levels of social work, an advanced generalist program might be an appropriate option for you.

Gerontology: Lakehead, UofT.

These MSW programs offer a degree specialization in social work practice with older adults and their families. If you are looking to work closely with aging populations in long-term care facilities, assisted-living facilities, hospices, and nursing homes, these universities will offer a solid foundation for future practice in this area. 

Indigenous Knowledge: Laurier, Manitoba, UNBC, UofR, UofT, UVic.

These universities may offer a degree specialization in Indigenous Knowledge or have a significant amount of course offerings which directly relate to Indigenous communities or draw on Indigenous ways of knowing. If you would like to work closely with Indigenous populations or want to engage in anti-oppressive or decolonizing practice, these MSW programs might be a good fit for you.

Medical: McGill, UBC Vancouver, Waterloo.

These universities offer a stream in or have an explicitly strong focus on social work policy and practice within the healthcare system. In other words, both macro-level and micro-level practice in the healthcare context are covered in their curriculum. If you are looking to support patients and families in hospitals, community clinics, public health agencies, and other healthcare settings, these MSW programs may be one of the better options available. 

Social Justice: McMaster, Ryerson/X University, UVic, York.

These universities have a strong focus on social justice and social work practice that is heavily grounded in critical theory. If you’re looking to engage in anti-oppressive and reflexive practice with marginalized communities, these MSW programs are great options to consider.

Social Policy: Calgary, Laurentian, Laurier, Manitoba, McGill, Memorial, Ryerson/X University, UBC Vancouver, UofR, UofT. 

These MSW programs will place a strong emphasis on social policy. If you are looking to engage in macro-level practice in public health settings or federal/provincial/municipal government agencies, you might want to consider these programs. 

Thesis: Calgary, Carleton, Dalhousie, Lakehead, Laurentian, Laurier, Manitoba, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, UBC Okanagan, UBC Vancouver, UNBC, UofR, UofT, UVic. 

These universities offer a thesis option for MSW students. If you are looking to pursue doctoral studies (i.e., DSW or a PhD in Social Work) in the future or are thinking about a career in program evaluation and research, these programs provide that opportunity for conducting original research and completing a thesis prior to graduating with your MSW degree. 

[dani973]

Thank you for creating this! I am very excited to start this process but also nervous as I have been out of the academia world for 5 years now and am a bit overwhelmed! 

I really appreciate the post made by @FrostyMoon as I have been struggling to narrow down which schools I would like to apply to. I am currently a teacher, but am currently really interested in education and care around death and dying and am hoping to focus in on that during my program. The big question is around picking a program that will leave me with a wide range of options  as I don't want to pigeon hole myself.

How are you all going about deciding which schools to apply for?

Also have been really trying to figure out if my teaching experience will count toward the social work experience. I really believe that it should as teaching is so much more than just instruction, but I am nervous it wont be seen that way. Has anyone had any experience with this? 

[M.grad]

On 7/30/2021 at 9:05 AM, MSW2022 said:

I applied June 15 but haven't heard back yet!

 

Are you still waiting to hear? They say 6-8 weeks but I have heard of people getting a response much sooner. I was hoping to know by now. So much stress in waiting!

[MSW2022]

On 8/8/2021 at 9:12 PM, M.grad said:

Are you still waiting to hear? They say 6-8 weeks but I have heard of people getting a response much sooner. I was hoping to know by now. So much stress in waiting!

Still waiting! I know right I was hoping they'd be faster. Now that it's online too it's made me even more interested!

When did you apply?

[M.grad]

6 minutes ago, MSW2022 said:

Still waiting! I know right I was hoping they'd be faster. Now that it's online too it's made me even more interested!

When did you apply?

I applied July 9th. Even I was hoping to hear by now but if you haven't then it might be a while. I wish I applied sooner I hope applying this late isn't what effects my chances of getting in. 

[Pastalini]

Hi,

I am graduating with my BSW from Dalhousie in September, I am hoping to do my MSW as soon as possible, but I don't have any paid work experience in the social work realm. (I have a BA in Criminology already, I went directly from one degree to the other). I have a 3.81 GPA, an A+ in my research course, and have over 1000 hours of volunteer experience in the last few years.  My top schools are York, U of T, Carlton, Waterloo, Laurier, and UBC. Do folks think it would be worth it to spend money to apply this fall, or should I wait to get a year or two of paid work experience prior to applying? 

TIA!

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by SL277709
added key information others had included in their posts that I had not considered

[madamemsw2022]

Hey Friends :)

I am so excited to see others starting to apply as well, despite applications not opening up for a short period of time yet. I made a spreadsheet of the top schools that I am considering applying to. For reference, I am a 4th year BSW this year hoping to apply for the advanced standing masters for entry during Fall 2022. My top schools so far are King's at Western, Laurier and U of T. I am currently considering uWindsor as well :) If anyone has any advice regarding the application process, or any help with determining the level of competitiveness of each school please do not hesitate to reply to this thread! 

thank you so much and I'm excited to connect with you all :)

[madamemsw2022]

On 7/30/2021 at 6:18 PM, EastCoastCanadian said:

Hey!

Is anyone applying to a 1 Year MSW right out of their BSW? Is that possible or do most have work experience? Thanks!

Hey I am applying to a 1 year MSW right out of my BSW!! I think it depends on how much value is placed on experience, which differs from school to school :) 

[Pastalini]

33 minutes ago, madamemsw2022 said:

Hey Friends

I am so excited to see others starting to apply as well, despite applications not opening up for a short period of time yet. I made a spreadsheet of the top schools that I am considering applying to. For reference, I am a 4th year BSW this year hoping to apply for the advanced standing masters for entry during Fall 2022. My top schools so far are King's at Western, Laurier and U of T. I am currently considering uWindsor as well If anyone has any advice regarding the application process, or any help with determining the level of competitiveness of each school please do not hesitate to reply to this thread! 

thank you so much and I'm excited to connect with you all

Hi! I know that UofT puts a large emphasis on GPAs and your research methods course grade. I'm pretty sure Laurier chooses to put emphasis on work and volunteer hours in the field. UofT wants three references, so perhaps make two academic and one from work, while Laurier specifies that they want one academic reference and two from work/volunteering. 

[Pastalini]

37 minutes ago, madamemsw2022 said:

Hey Friends

I am so excited to see others starting to apply as well, despite applications not opening up for a short period of time yet. I made a spreadsheet of the top schools that I am considering applying to. For reference, I am a 4th year BSW this year hoping to apply for the advanced standing masters for entry during Fall 2022. My top schools so far are King's at Western, Laurier and U of T. I am currently considering uWindsor as well If anyone has any advice regarding the application process, or any help with determining the level of competitiveness of each school please do not hesitate to reply to this thread! 

thank you so much and I'm excited to connect with you all

I also have a spread sheet  I find its easiest to figure out what each school wants and do the general paperwork first (resumé, why I want to be a social worker, reference letters, transcripts...), then do the individualized paperwork last. I always take the most time and effort with the individualized paperwork, so it feels less heavy to have the other stuff out of the way by then. thats my process anyways. good luck!

 

[Pastalini]

38 minutes ago, madamemsw2022 said:

Hey I am applying to a 1 year MSW right out of my BSW!! I think it depends on how much value is placed on experience, which differs from school to school

thats what I'm aiming for too! I honestly do share your concerns, which is partly why I am applying to schools that have a reputation for focusing on GPAs and grades over work experience. 

[MSWJJ]

On 8/10/2021 at 3:16 PM, M.grad said:

I applied July 9th. Even I was hoping to hear by now but if you haven't then it might be a while. I wish I applied sooner I hope applying this late isn't what effects my chances of getting in. 

If you don't mind me asking, has your application status changed at all?

[MSWJJ]

On 8/10/2021 at 3:05 PM, MSW2022 said:

Still waiting! I know right I was hoping they'd be faster. Now that it's online too it's made me even more interested!

When did you apply?

If you don't mind me asking, has your application status changed at all?

[IWantMSW]

Hey everyone!

I'm glad @madamemsw2022 started this thread, I would've been lost without the previous years' threads, and I'm looking forward to connecting with everyone

I will be applying to the 2-year MSW programs at UofT, York, and King's.

I didn't think I will be applying this year, as I thought I didn't have enough experience. I got lucky, however, and after such a long time searching I've found a (paid) position in a settlement agency, and I am working to create programs for newcomers, especially seniors and children (hopefully around 600 hours). I have also been volunteering on a crisis line, and will have around 300 hours there. Before that, I've done a few research-related volunteering positions, which bring me around 2000 hours. I've had a few more less related volunteering positions as well. Overall, I am hoping to have just over 4,000 hours of social-services/research-related positions. 

My cGPA kinda sucks, because I've had a tough time when I started my degree, and it took me a while to figure my life out after that. However, I've completed my BA in psych with an A in the final year (from York, about 8.5 GPA), and have only received A's and A+'s in the last two years or so. I've done 3 research courses, stats I (A+), stats II (A) and research methods (A+). 

I've been putting a ton of work into the statements the past few months, as I understand that it counts a lot. 

Really not feeling all too confident about my application, but then, who does?! I've got a bunch of weak-spots that I have been trying to account for, like the lack of experience in the field (esp paid). Also, as I've mentioned, I've messed up a lot of my courses back in the day, before I got my head together. 

Still, I hope that I would have a chance to get in this year. 

Would love to hear from you guys!

p.s.  @FrostyMoon what an amazing contribution! Thank you so much!

 

[M.grad]

18 hours ago, MSWJJ said:

If you don't mind me asking, has your application status changed at all?

Not since July 23rd. It took from July 9th to 23rd to say in process. I just wish I knew an answer either way. 

[MSW2022]

On 8/18/2021 at 8:03 PM, MSWJJ said:

If you don't mind me asking, has your application status changed at all?

Nope. I applied June 15, on June 16 it changed, and it's been "in process" since.

[priawet]

Hi everyone! Happy to see this thread. 

I will be applying for the 2 year MSW with Laurier, King's, and Windsor. Thinking of also applying to Carleton. I have a Honours Bachelor of Science in Mental Health from U of T. Graduated with weaker grades, B+ final year and maybe a B overall. Higher grades in research and stat courses. Went on to do a post-grad program and now I am an Autism Therapist. Have around 4000 hours. I also volunteer as a mentor to a youth in my community (roughly 100 hours). 

I'm a bit concerned as my stats are less competitive than what I read from other applicants in previous threads but I am hoping my supplemental application is where I will truly shine. 

I'm looking forward to the next few months and to sharing this journey with you guys. If you have any tips or thoughts on my experience, please let me know! 

Edited September 5, 2021 by priawet

[HopeisthewaytoCope]

On 8/18/2021 at 9:18 PM, IWantMSW said:

Hey everyone!

I'm glad @madamemsw2022 started this thread, I would've been lost without the previous years' threads, and I'm looking forward to connecting with everyone

I will be applying to the 2-year MSW programs at UofT, York, and King's.

I didn't think I will be applying this year, as I thought I didn't have enough experience. I got lucky, however, and after such a long time searching I've found a (paid) position in a settlement agency, and I am working to create programs for newcomers, especially seniors and children (hopefully around 600 hours). I have also been volunteering on a crisis line, and will have around 300 hours there. Before that, I've done a few research-related volunteering positions, which bring me around 2000 hours. I've had a few more less related volunteering positions as well. Overall, I am hoping to have just over 4,000 hours of social-services/research-related positions. 

My cGPA kinda sucks, because I've had a tough time when I started my degree, and it took me a while to figure my life out after that. However, I've completed my BA in psych with an A in the final year (from York, about 8.5 GPA), and have only received A's and A+'s in the last two years or so. I've done 3 research courses, stats I (A+), stats II (A) and research methods (A+). 

I've been putting a ton of work into the statements the past few months, as I understand that it counts a lot. 

Really not feeling all too confident about my application, but then, who does?! I've got a bunch of weak-spots that I have been trying to account for, like the lack of experience in the field (esp paid). Also, as I've mentioned, I've messed up a lot of my courses back in the day, before I got my head together. 

Still, I hope that I would have a chance to get in this year. 

Would love to hear from you guys!

p.s.  @FrostyMoon what an amazing contribution! Thank you so much!

 

Hey There!

I am in the same boat as you in terms of level of experience and education. I'm curios to know which schools you're applying to?