Counselling Psychology Canadian Application Forum Fall 2023

[stillpsych]

Hi everyone! I am currently working on my applications for counselling psychology programs this Fall. Hoping for a Fall 2023 start! It is super early but I figured these forums were so helpful last year that I'd start one for this season. Best of luck to everyone!

[SACP786]

First time applicant here as well (only applying to uOttawa though). Feeling nervous but excited.

[ManukaHoney]

Thanks for creating this! I remember you from last years forum

This is my second time applying, this time I will apply to MSW programs as well (last time I only applied to the OISE counselling program).

Has anyone started working on their letters of intent?

 

[psyc1818]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:06 AM, bolthammer said:

I'm applying for next fall as well! How many programs are you all applying to? I think I'm at 9-10 at the moment. 

Which programs are you applying to?

[stillpsych]

I'm applying only to the OISE MEd in Counselling Psychology, my other programs are all MSWs. It's the only local counselling psychology programs, I have more options in my city with MSWs and I can't afford to move away for the program so my options are kind of limited. All in all, I'm applying to:

U of T MSW, OISE MEd, YorkU MSW, Laurier MSW online (this program is slightly longer but would allow me to keep my full-time job and I could complete my practicum at my workplace) and then Adler and Yorkville are also options but I'll wait on those applications since they're rolling applications.

[stillpsych]

@ManukaHoney yes I remember you too! I am just started the first drafts of my letters of intent and reaching out to references.

[ManukaHoney]

2 minutes ago, stillpsych said:

I'm applying only to the OISE MEd in Counselling Psychology, my other programs are all MSWs. It's the only local counselling psychology programs, I have more options in my city with MSWs and I can't afford to move away for the program so my options are kind of limited. All in all, I'm applying to:

U of T MSW, OISE MEd, YorkU MSW, Laurier MSW online (this program is slightly longer but would allow me to keep my full-time job and I could complete my practicum at my workplace) and then Adler and Yorkville are also options but I'll wait on those applications since they're rolling applications.

Yes same here, I am only applying to the OISE MED in counselling, as I also myself cannot relocate. I thought about applying to Guelph but the commute would be too much.

[SACP786]

For those who have applied before, how would you rank the competitiveness of each program? Intuitively I would think OISE, McGill, and Ottawa are among the toughest to get into just because of the sheer volume of applicants.

[psyc1818]

4 hours ago, bolthammer said:

UOttawa (MA and MEd), Guelph, OISE, Carleton, UNB, Acadia, Mount St Vincent (school psychology), McGill, aaaaand maybe Memorial and Concordia Alberta for their PsyD.  

Ouu which Mcgill program? I'm so sad the professional/internship concentration is still under revision this year ? 

Edited August 17, 2022 by psyc1818

[psyc1818]

46 minutes ago, Notorious K.I.M. said:

For those who have applied before, how would you rank the competitiveness of each program? Intuitively I would think OISE, McGill, and Ottawa are among the toughest to get into just because of the sheer volume of applicants.

I applied last year and I would say the most competitive programs that I applied to were OISE and McMaster!

[firefly500]

7 hours ago, Notorious K.I.M. said:

For those who have applied before, how would you rank the competitiveness of each program? Intuitively I would think OISE, McGill, and Ottawa are among the toughest to get into just because of the sheer volume of applicants.

When I applied to Ottawa last year, I was told during an informal interview with a potential supervisor that there were 527 applicants for 24 spots. I hadn't been overly anxious about my application until I was told that... ha.

[SACP786]

19 hours ago, psyc1818 said:

I applied last year and I would say the most competitive programs that I applied to were OISE and McMaster!

I heard OISE received over 1000 applications last year ? Might have something to do with COVID because, even though the number of applicants has been steadily increasing, the spike is certainly an anomaly. 

12 hours ago, firefly500 said:

When I applied to Ottawa last year, I was told during an informal interview with a potential supervisor that there were 527 applicants for 24 spots. I hadn't been overly anxious about my application until I was told that... ha.

Yeah I also heard the same thing! Although I'm pretty sure there are ~30 spots for just the course-based MEd stream alone. I think the research paper option & thesis have around 5-6 spots per stream. On paper the difference looks marginal but hopefully you feel more hopeful.

I'm not sure which stream to apply to. I'm working towards my MA in educational psychology now (w/ thesis) so I'm thinking I could be competitive for uOttawa's thesis counselling program but I might just apply to the course-based program to cover my bases.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Notorious K.I.M.

[firefly500]

39 minutes ago, Notorious K.I.M. said:

Yeah I also heard the same thing! Although I'm pretty sure there are ~30 spots for just the course-based MEd stream alone. I think the research paper option & thesis have around 5-6 spots per stream. On paper the difference looks marginal but hopefully you feel more hopeful.

I'm not sure which stream to apply to. I'm working towards my MA in educational psychology now (w/ thesis) so I'm thinking I could be competitive for uOttawa's thesis counselling program but I might just apply to the course-based program to cover my bases.

Fortunately, I was admitted to the thesis stream! I'm back on this forum because I'm trying to decide if I'll apply for PhD programs after (I know it's early, but I love to plan :P).

When I applied, I applied to the MA and MEd (major research paper) streams with the hopes that I'd get into the MA because I wanted to keep the door open for further education. What are your end goals career-wise? You sound like you could be a good fit for the thesis stream, especially if your research interests align with a potential supervisor.

[SACP786]

2 hours ago, firefly500 said:

Fortunately, I was admitted to the thesis stream! I'm back on this forum because I'm trying to decide if I'll apply for PhD programs after (I know it's early, but I love to plan :P).

When I applied, I applied to the MA and MEd (major research paper) streams with the hopes that I'd get into the MA because I wanted to keep the door open for further education. What are your end goals career-wise? You sound like you could be a good fit for the thesis stream, especially if your research interests align with a potential supervisor.

Oh that's amazing - congrats!! Where were you thinking of applying? A lot of the PhD students I've worked with at McGill actually come uOttawa's MA program. They've had nothing but positive things to say about the program!

As for my goals, I actually want to be a school psychologist but since there are so few programs in the country I'm shooting for counselling as well. Most schools will let you do your practicum in a school board so it shouldn't be too much extra work getting licensed as a school psychologist. uOttawa is also about 2 hours from where I live so it would be super convenient than uAlberta or UBC.

I think the thesis stream would be great in terms of getting more pubs/presentation credits since there are a lot more opportunities for research (which is important since I eventually do want to get my PhD in school psych). I've heard that it's really difficult to get a spot in the MA program but I'm hoping 4 years of RA work, an honours thesis, an MA thesis, and volunteer work will make me competitive! I sent out a few emails already to meet with faculty and everyone has been really kind so far. 

[lemoncheesecake]

Hello! I'm a first time applicant, and an international student. I'm so excited to see this thread, because I have questions about the "unwritten rules" of applying & was wondering if anyone here could share their experiences with what some expectations are when you're applying to research-based MA Counselling programs (with an intention to continue to a PhD)? I'm not fully done shortlisting yet but I know for sure I'll be applying to McGill, the OISE clinical+counselling program and Calgary. Most of them say that it isn't necessary to contact faculty before applying for an MA - is this true? Also, I haven't found much official information about interviews - are those usually part of an MA process?

[carlrogersfan98]

On 8/18/2022 at 12:38 PM, lemoncheesecake said:

Hello! I'm a first time applicant, and an international student. I'm so excited to see this thread, because I have questions about the "unwritten rules" of applying & was wondering if anyone here could share their experiences with what some expectations are when you're applying to research-based MA Counselling programs (with an intention to continue to a PhD)? I'm not fully done shortlisting yet but I know for sure I'll be applying to McGill, the OISE clinical+counselling program and Calgary. Most of them say that it isn't necessary to contact faculty before applying for an MA - is this true? Also, I haven't found much official information about interviews - are those usually part of an MA process?

Some people may disagree with me, but I would say overall the contacting faculty thing is true, contrary to popular belief. Most of the time, when I contacted faculty last year, they simply gave me a generic "your interests are a good fit with mine, yes I am taking students" response; most of them did not offer to meet ahead of time or anything. Furthermore, I didn't even bother contacting my POI at OISE when I applied because I assumed they must get so many inquiries and that I was surely not going to get in anyways... yet I got an interview! 

Maybe contact your absolute top choices, especially if you have something unique to say to them (for example, a blog post that my current POI wrote really resonated with me, and so I made sure to tell them that when inquiring about supervision - I think my personal connection to their work helped me stand out a bit!). But if you're crunched for time and just want to toss the application in, I wouldn't worry about contacting POI's in advance as long as you've strongly presented your case for why they are a good supervision fit in your SOP.

 

[carlrogersfan98]

FYI everyone - there is a very active Discord server for applicants to clinical & counselling psychology programs across North America! I made lots of friends in this server and it was so helpful to me when applying last year. There's plenty of Canadian applicants in here too, as well as a whole channel dedicated to Canada-specific discussions and questions. Definitely recommend joining!

https://discord.gg/2eMyWJrc

[psyc1818]

To those applying to UOttawa for the Counselling (MEd) program... wondering if you will be talking about research in your letter of intent? I know some of the prompts centre a lot around research but I know for the MEd program specifically we won't be doing research. 

[Par88]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:35 PM, carlrogersfan98 said:

FYI everyone - there is a very active Discord server for applicants to clinical & counselling psychology programs across North America! I made lots of friends in this server and it was so helpful to me when applying last year. There's plenty of Canadian applicants in here too, as well as a whole channel dedicated to Canada-specific discussions and questions. Definitely recommend joining!

https://discord.gg/2eMyWJrc

Hello it seems that the link has expired, could you please send another one. Thank you

[Par88]

On 8/17/2022 at 9:35 PM, psyc1818 said:

I applied last year and I would say the most competitive programs that I applied to were OISE and McMaster!

I wanted to gain some insight from you if that's okay, I'm an international student with a GPA of 3.7, and I don't have any publications or research experience. Is there a university you think I'd have a chance at for masters in psychology disciplines(not including clinical) in Canada ? Is it best if I go with a course based or thesis based option ?

[clinpsych2022]

For any undergraduate students looking to apply to clinical/school/counselling psychology, the Canadian Psychological Association has a mentorship program where mentees (undergrads) can connect with current grad students to talk about the application process, interviewing strategies, and their process for getting accepted to grad school (among other things)! Please see this message about the program from CPA below:

"Calling all undergraduate students! We have extended the deadline for mentees to apply to the CPA Student Mentorship Program! Submit your applications by September 5th at 11:59PM EST and don’t miss out on a great opportunity to get involved and learn more about graduate school, career paths, and more! Find out how to apply at cpa.ca/students/mentorship/. If you have any questions or want to send in your application, contact the program coordinator at chairelect.cpastudentsection@gmail.com."

[sydney18]

Has anyone completed the OUAC application for U Ottawa MEd and not received uoZone access yet? I've been waiting for almost a month! 

[stillpsych]

does anyone else feel extremely anxious that they don't meet the requirements at all and have zero chance and should just give up or is it just me? LOL

[VioletFrostMoon]

Hey everyone, I'm applying to Uottawa's M.ED Counselling program, course-based option. I was wondering if anyone knew what kinds of experience/qualifications they're looking for?

[psychbee]

Hi everyone! I’m wondering if there are any current counselling grad students in here who can help! 

Like I’m sure a lot of people are experiencing, it’s nearly impossible to get a “counselling related” job right out of undergrad.

That being said, I’m wondering if anyone has taken counselling courses and had that help their application? I’ve been thinking about starting an online one at george brown, or completing the online series at Laurier. 

My hold up is that the fees for the Laurier one are like $2000 total, and I don’t want to do it if they don’t see it as an asset to my application anyways. 

Open to any advice/suggestions!