Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2012 admissions

[Nala851]

I know some people are reporting having received offers of admission for York's MSW program. Are these offers for the 1-year or 2-year program? I've applied for the 2-year program and been told by the department that offers won't be mailed out until the end of April. I believe that the 1-year program receives offers first.

Of course I've checked York's MyFile obsessively every day since I applied in December. Really glad I did check, though, as I found out in January that I was declined. I called them to follow-up as I didn't understand why I was rejected so early in the game. If I hadn't called them, I wouldn't have discovered that they made a mistake in calculating my GPA (they calculated it at "C" which is below the minimum requirement, and my actual average is "A-"). After about a week, I was able to get them to fix the error and I was put back in the application process. Subsequently, I was nearly removed again because they said I'd only submitted two references, when in fact I'd submitted three (and MyFile showed they'd all been received). After another worrying week, they found they had all three references.

If anyone received a rejection, I'd suggest a follow-up just to ensure that it wasn't due to an administrative error.

Hi Laurie S, I applied to the two-year msw program and have received acceptance from York. Perhaps, the rest of the remaining offers will be mailed out by then. Most social work departments do start with the advanced standing applicants and then the two-year applicants. However, I know that there are times when both the advanced standing applicants and the two-year applicants receive their results at the same time. The two-year program has about 20 people and the one-year program has about 50 people at York. I was told those stats in an information fair by York's Faculty of Social Work. Since, York is such a small program, I suspect that this is the case. I was surprised to hear back from York as I was anticipating that I would not hear from them until ending of April may be May. However, they were the first program to get back to me. I have yet to hear from U of T and Wilfrid Laurier. Those are much larger programs. I believe U of T has about 125-140 spots and Laurier has about 90 spots. Anyways Good Luck!

Btw I also had that problem with York and the recommendation letters not showing up on the online portal too!

[Laurie S.]

Hi Laurie S, I applied to the two-year msw program and have received acceptance from York. Perhaps, the rest of the remaining offers will be mailed out by then. Most social work departments do start with the advanced standing applicants and then the two-year applicants. However, I know that there are times when both the advanced standing applicants and the two-year applicants receive their results at the same time. The two-year program has about 20 people and the one-year program has about 50 people at York. I was told those stats in an information fair by York's Faculty of Social Work. Since, York is such a small program, I suspect that this is the case. I was surprised to hear back from York as I was anticipating that I would not hear from them until ending of April may be May. However, they were the first program to get back to me. I have yet to hear from U of T and Wilfrid Laurier. Those are much larger programs. I believe U of T has about 125-140 spots and Laurier has about 90 spots. Anyways Good Luck!

Btw I also had that problem with York and the recommendation letters not showing up on the online portal too!

Congrats on your acceptance! If I don't get in and need to re-apply for 2013, would you mind if I speak with your further to see what criteria you met and what I might be missing? Still keeping my fingers crossed but I know that the odds are low due to the small class they accept every year.

[Nala851]

Congrats on your acceptance! If I don't get in and need to re-apply for 2013, would you mind if I speak with your further to see what criteria you met and what I might be missing? Still keeping my fingers crossed but I know that the odds are low due to the small class they accept every year.

Thanks Laurie S!! I will have my fingers crossed that you receive good news soon! If you do wish to speak to me about my application, I would be happy to help! I will say this though unfortunately we do not know what really goes on with the admission committees. When I spoke with York they told me that they look for candidates to really match their mission statement to your personal statement. For example, York is known as this socially progressive program and they really stress anti-oppression and anti-racism principles. On a different note, the mail came and I ran like a kid on Christmas day. I just found out I was waitlisted at U of T's MSW program. I am not surprised. U of T is known for its clinical work and I am more interested in the macro/social policy which York is known for. I will be taking my name off the waitlist. I hope this helps someone who really wants to go.

[heneyka]

Thanks for the insight, Nala! You're right about York being fairly competitive, so BIG congrats on that. It sounds like the perfect fit for you. I am luckily not holding out for it, although I know they often offer really decent funding!

Thanks for the congratulations on Carleton. It was a big surprise for me, actually, because I DON'T actually have the stats requirement - I thought at first that my two methodology classes that I submitted were enough, but recently discovered that completing a stats course is a condition of my admission that wasn't in my original letter of offer, which is a bit of a pain. No matter, if Carleton ends up being my only acceptance, I will make it work! My dad is a math teacher, so I should be able to use him as a resource

In the meantime, I have the (love/)hate on for Calgary right now. As mentioned, I called Thursday and they said they were sending out acceptances/rejections/everythings as we spoke, but it's been a week and nothing. I'm out-of-province so I know that mail can take a few days, but almost all Calgary results on the survey page suggest e-mail responses, so I'm going a little nutso. If anybody has heard, please let me know!

[lb01]

I received a letter today stating that I am on the wait list for U of T's 2 year MSW program. Does anyone have any information in regards to the likelihood of being offered admission from the wait list?

[ladybug3]

I received a letter today stating that I am on the wait list for U of T's 2 year MSW program. Does anyone have any information in regards to the likelihood of being offered admission from the wait list?

Hey! I was on the waitlist last year and may be joining you again this year [haven't yet got my letter, but I am quite North of TO]. Anyways, I know there were a few people last year who did. Last year they allowed about 4 weeks for people to accept/reject offers and then made a day of phone calls offering spots to those on the waitlist. Those offered a spot had about another two weeks to respond and the process started again until all spots were full. I believe people were offered spots until about June, however we got to find out 2 weeks earlier this year than last, so I'd assume all spots would be full by the end of May.

You could technically get accepted up until the day classes start [ie, someone changes their mind about going at the last minute] but it's unlikely. I received my rejection letter around September 26th. For the record, my online status last year did not change until OCTOBER. I had known I was officially rejected for a month and had been on the waitlist for 6 months.. in other words, don't take the status too seriously because it does not necessarily reflect reality.

[lb01]

Hey! I was on the waitlist last year and may be joining you again this year [haven't yet got my letter, but I am quite North of TO]. Anyways, I know there were a few people last year who did. Last year they allowed about 4 weeks for people to accept/reject offers and then made a day of phone calls offering spots to those on the waitlist. Those offered a spot had about another two weeks to respond and the process started again until all spots were full. I believe people were offered spots until about June, however we got to find out 2 weeks earlier this year than last, so I'd assume all spots would be full by the end of May.

You could technically get accepted up until the day classes start [ie, someone changes their mind about going at the last minute] but it's unlikely. I received my rejection letter around September 26th. For the record, my online status last year did not change until OCTOBER. I had known I was officially rejected for a month and had been on the waitlist for 6 months.. in other words, don't take the status too seriously because it does not necessarily reflect reality.

Thank you so much for the information!!! I will be anxiously waiting by my phone 4 weeks from now lol. It is certainly stressful but I am trying to be optimistic as I have no control over the situation right now. I recognize that being upset will not change anything and I should simply try to remain positive!

So if you are on the wait list and you are not called with an offer do you just receive a rejection letter in September?

I am hoping that I hear and am offered admission! I wish you all the best as well!!

[ladybug3]

Thank you so much for the information!!! I will be anxiously waiting by my phone 4 weeks from now lol. It is certainly stressful but I am trying to be optimistic as I have no control over the situation right now. I recognize that being upset will not change anything and I should simply try to remain positive! So if you are on the wait list and you are not called with an offer do you just receive a rejection letter in September? I am hoping that I hear and am offered admission! I wish you all the best as well!!

UofT did not contact me at all other than my waitlist letter (April 14, 2011) and a final rejection letter after the program had started. From what is said on the results survey, those who were later offered admission received a call from Angela and then an acceptance package later in the mail. I hope you get the phone call I am not really expecting to be accepted, but if I am, I am not sure if I am accepting. I have been offered a M.Ed position closer to home that allows me to do my own research in a more specific area of interest... so, if I get rejected I have an easy decision and if not, I have a lot of thinking to do.. hah

[Kofster]

Hi All,

I had been following this thread for sometime and I just thought I will add my two cents. I just got a letter in the mail today from U of T (2 year MSW) and I've been wait-listed. The letter said about 700 applications were received and the waiting list isn't ranked.. how they will make the choices when space becomes available beats me. But I will be monitoring the situation.. by the way my online status still remains 'under review. Also, I applied last year and I was rejected big time so I beefed up my grades as I was still in my final year. There is hope so don't fret, guys.. On the other hand, I have an MA offer from another school.. a great advice from one of my professors saved the day .. he simply said.. expand your horizon.. you never know and thats why I applied to other programs. I will be waiting to get the call from U of T, but if not I'm glad I will be doing a one year MA.

[heneyka]

I just had a dream that I was accepted to U of C with a graduate assistanceship....it was glorious. I hated waking up...

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

Hoping to hear from UofT tonight! Fingers crossed! Still haven't heard from York yet either

[Laurie S.]

Hey Stephanie, don't feel bad about not hearing back from York yet. Gina, the department secretary, said we'll know by the end of the month. I'm surprised to hear that one person has received an acceptance letter from them already, as I know they haven't finished reviewing the applications. But I'll wait another 3 weeks before I start to feel panicked

A number of people have referred to a "survey page." Can someone please tell me what that is?

Laurie

[Nala851]

I just had a dream that I was accepted to U of C with a graduate assistanceship....it was glorious. I hated waking up...

Lol, aww I also had a similar dream about another school and funding. Hopefully, your dream will come to fruition!

[Nala851]

Hey Stephanie, don't feel bad about not hearing back from York yet. Gina, the department secretary, said we'll know by the end of the month. I'm surprised to hear that one person has received an acceptance letter from them already, as I know they haven't finished reviewing the applications. But I'll wait another 3 weeks before I start to feel panicked

A number of people have referred to a "survey page." Can someone please tell me what that is?

Laurie

Hi Laurie S, if you look up top of the page there is a tab called "Results Survey". Applicants submit their results to the programs that they have applied to ( accepted, waitlist, rejected) and how they were notified by (email, phone, postal service).Applicants may also use in the note section any pertinent information that is useful to applicants applying to the same program or ask questions to other applicants.

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

Hey Stephanie, don't feel bad about not hearing back from York yet. Gina, the department secretary, said we'll know by the end of the month. I'm surprised to hear that one person has received an acceptance letter from them already, as I know they haven't finished reviewing the applications. But I'll wait another 3 weeks before I start to feel panicked

A number of people have referred to a "survey page." Can someone please tell me what that is?

Laurie

Hey Stephanie, don't feel bad about not hearing back from York yet. Gina, the department secretary, said we'll know by the end of the month. I'm surprised to hear that one person has received an acceptance letter from them already, as I know they haven't finished reviewing the applications. But I'll wait another 3 weeks before I start to feel panicked

A number of people have referred to a "survey page." Can someone please tell me what that is?

Laurie

Thanks Laurie!!

[ladybug3]

Dear UofT,

It was really mean of you to send out acceptances on the Monday before the longest weekend of the year. I live too far away and now there is no mail delivery until Tuesday. Easter Weekend will be even longer this year...

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

Dear UofT,

It was really mean of you to send out acceptances on the Monday before the longest weekend of the year. I live too far away and now there is no mail delivery until Tuesday. Easter Weekend will be even longer this year...

AGREED!!

[whatamidoing]

I have been following this thread for a while, and thought I should finally post. I was put on the waitlist as well.... I have a back-up program that I was accepted to, and have made an uncommitted acceptance (no deposit put down) but UofT 2yr is my number one choice, so I will hold out until June! Hoping lots of people accepted decide to go elsewhere (crossing my fingers)

Oh and my gpa I think amounts to a B+ and I have about 5 years of experience (some better than others)

[michelle3]

Thanks to everyone who posted. This information is a huge help. My first choice is York and I've been checking MyFile obsessively... I hope they put me out of my misery soon.

[Mimi111]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post but I've been reading a lot of the comments over the last few weeks. The wait has been unbearable and I'm happy that it's almost over! I received an acceptance letter yesterday to UoT 2 year MSW . I'm still waiting to hear from York U, but I think I may just accept the UoT offer because it expires in 4 weeks (which is when I'll likely hear from York).

Good luck to all of you and I hope we all make it through successfully

[NeeNee]

I hope everyone is keeping their head up! My friend is at York MSW and she loves it, but she got accepted 3rd week of April I believe (that is probably because of limited spots.) I looked at her statement of purpose and she was very interested in policy implications, and broader causes of inequality (someone mentioned York was more interested in that stream.) That is what she structured her statement of purpose on, she did a bachelors in social work at McGill and her example was dealing with cultural issues in the social work sphere. I hope that helps in seeing if you are what York looks for! My other friend was rejected out of Laurier, but when she phoned to find out, they had many advance standing applicants with lots of experience, so don't let that be an indication of if you get in to York or U of T.

Edited April 6, 2012 by NeeNee

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

I've been praying to the Gradcafe Gods all weekend! Fingers crossed I have some positive news in the mail on Tuesday!

[MSW13]

Oh, the drama! Has anyone heard anything yet today?? What a horribly long wait.

[stephanie.ms.antunes]

Hoping for something today! The mail doesn't come until around 3:00pm....4 more hours to wait until I may or may not hear something! (sigh!)

[heneyka]

Fingers crossed for all!

I don't think many folks here are waiting on U of C, but I thought I'd mention that I phoned them up today after hearing two weeks ago that all notifcations were being sent "as we speak" - obviously that didn't happen, so I got impatient and was politely informed that we would hear on April 15th due to some 'slowdowns' or some kind of university mess up. No surprise, but also doesn't bode super well for my impressions of the university!

Anyway, that's the scoop for Calgary! Hope folks hear back soon about U of T, York, etc.