Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

[MikKar]

Did you apply in December/January ? And the start is due to be in September, correct ? It's awfully late...

[s1990]

This may not be the best place to ask this question, but I did apply for social work and did not get in. I am trying to refocus my plan so I was considering Ryerson's "Child and Youth Care" program or George Brown's "Child and Youth Worker" program.

Can anyone shed any light on what makes these two courses different? They sound extremely similar and I don't want to take one of these undergraduate degrees and end up exactly where I am now - with a slightly irrelevant undergraduate degree that I initially thought was the right path to actualize my goals.

 

I have completed an undegrad in Psychology as I wanted to work with at-risk youth. Initially, I strictly wanted to work in a clinical situation, counselling children and adolescents. Recently, I have gained interested in working with at-risk youth in various ways: assisting them academically, socially, emotionally.

I applied to my masters in Social work believing that that would help me attain my goals, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that getting a MSW without a BSW is a little more difficult and I could be left applying year after year with no results.

 

Definitely open to insight. 

[MSW13]

In terms of earning potential and career mobility, I would take a university program over a community college---not because university is necessarily better but because when you've been out in the field for a while and you want to move up the employment ladder, a college diploma *may* be a road block.  Again, I stress that this is not about the quality of education, it is about the realities of what you might find out there when trying to find a higher paying job or moving to a management position. 

Overall, I wouldn't give up on an MSW so fast either.  Did you call your schools and find out where you were lacking? Was it gpa? experience? written statement?  Did you apply to multiple schools?  If you have a pretty good idea of where the issue is, you can work on it and apply again in a year's time. 

This may not be the best place to ask this question, but I did apply for social work and did not get in. I am trying to refocus my plan so I was considering Ryerson's "Child and Youth Care" program or George Brown's "Child and Youth Worker" program.

Can anyone shed any light on what makes these two courses different? They sound extremely similar and I don't want to take one of these undergraduate degrees and end up exactly where I am now - with a slightly irrelevant undergraduate degree that I initially thought was the right path to actualize my goals.

 

I have completed an undegrad in Psychology as I wanted to work with at-risk youth. Initially, I strictly wanted to work in a clinical situation, counselling children and adolescents. Recently, I have gained interested in working with at-risk youth in various ways: assisting them academically, socially, emotionally.

I applied to my masters in Social work believing that that would help me attain my goals, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that getting a MSW without a BSW is a little more difficult and I could be left applying year after year with no results.

 

Definitely open to insight. 

[nugget]

Since it's the summer and it's the slow season, I'd take this opportunity to call or book an appointment with someone at each of these schools to try to get more information. You could also try looking at job postings for jobs that you are interested in and see what qualifications employers are asking for.

 

I'd also find out about admission cutoffs (not application cutoffs but what credentials successful candidates typically have) and years of experience for each of these programs to find out how competitive you are as a candidate. Apply to as many school as possible that you could actually see yourself attending to increase your chances of admission. It's not worth losing another year and delaying your career for the sake of not spending an extra $200 or $300 on application fees.

[nugget]

You may also want to consider doing a BSW and applying to a 1 yr MSW later on. A BSW could be done in as little as 2 yrs at most universities and it's only 12 months at Lakehead University (the first 6 months are on campus and the last 6 months can be done in another geographic location if you choose).

 

Good luck!

[MSW13]

For those who were accepted to U of T, has anyone heard anything about the $4000 scholarship that the faculty awards based on academic merit?  According to the acceptance package I received, I thought we'd find out at the beginning of the fall session.  But now I'm not too sure because I saw that someone on the board noted they were accepted with a $4000 scholarship. 

Has anyone been awarded this scholarship already? 

[Linaa_]

Hey!

 

I received a letter in the mail for the 4000$ scholarship, the letter was dated for June 13th.

For those who were accepted to U of T, has anyone heard anything about the $4000 scholarship that the faculty awards based on academic merit?  According to the acceptance package I received, I thought we'd find out at the beginning of the fall session.  But now I'm not too sure because I saw that someone on the board noted they were accepted with a $4000 scholarship. 

Has anyone been awarded this scholarship already? 

[MSW13]

Thank you Lina and congratulations!!! I was just wondering if I had a shot at it but it looks like I don't. If you don't mind me asking, what was your average? The criteria was really vague about 'academic merit'.  I assume it is based on cumulative gpa but I heard that it might only be based on the final year and that is what gave me some hope

 

Hey!

 

I received a letter in the mail for the 4000$ scholarship, the letter was dated for June 13th.

[Linaa_]

Thank you! My last two years was an 88.5% average and 83.5% cumulative over four years. Hope this helps!

[MSW13]

That is awesome!  Yes, based on those numbers, I'm definitely not in the competition.  My final year average is about the same as yours but the years before that are ...well....not so impressive, haha.  It was always a long (long, long, loooong) shot for me.  But in all honesty, it is not really a disappointment or anything since I didn't even know the scholarship existed until I got my admission letter.  Maybe I'll look into the other scholarships available by application....

  

Thank you! My last two years was an 88.5% average and 83.5% cumulative over four years. Hope this helps!

[Linaa_]

lol I did not know about it either. It was a pleasant surprise but nonetheless, your grades must have been impressive enough to get into the program. I know we all were very anxious throughout the process so congrats to you! that in itself is a great achievement. See you in September! Will you be at orientation!

[MSW13]

Thank you Lina! Yes, just getting in is good enough for me--everything else is just icing    See you in September during orientation week but first enjoy the rest of this summer

[jaylynn]

No movement on the waitlist for UofT in 3 weeks according to Angela 

[DreamingMSW]

No movement on the waitlist for UofT in 3 weeks according to Angela 

Yeah she told me the same thing. My thought is that it will move late August/ early September when people have to pay tuition and start giving up spots. That's what happened last year at least.

 

I wonder if she sent us the same email? haha

Edited July 12, 2013 by DreamingMSW

[hails11]

For anyone who's still waiting on Windsor - just got my acceptance yesterday morning. there is still hope yet. good luck everyone

[DreamingMSW]

For anyone who's still waiting on Windsor - just got my acceptance yesterday morning. there is still hope yet. good luck everyone

Congrats!!!

[nugget]

Congrats! Looks like all of that waiting has finally paid off. Will you be going to Windsor or Adler?

 

For anyone who's still waiting on Windsor - just got my acceptance yesterday morning. there is still hope yet. good luck everyone

[hails11]

Congrats! Looks like all of that waiting has finally paid off. Will you be going to Windsor or Adler?

Thank you!

That is a very good question. Though I think I am much more interested in counselling and the courses offered at Adler (and Vancouver is awesome), I think there may be more job security going with Social Work. That and the fact that it's a publicly funded school makes it 15k cheaper/year. Also it's a lot closer to home. So that's where my head is at the moment.

[hails11]

Congrats!!!

Thank you! I have a feeling good news will be coming your way sometime soon too

[nugget]

Sounds like a good plan. You could always do a second master's in counselling later on when you're a social worker and have your employer to pay the tuition fees. There are a few programs that can be done online or part time.

 

Thank you!

That is a very good question. Though I think I am much more interested in counselling and the courses offered at Adler (and Vancouver is awesome), I think there may be more job security going with Social Work. That and the fact that it's a publicly funded school makes it 15k cheaper/year. Also it's a lot closer to home. So that's where my head is at the moment.

[DreamingMSW]

Thank you! I have a feeling good news will be coming your way sometime soon too

Aww thank you!! That means a lot.

[MSW13]

For those who were unsuccessful this year (or are stuck in that awful state called 'the waitlist') , I just wanted to remind you that the next application season is just around the corner.  I say this not to imply that you don't already know that, but to remind you that you will get a chance very soon to try again.  I remember when I was rejected last year, the summer felt very long. It felt like everyone moved on with their plans while I sat in a kind of 'grad cafe' purgatory.   But acting on my plan 'B' (which in my case was improving my gpa) helped immensely as did reminding myself that I could apply again--this time much better informed on how to be successful.  One of the first things I did was register for info sessions to get some inside info on the application process.  Even if you went before, it might be a good idea to go again and ask questions specific to your situation.  I suggest going early so you can act on any suggestions before the application deadline in Dec/Jan.

 

Basically, I just wanted to let you know that I'm rooting for all of you and I hope you are successful this coming year.

[dannika_star]

Hey Guys! I've been following this forum for a while. I first want to say congratulations to everyone who was accepted into any MSW programs! I also want to strongly encourage anyone who did not make it in to the MSW programs this year to consider applying to Lakehead for the BSW (it's only 12 months) which then allows you to do the 1 year MSW at a university the following year!

I originally applied to Laurier, Toronto and Lakehead, the first two for the 2 year MSW, and Lakehead for the BSW. I was accepted in the BSW and am currently studying here during the summer and absolutely love it! I am still interested in pursuing a MSW and would be eligible next year Sept 2014 for a 1 year MSW and would LOVE some input from people who have been accepted or know any info about the following schools:

 

U of T, Laurier, Waterloo, Ryerson and Western (all for the 1 year MSW). Since I am taking a whopping 7 courses in the fall and also working I will find it difficult to apply to all five... and would like to consider some schools that may not be as popular, which may let me have a higher chance of getting in. If anyone has any suggestions about these programs, especially Ryerson, Western and Waterloo I would really appreciate it! 

 

Thanks guys and good luck to everyone in the fall  

[nugget]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the program. Have you also considered applying to Lakehead's MSW? I believe Lakehead offers either a generous scholarship or TA positions to MSW students, so that would be a nice bonus.

 

From what I've heard here on the forum, it seems like U of Windsor ends up admitting a lot of their applicants. They don't formally put people on a waiting list. Instead, they send out multiple rounds of offers until all of the spots are filled whereas people who apply to U of T, York and Laurier can be put on a waitlist.

 

In my opinion, Windsor seems to be the place people apply to as a backup plan and if admitted somewhere else, many students take the other offer. (Personally I think this has a lot to do with the geographic location). You can always ask the department how many students are typically offered a position but I believe the number is quite high and may even be as high as about 90 people out of 200-230 applicants. (These facts are based on second hand information, however, so you should definitely double check with the department if this point makes a difference in your decision).

 

As for your applications, fortunately the deadlines for Laurier and Windsor are in January so you could always spend your Christmas/New Year's break working on those applications. It sounds like it'll be a lot of work, but you've already been through the process so it should take you less time than before as you already know what to expect.

 

Best of luck!

[jaylynn]

Hey Guys! I've been following this forum for a while. I first want to say congratulations to everyone who was accepted into any MSW programs! I also want to strongly encourage anyone who did not make it in to the MSW programs this year to consider applying to Lakehead for the BSW (it's only 12 months) which then allows you to do the 1 year MSW at a university the following year!

I originally applied to Laurier, Toronto and Lakehead, the first two for the 2 year MSW, and Lakehead for the BSW. I was accepted in the BSW and am currently studying here during the summer and absolutely love it! I am still interested in pursuing a MSW and would be eligible next year Sept 2014 for a 1 year MSW and would LOVE some input from people who have been accepted or know any info about the following schools:

 

U of T, Laurier, Waterloo, Ryerson and Western (all for the 1 year MSW). Since I am taking a whopping 7 courses in the fall and also working I will find it difficult to apply to all five... and would like to consider some schools that may not be as popular, which may let me have a higher chance of getting in. If anyone has any suggestions about these programs, especially Ryerson, Western and Waterloo I would really appreciate it! 

 

Thanks guys and good luck to everyone in the fall

 

Congrats on getting in! I am definitely applying for the one year BSW at Lakehead next year. Right now I'm on UofT's waitlist but not holding my breath, so I'll most likely be doing a one year grad certificate. I was wondering what campus you're studying at? I don't think I want to apply to the Thunder Bay one, it's too far and I'm in an extremely tight financial situation. May I ask how the application process for that program was? I'm determined to getting into something social work related next year, damnit!