Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

[MSW13]

It sounds like you have pretty awesome experience!  Also, it isn't necessarily what you are doing, it is how well you are able to link it back to your future goals as a social worker. Your post made me curious, what do you think constitutes 'related social work' experience and why do you think your experience doesn't quite fit the bill?

 

It was definitely helpful and it certainly helped me define my career goals (I'd like to work with the elderly and the terminally ill), but prior to applying I worried that it wasn't closely related to social work because of the type of work I was doing.  However, a couple of schools clearly disagreed with my assessment .  Still, I think my experience pales in comparison to most people posting in this thread.

[fingerscrossed88]

hey guys..do you know how U of T weights references, grades, and experiences. ie which one's receive the most weight, etc?

[jpcnac]

After a long wait, I have now received acceptance to the Advanced Standing program at York. I am very excited. Good luck to everyone still waiting!

[MSW13]

The grades carry the most weight.

 

hey guys..do you know how U of T weights references, grades, and experiences. ie which one's receive the most weight, etc?

[Peter Nincompoop]

It sounds like you have pretty awesome experience!  Also, it isn't necessarily what you are doing, it is how well you are able to link it back to your future goals as a social worker. Your post made me curious, what do you think constitutes 'related social work' experience and why do you think your experience doesn't quite fit the bill?

 

Well, in my mind, the work I was doing was more service-oriented than it was social-service oriented (if that makes any sense) and I think that you could argue that the two are quite different.  It wasn't like I was waiting tables or anything, but I also wasn't working in a not-for-profit or government agency either.

[DreamingMSW]

Well, in my mind, the work I was doing was more service-oriented than it was social-service oriented (if that makes any sense) and I think that you could argue that the two are quite different.  It wasn't like I was waiting tables or anything, but I also wasn't working in a not-for-profit or government agency either.

I would consider what you were doing very much related to social work!!!

[MSW13]

I think it is hard for someone to get that type of direct service work, especially when you've just finished up your undergrad.  There are so many ways that you can demonstrate fit without having actually done the job.  It sounds like you were able to link your experience quite well with your future goals which can be very tricky for a lot of people. Exposure to the frail elderly was enough for you to know what you wanted to do AND you were able to articulate it well in your statement. You did really well, you should pat yourself on the back!

Well, in my mind, the work I was doing was more service-oriented than it was social-service oriented (if that makes any sense) and I think that you could argue that the two are quite different.  It wasn't like I was waiting tables or anything, but I also wasn't working in a not-for-profit or government agency either.

[nugget]

Agreed, MSW13. It's nearly impossible to get a social work-type job without a BSW. They generally understand that many of us can only get work in a related field. People with a college diploma in Community or Social Services or a B.A. in Child Studies are probably the only applicants who can get work that is really relevant to the field.

 

That being said, U of Calgary is a different story. A woman from the department said if you don't have a min of 2 yrs of fulltime counselling or social work experience don't apply because you will probably not get in. I'm so glad all the other Canadian schools are open to a wide variety of working experiences so people with degrees in psychology, women's studies, sociology, etc can apply too.

 

I think it is hard for someone to get that type of direct service work, especially when you've just finished up your undergrad.  There are so many ways that you can demonstrate fit without having actually done the job.  It sounds like you were able to link your experience quite well with your future goals which can be very tricky for a lot of people. Exposure to the frail elderly was enough for you to know what you wanted to do AND you were able to articulate it well in your statement. You did really well, you should pat yourself on the back!

Edited April 5, 2013 by jenste

[Erin123]

Hi Erin,

I'm not sure why I was successful to be honest, but I'll speak briefly about my experience here. The entrance requirements for social work in particular seem hard to gauge because they put so much weight on the more subjective parts of your application (personal statement/preparation/apparent motivation and work/volunteer experience). I'll apologize in advance for what is going to be a long post.

Last year, I applied to 3 schools (Calgary, Laurier, and York). I was accepted into Calgary and Laurier, and waitlisted and ultimately rejected by York (who took an absurdly long time to give any notifications).

I actually think my work experience was the weakest part of my application: I had about 8 years of working with vulnerable people (ill elderly persons) and a bit of not-for-profit experience, but nothing directly related to social work (though I now do). I also volunteered as a case worker with a local politician for a few months, but that was really about it.

I did have pretty decent undergraduate grades. My overall average was between an A- and an A, and I had a solid A average in my last three semesters. I also did a double-major, which meant that pretty much all my 3rd and 4th year courses were upper level ones (which I have been told by profs looks pretty good on a grad school application).

I think the strongest points of my application were my references and my personal statement. My referees gave me glowing letters and I feel that in my personal statement I was able to very clearly describe both my motivation for pursuing social work and how my personal, academic, and professional experiences had informed my decision to apply to an MSW program. I also had a friend of mine who is currently in grad school look over my personal statement and give me feedback.

Finally, I also contacted a couple of school prior to applying to see if I would be a good fit in their program. I also studied the faculty at each school with an eye towards who I would like to work with and even emailed a professor whose speciality is very similar to my own interests.

One other point, because of the current economic situation and because of the glut of persons, like myself, with generic BA's, ALL graduate schools are becoming harder to get into. Being rejected isn't necessarily a negative reflection on yourself, your experience, or your application; it's just really hard to get into professional graduate programs at the moment.

Sorry for the long-winded reply, I hope this makes sense and that it helps you in some way. Good luck next year if you decide to reapply, LOTS of people get admitted into graduate school after initially being rejected, so don't lose hope.

Thank you for your kind words and honesty. I have heard what you've said, and I believe that I will need to build on my experience before applying next year.

Thank you!

[scotto123]

After a long wait, I have now received acceptance to the Advanced Standing program at York. I am very excited. Good luck to everyone still waiting!

Still waiting. Did you receive an acceptance by mail? Congrats!

Edited April 5, 2013 by scotto123

[jpcnac]

Still waiting. Did you receive an acceptance by mail? Congrats!

 

I was accepted through myfile- I accepted the offer and it says they will mail a letter and financial offer

[ossington]

I attended one of the info sessions at U of T and this question was posed.  They said that they do but it has to be a pretty serious reason. I think they used the example of $$ and this was not good enough for a deferral. I got the impression that they are pretty strict about it. If you do get admitted, be prepared to start in September. If you cant, then unfortunately be prepared to possibly reapply in the future. I believe they mentioned that 2 people asked for a deferral the previous year and neither was granted.

 

Thanks for the info! It's for medical reasons, so hopefully with doctors notes they will be reasonable!

 

And if they can't be even that reasonable about disability & health issues that students have, it will definitely make me reconsider whether I even want to attend the school, anyway.

[Brenda_101]

I think it varies by schools.  Last year, I asked for deferrals from two schools and only one agreed.

Do you mind if I asked what two schools you asked for deferment from and who granted you permission and who didn't?

[Peter Nincompoop]

Do you mind if I asked what two schools you asked for deferment from and who granted you permission and who didn't?

Not at all. U of C and WLU. U of C gave me deferral and WLU did not. Made my decision about where to go pretty easy .

Edited April 7, 2013 by Peter Nincompoop

[alexautourdumonde]

International student here, BA from a european institution. Native French speaker. Applied at the French Department of UofT for a Masters in Linguistics. Online status has never been updated since (still says documents pending though they received everything by February and confirmed it by email).  Wrote to them in early March and they answered they would have a reply for me "soon". Got a spontaneous email from them last week (1 month later) telling me not to worry, they would have an answer for me "very soon". Maybe in a month I'll get an "extremely soon"? Anyone else here applied at that Department? Any answers?

Edited April 7, 2013 by accuvelier

[AccioMSW]

International student here, BA from a european institution. Native French speaker. Applied at the French Department of UofT for a Masters in Linguistics. Online status has never been updated since (still says documents pending though they received everything by February and confirmed it by email).  Wrote to them in early March and they answered they would have a reply for me "soon". Got a spontaneous email from them last week (1 month later) telling me not to worry, they would have an answer for me "very soon". Maybe in a month I'll get an "extremely soon"? Anyone else here applied at that Department? Any answers?

This is the masters in social work forum. Hope you hear back soon!

[MSW13]

Yes, I think that would probably fall into the category of a legitimate reason to defer.  I wish you all the best in health and hopefully you will not have any issues with accepting a place in your preferred school.   

Thanks for the info! It's for medical reasons, so hopefully with doctors notes they will be reasonable!

 

And if they can't be even that reasonable about disability & health issues that students have, it will definitely make me reconsider whether I even want to attend the school, anyway.

[MSW13]

Try the "Canadian school applicants" thread in the 'Waiting it out' forum.  Hopefully someone will be able to answer your question.  By the sounds of it, not all departments at U of T respond by the same timeline.  However, on the U of T website, it states that most decisions are made by mid April for most programs.  Hopefully you will not have to wait much longer! All the best for good news soon!

   

International student here, BA from a european institution. Native French speaker. Applied at the French Department of UofT for a Masters in Linguistics. Online status has never been updated since (still says documents pending though they received everything by February and confirmed it by email).  Wrote to them in early March and they answered they would have a reply for me "soon". Got a spontaneous email from them last week (1 month later) telling me not to worry, they would have an answer for me "very soon". Maybe in a month I'll get an "extremely soon"? Anyone else here applied at that Department? Any answers?

[k.jo]

I'm ready for some more results this week! Although the wait could easily stretch until week after next. C'mon UofT and York!

 

Hang in there everyone! Soon this will be over!

[dannika_star]

I am new to this forum and have found a lot of your comments (in general everyone) to be helpful. I am just wondering if anyone has heard back yet from U of T for the 2 year MSW? I already got rejected from Laurier, sadly, as they said the majority of applicants had 3-5 years of full-time work experience. I have about 3 years part-time in a variety of different settings, an average of 80% and have had great references. I am really hoping I get in. I am also surprised to hear about the number of applicants who have applied to the HBSW (1 year) at Lakehead... that was my last hope. If I don't get in anywhere I am contemplating applying to schools in the states for next year, or doing an online MSW.

[happy888]

I called York last month and they said results would be out by end of March, early April. Then I called again on Friday for an update, and they said they're unexpectedly behind and hope for mid-April (unfortunately).

[DreamingMSW]

I am new to this forum and have found a lot of your comments (in general everyone) to be helpful. I am just wondering if anyone has heard back yet from U of T for the 2 year MSW? I already got rejected from Laurier, sadly, as they said the majority of applicants had 3-5 years of full-time work experience. I have about 3 years part-time in a variety of different settings, an average of 80% and have had great references. I am really hoping I get in. I am also surprised to hear about the number of applicants who have applied to the HBSW (1 year) at Lakehead... that was my last hope. If I don't get in anywhere I am contemplating applying to schools in the states for next year, or doing an online MSW.

They said they are not sending out any results until April 15th.

[nugget]

Can anyone here recommend a good housing website for the Kitchener region? So far I've tried kijiji, craigslist and WLU. They lump all of the Kitchener and Waterloo listings together. Since I don't know the region, it takes me forever to go through the listings because I am unfamiliar with the street names, and almost all of them end up being in Waterloo. The WLU housing database seems to only have Waterloo listings. Any help or advice on this would be much appreciated. I know it's a bit early, but I am just trying to get a sense of my approximate living costs for the type of dwelling I will be looking for so I can calculate my yearly budget. thanks!

[dhol999]

Can anyone here recommend a good housing website for the Kitchener region? So far I've tried kijiji, craigslist and WLU. They lump all of the Kitchener and Waterloo listings together. Since I don't know the region, it takes me forever to go through the listings because I am unfamiliar with the street names, and almost all of them end up being in Waterloo. The WLU housing database seems to only have Waterloo listings. Any help or advice on this would be much appreciated. I know it's a bit early, but I am just trying to get a sense of my approximate living costs for the type of dwelling I will be looking for so I can calculate my yearly budget. thanks!

 

Try gottrent.com or just go into google and type in apartment for rent in Kitchener. There are quite a few sites that will show up. Also, google maps will show some locations of actual apartment buidlings with their own webistes that you can look at.

 

hope this helps.

[flusty]

Can anyone here recommend a good housing website for the Kitchener region? So far I've tried kijiji, craigslist and WLU. They lump all of the Kitchener and Waterloo listings together. Since I don't know the region, it takes me forever to go through the listings because I am unfamiliar with the street names, and almost all of them end up being in Waterloo. The WLU housing database seems to only have Waterloo listings. Any help or advice on this would be much appreciated. I know it's a bit early, but I am just trying to get a sense of my approximate living costs for the type of dwelling I will be looking for so I can calculate my yearly budget. thanks!

Have you decided on Laurier yet? have also been looking around for housing... I find viewit.ca very helpful...again Kitchener and Waterloo listed together but the two are about 12 mins or so apart by car  and apparently 15 mins by bus... I hear buses are fairly reliable especially during the school year so you could live in either and still commute to school at a decent time.... I understand they come by every 30mins or so depending.... The local online newspaper -  in the region- the record also has listings here ...

.... and its not too early to start looking, if you are looking for a one bedroom I understand they go pretty quickly so now is actually the best time to look... good luck on your search...

Edited April 8, 2013 by flusty