Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2013 admissions

[MSW13]

Is anyone else experiencing a deafening silence from their schools?  C'mon U of T...say something...ANYTHING!  

[cmarie_]

Is anyone else experiencing a deafening silence from their schools?  C'mon U of T...say something...ANYTHING!  

Yes! I was going to ask that today. I've heard nothing at all, and have seen nothing about York on the forum. I didn't apply to U of T, but I can relate to feeling anxious about waiting. Hopefully we find out soon!

[MSW13]

Thanks for the comment CMarie! Logically I know that the earliest we will hear back is early March (for advanced standing at U of T anyway) but it would still be nice if they'd let us know where they are at in the process. For instance, how hard would it be to tweet that they've met and will be releasing results in the next week,  or that they are still making decisions and the earliest they'll send out results is mid March?! Yes, in my dream world, that is how it would work...or better yet, they'd have a live feed into the boardroom while decisions are being made while you watch online waiting for your name to be mentioned, haha..

 

At this point I'm feeling like giving birth is easier than waiting to hear back about admission results. 

 

Regarding York,  I hate to say it but you may be in for a long wait.  I recall last year they took forever (well past their posted decision timeline) to tell people where they stand.  But come to think of it, I think that was more the 2yr applicants...the advanced standing *may* have found out in a timely manner.

[nugget]

I know someone who applied to the 2yr program at U of T last year and was advised (I think on her account), that her application made it to the next round. Eventually she got put on the waiting list and simply took an offer at another school. I did not ask her when she got the notification, however.

[nugget]

Well, it's going to be a 2 month wait minimum for most. I guess we just have to accept it and try to be patient, as hard as it is! Just out of curiousity, I'd like to ask a question to everyone here who applied... How would you rank order the schools you applied to and why did certain schools make it higher on your list?

 

I will answer too next time I am online. Just curious to hear what people look for in a program, that's all.

[MSW13]

My status still says 'under review'.  Last year I received a rejection in the mail but my status didn't change online until a while after.  I'm not exactly sure when since I stopped my frequent checking...

I know someone who applied to the 2yr program at U of T last year and was advised (I think on her account), that her application made it to the next round. Eventually she got put on the waiting list and simply took an offer at another school. I did not ask her when she got the notification, however.

[MSW13]

I put U of T first because I really like their program and they really impressed me by their responsiveness to inquiries.  They have always been professional and courteous--'classy' might also be a word I'd use to describe my experience with them so far.  Also, they offer quite a few hospital placements which is something that I'm very interested in.

 

I've heard good things about Laurier but I didn't apply because the commute is just too long.

 

Although I'm sure they have a good program, I didn't rank York very high just because they are terrible on their administrative side.  Everytime I called about a certain issue, I received a different answer depending on who I was speaking with. Not a good sign. Geographically York is the closest to me but I cant shake the bad feeling I got when I toured the campus during my undergrad. My sister graduated from there and although she was an A student, she hated the school.  So basically, I dont have a social work related reason to rank them lower, just a gut feeling. It has nothing to do with the professors, it is just that I didn't like the atmosphere at all.

 

Ryerson is the other school I'd consider. But I was totally turned off by the fact that they never responded to any of my email inquiries.  They focus quite heavily on AOP which is an area I'm quite familiar with so I'm not sure that I would have had a *new* learning experience anyway. Also, I've never met an MSW grad from Ryerson in the field so I really dont have a working knowledge of how well they prepare students for future employment.

Well, it's going to be a 2 month wait minimum for most. I guess we just have to accept it and try to be patient, as hard as it is! Just out of curiousity, I'd like to ask a question to everyone here who applied... How would you rank order the schools you applied to and why did certain schools make it higher on your list?

 

I will answer too next time I am online. Just curious to hear what people look for in a program, that's all.

[nugget]

Ok, I'll go next. Originally I would have ranked them as follows: Laurier, Windsor, Toronto, UBC, Victoria, Ottawa (for counselling) and UNBC (for counselling).

 

I am originally from Toronto, but I prefer living in smaller cities now. Laurier was at the top because of its geographic location, city size and the size of the program (they accept lots of students). But after finding out that you could get a placement 100km away from the school and you should have a car, it's dropped out of first place. Owning a car is very expensive for a student and could add thousands of extra dollars to my education. Not to mention, I don't have my licence yet.

 

Now it's in 3rd place. Toronto is 1st, even though it is in Toronto. I was very impressed with their professionalism and organization. They have a great website, their online info is detailed and accurate, the department contact person is very efficient and helpful. Not to mention, U of T has a great reputation as an academic institution.

 

Windsor is second because it looks like a good sized city, it's only a few hours away if I want to visit people in Toronto, and you don't need a car for the internship placements. There's probably a lot less competition for jobs (than Toronto area schools) after graduation, which is a bonus.

 

UBC is next because I love BC!!! But it is very expensive there. That's the maindownside.

 

Victoria is lower on the list because the 2nd year is entirely online. I would love to live in Victoria, BC. But I made 2 spelling mistakes on the application so I doubt I will get in.

 

Ottawa - it's not an MSW, but the next best thing.

 

UNBC - same as above, plus it's in a large town several hours away from any cities, so I'm not keen on the location. But it's much easier to get into (twice as many students get in compared to other Canadian MSW programs), so it's worth a shot. The course offerings look appealing, too.

 

Now I'm considering applying to an online school in the US to have another backup, if it's not too late for fall admission. I don't want to spend another year at my job. I really need a career change.

Edited February 21, 2013 by jenste

[cmarie_]

I agree, plain silence is just brutal! haha but I do like your live feed in the boardroom idea. I think you're on to something

 

Thanks for your York advice. As much as the wait is killing me, I was warned that York is normally the last university to let people know their decision. Sigh. I completed my BSW there and admin is just terrible. I'm just hoping I will get positive news.

 

My fingers are crossed for you. Let us know when you hear anything back!

Thanks for the comment CMarie! Logically I know that the earliest we will hear back is early March (for advanced standing at U of T anyway) but it would still be nice if they'd let us know where they are at in the process. For instance, how hard would it be to tweet that they've met and will be releasing results in the next week,  or that they are still making decisions and the earliest they'll send out results is mid March?! Yes, in my dream world, that is how it would work...or better yet, they'd have a live feed into the boardroom while decisions are being made while you watch online waiting for your name to be mentioned, haha..

 

At this point I'm feeling like giving birth is easier than waiting to hear back about admission results. 

 

Regarding York,  I hate to say it but you may be in for a long wait.  I recall last year they took forever (well past their posted decision timeline) to tell people where they stand.  But come to think of it, I think that was more the 2yr applicants...the advanced standing *may* have found out in a timely manner.

[AccioMSW]

Well, it's going to be a 2 month wait minimum for most. I guess we just have to accept it and try to be patient, as hard as it is! Just out of curiousity, I'd like to ask a question to everyone here who applied... How would you rank order the schools you applied to and why did certain schools make it higher on your list?

 

I will answer too next time I am online. Just curious to hear what people look for in a program, that's all.

 

My first choice is Windsor. I already l live there so it would be extremely easy for me to commute. Also, I am currently attending Windsor already so I have knowledge on how their systems work and general information about the University. The only drawback to me is that the program is an ecological approach so you can't directly specialize in a certain area. Indirectly, they said that you can focus all of your research on one area so that you can bring a portfolio on that research to your future employers. It's just nerve-wracking that there is now only a a 7.67% chance of getting in since they only take 30 applicants and have had so many this year! I really want to get into Windsor because I've been researching it ever since I started my undergrad, not to mention it would be the most cost-beneficial for me!

 

My second choice is Laurier. I have also been researching Laurier for a while and I really like that I can specialize in the Individual, Family, and Group stream of the program as that is the population I would want to work with most! I was also looking up their course descriptions and their courses look very interesting. The only downfall is that I would have to move and it would be very expensive for me to do that (along with getting a car as was previously mentioned). It's good that they take more students as there is a 16.7% chance of getting in but that also means it won't be as intimate of a learning setting. Ultimately, it's the living expenses that brings this to my second choice along with having to move away from my friends and family.

 

The good news is that February is almost done and Lauier and Windsor are ahead on their selection process so I'm hoping it will be more of a late-March notice rather than early-April.

 

Fingers crossed for everyone to get into their first choice!

[beth23]

My first choice is Windsor. I already l live there so it would be extremely easy for me to commute. Also, I am currently attending Windsor already so I have knowledge on how their systems work and general information about the University. The only drawback to me is that the program is an ecological approach so you can't directly specialize in a certain area. Indirectly, they said that you can focus all of your research on one area so that you can bring a portfolio on that research to your future employers. It's just nerve-wracking that there is now only a a 7.67% chance of getting in since they only take 30 applicants and have had so many this year! I really want to get into Windsor because I've been researching it ever since I started my undergrad, not to mention it would be the most cost-beneficial for me!

 

My second choice is Laurier. I have also been researching Laurier for a while and I really like that I can specialize in the Individual, Family, and Group stream of the program as that is the population I would want to work with most! I was also looking up their course descriptions and their courses look very interesting. The only downfall is that I would have to move and it would be very expensive for me to do that (along with getting a car as was previously mentioned). It's good that they take more students as there is a 16.7% chance of getting in but that also means it won't be as intimate of a learning setting. Ultimately, it's the living expenses that brings this to my second choice along with having to move away from my friends and family.

 

The good news is that February is almost done and Lauier and Windsor are ahead on their selection process so I'm hoping it will be more of a late-March notice rather than early-April.

 

Fingers crossed for everyone to get into their first choice!

Ditto! 

 

Except for the living expenses, I will have to move either way but I am leaning more towards Windsor. 

 

How do you know that Windsor and Laurier are ahead in their processes? 

[AccioMSW]

Beth, Someone in this thread previously mentioned that Laurier was ahead and like I've also mentioned before my friend in the one year stream got her acceptance relatively early!

[MSW13]

Hey guys,

Just wondering, has anyone heard anything about acceptances/rejections from their circle of friends who applied to U of T and York?  Last year this time there were already a few rejections posted.  I'm just trying to figure out if these two schools are on the same timeline as last year, if that make sense.

 

lol..yes I know I'm reaching here!         I'm hoping that someone (ANYONE!) has heard something from these schools so at least I know they are making decisions.

[nugget]

I really think it's just best to wait and see. I think it makes sense for acceptances and rejections to go out first. The ones who are close but did not get in will either get put on the waitlist or not hear back right away. After the successful candidates refuse or decline, they can send out acceptances to the people who came close and haven't received a response or were officially waitlisted.

 

So, sometimes no news might actually be good news because that means you could be very close to the top of the list. 

[MSW13]

Yes jenste, I agree with the 'no news is good news' idea.  I've been searching around and have found that (at least anecdotally) many schools will send out rejection letters to those who clearly will not be considered well before the official response date comes to pass. However, once that date arrives all admits/rejections that were fully considered will be notified at once.  Some schools may hold back a bit on sending out waitlist notifications. 

I'm just wondering if anyone has any evidence to support this for the current application season.  For instance, is anyone aware of someone who has already received a rejection from U of T or York?

 

I guess you can say that I'm just trying to pass the time until I hear back in another 2-3 weeks or so  

Edited February 22, 2013 by MSW13

[k.jo]

All I can confirm is that if you haven't heard anything from York, your file is most likely in the Social Work Dep. My application still says "unsuccessful" but I got confirmation from York that it was sent to the graduate review committee about two weeks ago since I shouldn't have been rejected by Admissions. From what I hear of York's reputation, I'm not expecting my status to be updated or to find out the verdict for awhile!

 

Anyone else interested in International Social Work? I have Laurier on the top of my list for it's CPPO stream and the U of Calgary for it's ISW program. Anyone have a comment about which school is stronger in this respect? Toronto also has a Social Justice and Diversity specialization and of course, a wealth of resources.

[MSW13]

Thank you so much for this information!  Sorry about your problem with York and I am very glad that you sorted out the issue. I recall that last year a few people had to get their rejections reversed because of a 'clerical' error.  General graduate admissions can be a total nightmare but once your file passes through the initial screening, you can feel confident that your application will be reviewed in full.

All I can confirm is that if you haven't heard anything from York, your file is most likely in the Social Work Dep. My application still says "unsuccessful" but I got confirmation from York that it was sent to the graduate review committee about two weeks ago since I shouldn't have been rejected by Admissions. From what I hear of York's reputation, I'm not expecting my status to be updated or to find out the verdict for awhile!

 

Anyone else interested in International Social Work? I have Laurier on the top of my list for it's CPPO stream and the U of Calgary for it's ISW program. Anyone have a comment about which school is stronger in this respect? Toronto also has a Social Justice and Diversity specialization and of course, a wealth of resources.

[jaylynn]

Sorry to deviate from the current topic but i was wondering if anyone could give me some sort of insight to this problem.

 

For the last two years I have been getting consistent A's. However, my workload this semester is extremely overwhelming and my marks have been dropping. At this point I'm not very optimistic that I'll be getting more than one A at all this semester and i'm debating on choosing the CR/NCR option for 2 out of my 5 classes because I'm worried about my GPA dropping. 

 

How bad would it be if in my final semester most of my grades were B's? I'm afraid it's going to look like I stopped trying. Is it worse if I have two CR's on my transcripts? I hate that it's even an option and would prefer to only use that option for one course....but my GPA

Edited February 24, 2013 by jaylynn

[MSW13]

What a terrible feeling! I'm sorry I dont know what a CR/NCR stands for (I'm sorry, it's been a while! lol).  Is that like taking an incomplete?  As far as getting into an MSW program, they are basing their decisions on the transcript you have submitted so far.  My guess is that if you are granted admission, they will likely ask you to submit another transcript at the end of the semester. As long as you have remained above their gpa cutoff (which is a B in most cases), you are fine. 

However, if this is more about maintaining an 'A' average, honestly in the long run, it wont matter much if you got an A or a B. Please dont take this the wrong way, I totally get why it is important to you and I dont want to minimize your stress at all.  It is just that if you get into an MSW program, your undergrad gpa will quickly become a distant memory.  If the worst happens and you dont get in (which sounds unlikely), you have all summer to take more courses to bring your gpa back up again.   I apologize if I'm over simplifying... 

 

Sorry to deviate from the current topic but i was wondering if anyone could give me some sort of insight to this problem.

 

For the last two years I have been getting consistent A's. However, my workload this semester is extremely overwhelming and my marks have been dropping. At this point I'm not very optimistic that I'll be getting more than one A at all this semester and i'm debating on choosing the CR/NCR option for 2 out of my 5 classes because I'm worried about my GPA dropping. 

 

How bad would it be if in my final semester most of my grades were B's? I'm afraid it's going to look like I stopped trying. Is it worse if I have two CR's on my transcripts? I hate that it's even an option and would prefer to only use that option for one course....but my GPA

[nugget]

Hi Jaylynn,

 

It sounds like you have an excellent academic track record. The good news is that the admissions decisions will be made using your best grades. If you have been getting straight A's for the past 2 years, this will be very impressive. After getting an acceptance, just submit your up-to-date transcript and your cumulative GPA for the past 2 years will become an A-. I would be shocked if your offer was retracted because of an A- average.

 

Still, if you need further reassurance, you could make an anonymous phone call to both universities and ask about what would happen if a student ended up being in this situation at the end of the semester.

 

I was curious about what CR/NCR means as my school does not use the same system, and I came across this information. You may find it useful when deciding what to do about your courses.

 

http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/forms-services/crncr

 

Best of luck!

[nugget]

Hmmm.... the last couple of posts about dropping courses got me thinking. I have dropped some courses in the past, should I be concerned? My school does not have the NC/NCR option that U of T has (basically, at U of T you can decide not to have a grade assigned, you receive credit and no grade is calculated into your GPA, as long as you pass the course). U of T does not advise their undergrad students thinking of applying to grad school to do this.  My school, on the other hand, allows you to drop a course, you get no credit for it, hence no grade. But the transcript shows you were registered for the course and dropped it.

 

Does anyone know what U of T's position is on this? I tried to find out on their website if students have the option I just described about my university (dropping the course completely and receiving no credit for it) and found nothing. 

[MSW13]

I think that if it happened once or twice over the course of 4 years, it wont really be looked upon badly.  However, if it is happening every second semester, I'm guessing that it perhaps says something about your ability to handle the workload.

Really, *most* people do end up dropping a course here and there because it wasn't what they were expecting or they just didn't want to load their schedule with too many hard courses at once.  In some ways, it can be taken the same way as someone who takes a course twice to improve their mark.  If the committee is deciding between them and someone who didn't need to repeat the course, they would (in theory) go with the person who didn't repeat. 

I'm guessing that you would only need to worry (a bit!) if you have a lower gpa (say a B or low B+).  If that is the case, remember that they consider your application as a whole. If it is strong in other areas, it could very well negate the negative effects of a dropped course.

 

I hope that makes sense..

 

p.s. I dont actually know U of T's position on this. I am just offering my best guess (which may not be anywhere close to what the 'real' answer is

Edited February 24, 2013 by MSW13

[jaylynn]

I actually attend University of Toronto and I only know that we have up until a certain date to drop a course without it appearing on our transcripts. I had a friend who under special circumstances, dropped a course after this date and the best UofT could do for her was to have the credit not count towards her GPA but they couldn't remove it from showing that she dropped it on her transcript (some letter designation indicated it was dropped but didn't count). I had never heard of that happening before she told me, and she made it sound like she had to go out of her way to get it done, so based on that I'm not sure how good that will look. But different schools have different rules (and one would hope that they acknowledge that fact). I'm sure if you only did it once or twice it doesn't really matter.

 

Hmmm.... the last couple of posts about dropping courses got me thinking. I have dropped some courses in the past, should I be concerned? My school does not have the NC/NCR option that U of T has (basically, at U of T you can decide not to have a grade assigned, you receive credit and no grade is calculated into your GPA, as long as you pass the course). U of T does not advise their undergrad students thinking of applying to grad school to do this.  My school, on the other hand, allows you to drop a course, you get no credit for it, hence no grade. But the transcript shows you were registered for the course and dropped it.

 

Does anyone know what U of T's position is on this? I tried to find out on their website if students have the option I just described about my university (dropping the course completely and receiving no credit for it) and found nothing. 

[jaylynn]

What a terrible feeling! I'm sorry I dont know what a CR/NCR stands for (I'm sorry, it's been a while! lol).  Is that like taking an incomplete?  As far as getting into an MSW program, they are basing their decisions on the transcript you have submitted so far.  My guess is that if you are granted admission, they will likely ask you to submit another transcript at the end of the semester. As long as you have remained above their gpa cutoff (which is a B in most cases), you are fine. 

However, if this is more about maintaining an 'A' average, honestly in the long run, it wont matter much if you got an A or a B. Please dont take this the wrong way, I totally get why it is important to you and I dont want to minimize your stress at all.  It is just that if you get into an MSW program, your undergrad gpa will quickly become a distant memory.  If the worst happens and you dont get in (which sounds unlikely), you have all summer to take more courses to bring your gpa back up again.   I apologize if I'm over simplifying... 

 

CR/NCR just means I will get the credit if I get a 50% in the course but the grade doesn't show up on my transcript. I can end up doing really well in the class and it would regrettably not show up on my transcript. It's pretty much designed for those interested in taking an elective that they're not sure how they'll do in, but I've found most people choose to use the option when they bomb a midterm. 

 

Thank you for your comforting words though. I might choose to use the option for just one class because my workload is way too much to handle and i'd rather focus doing well in 4 and not having a low 60 pop up randomly during my last year because I couldn't balance everything. Man, I don't know how people can work and volunteer during the school year! I just had to stop going to my job for a month because time is running low. 

Edited February 25, 2013 by jaylynn

[AccioMSW]

So does anyone have a plan B, C, D, etc?

 

Obviously Plan A is to make it into my top choice and Plan B is for my second choice.

My Plan C was to take the year to do a lot more volunteer work until I reapply (if I don't get in).

Last week I applied to an accelerated Child and Youth worker program out of sheer panic that I won't be getting in anywhere because I need to know I'll be doing something for the next year and a half haha, so that's plan D.

Plan F is to travel.