Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2014 admissions

[mcruk]

I checked Myfile as well, and I've also been rejected from York's MSW 2 year program. I feel content about it since I will be accepting my offer for UofT! I did my undergrad at York anyways...I need a change!

[smpalesh]

I guess it would depend where you go.  The BSW I am in is a post-grad BSW.  So I already did a 4 yr undergrad (in Social Development Studies and Women's Studies) and then the BSW is 1 year (8 classes and a full year practicum).  Now I'll be doing my 1 yr MSW so it is still 2 yrs total.  If you look at the York website it says 54 credits, which is 9 courses.  So yes, you would complete that in 1 year.  IMO it makes more sense to do the BSW and then apply for the advanced standing MSW because you have a much higher shot of getting into the advanced standing MSW, statistically.

 

Really? I thought it would take at least 2 years because (i go to york) and when i checked it was like 50 credits that needed to be taken??

I was just unsure if I wanted to take a year off to volunteer and pay off some undergrad debts but now I'm wondering if I should do the BSW instead.

Is this what you did? and got into advanced standing?

[poppy_msw]

smpalesh, I believe you are wrong about York's post degree BSW. I think York has a different credit system than many other universities.

 

ie: at York a 4 year consists of 120 credits, meaning that the 54 credits would likely take two years.

[mcruk]

@poppy_msw you are correct! It would take approx. two years to complete a BSW at York University.

York University offers 3 credit courses and 6 credit courses. 3 credit courses are half year courses, while 6 credits are an entire year! There is no way to complete 54 credits in one year at York University. York's system is a little different!

[Shawk]

Hello Everyone, 

 

I have been following this forum for a while and have finally decided to chime in. 

I received my letter from U of T yesterday and am on the waitlist but am not counting on getting in. I am regretting not applying for the one year post grad BSW and was wondering if anyone knows of any post-grad BSW program that is still accepting late applications? Also, any recommendations for sites in addition to charity village, workopolis, for finding jobs would be great. All the best to everyone and congrats to those who have been accepted!

[b39]

Just checked MyFile and I've been rejected by York's 2-year MSW. Not too shaken up since I'd already made my choice. Congrats to all those who made it in!

Hey did you find the decision in MyFile  under "application status" or somewhere else? 

Also congrats on your acceptance to UWO  

[Djentbot]

Hey did you find the decision in MyFile under "application status" or somewhere else?

Also congrats on your acceptance to UWO

Thanks! And yup, it was under "application status".

[horizon1234]

Look at it this way - if it is a one year BSW then you have a higher chance of getting into a 1 year MSW for a total of 2 years.  Or you wait a year and re-apply for a 2 year MSW - total time is 3 years.  Also once you have the BSW you are able to register as a social worker and work in the field.  That's just my opinion though.

Good point if you intend to apply for U of T (which does not require minimum two year experiences) I have one question though for you.. If I go to B.S.W, and apply one year after getting the B.S.W degree, I feel like there is not much time to gain minimum two experiences..

 

My point is rejected => B.S.W (1 year) => volunteer / work experiences (minimum 2 years) => advanced (1 year) = total 4 years

                  rejected => Volunteer / work experience (2 years) => m.s.w not advanced (2 years) = total 4 years. 

 

In my calculation, it seems as if you need equal years, UNLESS you apply to U of T. Most schools require minimum two years experience.. I want to hear your opinion on this..

 

Also, what was your experience before accepting to advanced program (Because I got rejected to U of T (not advanced) even if I got 3.95 gpa at Mac; but I have bad experience (300 hours of volunteer). Thank you so much

[rendmsw]

Hi everyone

I have been following this forum for a while and it is very helpful thank you all for posting. I have applied to laurier York and u of t . Rejected from York and laurier and got invited from u of t!

I am curious does anyone know how many people get accepted to the 2 yr program? I know I read that u of t accepts 150 applicants. How many of those are for the full time 2 year?

Thank you

[smpalesh]

Even so, it would still be better bc you would be able to apply to advanced standing MSW afterwards.  So either work for a year and reapply for the 2 year MSW which only has a 15% chance to get in and that is 3 years or do a 2 yr BSW and then apply for a 1 yr MSW for a total of 3 years. 

smpalesh, I believe you are wrong about York's post degree BSW. I think York has a different credit system than many other universities.

 

ie: at York a 4 year consists of 120 credits, meaning that the 54 credits would likely take two years.

Edited April 5, 2014 by smpalesh

[smpalesh]

You can be gaining experience during your BSW.  First of all, in my BSW we do a 720 hour practicum.  So that is hours right there.  You can also volunteer during your school time to get more hours.  I volunteer on a crisis line which I can take calls from home so it is not difficult and I get 8 hours a week for that.  I have been doing that for 5 years.  Other than that I just have my practicum for experience (but lots of life experience and I think they looked at that too).

 

If you are wanting to go to Laurier you are going to need a minimum of 3-5 years experience FULL TIME.  Not what their website says but in general that is the case.  So regardless of your course if your aim is Laurier it will take longer.  But you can get better jobs if you get the BSW, so either way I think it is a better option IF you didn't get into the MSW

 

Good point if you intend to apply for U of T (which does not require minimum two year experiences) I have one question though for you.. If I go to B.S.W, and apply one year after getting the B.S.W degree, I feel like there is not much time to gain minimum two experiences..

 

My point is rejected => B.S.W (1 year) => volunteer / work experiences (minimum 2 years) => advanced (1 year) = total 4 years

                  rejected => Volunteer / work experience (2 years) => m.s.w not advanced (2 years) = total 4 years. 

 

In my calculation, it seems as if you need equal years, UNLESS you apply to U of T. Most schools require minimum two years experience.. I want to hear your opinion on this..

 

Also, what was your experience before accepting to advanced program (Because I got rejected to U of T (not advanced) even if I got 3.95 gpa at Mac; but I have bad experience (300 hours of volunteer). Thank you so much

[smpalesh]

I forgot to add that you need to look at the chances of getting in based on 1 yr or 2 yr MSW. For the 2 yr at all the schools I know the odds are between 15-20%. The advanced standing MSW you have a higher shot because everyone is wanting to go straight to the 2 yr MSW and skip the BSW. The odds of getting into the MSW at UofT for example in the 2yr is 15%, the odds of getting into the 1yr is approx. 33% or 1 in 3.  Much better odds.  Plus even if you don't get into the advanced standing MSW right away you still have your BSW which means the job potential is much higher than just having an undergrad

 

 

Good point if you intend to apply for U of T (which does not require minimum two year experiences) I have one question though for you.. If I go to B.S.W, and apply one year after getting the B.S.W degree, I feel like there is not much time to gain minimum two experiences..

 

My point is rejected => B.S.W (1 year) => volunteer / work experiences (minimum 2 years) => advanced (1 year) = total 4 years

                  rejected => Volunteer / work experience (2 years) => m.s.w not advanced (2 years) = total 4 years. 

 

In my calculation, it seems as if you need equal years, UNLESS you apply to U of T. Most schools require minimum two years experience.. I want to hear your opinion on this..

 

Also, what was your experience before accepting to advanced program (Because I got rejected to U of T (not advanced) even if I got 3.95 gpa at Mac; but I have bad experience (300 hours of volunteer). Thank you so much

[smpalesh]

UofT accepts 140 students in the 2 yr and 90 students in the advanced standing.

 

Hi everyone
I have been following this forum for a while and it is very helpful thank you all for posting. I have applied to laurier York and u of t . Rejected from York and laurier and got invited from u of t!
I am curious does anyone know how many people get accepted to the 2 yr program? I know I read that u of t accepts 150 applicants. How many of those are for the full time 2 year?
Thank you

[MSW13]

smpalesh,

For the admissions statistics that you've stated in your comments (15% for 2yr, 33%for 1yr/advanced standing)  are you only referring to U of T or is this in general? Also, if you are referring to U of T, did Angela or another credible source give you this statistic or are you calculating it yourself based on the numbers you've heard?   

[smpalesh]

Hi, I am calculating it based on the information session I attended.  I accidentally wrote the wrong number so it is actually 23% for the 2 yr and 33% for the 1 yr (140/600 and 90/280).

 

smpalesh,

For the admissions statistics that you've stated in your comments (15% for 2yr, 33%for 1yr/advanced standing)  are you only referring to U of T or is this in general? Also, if you are referring to U of T, did Angela or another credible source give you this statistic or are you calculating it yourself based on the numbers you've heard?   

[nugget]

I forgot to add that you need to look at the chances of getting in based on 1 yr or 2 yr MSW. For the 2 yr at all the schools I know the odds are between 15-20%. The advanced standing MSW you have a higher shot because everyone is wanting to go straight to the 2 yr MSW and skip the BSW. The odds of getting into the MSW at UofT for example in the 2yr is 15%, the odds of getting into the 1yr is approx. 33% or 1 in 3.  Much better odds.  Plus even if you don't get into the advanced standing MSW right away you still have your BSW which means the job potential is much higher than just having an undergrad

 

I think that this is sound advice. When I was looking at MSW programs last year, I found this to be the case for pretty much all the programs that I looked at. Statistically, a greater percentage of people get accepted into 1 year MSW programs than 2 year programs (this is by doing my own calculations based on number of applicants and number of spots available). I think the reason for this may be that there are so many more 1 year MSW programs in Canada than 2 year programs so there are more spots available country-wide. Plus some people applying to the 1 year MSW are unwilling to relocate to another province and don't end up applying to Ontario schools (where most people on this forum seem to have applied) as most provinces in Canada offer 1 year MSW programs (but this is not the case for 2 year programs).

Edited April 6, 2014 by jenste

[Talstar]

This year for the UofT 2yr program the odds of getting accepted were even less. My rejection letter noted that they had more than 800 applicants for only 140 spots. That's less than a 17.5% chance of getting in. But it's important to consider that getting into the BSW programs are not easy either. For the Lakehead 1 year BSW there were 500 applicants and 85 spots. That's only a 17% chance of getting in similar to the UofT 2yr program. So I guess apply to a few different programs to increase your chances of getting in somewhere but then of course that gets expensive... 

 

Hi, I am calculating it based on the information session I attended.  I accidentally wrote the wrong number so it is actually 23% for the 2 yr and 33% for the 1 yr (140/600 and 90/280).

[Shawk]

Hello Everyone, 

 

I have recently been waitlisted for the 2 year MSW at U of T. I'm interested in applying for a post grad BSW to start in September 2015. Thinking of taking a college course next year just to add to my resume because I'm having a hard time getting a job in the field with just undergrad. Was wondering if anyone could advise me about the post grad BSW programs? I know about Lakehead and York, but are there any others in Ontario? And does any know which are the best ones in other provinces?  

 

Also, I found a link that states the York post-grad BSW can be done in a minimum of 2 yrs: 

http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/program/social_work

That seems long to me if you want to do the MSW afterwords.

 

I would love to hear other opinions on these issues. I've been following this forum for a while and really value your advice. Thank you!

[smpalesh]

I am currently doing my BSW at University of Waterloo and it is highly regarded.  You do have to have some specific pre-requisite courses but you can contact the school to see if your previous courses are suitable.  It is 1 yr BSW, you do 8 courses over 3 semesters (Sept-Dec, Jan-April, April-June) and a practicum 3 days a week the entire length of the program.  Our program has a very high acceptance rate this year at MSW programs so I think it is a respected program in the field.

 

Hello Everyone, 

 

I have recently been waitlisted for the 2 year MSW at U of T. I'm interested in applying for a post grad BSW to start in September 2015. Thinking of taking a college course next year just to add to my resume because I'm having a hard time getting a job in the field with just undergrad. Was wondering if anyone could advise me about the post grad BSW programs? I know about Lakehead and York, but are there any others in Ontario? And does any know which are the best ones in other provinces?  

 

Also, I found a link that states the York post-grad BSW can be done in a minimum of 2 yrs: 

http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/program/social_work

That seems long to me if you want to do the MSW afterwords.

 

I would love to hear other opinions on these issues. I've been following this forum for a while and really value your advice. Thank you!

[nugget]

Hello Everyone, 

 

I have recently been waitlisted for the 2 year MSW at U of T. I'm interested in applying for a post grad BSW to start in September 2015. Thinking of taking a college course next year just to add to my resume because I'm having a hard time getting a job in the field with just undergrad. Was wondering if anyone could advise me about the post grad BSW programs? I know about Lakehead and York, but are there any others in Ontario? And does any know which are the best ones in other provinces?  

 

Also, I found a link that states the York post-grad BSW can be done in a minimum of 2 yrs: 

http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/program/social_work

That seems long to me if you want to do the MSW afterwords.

 

I would love to hear other opinions on these issues. I've been following this forum for a while and really value your advice. Thank you!

I agree that 2 years is too long for a post grad BSW. That's why Lakehead's 12 month program is a great option. There is also a 15 month program in New Brunswick (I can't seem to remember the name of the school at the moment however). Apparently U of Waterloo offers a 12 month program too.

[nugget]

I just remembered the name of the school in NB - St.Thomas University.

[smpalesh]

Actually University of Waterloo's BSW is 10 months (September-June)

 

I agree that 2 years is too long for a post grad BSW. That's why Lakehead's 12 month program is a great option. There is also a 15 month program in New Brunswick (I can't seem to remember the name of the school at the moment however). Apparently U of Waterloo offers a 12 month program too.

[DreamingMSW]

Hi, I am calculating it based on the information session I attended.  I accidentally wrote the wrong number so it is actually 23% for the 2 yr and 33% for the 1 yr (140/600 and 90/280).

The numbers must have gone up quite a bit since the information session. I know that for the 2-year program this and last year there were over 800 applicants. Not sure about the 1-year.

[PsychologyStudent101]

I'm wondering if anyone knows how many applicants there were for york's 2 year msw program this year?

[ali_son]

Good point if you intend to apply for U of T (which does not require minimum two year experiences) I have one question though for you.. If I go to B.S.W, and apply one year after getting the B.S.W degree, I feel like there is not much time to gain minimum two experiences..

 

My point is rejected => B.S.W (1 year) => volunteer / work experiences (minimum 2 years) => advanced (1 year) = total 4 years

                  rejected => Volunteer / work experience (2 years) => m.s.w not advanced (2 years) = total 4 years. 

 

In my calculation, it seems as if you need equal years, UNLESS you apply to U of T. Most schools require minimum two years experience.. I want to hear your opinion on this..

 

Also, what was your experience before accepting to advanced program (Because I got rejected to U of T (not advanced) even if I got 3.95 gpa at Mac; but I have bad experience (300 hours of volunteer). Thank you so much

 

I got accepted to Laurier and U of C this year (which both require two years of full time experience, approx. 3500 hours), and my total number of combined employment/volunteer hours was 4300 hours. I wanted to let you guys know that I worked on acquiring these hours over a gradual period of time and it was not just done over two years. I volunteered a lot during my undergrad and then took one year off following my undergrad to work full time and volunteer more. I've also coached gymnastics since I was 15 so all of those hours added up. I also applied to two BSW programs this year as a backup in case I didn't get in to do my masters. My point is that you can build up your hours and experience while going to school, it doesn't necessarily have to be FULL TIME work.