Canadian Universities MSW. The waiting game 2015 admissions

[purplegrey]

Gah!!! I can't take this anymore. Seriously, I'm ready to move on and think of all the great things I can do this year instead of sitting here not knowing anything. 

I asked Sue about waiting list placement and she said this:

 

We are hoping to be able to rank our waitlisted candidates in min-April.   If an offer of admission is forthcoming you will then be required to send an official transcript but one is not needed at this point.

Sue

[MSW-UofT]

it's the anticipation that has me stressed haha

I know but we also thought that we were completely screwed but at least we know there is hope . She also said they are doing it earlier because it gives students a fair chance of deciding between school.  

[b39]

Hi guys, I  just wanted to let you know i spoke to a credible source at admission from Uoft because I am currently enrolled in Undergrad, and they said that don't worry there is more acceptances to come, they send out different wage of acceptances. that don't stress because there is still lots of hope. 

 

I reached my positive vote quota for the day but if I could I would thumbs up this a thousand times! 

 

That is amazing news I really hope that this Friday some of us find out good news !  

[magfish]

I will say, I totally expected/figured there'd be more acceptances but having it more or less confirmed is a nice feeling. Plus the got my transcript from last semester this morning so I am feeling a lot more relieved about my application over all.

 

Alright, March, hurry up and end so this torture can be over! (Also this degree that no longer matters to me, also this never-ending winter.)

[goodnews]

Did anyone hear anything from Windsor?

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

Hi everyone - does anyone know someone who is in or has completed the Two-year MSW at University of Victoria?? I would love a chance to connect with them over e-mail and pick their brain about their experience.. Need to decide ASAP between that and york.. thank you!!!!

[msw22]

Hi everyone - does anyone know someone who is in or has completed the Two-year MSW at University of Victoria?? I would love a chance to connect with them over e-mail and pick their brain about their experience.. Need to decide ASAP between that and york.. thank you!!!!

 

You can try searching last year's forum if no one replies here

 

[rachelmsw]

My letter for 2 year U of T arrived in the mail today. It went from Toronto to Barrie and was dated March 13th. I have not yet read it but my dad opened it and I have 4 weeks (from March 13th) to respond and then until June for deposit. 

 

Good luck to all still waiting! 

[ChristinaB1990]

I have a question for anyone who has an opinion on this:

 

So, I will be accepting my UofT offer for the 2-year program and my plan as of now is to commute into the city from the Burlington/Hamilton area.. likely via the GO train and TTC.

 

What is everyone's understanding of the program structure? Is it every day 9-5 that we would have class, is practicum full time, etc? I've been really tossing with the idea of commuting or moving to the city. Obviously, staying with my parents and commuting would be most economical (that might not be obvious, actually.. with costs of commuting)... but what do you guys think? How tough would commuting be, in your opinion?

 

Thanks for any input you may have!!!

[sdp732]

I have a question for anyone who has an opinion on this:

 

So, I will be accepting my UofT offer for the 2-year program and my plan as of now is to commute into the city from the Burlington/Hamilton area.. likely via the GO train and TTC.

 

What is everyone's understanding of the program structure? Is it every day 9-5 that we would have class, is practicum full time, etc? I've been really tossing with the idea of commuting or moving to the city. Obviously, staying with my parents and commuting would be most economical (that might not be obvious, actually.. with costs of commuting)... but what do you guys think? How tough would commuting be, in your opinion?

 

Thanks for any input you may have!!!

I am planning on commuting to Ryerson from Newmarket or Aurora. It's definitely doable considering the cost of living in Toronto! I know U of T has placement options in Burlington and Hamilton (Reach Out Center for Kids and City of Hamilton definitely, but there are definitely more).

I am hoping I might be able to get a placement in the York region to make my commute a little easier..

[b39]

I have a question for anyone who has an opinion on this:

 

So, I will be accepting my UofT offer for the 2-year program and my plan as of now is to commute into the city from the Burlington/Hamilton area.. likely via the GO train and TTC.

 

What is everyone's understanding of the program structure? Is it every day 9-5 that we would have class, is practicum full time, etc? I've been really tossing with the idea of commuting or moving to the city. Obviously, staying with my parents and commuting would be most economical (that might not be obvious, actually.. with costs of commuting)... but what do you guys think? How tough would commuting be, in your opinion?

 

Thanks for any input you may have!!!

 

Firstly, congrats on your acceptance

 

I know smpalesh was accepted to UofT and lives out of town, they mentioned that they made an arrangement for their practicum to be in their hometown which would make commuting a lot more accessible. 

 

You would have to consider where you want your placement (if it is something only available in Toronto) and things like that, plus weigh out the difference financially and whether the time spent travelling to save money is worth it. 

[elmolee1]

Does anyone know if acceptance letters for the 2 year MSW program at u of t are being sent out yet? 

[ChristinaB1990]

Thanks sdp732 & b39!!

 

That's a good way to look at it.. placement location could help the decision making process. If only Toronto living was more affordable!!!!

[ChristinaB1990]

Does anyone know if acceptance letters for the 2 year MSW program at u of t are being sent out yet? 

Some letters have been sent but I'm positive there are more on the way!

[Christina2]

Did anyone hear anything from Windsor?

Nothing for me yet. It still says referred to department .

[elmolee1]

ChristinaB1990 thank you! 

 

My application status still says "under review" so hopefully that will change soon. Can I ask what kind of experience you had before applying?

[Christina2]

Just a reminder for everyone to update their results when they hear back. It helps this year applicants and future applicants so we don't have to scroll through so many pages to know when people have been accepted , waitlisted or rejected

[Social Work 93]

Did anyone hear anything from Windsor?

 

Yeah I got rejected yesterday 

[ChristinaB1990]

ChristinaB1990 thank you! 

 

My application status still says "under review" so hopefully that will change soon. Can I ask what kind of experience you had before applying?

 

 

I think we've figured out that no news is good news!!!

 

I am finishing up my Masters in psychology (research) right now.. My thesis is on evidence-based interventions for children with learning disabilities and co-occuring mental health challenges, but I've had a change of heart and want to be on the other side of things... service delivery, policy implementation, etc instead of only research!

My grades are in the A range in both my undergrad and grad program, but my experience isn't outstanding - distress line volunteering (2 years), program assistant with children with Autism (2 years), and other short-term volunteering roles in the children's mental health field.

I think my experience in research is what helped me, as UofT is a very research oriented program!

I wish you (and everyone else) the best of luck and hope we get to be classmates in September

Edited March 19, 2015 by ChristinaB1990

[elmolee1]

Thanks! 

[aay]

I felt compelled to address this comment -- I apologize if it is out of place with respect to this thread's subject matter. I'm currently awaiting a response for the UofT 2-year MSW. I was waitlisted last year. Best of luck to everybody.

 

As for the comment: with all due respect, your logic is absolutely preposterous. For one, psychologists/psychiatrists/etc. apparently do not need to suffer from mental illness(es) themselves to have their professional legitimacy questioned. We need effective clinicians, not clinicians who can merely "identify" with clients. This trend towards oppression-as-currency makes me gag. That professor you described is an anti-oppression expert because he knows more than any putatively "oppressed" people about their oppression. Unlike theory and professional experience, personal experience is not a language that anybody else can understand. A depressed person doesn't necessarily know more about depression than someone who studies it meticulously and who deals with depressed people every day. In fact, depression by its very nature tends to preclude strong self-insight. Granted, though, someone with both personal and professional experience would be more likely to make an incredible clinician, e.g., Marsha Linehan, R. D. Laing. 

 

For the record, I'm a "white boy" who was raised for the latter half of my life, along with my sibling, by a single mom's under-100K salary. Both me and my sibling suffer from chronic autoimmune diseases. Being stifled into voicelessness because I'm a "white boy" merely constitutes a reversal of roles, not an elimination of discrimination. Maybe I should just milk the fact that I'm Jewish in my applications, since Jews are historically the most oppressed minority in the world? Or maybe I should actually show some integrity instead? 

 

If any programs are obligated to fill diversity quotas, something has gone horribly awry. 

 

P.S. Social work is 90% female. Technically, "white boys" are the minority in the field; if anybody should be "benefiting" (*gag*) from this arrangement, it should be white boys. But most men are just too insensitive to want to pursue education in social work, right? 

 

I generally dislike getting involved in these conversations on the internet, but I fear I must shake off my hesitation to address this particular comment: “...that professor you described is an anti-oppression expert because he knows more than any putatively "oppressed" people about their oppression...”

 

I am still reeling from disbelief at your statement, so I apologize in advance for any lack of tact this may induce on my part.

First of all, you cannot be so deluded as to say that a proclaimed expert could know more about an individual’s oppression. I cannot even agree with that as a proposed generalization, so I am hoping that you were being slightly facetious with your perspective. If not - what? Seriously, what? Ever heard of the power of lived experience? Granted, this professor has certain credentials after his name that indicate his cognitive superiority (perhaps) and critical thinking skills (again, perhaps). However, by no means do those credentials discredit an oppressed person’s ability to completely comprehend the systemic and structural barriers that hinder their growth (educated or not; trained or not).

Secondly, I personally know this professor, and I know that a solid potion of his knowledge is derived from the people who experience oppression everyday; essentially, his heightened understanding is achieved through a two-way COLLABORATION over anything else (even meticulous studying).   

Lastly, for a group who is considered the “minority” in social work, many of the white boys sure do take up a lot of space in the higher echelons of leadership. The difference, you see, is that your minority status still does not take away your unadulterated source of societal power.

 

[aay]

I have a question for anyone who has an opinion on this:

 

So, I will be accepting my UofT offer for the 2-year program and my plan as of now is to commute into the city from the Burlington/Hamilton area.. likely via the GO train and TTC.

 

What is everyone's understanding of the program structure? Is it every day 9-5 that we would have class, is practicum full time, etc? I've been really tossing with the idea of commuting or moving to the city. Obviously, staying with my parents and commuting would be most economical (that might not be obvious, actually.. with costs of commuting)... but what do you guys think? How tough would commuting be, in your opinion?

 

Thanks for any input you may have!!!

 

I struggled with this as well; I live in Hamilton, and it would be so much easier (economically) to commute from home. However, I realized that my schedule would cause me to travel at least 20 hours a week (in the advanced stream I have 2 days of class and 3 days of practicum; not sure if it's the same for 2-year students). On top of that, I calculated that I would be paying $400.00/month minimum for the long commute. I figured I would just shell out the extra $$ and find a place to live in downtown Toronto for 10 months. Sigh, the price of education.

 

Also, I commuted from one end of Hamilton to another for all of my undergraduate career. This took me approximately 50 minutes to an hour travelling via public transit one-way, and it expelled considerable energy...so I can't imagine doing that from Hamilton to Toronto . Although, if this feels like something you would be able to do without much fuss, I recommend going ahead with it and saving the money .

 

Edit: keep in mind that I specifically want to do my M.S.W. practicum in Toronto (already did 2 placements in Hamilton for my B.S.W.)

Edited March 19, 2015 by aay

[MostlyM]

Hi guys, I  just wanted to let you know i spoke to a credible source at admission from Uoft because I am currently enrolled in Undergrad, and they said that don't worry there is more acceptances to come, they send out different wage of acceptances. that don't stress because there is still lots of hope. 

SUCH. A. RELIEF. THANK YOU FOR SHARING! 

[MostlyM]

I have a question for anyone who has an opinion on this:

 

So, I will be accepting my UofT offer for the 2-year program and my plan as of now is to commute into the city from the Burlington/Hamilton area.. likely via the GO train and TTC.

 

What is everyone's understanding of the program structure? Is it every day 9-5 that we would have class, is practicum full time, etc? I've been really tossing with the idea of commuting or moving to the city. Obviously, staying with my parents and commuting would be most economical (that might not be obvious, actually.. with costs of commuting)... but what do you guys think? How tough would commuting be, in your opinion?

 

Thanks for any input you may have!!!

Hey there, I have a friend who is currently in her first year in the MSW at U of T. She said that the program is not quite set up for commuting. I suppose however, with the set up of the practicum, this could help you but, I do think there is a serious trade off (meaning you would be saving money, but losing a ton of valuable time that could be spent doing more productive things). I had wondered if this was feasible coming from Niagara myself, but have just decided if I am accepted that it would be better to move there. I think it comes down to the individual though, if you are motivated enough to save money then you can get through it.

[MostlyM]

Also, tomorrow is Friday! I know we are all kind of leaning towards the idea of more offers going out tomorrow so I just want to throw out a huge good luck to everyone, I find the vibe in this forum to be very uplifting and it would be a complete joy to attend a grad program with everyone here! Best of luck tomorrow!