NEW Canadian universities M.S.W thread (2017)

[moh230]

1 hour ago, CG_MSW said:

Just got my waitlist letter from UofT. Trying hard not to get discouraged. 

I also applied to Lakehead's One Year Program though, so I'm crossing my fingers that that works out... out of curiosity is there anyone here who applied or has taken it? I was wondering what tuition was like and can't seem to find info on their site/ it was kind of confusing. 

Ya I saw lakeheada tuition to being around 11k-12k for.the HBSW 1 year. I also applied to lake head, they said they will be sending out results mid April so in the next 2 weeks hopefully. 

[wishingonuoft]

For those waitlisted at U of T, a lot of my close friends in the program got off the wait list my year.  I would say proceed with cautious optimism, it might not happen but it might, and if it does let it be a pleasant surprise. I'm so sorry for those of you that feel discouraged, as I mentioned in a post a while ago I firmly believe that if it's your dream--it'll happen, one way or the other--be proud of your accomplishments in the mean time. The program is *stupid* competitive, not getting in is not a reflection of your abilities or your potential in any way shape or form. I'm positive you will ALL be tremendous Social Workers one day, even if it takes a bit more time. Hang in there and don't forget to be compassionate towards yourself <3 and if you feel you need any extra emotional support, this forum is here for you.

[lovelife905]

1 hour ago, Ed07ti said:

My application at york u for msw shows reviewed - unsuccessful today

and I was waitlisted at u of t. 

Hard to bite the bullet but I guess I'll think about either switching career paths or continue to work for another year and re-apply next year. I don't know what else to do to improve my application as my GPA and work experience were as good as I thought they could get.

Congrats to everyone who was accepted. 

Is a 1 BSW an option? 

[lovelife905]

19 minutes ago, Ed07ti said:

What is that ? a BSW degree like an undergrad?

 

If it was I was kind of hoping not to go down that road again. I did a BA honours in Political Science at Western U in 2010, and then went back to York U to do a BA honours in Psychology in 2014. I think if I got another Bachelor, I would be a pretty well rounded candidate for Jeopardy. 

It's a one year degree that would give you a BSW degree but it would also make your MSW one year so you don't really lose time. The first year of a two year MSW is basically a post degree BSW. 

[tnt92]

32 minutes ago, Ed07ti said:

Hmmmmm you know what it actually makes a lot of sense, I honestly thought it would take longer than one year though since my second BA at york u took me 2 years. 

thank you for bringing this to my awareness. Which schools offer this program and does it go by a particular name or is it just a BSW?

Waterloo, York, and Lakehead offer one year BSW. I think there might be a couple more but I forget

[Hopeful18]

7 hours ago, adorealire said:

Has anyone heard from Ryerson yet? They said that by early-mid March results would be given, and still I have heard nothing 

For the advanced standing for York U, will there be a second round? I was wait-listed, and a few of my classmates who applied to York have heard absoultey nothing, and it just says "No Decision Yet"

I got accepted to Ryerson on the 14th of March with a nice scholarship.  The deadline to accept was on March 27th. 

I, along with a few of my classmates have also, still, not heard anything back from York in regard to advanced standing.

[lovelife905]

31 minutes ago, Ed07ti said:

Hmmmmm you know what it actually makes a lot of sense, I honestly thought it would take longer than one year though since my second BA at york u took me 2 years. 

thank you for bringing this to my awareness. Which schools offer this program and does it go by a particular name or is it just a BSW?

York, Lakehead, and I believe McGill offers this as well. 

[nutella06]

5 hours ago, MSW-hopeful-2016 said:

they don't inform you if you don't get off the waitlist. from what i know, its only a couple people that get off of it, and you can find out anytime between end of April all the way until September. they recommend accepting other schools/jobs (my waitlist letter said that last year). 

Do you know how the waitlist works? I would assume that the individual they liked would be higher up and would get an acceptance should someone decline but I have read that they don't have a list so you don't even know your ranking on the wait list 

[MSW-hopeful-2016]

Just now, nutella06 said:

Do you know how the waitlist works? I would assume that the individual they liked would be higher up and would get an acceptance should someone decline but I have read that they don't have a list so you don't even know your ranking on the wait list 

no idea how it works unfortunately. it frustrated me last year with the whole "we dont rank you" thing. even though i totally do not believe that. its not like they just pull names out of a hat once someone declines their offer. 

[MSW2B]

20 minutes ago, lovelife905 said:

York, Lakehead, and I believe McGill offers this as well. 

Is the post grad bsw program at York one year or two? 

[nicoleMSW]

There was no mail from U of T at my parents' house!  They're even slow to reject me! lol

[Keep calm]

Both my Rosi and Acron say nothing, so I'm probably either rejected or waitlisted.. it's really discouraging, but i guess trying to get more experience is the only thing I can do right now..

I'll soon be graduating with a BA in Psych and Classics. My last two year GPA is 85, and I have about 1200 hours of related experience. I really want to get jobs that will increase my knowledge of the field of social work, and potentially increase my chance of acceptance three years down the road. Can anyone here suggest me any good job field or place to start? 

I live in London, but I'm more than willing to relocate. I would really appreciate it if anyone could give me some advice! Thank you.  

[Bev_TO]

1 hour ago, tnt92 said:

Waterloo, York, and Lakehead offer one year BSW. I think there might be a couple more but I forget

In terms of 1 year BSWs in Ontario, folks, here's what I found from calling and talking to all the admissions coordinators - thought this info may be useful to everyone:

1) Waterloo - not really a 1 year. They call it a 1 year, but you need to almost an entire year worth of pre-requisite Social Work Courses. You can register as a non-degree student and take most of them online, but you'll be paying for each course. So it doesn't seem financially feasible. You can take some of the pre-reqs then apply for conditional offer to their "1-year" BSW program

2) York - it's a MINIMUM 2-year program as was mentioned in the information session. They say 2-years full time. It's a post-degree program and requires a cumulative mid-B GPA. That's 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

3) Lakehead - post-grad HBSW can be done at either Orillia or Thunder Bay Campus. The tuition is 11k - 12 k because the school year starts in July (YES - Summertime) and ends at the end of June the following year. So its fee structure is based on a per course sort of system - as I have been told by former Lakehead students. It is indeed a 1-year full year program - so the tuition is seemingly high. Their application process is said to be the most holistic - in that they don't put all the emphasis on the marks. They do require a 70% or higher in your final 10 full year credit courses.

Hope this helps.

For all of you who didn't get in. Don't lose hope. I'll tell you I have the lowest undergrad GPA I have ever heard of getting into graduate school... And to be honest, I thought applying to U of T was a long shot. What I lacked in academic prowess, I made up for in 9 years of experience with a number of social justice organizations ranging from advocacy, activism, working with diverse groups from marginalized communities. I have worked with survivors of violence, mental health & trauma, children and youth, elderly populations, populations struggling with food security, newcomers and racialized people. If you didn't get in this year, take this year to really put yourself out there and work in what you're interested in. Diversify and network and expand your working opportunities. When the time comes to write your written statement, you will be able to speak directly from your experience - and that authenticity will shine through. You have an entire year to come back - and if you really believe that social work is for you, you will make it happen.

 

 

Edited March 29, 2017 by Bev_TO

[2017hoping]

6 hours ago, Ed07ti said:

My application at york u for msw shows reviewed - unsuccessful today

and I was waitlisted at u of t. 

Hard to bite the bullet but I guess I'll think about either switching career paths or continue to work for another year and re-apply next year. I don't know what else to do to improve my application as my GPA and work experience were as good as I thought they could get.

Congrats to everyone who was accepted. 

I"m sorry to hear about that; the waitlist always could move at U of T.  Did you apply to other schools?  I would say to definitely keep applying; and look at some other programs outside the city if they fit your goals/where you are at as there may be other programs that are a better fit  Don't give up!  

[thelionking]

If anyone is looking for another post bachelor BSW program that is shorter than 2 years (other than Lakehead), you should also consider St.Thomas University in NB. I heard that it is only 15 consecutive months full time whereas most 2 year BSW programs will take you 20 months from start to finish.

Edited March 29, 2017 by thelionking

[Noodle4]

2 hours ago, Hopeful18 said:

I got accepted to Ryerson on the 14th of March with a nice scholarship.  The deadline to accept was on March 27th. 

I, along with a few of my classmates have also, still, not heard anything back from York in regard to advanced standing.

I hope that means Ryerson will roll out more acceptances soon! It's my first choice and my anxiety from waiting has started to make work days go by very slowly, but the information sharing on this forum is very helpful  

Edited March 29, 2017 by Noodle4

[nutella06]

2 hours ago, MSW-hopeful-2016 said:

no idea how it works unfortunately. it frustrated me last year with the whole "we dont rank you" thing. even though i totally do not believe that. its not like they just pull names out of a hat once someone declines their offer. 

Argh that's annoying. Hopefully we hear back soon. Fingers crossed! Good luck! 

[Amira86]

Most BSW program applications are closed by now..I know because I called pretty much every school after my rejection at York. The only school that is still accepting applications is the University of North British Columbia. It is a 2 year BSW program for people who have another degree. The people at the admissions office seem really nice and helpful. 

[c.dizzle]

i feel like uoft doesnt reject people and ends up lumping us all into the waitlist giving us false hope tbh. 

[c.dizzle]

16 hours ago, wishingonuoft said:

For those waitlisted at U of T, a lot of my close friends in the program got off the wait list my year.  I would say proceed with cautious optimism, it might not happen but it might, and if it does let it be a pleasant surprise. I'm so sorry for those of you that feel discouraged, as I mentioned in a post a while ago I firmly believe that if it's your dream--it'll happen, one way or the other--be proud of your accomplishments in the mean time. The program is *stupid* competitive, not getting in is not a reflection of your abilities or your potential in any way shape or form. I'm positive you will ALL be tremendous Social Workers one day, even if it takes a bit more time. Hang in there and don't forget to be compassionate towards yourself <3 and if you feel you need any extra emotional support, this forum is here for you.

how many of your friends got off the wait list last year? 

[daniellekl]

For those of you who have been rejected/waitlisted, and you feel it's because of a low GPA, don't be discouraged!! Contrary to popular belief, UofT does actually look beyond the GPA, and my acceptance this year is proof of that. I was rejected to the program in 2014 and I thought for sure it was because of my grades (last 2 years were in the B/B+ range). That being said, I also didn't have much experience in the field, given that I was just coming out of undergrad. So, for those of you wondering what you can do to improve your application, here is what I did (it might work for you too!):

• As soon as I got the rejection from UofT, I enrolled in George Brown's fast-track Social Service Worker program (it's a summer, plus one year ... similar to Lakehead's HBSW). I did a placement through that program, and was soon hired on as casual staff, and later on, part-time staff. 
• Through a connection at the SSW program, I got involved with a volunteer project at the City of Toronto
• This next piece I will hugely emphasize, as UofT is highly research focused: I spent over a year volunteering in a research lab, getting authorship on publications, presentations, etc. *Tip for UofT personal statements: mention wanting to do a thesis - even though only 3 students get to do one, UofT loves the idea of having social workers become researchers/academics, as it's quite rare. This was a tip I received from one of the faculty there, and it was very useful.
• I continued to work on my professional development, getting certifications in UMAB, harm reduction, etc.
• I then received a full-time job in the field

It's all a process, and like previous posters have mentioned, if social work is what you're meant to do, you'll get there  Just remember, GPA isn't everything, and I can't emphasize that enough, especially since when I was applying, people repeatedly told me that the school was "too elite" for what my grades were. *not amused*.

[MSW-hopeful-2016]

26 minutes ago, daniellekl said:

For those of you who have been rejected/waitlisted, and you feel it's because of a low GPA, don't be discouraged!! Contrary to popular belief, UofT does actually look beyond the GPA, and my acceptance this year is proof of that. I was rejected to the program in 2014 and I thought for sure it was because of my grades (last 2 years were in the B/B+ range). That being said, I also didn't have much experience in the field, given that I was just coming out of undergrad. So, for those of you wondering what you can do to improve your application, here is what I did (it might work for you too!):

• As soon as I got the rejection from UofT, I enrolled in George Brown's fast-track Social Service Worker program (it's a summer, plus one year ... similar to Lakehead's HBSW). I did a placement through that program, and was soon hired on as casual staff, and later on, part-time staff. 
• Through a connection at the SSW program, I got involved with a volunteer project at the City of Toronto
• This next piece I will hugely emphasize, as UofT is highly research focused: I spent over a year volunteering in a research lab, getting authorship on publications, presentations, etc. *Tip for UofT personal statements: mention wanting to do a thesis - even though only 3 students get to do one, UofT loves the idea of having social workers become researchers/academics, as it's quite rare. This was a tip I received from one of the faculty there, and it was very useful.
• I continued to work on my professional development, getting certifications in UMAB, harm reduction, etc.
• I then received a full-time job in the field

It's all a process, and like previous posters have mentioned, if social work is what you're meant to do, you'll get there  Just remember, GPA isn't everything, and I can't emphasize that enough, especially since when I was applying, people repeatedly told me that the school was "too elite" for what my grades were. *not amused*.

I can also add on to this explanation and say that the difference maker to me getting accepted this year was most definitely my addition of research experience, as well as finishing my thesis. In my personal statement, I wrote about my thesis as my greatest accomplishment, stressing the importance of evidence-based practice in the field of social work. So for those of you wait-listed (or rejected) who are struggling to find out how you can improve, in you are set on UofT as I was, really try to find experience in the research sector. Just my two cents  

[lindsayds]

Got my waitlist letter today for UoT in the mail - trying to stay positive. 

[sososocialwork]

I was waitlisted as well (second year in a row) for U of T. Feeling discouraged but not giving up. I saw some posters asking about doing a 1 year BSW. I'm at waterloo now completing the pre-reqs and was accepted to the post-degree BSW for next fall. If anyone has any questions about it let me know  

Edited March 29, 2017 by sososocialwork

[vanessamarie]

I got my wait list letter today as well!

I'm very proud of myself as should you all who also got waitlisted.

Congratulations to everyone who got accepted into the MSW program at UofT and good luck to all who got wait listed - please do not feel discouraged!