Canadian MSW Applicants 2018

[ericamckenzie12345]

Will be declining my Ryerson offer for the 1 year program for anyone waiting. good luck everyone!

[Mari*]

(I'm waiting to hear from York and from Uoft  for their 2 years admission results.) 

I've been like this since March 1: checking online a lot and each evening my partner greets me not with hello but with "No I checked the mail, there's nothing...I promise, I checked it"  Each week I was like ok you can do this one more weeek...  lol!  but here we go again, probably will end up as another week for york then another month for Uoft! 

Just sharing something that's helped me: apparently the only way to help through a very anxious period of waiting that keeps unfolding like this is to make a tiny goal that you work towards, ideally something that you can do on a website so you can gear your brain to want those responses. Like online quizes you're interested in-  funny I'm actually doing G1 driving quizes online,  I never drove in Canada, only abroad before moving here and I kept postponing the test. So it's PERFECT time to just schedule this damn test and worry about that!! There's no other way to get my mind off of this waiting.   
How are you guys getting through the waiting, has anything helped? I watched the Alice in Wonderland cartoon one night - I swear when you're off work , random stories can hook your attention very well!!! 

Good luck everyone!!!!!

[ksekmi]

On 3/15/2018 at 12:15 PM, TLF26 said:

I asked UFV when they send out acceptances back in Jan but they had no answers for me. They said they didn't know how long it would take. Maybe I will contact them now and see if they have a better idea. I know that they require interviews though as part of their assessment.

I called UFV and they informed me that admission confirmation should be out by end of March! Fingers crossed. 

[TLF26]

23 minutes ago, ksekmi said:

I called UFV and they informed me that admission confirmation should be out by end of March! Fingers crossed. 

Awesome, thanks!!

[lastsupper]

@Mari* In the same boat waiting on those two programs! But instead of my boyfriend checking the mail, it's me calling my stepdad back at home about any "official-looking mail" and hoping he can read the letterhead properly hahaha. It's rough getting acceptances sent by mail when you don't live at your permanent address, it adds a whole other layer of stress.

I also just got my G1 a few months ago, since some practicum placements require you being able to drive. So my method to not think about the wait is driving practice!

[smntoronto]

Anyone hear from York today? 

[Jess22]

Honestly, I'm getting pretty anxious guys! I applied to Laurier for their 2 year MSW program, and while I've read on here somewhere that admissions may not be until mid April that doesn't stop me from checking my email, loris, or this form to see if anyone has heard from them! On the plus, I think after all this waiting, we can say that we have some great patience skills  

[Teshi]

6 hours ago, Mari* said:

(I'm waiting to hear from York and from Uoft  for their 2 years admission results.) 

I've been like this since March 1: checking online a lot and each evening my partner greets me not with hello but with "No I checked the mail, there's nothing...I promise, I checked it"  Each week I was like ok you can do this one more weeek...  lol!  but here we go again, probably will end up as another week for york then another month for Uoft! 

Just sharing something that's helped me: apparently the only way to help through a very anxious period of waiting that keeps unfolding like this is to make a tiny goal that you work towards, ideally something that you can do on a website so you can gear your brain to want those responses. Like online quizes you're interested in-  funny I'm actually doing G1 driving quizes online,  I never drove in Canada, only abroad before moving here and I kept postponing the test. So it's PERFECT time to just schedule this damn test and worry about that!! There's no other way to get my mind off of this waiting.   
How are you guys getting through the waiting, has anything helped? I watched the Alice in Wonderland cartoon one night - I swear when you're off work , random stories can hook your attention very well!!! 

Good luck everyone!!!!!

The best thing you can actually do for yourself is simple... just "keep yourself busy". Trust me (from personal experience), I've been in situations where I've been checking sites vigorously for acceptances; just to find out later I didn't get accepted. I feel like this truly messes with your head psychologically, and dealing with the disappointment is way worse. On the other hand, I've been on the other side of it; where I've been so busy where I don't really have the time to check if I got accepted....just to find that I get my acceptance out of nowhere!! You appreciate it way more than usual.

[cat_not_kitty]

And it was a long day with no news after all that...

Ah, well – another one down...and what's another few more, I guess, after 3 long months of waiting. At least if nothing comes tomorrow, we'll have the weekend to unplug from the notion of imminent results. 

My partner bought a (presumptuous) bottle of champagne on his way home today...I might just drink it anyway.

8 hours ago, ciders_only said:

 

I find that today will be the longest day, only because they sent out Advanced Standing acceptances on the exact same day of the week from a year ago, which is causes me to buy into the idea that we might hear from them today.

I wish the admission committees were more transparent with the process, rather than leaving us in the dark 

[SW Sevante]

3 hours ago, cat_not_kitty said:

And it was a long day with no news after all that...

Ah, well – another one down...and what's another few more, I guess, after 3 long months of waiting. At least if nothing comes tomorrow, we'll have the weekend to unplug from the notion of imminent results. 

My partner bought a (presumptuous) bottle of champagne on his way home today...I might just drink it anyway.

Drink that champagne! Then you will get another bottle when you get accepted! ?

[cat_not_kitty]

Haha! I decided to save the Veuve for that special day...but I AM having sparking wine as we speak .

21 minutes ago, SW Sevante said:

Drink that champagne! Then you will get another bottle when you get accepted! ?

 

[acciojenna]

hi guys! looong time lurker of this thread. i'm at my wits end and decided to finally make an account. I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT ANYMORE. Anyone else losing their mind? 

(I only applied to the UofT and York 2 year programs) 

[Rach3600]

Hoping and praying for the UofT applicants today ? I hope you all get your answers soon. The time for Laurier applicants is coming... *shutters*

[smntoronto]

37 minutes ago, acciojenna said:

hi guys! looong time lurker of this thread. i'm at my wits end and decided to finally make an account. I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT ANYMORE. Anyone else losing their mind? 

(I only applied to the UofT and York 2 year programs) 

I was very annoying today and called York   It was confirmed that all who were accepted will receive a phone call between 9am and 430pm on Monday, not today. 

[chinnz006]

Did anyone decline their UofT advanced standing offer? I wonder how many spaces will be available for the waitlisted...

[cat_not_kitty]

So glad you potential Yorkies have a firm answer about when to expect to hear back! Lovely of you to take the fall and be "annoying" on everyone's behalf, smntoronto .

York has really stepped up their administrative game from prior years (they've been quite shockingly disorganised and unresponsive in the past). They're proving to be a benchmark for transparency throughout their admissions process – I'm super impressed.

21 minutes ago, smntoronto said:

I was very annoying today and called York   It was confirmed that all who were accepted will receive a phone call between 9am and 430pm on Monday, not today. 

[smntoronto]

14 minutes ago, cat_not_kitty said:

So glad you potential Yorkies have a firm answer about when to expect to hear back! Lovely of you to take the fall and be "annoying" on everyone's behalf, smntoronto .

York has really stepped up their administrative game from prior years (they've been quite shockingly disorganised and unresponsive in the past). They're proving to be a benchmark for transparency throughout their admissions process – I'm super impressed.

Totally agree. I didn't receive an email, letter or any kind of notification (just a "Decision Made" status) or confirmation of my rejection in 2015. No one even returned my phone calls. Their new graduate administrator is seriously amazing! He responds to everything. 

Edited March 23, 2018 by smntoronto

[Toonies]

My partner got a call from York today with an acceptance into advance standing (she declined). I'm assuming she was waitlisted earlier, so other people might be receiving calls too! Good luck.

[Snellbell]

Attn York MSW applicants:

i talked to York today and they said they will call the 20 lucky people that have been accepted on Monday by 4:30.

[Monoo]

2 hours ago, cat_not_kitty said:

So glad you potential Yorkies have a firm answer about when to expect to hear back! Lovely of you to take the fall and be "annoying" on everyone's behalf, smntoronto .

York has really stepped up their administrative game from prior years (they've been quite shockingly disorganised and unresponsive in the past). They're proving to be a benchmark for transparency throughout their admissions process – I'm super impressed.

 

2 hours ago, smntoronto said:

Totally agree. I didn't receive an email, letter or any kind of notification (just a "Decision Made" status) or confirmation of my rejection in 2015. No one even returned my phone calls. Their new graduate administrator is seriously amazing! He responds to everything. 

Ammad, the graduate program assistant at York, is lovely. However, I still haven't received any official response for the Advanced Standing program. I only know that I wasn't accepted by reading this forum and then following up by calling Ammad. I was told I would receive an official letter by the end of last week, and I'm still waiting. It would just be nice to know whether I was waitlisted or rejected. Myfile still says "No Decision Made."

I also feel suspicious that I was rejected based on discriminatory factors, like my research interest being trans focused. I'm a current student at York, and many (NOT ALL) of the professors, especially the tenured professors, are pretty trans exclusionary.

I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I was shocked to be rejected, since I've worked so hard to keep my grades high (I've only had As and A+s), I have over 4000 hours of social work experience, had great references, and I got really good feedback on my statement from the program director. I'm at a loss as to how I could have made my application stronger.

Feeling really disillusioned with the school I've loved studying at for the past several years.

[socialtwerker]

48 minutes ago, Monoo said:

Ammad, the graduate program assistant at York, is lovely.

Totes! He ALWAYS calls back and is so patient with me over the phone. I don't know of others' experiences on here, but hands down the best grad admin for any of the schools I applied to. Even when I did not get accepted into the program, he spent considerable time on the phone with me just going through other options and didn't lose sight of the fact that I wanted to complete a MSW. 

51 minutes ago, Monoo said:

I only know that I wasn't accepted by reading this forum and then following up by calling Ammad. I was told I would receive an official letter by the end of last week, and I'm still waiting. It would just be nice to know whether I was waitlisted or rejected. Myfile still says "No Decision Made."

I also feel suspicious that I was rejected based on discriminatory factors, like my research interest being trans focused. I'm a current student at York, and many (NOT ALL) of the professors, especially the tenured professors, are pretty trans exclusionary.

This is SO disheartening, especially for a school like York that preaches social advocacy and AOP. It only takes a few bad professors to ruin it for everyone. My research is around the same area. When I got my rejection from a few schools,  I spoke to their grad offices about my frustrations but they wouldn't have any of it. So frustrating!

Did you get any offers from other schools?

[cat_not_kitty]

I'm so sorry you're feeling disillusioned, Monoo . And really saddened and – quite frankly – shocked to hear that you felt some York SW faculty members were trans exclusionary...do you feel comfortable sharing a bit more detail about some of these experiences? Absolutely no worries, if not.

It seriously sounds like you were the perfect applicant. I, too, would be at a complete loss as to how to make my application stronger. I posted a while back about the unwritten rule that many graduate programs have of specifically NOT accepting students who completed their undergrad degrees at that institution (see quoted posts, below). Wondering if that had something to do with your rejection/waitlisting...

I know some schools are willing to provide feedback about applications after the smoke of results season has cleared – do you think this would be possible at York?

2 hours ago, Monoo said:

 

Ammad, the graduate program assistant at York, is lovely. However, I still haven't received any official response for the Advanced Standing program. I only know that I wasn't accepted by reading this forum and then following up by calling Ammad. I was told I would receive an official letter by the end of last week, and I'm still waiting. It would just be nice to know whether I was waitlisted or rejected. Myfile still says "No Decision Made."

I also feel suspicious that I was rejected based on discriminatory factors, like my research interest being trans focused. I'm a current student at York, and many (NOT ALL) of the professors, especially the tenured professors, are pretty trans exclusionary.

I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I was shocked to be rejected, since I've worked so hard to keep my grades high (I've only had As and A+s), I have over 4000 hours of social work experience, had great references, and I got really good feedback on my statement from the program director. I'm at a loss as to how I could have made my application stronger.

Feeling really disillusioned with the school I've loved studying at for the past several years.

 

On 2/28/2018 at 2:37 PM, cat_not_kitty said:

With regards to your rejection from McMaster: my current university has an unwritten policy of NOT admitting former undergraduate students into their graduate programs – I know of only a very select few who have managed to circumvent this desire to bring in new blood, so to speak. Given your noted success/contributions at Mac, I'm wondering if your application suffered the consequences of this common practice.

 

On 2/28/2018 at 4:20 PM, cat_not_kitty said:

Totally get your dismay! I was really surprised when I heard this a few years back at a workshop with key members of the graduate admissions committee at my undergraduate institution. Turns out, it's a common policy in North American academia (though it varies from field to field and there are always exceptions to the rule). Here's an old but comprehensive thread discussing it (U.S. posters, but generally applies to Canada as well): https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/224/attending-graduate-school-at-my-undergraduate-university.  It's generally seen as a means of diversifying departmental culture and research output by encouraging cross-collaboration and integration of new paradigms and foci. It's more generally part of an approach meant to counter a phenomenon known as – I kid you not – "academic inbreeding" (though this term is usually reserved for hiring students who completed their doctoral studies at the institution as instructors/professors).

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by cat_not_kitty

[SWMommy]

Hi everyone! First time poster here. I applied to 4 MSW programs last year and was sadly unsuccessful. This year I applied to Laurier and Western. I was rejected from Western a few weeks ago. 

Here is my question: This year I applied to both the full and part time MSW programs at Laurier. I just received an email this afternoon asking me which is my preferred choice (FT or PT). I am unsure if this is good or bad news. Has anyone else received this email? I have received acceptances to other graduate programs but Social Work has always been my dream.

Thank you in advance for your responses. Wishing you all the best during the process. You all seem like you will be wonderful Social Workers. 

Edited March 23, 2018 by SWMommy

[cat_not_kitty]

Past 5:00pm now, so I guess that means nothing from U of T this week. BLERGH. Blerghity-blerghity-BLERGH.

(Oh, did I mention Blergh?)

[heather.m]

5 minutes ago, cat_not_kitty said:

Past 5:00pm now, so I guess that means nothing from U of T this week. BLERGH. Blerghity-blerghity-BLERGH.

(Oh, did I mention Blergh?)

I called about an hour ago to ask a question about my application (*will elaborate below in case anyone else had the same problem), and whoever I spoke to (didn't catch her name, but it wasn't Angela) said that they are still going through applications and that we wouldn't be hearing until mid-April... I'm honestly on the verge of having a full fledged mental breakdown at this point. This waiting is excruciating, and the fact that it just keeps getting pushed back further and further is almost too much to handle. 

*When I was filling out the 'Program of Study' section of the application, the drop down menu for "field of study/concentration(s)" would not allow me to click on it and select the stream which I was applying for. I added a note under "proposed field of study" indicating that I was applying for the Social Justice and Diversity stream, but I wanted to check that my application made it to the correct section for assessment.