Canadian MSW Applicants 2018

[spers]

On ‎2018‎-‎03‎-‎30 at 3:59 PM, cat_not_kitty said:

Hi spers – congratulations on your waitlist status!! Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing how many applicants will get in off the waitlist because there are just too many variables to take into account, and these change year-to-year. But I thought I would quote in some back and forth posts from way earlier in this season's thread, for additional info.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for this information! It is very helpful  

[Jessabee7]

Hello, has anyone applied to Laurier's Aboriginal stream? If so, have you heard anything back yet? 

[MscMT]

Hey Guys,

I have a question any of you.  You all seem super helpful and I also want to say congrats to people who have received/are receiving acceptances!!

I was wondering if you guys could gauge if  you think I have any shot at all at getting an acceptance to a MSW program (ideally U of T) within a couple of years.

I only recently began thinking about pursuing this option, mainly because I was not well-versed what a social worker can actually do.  I did my bachelors in biochemistry/psychology.  I am currently finishing up my MSc in pharmacology, and for this degree I have been doing brain-imaging research in individuals with early psychosis.  It is during this time I met many of this people and developed an interest in social work. (I also have a depressed/suicidal friend that highly impacted me and he told me that his therapist had a MSW which sort of peaked my interest as I had no idea that was someone you could do with a MSW).  I also have no where near the kinds of community experience/volunteer hours you guys have - it's really really impressive how much experience you guys seem to have when applying.

Anyways, sorry for rambling!  Basically, just wondering if you know anyone coming from a pretty different background (I am pretty well versed in psychiatric illnesses, clinical interviews, etc).  If I worked for a year or two and volunteered some more do you think that I would be an enticing candidate, or is my background way too far off, being from natural sciences?

Any input would be appreciated - thank you and good luck/congratulations!!!

 

*also my username says MScMT because I did actually apply to OISE this year and got accepted but am still thinking whether or not I want to go

 

Edited April 1, 2018 by MscMT

[ms_teacher]

On 3/30/2018 at 5:53 PM, Sooyeah said:

I completely agree! I am in the same boat! Like what can we do?

 

On 3/30/2018 at 5:47 PM, heather.m said:

Hi all. 

I've unfortunately been rejected to both York and U of T for their 2 year MSW programs. I'm hoping to get some advice from those of you who have been through the application process more than once (on how you improved your application for the next cycle), and/or those of you who've been accepted into Master's Programs (not necessarily just at York and U of T). 

Here's a bit of background about me, and what was included in my applications this time around:

I completed a 4 year Honours BA at Ryerson, majoring in "Arts and Contemporary Studies" and minoring in English. My cumulative GPA is 3.73 (on a 4.33 scale), but my GPA for my last year of study is 3.87. I got an A in my research methods course. Work wise, I'm currently employed as a nanny, have worked approx. 2200 hours in that position. Before that, I worked as an Aquatic Coordinator for the City of Toronto in Parks and Recreation (5500 hours). I volunteered for the Yes In My Backyard Festival as their Elected Officials Coordinator (100 hours), and completed a practicum for my degree in which we organized the first ever Social Impact Film Forum (120 hours). I had an unpaid internship with ConferenceCloud Inc. where I worked as a Social Ventures Coordinator (seeking out nonprofit organizations and collaborating with them to utilize the ConferenceCloud platform for their events) (250 hours). 

Looking back on my application now, I realize that compared to everyone else on this forum, I don't have much (or seemingly any) relevant social work experience. I'm feeling extremely lost and confused as to how I'm supposed to gain experience in the field if I do not have a specific education in social work - which is why I was applying to a Masters of Social Work program in the first place. So my question to you all is, how the HECK do you gain experience in the field of social work if you don't have a BSW? What even counts as "social work experience"?! It's now clear to me how important experience is for these MSW applications... I thought that my strong academics and personal statement (which I spent a VERY long time on, and was extremely vulnerable in, discussing my experience with domestic abuse and how that helped inspire me to become a social worker and help those affected by domestic violence) would be enough.

I'm assuming that I won't be able to apply again until fall 2019, since any experience I do gain between now and fall 2018 won't be enough for my application (since they are due in November/December). 

I felt so sure of myself when I first submitted my applications... but this whole situation took such a drastic turn, I'm feeling so unbelievably lost and confused. I'll take any and all advice that you have.

Should I complete a post degree BSW and then apply for the Advanced Standing Masters next time? Should I focus on finding a relevant job and gain experience there and then apply for the 2 year program again? Will that be enough? Should I try and complete a college diploma or certificate in something *related* to social work? I'm so confused 

Sincerely,

One sad reject

 

Hi,

I was pretty confused about what counted as social work experience also. Calgary has this listed on their MSW page though...

Social Services Experience

The Faculty of Social Work defines social services experience, either paid employment or volunteer work, as organized activities, interventions, or other actions that reflect policies and programs responding to recognized social problems/needs or to improve the well-being of those at risk (Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Social Work).

Examples include paid and/or volunteer experience in a recognized government, non-profit, or social service agency.  It is expected that MSW applicants will have had experience at a higher level of responsibility. Examples of relevant social service experience:

• Group home/residential worker
• Crisis line volunteer
• Camp counsellor with children and youth
• Teacher's assistant
• Hospital volunteer
• Research assistant in human services research
• Overseas social development experience
• Child welfare worker (protection, guardianship, policy analyst)
• Counsellor in a non-profit agency
• Case manager in hospital and/or health and/or mental health setting
• Social planning in a municipal setting
• Teacher

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.  Applicants can make a case for special considerations of particular life, volunteer, or work experience if they can indicate connections to social work.

 

[kiki14]

4 hours ago, MscMT said:

Hey Guys,

I have a question any of you.  You all seem super helpful and I also want to say congrats to people who have received/are receiving acceptances!!

I was wondering if you guys could gauge if  you think I have any shot at all at getting an acceptance to a MSW program (ideally U of T) within a couple of years.

I only recently began thinking about pursuing this option, mainly because I was not well-versed what a social worker can actually do.  I did my bachelors in biochemistry/psychology.  I am currently finishing up my MSc in pharmacology, and for this degree I have been doing brain-imaging research in individuals with early psychosis.  It is during this time I met many of this people and developed an interest in social work. (I also have a depressed/suicidal friend that highly impacted me and he told me that his therapist had a MSW which sort of peaked my interest as I had no idea that was someone you could do with a MSW).  I also have no where near the kinds of community experience/volunteer hours you guys have - it's really really impressive how much experience you guys seem to have when applying.

Anyways, sorry for rambling!  Basically, just wondering if you know anyone coming from a pretty different background (I am pretty well versed in psychiatric illnesses, clinical interviews, etc).  If I worked for a year or two and volunteered some more do you think that I would be an enticing candidate, or is my background way too far off, being from natural sciences?

Any input would be appreciated - thank you and good luck/congratulations!!!

 

*also my username says MScMT because I did actually apply to OISE this year and got accepted but am still thinking whether or not I want to go

 

 

I wouldn’t say that your previous degree excludes you from being a competitive MSW candidate for U of T. A handful of my classmates have a background in science, myself included. I think it would depend on how you depict the relation between your education and social work practice. For example, I’m most interested in health and realized that social workers are very impactful. I also spent the year before working and volunteering to improve my application.

Feel free to message me if you want a second opinion. We’re just in the midst of our final assignments so it might take a week for a thoughtful and coherent response.

 

 

[MSW2018applicant]

2 hours ago, ms_teacher said:

 

Hi,

I was pretty confused about what counted as social work experience also. Calgary has this listed on their MSW page though...

Social Services Experience

The Faculty of Social Work defines social services experience, either paid employment or volunteer work, as organized activities, interventions, or other actions that reflect policies and programs responding to recognized social problems/needs or to improve the well-being of those at risk (Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Social Work).

Examples include paid and/or volunteer experience in a recognized government, non-profit, or social service agency.  It is expected that MSW applicants will have had experience at a higher level of responsibility. Examples of relevant social service experience:

• Group home/residential worker
• Crisis line volunteer
• Camp counsellor with children and youth
• Teacher's assistant
• Hospital volunteer
• Research assistant in human services research
• Overseas social development experience
• Child welfare worker (protection, guardianship, policy analyst)
• Counsellor in a non-profit agency
• Case manager in hospital and/or health and/or mental health setting
• Social planning in a municipal setting
• Teacher

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.  Applicants can make a case for special considerations of particular life, volunteer, or work experience if they can indicate connections to social work.

 

This list looks very helpful! I was also not very sure what experiences I was expected to have when I was applying. 

I notice that many people here are discussing about how to meet the experience requirement for MSW when you're coming straight out of your undergraduate. So I'd like to share my experiences:

I got into U of T (2 year) without any work/volunteer experiences directly related to social work. But my experiences are classified as "teacher's assistant" and "research assistant" mentioned in the list. So my experiences were probably still deemed "social services experiences" in a broad term.

When I wrote my admission essay, I also tried my best to present my experiences as applicable to social work. I did the same for my CV. I think the ways we present in our admission essays are quite important. I'm still finishing up my undergraduate and don't have a lot of free time. So I applied for only U of T to spend all my free time on my U of T application. As the information ms_teacher shared says, our life experiences are also relevant (I used that in my admission essay, too!).

Also, I presented my research projects at many conferences. It may have looked good on my CV. For those of you who have fewer social work experiences, but have many research experiences, I'd recommend you to present your research project at conferences. People who have a lot of social work experiences don't always have research experiences. So if you can stand out for your research experiences, it may make up for your fewer social work experiences (especially for U of T since U of T seems to value research skills). Another advantage of working as a research assistant/teaching assistant is you can get really strong reference letters from your professors/supervisors. I believe the three really strong reference letters I got from my professors who were also my supervisors made a huge difference in my application.

Based on my experience, it is not impossible (although it is challenging) to get into MSW (especially U of T because they seem to be less strict with experience requirement compared to other social work programs where experiences are essential) without a significant amount of direct social work experiences if you can strengthen other part of your application and have some sort of "social work experiences".

Edited April 1, 2018 by MSW2018applicant

[hamlam]

Anyone who got into child and families u of t advanced stream rejecting the offer? I know it mostly still doesn’t indicate anything about my position on waitlist but just curious to know if there are any spots opening up even.

[2 Year MSW]

Anyone here got an acceptance to the 2 yr msw program at Western? I have been seeing a lot of waitlists/rejections on this forum but no acceptances 

[tr11]

@Rectitudesent you a message! Also was ‘acorn invited’ -live in Hamilton, still waiting on mail. Totally humbled to be counted in, also waiting on Laurier like many here. Wishing everyone all the best from what I’ve seen you’re a thoughtful bunch who will contribute well to any field you are a part of! For those from a science background - I’m with you, don’t lose hope, send me a DM if you want to chat about it! 

[skd05]

Good luck and fingers crossed for all us Laurier folks today

[ciders_only]

OMG I JUST GOT AN E-MAIL FROM LAURIER! I GOT INTO THE 2-YEAR MSW PROGRAM!   I also appear to have gotten a 10k entrance scholarship too

Edited April 2, 2018 by ciders_only

[skd05]

6 minutes ago, ciders_only said:

OMG I JUST GOT AN E-MAIL FROM LAURIER! I GOT INTO THE 2-YEAR MSW PROGRAM! 

 

Side note- does anyone know if it's possible to transfer admission into the online stream?

Omg omg omg!!!! Ugh inpatient lol!!! I think you can my friend in the 2 year now has talked about doing that (transferring) because shes expectinga baby soon

[acciojenna]

Does anyone know how U of T's waitlist works? It's apparently not ranked, so are people removed at random or is there still a system to it? 

[Nervousme]

On 3/30/2018 at 10:30 PM, SWMommy said:

23 minutes ago, ciders_only said:

OMG I JUST GOT AN E-MAIL FROM LAURIER! I GOT INTO THE 2-YEAR MSW PROGRAM!   I also appear to have gotten a 10k entrance scholarship too

Omg!!! I just got an email of acceptance too I am at work and it's do hard to concentrate now!! I still cannot believe it! A huge congratulations

[skd05]

6 minutes ago, Nervousme said:

 

Amazing!!! Is this for online stream or in class 2 year??

[Nervousme]

5 minutes ago, skd05 said:

Amazing!!! Is this for online stream or in class 2 year??

The 2-year in-class

[skd05]

5 minutes ago, Nervousme said:

The 2-year in-class

So so so happy for you wow

[SWMommy]

Well officially panicked!!! But CONRATS to everyone who is getting in to Laurier!  I am not sure how it works but how come we don’t all get emails at once? So much more painful this way!! I told myself after last year I would never do it again yet here I am ?. This is for sure my last time haha. Need that email! 

[skd05]

5 minutes ago, SWMommy said:

Well officially panicked!!! But CONRATS to everyone who is getting in to Laurier!  I am not sure how it works but how come we don’t all get emails at once? So much more painful this way!! I told myself after last year I would never do it again yet here I am ?. This is for sure my last time haha. Need that email! 

I hope we all get it. It would be an easter miracle lol..

[Nervousme]

7 minutes ago, skd05 said:

So so so happy for you wow

Thank you so much!

[msw007]

Congratulations to those who have been accepted! I’m still waiting my stomach is turning so nervous I keep refreshing my email ?

[Nervousme]

14 minutes ago, msw0913 said:

Congratulations to those who have been accepted! I’m still waiting my stomach is turning so nervous I keep refreshing my email ?

Good luck! Fingers crossed that we will all be classmates!! Hang on there, I'm pretty sure they don't send all emails all at once so it's just a matter of time

[msw007]

12 minutes ago, Nervousme said:

Good luck! Fingers crossed that we will all be classmates!! Hang on there, I'm pretty sure they don't send all emails all at once so it's just a matter of time

AHh I really hope so! By the way congratulations!!! Did you also get a scholarship? Anybody else hear back from Laurier?! 

[2 Year MSW]

So scared now....I have not received any emails and my loris hasn't changed either. I would have thought that the online acceptances would go out first. I reallllyyy hope these are getting sent out in waves. Congrats to everyone who has received an offer though! 

[skd05]

4 minutes ago, 2 Year MSW said:

So scared now....I have not received any emails and my loris hasn't changed either. I would have thought that the online acceptances would go out first. I reallllyyy hope these are getting sent out in waves. Congrats to everyone who has received an offer though! 

Im waiting for online as well. Still nothing..