Canadian MSW Applicants 2018

[skd05]

Cheers to another day Laurier applicants!

[socialwerqer]

19 hours ago, karisma said:

Hi friends,

 

i need help with something because it’s driving my anxiety levels to increase so here I go:

someone from macs post degree BSW program told me that it wouldn’t be wise to go directly into a 2 year msw program after undergrad since apparently some organizations said that they don’t think 2 year msw graduates are ready to counsel and work in the field. Do you think it would be wise to do a post degree and then a msw ? Or go directly into the msw? 

I’m really scared to enter uoft  because of its clinical framework as well- but also whether or not the profs are supportive - my ultimate goal is to work with youth and young adults with mental health and I know a few people who have done so in the social justice and diversity stream. I also had accessibility at Ryerson where I did my previous undergrad and they were so amazing in providing accommodations & I really hope uoft does the same.

Am I the only one whose this nervous and worried? Or are a lot of you on the same boat? 

 

Im waiting to hear from york & mac for their post degrees but let’s see what happens ; my anxiety is is blowing the roof off

You will be getting the same education as a post-degree BSW program in year 1 of a 2 year MSW program. So when you finish the first year of your MSW, you will be as prepared as a student with a BSW entering the advanced standing program. Ultimately, that is up to you if you want to do a BSW first. I would say if you are already admitted into the 2 year MSW, then personally I would move forward with that if you are 100% sure you need it for the career you want in mental health. 

[Hopeful4]

Hi! 

Thank you all for being such a positive support network through this stressful application process. 

To the U of T applicants who have the 'invited' status on the acorn page- are you taking this as an acceptance while waiting for the official letter?

I was waitlisted last year and remained hopeful to be accepted to the program only to end up just short of devastated when I did not get in. I just want to avoid getting my hopes up again this year. Cautious optimism is the best way to describe what I am feeling but it is getting tough to manage. 

Thanks!

[WhenToPanic]

13 minutes ago, socialwerqer said:

You will be getting the same education as a post-degree BSW program in year 1 of a 2 year MSW program. So when you finish the first year of your MSW, you will be as prepared as a student with a BSW entering the advanced standing program. Ultimately, that is up to you if you want to do a BSW first. I would say if you are already admitted into the 2 year MSW, then personally I would move forward with that if you are 100% sure you need it for the career you want in mental health. 

Agreed. As a recent BSW graduate, I have noticed that many of the courses in the 'foundation year' of 2 year MSW degrees are quite similar to the courses in my BSW. I would be skeptical about anecdotal info re: schooling/career knowledge, as it is a pretty subjective/contextually dependent area, and if the claim is not supported by a web search (there is A LOT of career content you can find online), I would perhaps ask for another opinion. In my experience in the SW field, organizations are more than happy to have qualified candidates that have experience in the field and know how to talk to people. 

Additionally, there are post-grad certificates/courses (after your BSW/MSW), such as certifications in CBT, mindfulness, trauma informed care, DBT, narrative therapy, etc. if you feel apprehensive about how employers may perceive your ability to provide counselling. 

In terms of accessibility, any moderate sized university (I don't know what the legislation is around accessibility) will have an accessibility office. I can't speak to how helpful supportive accessibility offices are because I don't have that experience - but I thought I would throw that out there. 

It sounds like you have some really solid options either way. Good luck to you on your applications!

[Emactastic]

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 10:13 PM, 242penguin said:

I am waiting as well. Really struggling in the job market explaining possibility of not returning in September, as I am currently looking for a job. 

I applied to Laurier too and was declined. Did you apply anywhere else?

The planning part is so hard!! 

I applied to Dalhousie and didn't get in. The job market is tough.

[2 Year MSW]

38 minutes ago, Emactastic said:

I applied to Dalhousie and didn't get in. The job market is tough.

Ugh tell me about it! I don't know how to plan my life right now with so many unknowns and it freaks me out!

[SW Sevante]

12 minutes ago, 2 Year MSW said:

Ugh tell me about it! I don't know how to plan my life right now with so many unknowns and it freaks me out!

I feel your pain.  Constantly playing "what if's" in my mind ALL day and night.  It's such a stressful time and so out of our control now.  Hopefully it won't be much longer...

[skd05]

On 29/03/2018 at 6:26 PM, SWMommy said:

Hi Everyone!

Did anyone else receive a call from the Laurier’s part time program admissions department today? I got a call around one. She said she would call with the decision on Monday, Tuesday latest. Not sure about the full time program though. 

How sure did she sound about this statement.... im anxious and this wait has been brutal ?

[2 Year MSW]

5 minutes ago, skd05 said:

How sure did she sound about this statement.... im anxious and this wait has been brutal ?

Tbh, I would not be surprised if we don't hear anything from them today. They have been constantly changing their decision dates and timelines..I guess since it is a very new program...but still 

[skd05]

11 minutes ago, 2 Year MSW said:

Tbh, I would not be surprised if we don't hear anything from them today. They have been constantly changing their decision dates and timelines..I guess since it is a very new program...but still 

I hear you... but I mean class starts in four weeks. So theres that. Lol ?

[whatdidigetinto]

5 minutes ago, skd05 said:

I hear you... but I mean class starts in four weeks. So theres that. Lol ?

Minor detail.  Hopefully we hear by the end of this month ...  

[2 Year MSW]

i will be praying extra hard today at work to hear something back! lol 

[skd05]

4 minutes ago, 2 Year MSW said:

i will be praying extra hard today at work to hear something back! lol 

Same! Its hard to concentrate while waiting..

[_Nomad_]

@Erin32796 thank you! I feel like I am giving up the idea to get into UofT ...ugh 

[2 Year MSW]

Just out of curiosity, when did you guys apply for laurier's online program?  I applied end of Feb (right before they closed the window to apply) but didn't get all my references in till mid march. I am just wondering cause I only found out about this program while exploring the Laurier website at work one day. Did the program come out in Jan or before then?

[whatdidigetinto]

6 minutes ago, 2 Year MSW said:

Just out of curiosity, when did you guys apply for laurier's online program?  I applied end of Feb (right before they closed the window to apply) but didn't get all my references in till mid march. I am just wondering cause I only found out about this program while exploring the Laurier website at work one day. Did the program come out in Jan or before then?

I started my application early January, and was told that they were doing rolling admissions and that I'd hear back in two weeks.  When I submitted everything/references in (mid-Jan), I was told I would hear back in 4 weeks.  Then I was told I'd hear by the end of February.  Then I was told they were no longer doing rolling admissions and I'd hear by the end of March. 

 

[skd05]

6 minutes ago, whatdidigetinto said:

I started my application early January, and was told that they were doing rolling admissions and that I'd hear back in two weeks.  When I submitted everything/references in (mid-Jan), I was told I would hear back in 4 weeks.  Then I was told I'd hear by the end of February.  Then I was told they were no longer doing rolling admissions and I'd hear by the end of March. 

 

I began my application before christmas and had everything submitted by Jan 8. I was also told rolling admissions, then end of feb, then end of march... lol

So yeah i remain anxious and unsettled.

[2 Year MSW]

6 minutes ago, skd05 said:

I began my application before christmas and had everything submitted by Jan 8. I was also told rolling admissions, then end of feb, then end of march... lol

So yeah i remain anxious and unsettled.

Interesting. I thought this program just came out in January. That is a tortuous wait! lol 

[cat_not_kitty]

Hi Hopeful4!

If your ACORN says ‘Invited’, you can be 100% confident that you are accepted — this has been anecdotally confirmed many times over here on the forums year-to-year and officially confirmed by Angela and the SGS office multiple times (including this year, upthread). No need to add unnecessary stress to your plate after all the anxiety of waiting! You’ve been accepted!! Congratulations!!!

Looking forward to being classmates!

P.s. I’m in downtown Toronto and I haven’t received my letter yet, so no need to worry about that...just the post office being flaky due to the long weekend.

2 hours ago, Hopeful4 said:

Hi! 

Thank you all for being such a positive support network through this stressful application process. 

To the U of T applicants who have the 'invited' status on the acorn page- are you taking this as an acceptance while waiting for the official letter?

I was waitlisted last year and remained hopeful to be accepted to the program only to end up just short of devastated when I did not get in. I just want to avoid getting my hopes up again this year. Cautious optimism is the best way to describe what I am feeling but it is getting tough to manage. 

Thanks!

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by cat_not_kitty

[msw007]

Has anybody heard anything from Laurier yet? 

[2 Year MSW]

5 minutes ago, msw0913 said:

Has anybody heard anything from Laurier yet? 

Nope, we are all anxiously waiting 

[skd05]

17 minutes ago, msw0913 said:

Has anybody heard anything from Laurier yet? 

Nada thing.

[Erin32796]

1 hour ago, _Nomad_ said:

@Erin32796 thank you! I feel like I am giving up the idea to get into UofT ...ugh 

If it's something you really want to do don't give up!

[spers]

For those of you that were waitlisted for U of T. I have some information about the waitlist. I called Terry today asking about how decisions are made about the waitlist.

First, he informed me that the waitlist is not ranked because once a spot opens up, all the applications on the waitlist are reviewed again. This is because some people are still completing their degree and may update their GPA/ send in another transcript. He could not tell me how many people are on the waitlist because the admissions committee did not provide that information. Also, there is a good chance that nobody will get off the waitlist until early June. The government made a new law stating that no school can ask for a deposit before the first week of June because many people are still waiting for other acceptances from other schools. 

I asked about the acceptance for the advanced standing program and he said that it is much higher than the two-year MSW. This year, they accepted 80 or 90 people out of 350 for the Advanced Standing Program. They accepted 130 out of 800 for the 2-year MSW. 

He told me that year someone started completing a 1-year BSW and got off the waitlist in August. This person was given the option of accepting the 2-year MSW or applying again for Advanced Standing once they complete their BSW. He told me that this applicant had decided to accept the admission to the 2-year MSW. 

I hope this is helpful for some people!

[_Nomad_]

2 hours ago, Erin32796 said:

If it's something you really want to do don't give up!

Social Work is definitely my dream job and it would be great to get my degree in UofT. I gust first I have to figure out what they want from me hehe My last year application was pretty weak - simple "essays" and minimum of work/volunteer experience; but I got waitlisted! This year I put so much effort and gaind enough experience... and got rejected. Mystery

Thanks for your kind words tho!

Edited April 3, 2018 by _Nomad_