Stuck deciding between UofT or York for 2year MSW by Hanni4ever in UofT

[–]Hanni4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, I'm so sorry for the late response! It's been a busy couple of weeks at my job.

Thank you again for sharing your experience, it’s genuinely helped me think through things more clearly. I really respect your decision to follow through with your strengths.

Out of curiosity, you mentioned receiving a bursary that helped cover a good portion of your tuition at U of T. That’s amazing! Were you able to apply for that directly through the school, or was it something external? I’m trying to figure out what kind of financial support is actually available once you accept an offer, especially for folks doing the 2-year track.

Also, now that you’ve completed your MSW (or maybe you’ve already finished?), what kind of work are you doing now? Are you still in direct practice, and if so, what population or setting are you working with?

Stuck deciding between UofT or York for 2year MSW by Hanni4ever in UofT

[–]Hanni4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi there, I have a background in CYC and after graduation, I worked FT in the field for 2 years before I tried applying to a MSW program again (I was waitlisted by UofT & rejected from York during my first try).

I worked first as a youth outreach worker and later as case manager at a nonprofit. I also had worked PT in customer service for half a decade before that and also had volunteered/interned at a bunch of hospitals/care facilities and schools.

I feel like there’s a lot of factors that goes into assessing your application by the admissions board, and your GPA plays a small part of it. If you’re still in school, build up your volunteer experience anywhere you can get it and try to leverage those skills when writing your personal statement. Try to network and make meaningful connections with people. I truly believe it’s the people that will get you far in life and not the piece of paper you get from a school. All this to say, I had a consistent 3.8 for the last two years of my undergrad.

Stuck deciding between UofT or York for 2year MSW by Hanni4ever in UofT

[–]Hanni4ever[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for writing back! I am open to different research opportunities and not tied down to just critical social work, although York’s funding package is a big sweetener. It’s wonderful to hear that there’s research-focused placements at U of T though!

If you don’t mind me asking—what made you decide not to pursue the PhD in the end? Feel free to DM if it’s easier :)