catsnbikes

That's fantastic! Congratulations!!! I feel you on the nerves thing.. as soon as some of the questions get answered there are a whole bunch more!

I got an offer this week from my waitlisted school... I hope you all get some good news soon!!!

Anyone had any good news?

I visited South Carolina last weekend and when I spoke with the PhD program director (Dr. Wolfer) he told me that they had given out 7 offers with funding (so far 3 have been accepted) and that there were 3 or 4 students who had been admitted without financial offers (I don't know if they had been informed or if they will be if someone else does not accept their offer). I only heard from them on 3/17.

Hello anyone! I am coming to Athens this weekend to visit (recently accepted to a PhD in Social Work). Is there anything I must see/do? A part of town to tour? I love local book shops and coffee shops. Also planning to hit up the bike shops around town. Thank you in advance!

Hello anyone! I am coming to Columbia this weekend to visit (recently accepted to a PhD in Social Work). Is there anything I must see/do? A part of town to tour? I love local book shops and coffee shops. Also planning to hit up the bike shops around town. Thank you in advance!

I finally heard from them yesterday. Email from the graduate college but no word yet from the program. I know that they offer different funding packages to every student, so that's kind of important. Good luck to you!

The other piece of advice I got recently is to ask for an extension from the 4/15 deadline from one school. I feel like I probably won't get it, but the worst thing they can say is no right? One month to go....

@EmaroukI really appreciate the information/feedback. I ended up emailing them yesterday to ask what they would do if someone else declines the offer before 4/15. They haven't written back yet, but I do feel better asking and making my needs/situation known. I told them that they are still my first choice but that I do have other offers that I need to consider. I never realized that the 4/15 date had any real teeth to it, but I did a little research after reading your post and I see now! I won't be able to go to visit day, it's all the way in Virginia and I'm in central Illinois (also, I wasn't invited...) I have communicated with the admin person and the program director a lot so hopefully they'll be willing to give me some more details! I don't want to keep anyone else on a waitlist for the programs I was accepted to any longer than I have to, but I want to make the best choice! About funding, I'm a first-gen student so all of this funding info is really new to me. I made some mistakes in my MSW program and ended up paying for the whole thing because I didn't know how to apply for assistantships until visiting day, and by that point they were all gone. I've learned a lot since, but cost of living is something I am highly aware of and Seattle is pricey (I have pets so usually grad housing isn't a good option for me, I'm too attached to my fur-babies!) so I was worried about housing mostly. I really hope that they let you in! It sounds like you're really raring to go and ready to make the most of the opportunity! It sounds like you're applying without the 2 years post-MSW experience too. I wonder how much that ends up mattering, they all said "preferred" but I kind of didn't even worry about it. Maybe I should have paid more attention to that in my essay. But now I'm just finding things to obsess about. Thank you again for the solidarity! Fingers crossed!

Ugh, I am newly in the waitlist purgatory with you all... I was just waitlisted at my top choice school, which is a bummer, but I was also accepted to other programs that I like less but would still be happy with... So, now I'm not sure what to do! I feel very grateful to have options, but I want to make sure that I end up at the best fit/funding/etc. possible. They're saying they won't tell me until after 4/15 for my fave school... I'm sure it's a pretty huge no-no to say yes to a school and then take another offer later... I guess I should email and ask if there's any way I would find out sooner (assuming someone says no...) but I don't want to be too demanding! I feel like I've been waiting for so many months to just end up in more limbo. Ugh. Also, goodness, Seattle is so pricey! I applied to UW mostly because I love the city but was fairly sure that I wouldn't get in and that I might not be able to accept given the funding situation even if I did. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

@anxiousgrad I think it is definitely the glorification of weddings and the constant stating and restating about how "it's only once" and "it's YOUR day!" as if we get into PhDs all the time. I think some of it is also just plain ol' discomfort with knowing how to help. They aren't really able to ask much beyond "what will make you happiest?" because the intricacies are lost on them. And I don't expect them to understand something they have never experienced, it would be nice not to have my fears dismissed. It's also a strange dynamic because I am a first-gen student, but I've also always been the most academically inclined, so I think they probably forget that I struggle with different things than they do. I wonder how much of it appears less difficult to them, since we are challenged with such different things in our lives. An important perspective to remember! But a hard one sometimes. I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful mentor who has helped me ask some questions I never would have considered on my own, but I appreciate the reminder and encouragement to continue to do so. And of course, to remember that not everyone wants to get married! I'm in your camp too. I LOVE weddings, but I'm not so sure how I feel about it for myself. And totally not the point, but the dress color she picked is just awful. I hope someone tells me if I'm about to choose the PhD program-equivalent of my friend's bridesmaids' dress color, haha.

Sure! As a Boulderite, I have to acknowledge my rather significant bias in ranking the surrounding cities, much the way someone from Manhattan feels about the other parts of NYC and various other options. But I would say, look in: Lafayette, Broomfield, Superior and AVOID Longmont. Longmont seems like a good idea, but it is decidedly not. If you end up in the first three, you can take a bus to and from home with relative ease if you choose. There are even a lot of Park-N-Rides so you can save on gas and avoid having to try to park on/near campus. You won't pay through the nose QUITE as much as you will in Boulder (Google just bought a bunch of land, so they're driving the cost up even further...) and you'll be close enough to take a cab home if you end up staying out and having some drinks every once and awhile. If you want to stay in Boulder, South Boulder is lovely and a lot cheaper. You won't be right on campus, but you'll avoid the masses of undergrads and still be able to bike/bus in less that 15 mins. There's starting to be a very cute little restaurant/coffee shop scene down in SoBo too! Downtown Boulder is beautiful, but you'll end up paying $1000 for a tiny place, if you're lucky. I hope that helps!

@dchandle15 I am just finishing up my MSW from the University of Illinois, and I would say that unless you're planning to do a PhD or any further education in the future, the ranking of the program you go to isn't going to matter THAT much. Do you have other choices? Where you get your degree from will not really effect the amount you get paid or the type of entry level job that you're eligible for. That's going to be much more dependent on your experience, interview skills etc. You also might be able to get an assistantship if you reach out to the admissions department. You never know if they'll be able to help you or not, but it's worth asking! Also, just because you're in class/in field for most of the time doesn't mean you can't work, it just means you'll be tired. I've worked 2-3 jobs at a time while attending a full time program, which adds up to about 80 hours a week with coursework/homework time. Sure, I'm tired, but it's also worth it to make it out with less debt. They don't "encourage" it but as a first gen student, I did it all through my undergrad too and it does make a difference. You might want to try to take the first semester job free and then see if you can handle adding in some work. If you can get something in the general field, it will make jobs easier to get after graduation! Also, congrats on your offer! Wooohoooo go you!!!!!!

Sure thing! I would say definitely do not expect much seafood, especially if you're environmentally conscious! It's all flown in and frozen, except for the trout. If you MUST get seafood, Jax is the only place in town to go, and it's pricey so I would hit up their awesome Happy Hour. Otherwise, the food is pretty eclectic. Although, unfortunately it seems like all my favorite taco places were bought by white people who ruined them. There is great Indian, Thai, various "fusion" or "inspired" restaurants that are great. All of the local coffee shops are amazing, although of course we all have our favorites. The microbrewery scene is amazing all around the front range (it's not just New Belgium, although they're lovely! There's Avery and FATE and Oskar Blues and so many more!) Boulder, overall, can be a little... frustrating. A lot of people with a ton of money have moved in over the last 20-30 years and so it's changed a lot from the adorable hippie town it used to be. People wear yoga pants everywhere and everyone is VERY into fitness and health. Do you know what part of town you'll be living in? I can throw you some good recommendations for nearby haunts to hit up (and maybe to avoid...) If you have any other questions, let me know!

But heyooo! Finally got my official rejection from UW. It's nice to be able to cross it off the list with a sense of finality