Manhattan Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I still haven't heard back from Berkeley...I don't think that's a good sign. SO nervous. I'm staring obsessively at my e-mail, so for those of you that did hear, around what time of day did they get back to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv2bootscoot Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 @dreet51 Thanks for that! I've also applied to SJSU, which is half the cost, and they'll let me know sometime or other. Soooo... I'm still tentatively hopeful. It would be pretty luxurious to have options! @Manhattan I haven't heard of anyone being accepted yet, just rejected and wait listed. So maybe not having heard is a good thing?! Anyway, I got my wait list email at 12:55. Though I bet it varies quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manhattan Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Thanks for your response! This process is so stressful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manhattan Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Just got my acceptance letter, I'm so excited. Best of luck to everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esimanon Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 @Manhattan - CONGRATULATIONS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyclam Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 @Manhattan - Congratulations!! What is your concentration? I also just found out this morning I got in for Health Services. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ontheswpath Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Congrats to both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencita Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I got accepted! I can't tell what concentration though, just got an e-mail to check online, where there is a lovely letter, but no concentration info. Must be whichever we applied for, yes? Do other people's acceptance letters clearly designate concentration? Congrats to everyone, and thank you- checking this forum has been so helpful. I also got into UW, and although am 99% for Cal, want to make sure that I make a thoughtful decision. Anyone has any opinions bw these two MSW programs? THANK YOU, and be well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreet51 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 @Manhattan and @jencita Congratulations to you both! What concentrations did you guys apply for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briefinterviews Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Congrats to the new admits, and best of luck to those still waiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manhattan Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Thank you guys! I was accepted to the Direct Practice in Child and Family Services Concentration, and I'm so excited. I've never actually been to California, so this will definitely be a huge transition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapata707 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I was just accepted into the Direct Practice in Health concentration at UC Berkeley. Good luck to you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreet51 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I got in! Concentration in Mental Health! I had a cumulative GPA of 2.9 because I did terrible the first three years of college (I included why in my essay). I tried to gain as much experience as possible after graduating in 2011. This was my second time applying to grad school. Don't lose hope guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ontheswpath Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialwelfareenthusiast Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Has anyone else heard anything discouraging about the UC Berkeley program? I have wanted to go to this program for more than a year, but after speaking to mentors (professors at other schools, multiple social workers and some directors at agencies in the bay and in so-Cal) I have only heard bad things and am seriously considering turning down the offer. I've been told that the program is neo-liberal/conservative in thought, that there is a small outdated faculty, and that the quality of the program and it's students are not what they once were. Furthermore I found no support from the multiple faculty that I reached out to via e-mail (I reached out at UCLA and USC and received very positive responses and help from editing personal statements to directing me to faculty where I could help with projects and gain research experience). Someone, change my opinion. I have always wanted to go to Berkeley and still do, but if this is all true than I can't commit! Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baffledgenius Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Look, i did my undergrad at Cal(Berkeley) and so i know the soc wel dept decently well. The professors and classes are not challenging and often people feel they do not recieve the education they expected of our prestigious institution. (Though make no doubt about it, some of our other depts are incredible and field leaders). Also while outdated, we are not conservative. So thats the ugly side....outdated classes and professors. The good side is that we are a great place for individual research and you can really shine if you partner up with our researchers and publish scholarly articles. I know thats not necessarily what people think of first when doing an msw, but do our practitioners not also need updated, revolutionary techniques in this field? The program has its flaws, but so does every program. Berkeley the city has been a love hate relationship for me... its got the crime issues of a big city, but it also has a small town community feel to it as well. Hard to explain. If you do choose us, rent is god awful...i cant even describe how much it sucks. I got lucky eventually and found a dorm style apartment complex steps away from campus and 5 min walking to the dept building. Google "Hotel carlton" on telegraph. Its an apt i swear. Run by a slum lord but its actually a pretty good place to live and only 600 a month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baffledgenius Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Reading over my post i realize i might come off a bit negative. I loved my years here and i would never trade in the unique experiences i have had here. One of my favorite berkeley-esque things is how every morning i walk to the coffee shop where all the people without homes gather. They all have dogs and let anyone who wants to play with the dogs or just sit and talk. Those conversations opened my eyes to the diverse range of people living on the streets and took away so many of my preconceptions. People getting their degree in social work can learn a lot from this town if they keep their eyes and minds open Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreet51 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 @baffledgenius thank you for your input. I think that undergrad and post grad are very different in every school. However I think for those of us who got accepted, we should get a feel for the professors at the admit reception so we can ask them questions about the program and see if we connect as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friedgreentom Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Current students are telling me that the program is a huge workload, very rigorous. My friend in the program always looks exhausted. I got in but I may not accept because I am worried about whether or not I can swing it. Berkeley students have the highest pass rate for California licensure. A friend in the program says that despite the workload, she is happy and is encouraging me to go for it! I don't know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esimanon Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I have to say that I am surprised at the recent posts about Berkeley. I think I also held this school to be something resembling a magical unicorn but now I can see that the program does have some down-sides, which is actually kind of a relief for me as I wasn't accepted. I did sit-in on a course and thought it was at the level - if not more relaxed - then my undergrad classes at UCSC (Psychology). That said, Jill Berrek, one of the professors there is doing ground-breaking work with the US government to re-evaluate the way social workers removal children from their unsafe home environments - a huge interest of mine since I was removed from my family as a child (temporary) and know the specific issues involved and possibility for retraumatization. Therefore, I agree with what has been said - if research is your nitch, Berkeley is the place to go. But if you are more on the clinical side - I don't think you will be happy there at all. Hope that helps, congrats to all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialwelfareenthusiast Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Reading over my post i realize i might come off a bit negative. I loved my years here and i would never trade in the unique experiences i have had here. One of my favorite berkeley-esque things is how every morning i walk to the coffee shop where all the people without homes gather. They all have dogs and let anyone who wants to play with the dogs or just sit and talk. Those conversations opened my eyes to the diverse range of people living on the streets and took away so many of my preconceptions. People getting their degree in social work can learn a lot from this town if they keep their eyes and minds open Current students are telling me that the program is a huge workload, very rigorous. My friend in the program always looks exhausted. I got in but I may not accept because I am worried about whether or not I can swing it. Berkeley students have the highest pass rate for California licensure. A friend in the program says that despite the workload, she is happy and is encouraging me to go for it! I don't know! Thank you for posting! At this point every little bit of information helps. The other options I am seriously considering are UCLA and UW (Seattle campus). Like I said before, I am most interested in Cal because of the institution itself, but I would like to hear more from the Social Welfare studetns themselves. *Friedgreentom; May I get in touch with your friend so I can speak with her over the phone and get her thoughts on the program? If so, please private message me I hope to hear more on the quality of this program! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esimanon Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 @socialwelfareenthusiast - Have you gotten accepted into UCLA already? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialwelfareenthusiast Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 @socialwelfareenthusiast - Have you gotten accepted into UCLA already? I received a letter form the doctoral committee letting me know that they were recommending to the Graduate Division that I be admitted to the MSW (I applied MSW/PhD). But, I have not gotten word from the graduate division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATohCe.24 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Hey potential class of 2016 at Berkeley, I'm a 2nd year student in the MSW program and see that you guys are having a very good discussion about program quality. You guys are being proactive in finding out what you might be getting yourselves into and how this program supports or doesn't support your professional and educational goals. What I can tell you guys is that the school is aware of these issues--because current students talk to administration and faculty about our concerns on a regular basis. In fact, the dean and the director of field education meet with the student body to talk about areas for improvement every semester. Thus far, I'm excited to say that the issues that I've experienced (e.g. too much research/not enough practice, strict elective requirements, teaching quality, etc.) is being addressed. When you attend the welcome reception, I encourage you to ask what the school is doing about the problems you've heard and assess whether or not these changes fit with your vision. On a side note, we as social workers will not find ourselves in a perfect system. A good system is one that does more good than harm. A great system is one that constantly re-evaluates, troubleshoots, and readily implements change. For those who do commit to Berkeley, there’s an extremely intelligent, passionate, and effective group of students (class of 2015) currently making headway for you guys. Should you choose to accept, I have no doubt this program will engage you on the same level, develop leadership qualities, and improve the school for future students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreet51 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Hey potential class of 2016 at Berkeley, I'm a 2nd year student in the MSW program and see that you guys are having a very good discussion about program quality. You guys are being proactive in finding out what you might be getting yourselves into and how this program supports or doesn't support your professional and educational goals. What I can tell you guys is that the school is aware of these issues--because current students talk to administration and faculty about our concerns on a regular basis. In fact, the dean and the director of field education meet with the student body to talk about areas for improvement every semester. Thus far, I'm excited to say that the issues that I've experienced (e.g. too much research/not enough practice, strict elective requirements, teaching quality, etc.) is being addressed. When you attend the welcome reception, I encourage you to ask what the school is doing about the problems you've heard and assess whether or not these changes fit with your vision. On a side note, we as social workers will not find ourselves in a perfect system. A good system is one that does more good than harm. A great system is one that constantly re-evaluates, troubleshoots, and readily implements change. For those who do commit to Berkeley, there’s an extremely intelligent, passionate, and effective group of students (class of 2015) currently making headway for you guys. Should you choose to accept, I have no doubt this program will engage you on the same level, develop leadership qualities, and improve the school for future students. This is so helpful! I'm excited about being a part of this program! I currently work with an LCSW Berkeley alum and she cannot say more wonderful things about it. My heart definitely lies within clinical work, but I will make sure to address questions regarding how much clinical experience I will be getting at the welcome reception. I definitely would like to stay local and I know that Berkeley is known for linking it's students with exceptional job opportunities after graduating. Whichever MSW program you all decide to attend, make the most of it and make a difference in whichever community you end up in. That's what our profession is all about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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