dlr129

azgirl: you're right, $62,000... I don't know what happened there with my math! so there's another $10k that i need to cover...whoops. nightwolf: re: the state school. i picked my program exclusively based on its location. there are only three universities in the city with MSW programs. one is a state school, two are private. the one i want to attend is private. the other two are almost exclusively micro-focused, and i want to study economic development. that's why it's the only school i'll consider at this point. i also have no undergrad debt at all, so these would be my only loans. tough decision. i have til may 21 to decide though

right now, my decision to take my fall 2014 MSW offer is entirely contingent on my financial plan. there's only one school I want to go to (okay, I only applied to one), and their scholarship offer was less than I hoped. i'm going to think out loud here, and see what people think about my financial plan. my questions: does this add up? am I relying on the right sources? am I missing anything? am I in over my head to think I can work 15 hours a week while in school? should I just take out more loans, and if so, what kind of loans and for how much? here is my current cost breakdown: tuition: $36,870 fees: $1,660 estimated books: $700 (school's number) rent: $4800 (cheap city) food, car, other costs: won't go above $5,930 (i'm a cheap date) summer courses: ~ $7,000 (included in our curriculum) total: $50,000 (x2 years = $100,000) + $7,000/summer = $107,000 scholarship offer: $22,500, x2 = $45,000 here is my plan: i have to cover $52,000. max Perkins loan is $8,000/year. it's the only loan I really want to take out, since interest doesn't start accruing until 10 months after graduation. i'd rather not take higher rate and immediately accruing Stafford or PLUS loans unless absolutely necessary. also, i want to limit my loans because i'm hoping school will lead me to starting my own non-profit. i don't want to depend on having to find full-time employment to pay off my loans, and i don't want to have loan debt limit my ability to borrow further. my parents have agreed to cover up to $15,000 over two years, and with savings and summer work I should cover another $10,000. both of these are not guaranteed (my dad is a contractor, unpredictable annual income), and my savings include emergency money, so it's the last thing I want to spend. lastly, if I worked 15 hours/week outside of school and internship at $9/hour, I could cover the rest: 15*9*90weeks = 12,150 (with wiggle room for taxes, etc, because i don't want to calculate all that right now). so, $52,000 - $16,000 - $15,000 - $10,000 - $12,150 = -$1,150. thoughts? experiences?

i apologize in advance for bumping this topic, but i thought i'd ask for some additional input. who has employment outside of their academics and internship? i am deciding on school for the fall, and i'm worried about taking out too many loans. i'd like to work part-time to cover some costs, maybe 10-15 hours/week. is this a reasonable goal? will i burn out? should i just take the extra loans? (anyone specifically at WashU's Brown School that can tell me about their experience there?)

Oh ok, so it sounds like another general interview? I was worried that since it was an "interview for scholarships" it was going to be another "We don't believe your FAFSA" (got that from multiple universities while applying for undergrad, I guess some places didn't expect kids from working class families to apply there...)

I just got accepted to WashU, and they are requesting an interview for scholarship options. Did anyone else have this interview? What did it entail? What do they want to ask me?

what's good in st. louis??? definitely not a dead city!! well, let me list: 1) it is an architecturally beautiful city - the buildings, houses, etc. are among the most beautifully detailed you'll find anywhere. 2) the food. top-notch barbecue (pappy's, bogart's), famous night-only donut shop (john donnut, opens at 11pm), among plethora other places you can't miss. 3) public amenities. forest park, lafayette square, tower grove park are some of best public parks you'll find. all museums and the zoo in forest park are free! 4) alright public transit. not the best, but washu will give you free metropasses for buses and metro. 5) the people - st. louis has the nicest people you'll meet anywhere. strike up a conversation with anyone on the bus, metro, at a restaurant, etc. and they'll be excited to tell you about themselves, their family, etc. 6) an inherent sense of history. st. louis residents are proud of their city and their history. budding architectural historians and writers (michael allen of PRO, alex ihnen of Next STL, etc) mean a positive turn in the city. 7) price - if you do some looking, you can find a 2 bedroom apartment for $550-600 in a good neighborhood, or buy a move-in ready house for <$100,000 ? sports - cardinals and blues fans are PROUD and not jerks 9) st. louis is not just a crime-ridden, dangerous city. in my 4 years as a washu undergraduate, i felt unsafe once, and i trekked the whole city. and that unsafe moment was when a cop pulled me over and told me to leave a neighborhood because it was "dangerous" and i had "no business being there," even though i was doing work in the neighborhood! some neighborhoods are derelict or neglected, but crime is generally restricted to in-gang violence. yes, there is some crime throughout the city, but you don't have to go inside at 4:00pm and fear for your life - i went out alone at all hours by walking and bike and never had a problem, as did pretty much all of my friends. 10) great opportunities for growth - st. louis's non-profit and business fields are not top-notch, like you'd find in NY or chicago, but they are quickly growing. your placements will be great, and will only get better with time. 11) it has a gayborhood - people all around the city are lgbt-friendly so, never fear the great city of st. louis! it's a great place to be

I applied to WashU! Got my application in last-minute (right on march 1, last priority deadline.) How long will it take to hear back? How is their financial aid? Yes, location is a consideration... I don't understand the bad rep! For me, it's the reason I applied. St. Louis is where I plan to settle down and start my career, I absolutely love the city

I am expecting to see a lot of "no"s in response to this (location, location, location!), but before you make the jump to that conclusion, ask yourself this: what are those perceptions/reputations based on, and are those things important to you? I went to undergrad in St. Louis, and it was quite a hated city among many students for a number of reasons: limited nightlife options, perceived danger, lack of proper public transportation... But it is a much loved city among a different kind of student: deep cultural history, great food, growing art scene, great opportunity for entrepreneurship and social change... I hope to go back (WashU MSW '16, fingers crossed). A lot of cities written off for bad first impressions (Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia...) have many great things to offer, and are growing and changing beyond their outdated reputations. So if the full ride is important and your other options are limited, there's always room to find a way to love a place. A short visit is never enough time to fully write off a city. Edit: I should emphasize the fact that I don't have my MSW or license (yet) so I cannot speak to mobility after graduating. Just asking you to fully consider your first impressions.

I've only been out of school for a couple months and I want to apply for next fall (2014) to go back to school. Not too much luck on the job front, and I'm more and more convinced that this is the field for me and don't want to wait around any longer. My biggest piece of "relevant experience" is 6 semesters of service learning teaching/mentoring in urban school. It ends up being around 200 hours classroom time and another 100+ hours with peers and professors in the program. I have a strong recommendation to back up my work here and its relevance to the field of social work, but I'm just unsure of the perceived connection of teaching to the field. Additionally, I'm unsure of if this limited amount of hours is really enough. Is my experience too limited? Too tangential? Would it be enough to volunteer part-time this fall while applying (currently working full time in a completely unrelated job/field), or do I have to wait another year or two to apply until I get more work experience? Has anyone else applied with "relevant experience" like this that can chime in?

No school that I want to apply to requires the GRE, but some list it as "optional." Is it worth it to take it? Is there any chance it could boost my chances of getting in if I get a good score, or is it not worth the time and energy (and money)?