BunnyMeadows

An MSW is an incredibly versatile degree. If you find a program that offers a community/economic development focus I doubt that you'd be involved in the clinical side of things at all. In fact, at my "non-brand name" university, some MSW students take graduate policy courses as electives, and that seems to work well. I strongly disagree with the statement that an MSW "degree is ultimately focused on direct service as a social worker." Not true. I went the macro (aging) route my MSW and the only time we delved into anything clinical was in one required course (individuals, families and groups). I'm finishing up my only required practice class, motivational interviewing, which I highly recommend. I recently started a full-time, grant-funded position with my university (cancer research). It is an amazing opportuity that will allow me to work on strategic planning, launch a local support group for cancer survivors (with my own grant funding from a national cancer advocacy organization), and work with policymakers from Harvard Law. Our PI is talking about working with me to start a nonprofit and sending me to a 5-day program at Georgetown in the fall, which will be attended by 45 nonprofit executives from across the US. I can't imagine doing my job without an MSW, because I have been able to apply all of my coursework on the job (research methods, program evaluation, gerontology, MI, social policy, and aging policy).

http://www.sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2017/04/sarah_gehlert_named_social_work_dean.php#.WPzFn1LMyt- "...Gehlert was the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU/WUSTL) and has been named dean of the University of South Carolina College of Social Work by Provost Joan Gabel. "Sarah's appointment comes at a time when we are further strengthening our university’s position as a state and regional leader in health science research and education," Gabel says. "I’m excited to have a scholar of her stature join the College of Social Work as it continues to make great strides in both research and direct community impact. Her dedication to working collaboratively to improve the health of society’s most vulnerable populations makes her an ideal fit for the position." Gehlert begins at a time when the university has set into motion a bold health sciences initiative and greater collaboration between social work, nursing, pharmacy, public health, biomedical engineering and medicine. Gehlert, who had a joint-appointment in Washington University's George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the School of Medicine, says collaborations between fields of study can produce greater results since healthcare providers treat the whole patient. Her research area includes studies on the effect unsafe and violent neighborhoods have on African American women diagnosed with breast cancer."

It sounds like you've learned and grown from an experience that happened a long time ago, and that's what most programs will want to see. However, if the OTH happened as a result of physical or sexual assault, or any other behavior that could potentially harm a client, that could be a problem. I suggest you schedule an interview with your top choice and see what they say. Do the applications ask about military discharges? Also, have you looked into how this might affect licensure? All states ask about criminal convictions on licensure applications and make a determination based upon the offence, time lapsed since conviction, etc. but I don't know if military discharges are an issue. Good luck! You sound like you could be a wonderful social worker.

I'm currently finishing a master's degree at USC in Columbia. I rent a nice 1950s bungalow (950 sf), 2 miles from campus, for $700/month (I got lucky, because the place should rent for about $850/mo). You may know there was a terrible flood here in October 2015 so if you rent a house in any of those affected areas be careful that there isn't hidden damage/mold. In the winter months, I keep my thermostat set to 67 during the day, 69 at night, and my electric bill is about +/- $150 per month. In the warmer months (late May through October), a/c drives that up to over $200/mo. Water is about $30. I live 5 minutes away from Trader Joe's and two other supermarkets, and am about 20 minutes away from a brand new Costco. Moving here from Southern CA has been a cultural adjustment - people have asked me things like, "What church do you attend?" - which was a little shocking. I met a professor who said, "We like to take our time to get to know you here." So while people are very nice, and will go out of their way to help you, I suggest socializing with other students or looking to Meetup.com for social groups. Not sure what your political bent is, but I'm told that Columbia is "blue" and Lexington is "red." In response to the person who commented about change for parking, there is a mobile app called Passport that I use all the time to pay for parking with my debit card. Finally, another great source of information about cities are the forums on Citydata dot com. It was someone on the Columbia forum who told me about my the house I ended up renting. Good luck!

I couldn't possibly make a suggestion without knowing what your areas of interest are - clinical, macro, etc? Do you plan to continue on for a PhD? Is there a special population you enjoy - Veterans, Geriatric, Families, Women? Social work is so broad and many of the CSUs offer excellent programs - CSU Long Beach, CSUSF, CSULA, and I've heard CSU Sacramento is great for those interested in policy and government. You can always check here for program rankings.

I attended an information session in November 2014 and the program wasn't yet accredited so be sure to check that. There was also some reason why students could not get financial aid - it may have been because it was considered "continuing ed." And, again, this was over two years ago, so maybe things have changed. With your GPA and experience, why aren't you considering a higher ranked program?

Hey, I'm graduating from the U of SC's MSW program (in Columbia) in May 2017 and have been very happy with the program. The program has different specialties (aging, children, youth and families, military, health/mental health and military). Our faculty is top-notch, we are in a beautiful, newly restored historical building, the campus is literally across the street from the State House, and many out-of-state MSW students receive paid graduate assistantships - the pay is about $300/month but students with a GA also receive in-state tuition and a discount on student health insurance. Plus, it also provides opportunities for students to work with different faculty. I believe there is also another program that futher reduces tuition for students in the mental health area.

If you don't want to work in mental health, with clients, don't go the micro/clinical route! I graduate from the U of SC MSW program in May and I'm on the macro track - my focus is on aging. I hope to get involved in aging policy (with the number of baby boomers this is a huuuuuge area). If you are interested in policy, I urge you to consider a dual-degree program. Lots of universities are offering them now. My school has three year dual degree programs - MSW/MPH and MSW/MPA. A couple of my professors are involved in policy, and have told me that no one hires social workers for that anymore - MPH is the way to go. I happen to think an MSW/MPH is great because you get the best of both and can always shift to clinical later. My current field placement is with state government here and I wish I had done the MSW/MPH track, because MPA and MPH programs tend to be more policy-focused. Most of the social workers I know who are doing program management or policy are LMSWs and do not regret not being LCSWs. Don't let your lack of macro work experience deter you. You'll get that experience in graduate courses and field placements. You can always take clinical courses as electives, or take clinical classes later and work on your clinical licensure at a later date. My understanding is that this is common. Clinical licensure is a significant commitment. Most states require anywhere from 2000-4000 hours postgrad, and if you aren't getting supervised hours at your workplace, you have to pay someone for that. Finally, I'm not sure where you are planning to apply, but if you want to be involved in policy (and you want to stay in CA), Sacramento could be a good choice. It's also great that have strong quant/research skills. I have learned that program evaluation is one of the most lucrative areas of social work/public health. I know social workers who do it on the side and make $$$. Good luck!

Just want to let you know that I'm at the "original" USC - University of South Carolina (founded in 1801). I'll graduate from the MSW program in May 2017. The program offers a military focus (and a certifcate called "Military Matters"). I decided on U of SC because my focus is aging, and there is a specialization track for that, as well as a multi-disciplinary gerontology certificate. I know students who are doing field placements at the VA (some, I believe are paid) and they love it. I'm currently taking a military social work class as an elective and I enjoy it. I was living in California and trying to find a program in a place with a lower cost of living (I lived in San Diego). U of SC made it easy for me to decide. They offer graduate assistantships to out of state students which provide in-state tuition, a small stipend (~$300/month in exchange for 7.5 hours of work one day per week - most students support faculty members which often opens them up to other opportunities and projects), and discounted student health insurance. My tuition (with fees, etc). is about $19K per year. I applied to eight programs across the country and SC was the only one that offered so much support. I also know students who are in the Health/Mental Health specialization, and they are part of a grant that reduces their tuition. USC also offers dual degree programs for MPH and MPA, so you can get two masters degrees in 3 years instead of 4. In retrospect, I wish I had done the MSW/MPH track. Columbia is a pretty inexpensive and easy place to get around, too. I rent an adorable 1000 sf house with a big backyard for $700/month that's 2 miles from campus. I'm not sure if I'll stay in Columbia after graduation, but the nice thing about the Southeast is there are lots of cities relatively close by: Charlotte is 90 mins to the north, Atlanta 3 hours to the southwest, Knoxville is 4 hours away, Jacksonville is about 6 hours away. I would never take on massive debt for an MSW degree. But that's obviously a personal decision. Good luck!

I just checked my application for 2015, and I submitted it on 1/15/15. It may have been in the actual application itself. In general, the sooner the better. Especially for financial aid/scholarships. I urge you to get the applications in as soon as you possibly can if it's rolling admissions.

One comment on the GRE - my program at South Carolina does not require it, BUT if I wanted to do a dual degree, say MSW/MPH or MSW/MPA, those colleges do require GRE and the overall score may matter. I realize this won't apply to most people, but just thought I'd mention it.

Hi there - I was offered an assistantship a month ago (I applied for when I submitted my application for admission). It provides in-state tuition, and a small stipend, in exchange for 7.5 hours of work per week with a faculty or staff member. I was also offered loans. If you're in GA, you may qualify for tuition reciprocity (?) I suggest you get your field paperwork in asap - when I was there on Monday I was told that the sooner the better, because students admitted earlier have already done it. I plan to attend the 6/12 orientation, too. I am very energized by the department, the faculty I met, and the overall program. The dean is very hands-on, and makes herself available to students. In fact, here is Dean Anna Scheyett giving a TedX talk, "Social Workers as Superheroes": https://youtu.be/A27QjpQ_Ieo?list=PLsRNoUx8w3rPWs2Coobs858iEzbJwkG6w

After applying to 7 programs (and accepted at 6), I finally decided to attend the U of South Carolina. I am just returning from an eight day trip to Columbia, and I am SO HAPPY with my decision. Everyone from the Dean on down has been extremely welcoming, receptive, and kind - really going out of their way to be helpful. I'm interested in macro practice, and Columbia is a state capital, which I hope means opportunities for policy wok at some point. There is plenty to do in the area, and I rented an amazing little 3 bdrm house (cottage, really) in a great neighborhood, with a nice backyard and cool neighbors, for $700/month. Financial aid is all set and I have my field placement lined up for fall. Now, I just have to pack my stuff and head back to Columbia. I also learned that it is possible to do the degree from Charleston - apparently it's one of those things that students "figure out," but isn't mentioned anywhere. It's funny how this process has evolved (or at least for me it did). I started out feeling CONVINCED that I had to attend either U of KY or Case Western. However, I felt like a number with Case Western, which was a real turnoff. U of KY was friendlier, but there is simply no comparison to South Carolina. No, it's not a Top 10 - or even Top 50 - program, but I don't believe that matters in social work. I am impressed with the program, the university, and the faculty I met. I hope you're all having positive experiences, too, as you move forward in this journey!

You can also check the social work licensing board, in the state where you plan to be licensed. They will probably have a list of offenses that would prevent you from being licensed. I believe most will relate to theft, harming minors, assault of any kind, DUI, etc. Otherwise, I don't think they will care. Looking into expungement is fine, but I have a friend who is an attorney for the CA Secretary of State, and she tells me that when people apply for professional licenses, and to become notaries, convictions still show up (even after they have been expunged).

Do you have your field placement all lined up? I took care of that while I was in town this last week so I'm all set. I also found an adorable rental house, met some cool people, and am impressed with Columbia. The campus is SO gorgeous, and everyone was so friendly, kind, and helpful. I can't wait to leave California and get back to SC!