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Lola1233

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Everything posted by Lola1233

  1. Hailmary- thanks for the vote of confidence. I personally feel the skills are transferable. What I'm truly concerned about is getting my foot in the door. I'd imagine most hiring managers will see "MSW" and assume I'm a traditional social worker, i.e., case worker. I never see MSW listed on any job specs in this field. These organizations seem to be staffed by MBAs.
  2. Hmm…I personally disagree with the 'don't share anything about yourself' advice. I have talked to social workers who operated that way and they sometimes come off sterile and unsympathetic to me. They didn't make me feel at ease. As a social worker, I disclose a bit about myself, in an authentic but professional way. Several years ago I worked with a therapist who was very much herself with clients-- she told me a bit about her personal experiences with grief/love/loss, her thoughts on spirituality, and criticisms about society. She was positive. But she was honest. I strive to be the same way. Everyone has their own style as a professional, and every client has his/her preferences. The problem I have with SW is it tries way too hard to 'medicalize' something that just isn't meant to be viewed that way. IMHO, many of the issues disenfranchised individuals face are not at all individual problems that should be solved with a fragmented, 'western medicine' approach. I enjoy a much more holistic and integrative view.
  3. Has anyone here pursued a nonprofit management MBA or something specializing in social enterprise? I am a MSW (social work) candidate concentrating in management, administration and planning in social work and human services; however, I don't feel like much of a social worker and am thinking I could have chosen a better suited program for my personality. I am very interested in working for social enterprise organizations or these new hybrid nonprofits who operate with a business model (ex, Kiva). I've been told that social enterprise is interested in a MBA skill set and not so much interested in a social work education. I'd love to hear about anyones experiences with non-profit management MBAs, or this topic in general. Any info is be helpful -- I am new to the MBA world….
  4. Through the particular topics discussed (at frustrating lengths), the crippling workload, the refinement of your critical thinking skills, and thought provoking and "progressive" ideas, MSW school will: 1. create an excessive amount of stress, 2. drive you into therapy, and 3. make you a better person. Respectively.
  5. CJMSW, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?
  6. I personally don't feel that loans are worth it. I'm a 1st year attending a private out-of-state university and would absolutely never have gone at full price. Based on my experience, the program is "good" but not worth it to take out more in loans than a social worker makes in a year. Not by far. Go to the lowest cost school that's appropriate for your situation. That's my 2 cents.
  7. work study at school tutoring with a per hour fee a lot of people in my group babysit
  8. Hi Group- I'm a MSW (Social Work) student focusing on management, administration, and planning (non-profit and social work management and administration). I'm interested in working in social enterprise consulting but it seems like these types of firms aren't interested in MSW's, which is a surprise because who understands community development and social issues better than social workers! Anyway, if anyone has some insight into this area of work, I'd love to hear it! I'm wondering if I chose the wrong degree for this interest-- that maybe a MPP or MBA in non profit management would have been more attractive to employers. Thoughts?
  9. I totally agree with this. Here's my weekly schedule breakdown as a first year student: 16 hours internship 10 hours in-class time 10 hours work study 10-20 hours assignments That's 46-56 mandatory hours, which do not account for sleep, eating, transportation, or those 51 page papers. No one is coasting through my program. And the 4.0 students are definitely working their assess off.
  10. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but for me, the MSW program is exponentially more stressful than my app process. Get ready for A LOT of work, and a lot of stress.
  11. In my program everyone is pretty friendly and a lot of the full time younger students (especially out of staters) have plenty of get-togethers. Social workers are nice people I wouldn't worry about making friends. As for romantic relationships, I'm sure you've heard that MSW programs are female dominated and I've found that to be true. I probably have 1-3 guys in my classes of 15-20. Half of them are gay. There are opportunities for meeting students from other programs, but you'll have to put yourself out there. College is a hot bed for meeting quality, likeminded people. Enjoy it, because it is definitely not like that in office life, especially if you're working in a traditional social work setting.
  12. I would dare to say that no, it does not matter much where you get your MSW from. That being said, I will echo briefinterviews in that it is a very personal decision based on a variety of factors in your life. If money is even a small concern for you (which I am guessing it is because you've brought up the issue), then I'd consider the debt very seriously. It's also a very stressful program so consider your support system too. Feel free to PM me if you have personal questions for me. I can weigh in if you're thinking of a macro career.
  13. I would advise that if you're interested in macro, then take a closer look at the schools you're applying to. Boston College has a very weak macro program. I've said this in a prior post, but it's not the degree/name that matters for macro, but the selection of classes you'll get at a strong macro program vs. one that is clinically focused. Take a look at the course offerings -- you'll see a night and day difference between macro and micro. You mentioned a passion for direct service work -- refugee/immigrant services is a fairly decent market in international development, and that is clinical work. If that is your interest than Boston College and UW are good places for that. I do want to emphasize though, that if you're interested in direct services domestically -- then any school will probably be fine.
  14. Here's my 2 cents based on experience. If you are interested in direct service or clinical practice, where you get your MSW won't make a huge difference. Take the debt consideration VERY SERIOUSLY. You've heard this a thousand times, but SW doesn't way well, especially in direct service work. No one really cares where you get your degree from. This isn't business school. Also, coursework is regulated by CSWE so you'll find the similar clinical classes/topics in every program. You really won't miss a thing no matter where you go. Now, if you're interested in macro, there's more to consider. The macro concentration trend seems to be relatively new and many programs do not focus on it. I chose a school with a strong macro department, and us macro students still only make up less than 15% of the entire MSW program. Here, I am getting access to a variety of macro-related classes that seem to be otherwise non existent at other programs (community organizing, program planning, evaluations, organizational behavior, strategic management, community analysis and interventions are just a few examples) We also have collaborations with the business school to cross register in non profit management classes. We have hybrid type classes that pull from other departments and are very relevant for the future macro social worker. When you graduate, no one looking at your resume will know what macro concentration MSW is. No one will care where your degree is from -- but choosing a macro program will allow you access to more appropriate classes. There is a BIG difference between macro and clinical classes. I can't tell you how many people I know in the field, wish they had experience in program evaluation, fundraising, financial management, etc. And having that skill (from class or work experience) is what will land you the macro job. So if you're a macro student, paying bigger bucks to attend a program with a nice sized macro focus, be prepared to strongly advocate for yourself to get the payoff. That being said, I still believe it's possible to get some macro perspective no matter what school you go to -- you can always petition to cross register in the business school or for another department course with a relevant focus. You'll just have to work a lot harder at it. No macro degree alone with get you the job, but if you don't have a lot of work experience, it will pave the way a heck of a lot faster than a bunch of clinical classes. Hope this helps!
  15. Thank you! This is info is very helpful! I'm currently in graduate school for social work because they offered me 100% paid tuition. I'm hoping to enrich the degree by taking IR courses for all of my electives. But I wonder if this path was a good idea since I am focused on int'l development and I've discovered that social work is largely domestically focused. I went this route because I had the impression (as you confirmed) that many of these top MPP/MPA/MID/IR programs are exorbitantly expensive. I'm going to look into Princeton -- but how can they give so much money to all their students?!
  16. Socal_kid, based on your experience, are full tuition scholarships likely or common at "top" grad programs in IR/development?
  17. Hello, I just thought i'd bring this thread back to life. I'd love to hear how the SIPA program was for you Emoleys, or anyone else who pursued a dual degree either informally and formally in the arenas of social work and international affairs.
  18. Revolution - I am curious to the same questions as well. Are tuition fellowships/waivers common at SAIS or the top international affairs/development graduate programs? I was under the impression that this is very rare, which is why I decided on social work school that offered me a full tuition scholarship (and custom tailoring my second year schedule to reflect heavy int'l development focus). Now I'm wondering if I should have given grad school in IR a shot. Due to financial circumstances, I couldn't afford grad school unless I was offered a nearly free ride.
  19. There are several threads that address this. This one seems to be the most recent:
  20. I am in the FT program, but I have some night classes so I spend a lot of time with PT students as well. In my experience, the PT and FT crowd is different -- which will show in class discussions. FT is often younger students, many with limited work experience. PT is often older students with substantial experience. I do hear a lot of gripes from both parties about wishing they had done the track they didn't choose. I think that just comes with being in a stressful program that no one enjoys 100% of the time. Your choice will depend on what your life looks like right now -- my advice is if you don't have to work, and are not at a job that is either relevant to your SW goals or enjoyable, do the FT track and get it over with.
  21. That's a hell of a lot of photocopying!! I feel like I barely have enough time to shower with all the reading assignments we have to do!!
  22. I agree. it's absolutely ridiculous. With brand new books, you'll likely get back nearly all of your money when you resell in new condition again. If you can borrow the money to pay upfront, I think this will be the thriftiest way to go. Also, check out www.coursesmart.com they offer 6 textbooks for $200. Not too shabby if you can deal with ebooks.
  23. FYI, kno.com books seems to be web accessible only. So for anyone who would like to do reading on a train, etc, this might not be the best service for you.
  24. I feel your pain, citychild! I'm doing a combo of kindle books, and buying brand new from amazon for the heavy hitter books. They are VERY pricey ($150-$180) but the resale value will be high, specially kept in brand new condition. This seems to be the most affordable option for those of us not lucky enough to have gotten free resources. It will cost more upfront, but in 3 months you can likely resell brand new books for 80% of what you paid for them, if they are in the same condition.
  25. sorry guys, didn't mean to ruffle any feathers. I should have put the disclaimer that IMO, and IME, the biggest/top MSW programs in the US have a high acceptance rate -- from the ones I've reserached, they hover around 20-40%. Just trying to give the guy some hope and words of encouragement for his SOP...
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