dida

Well, I'm biased, but I hope you choose Berkeley! I'm in the Title IV-E child welfare program. What's your concentration? I agree that prestige doesn't really matter in terms of future job prospects, and it's daunting to think about the cost. But having a strong community in a program that's intellectually challenging is important to me, and at Berkeley people seem passionate and supportive in ways I haven't seen at some of the other local schools (I don't know anything about Sac State though). I decided not to apply to Cal State East Bay after a friend of a friend said that all of the papers she wrote were really bad (last-minute, lots of typos, badly written) and she still got all As. I'd also seen it described as a commuter campus, which didn't appeal to me. I also got a lot of info from the way administrators and students at different schools acted. I know that at Berkeley prospective students can sit in on classes -- maybe you could try this at Sac State? A friend of mine went to an admissions info session (at CSUEB, I think) where the director showed up half an hour late and explained that with budget cuts he's teaching four courses and handling admissions. He was frazzled and stressed, and that doesn't bode well. When I got into San Jose State, I emailed admissions to ask how much time I'd have to make my decision and if they could put me in touch with a current MSW student. I also said I'd like to visit the campus/department. The director responded to tell me when my decision needed to be in, and he ignored everything else in the email; to me that was a red flag. Berkeley has students working in the admissions office who are excited to talk to you about their classes, professors, activities...I just got a much better vibe about that. I want to be really excited about the place I'll be spending the next two years! That said, there are other important factors (cost, location, boyfriend's location, etc) and I'm not trying to minimize those!

Hi Persnipity! I'm going to Berkeley in the fall! That's a really tough choice but an awesome one. Making pro/con lists definitely helped me, mostly because I thought two schools were pretty closely tied for top-choice in my head, and then when I wrote everything out I realized Berkeley came out way ahead. Congratulations and good luck making the decision! Are you totally torn or leaning one way?

Sounds like a good sign! I got mine today too, two weeks after declining their admission offer...so that was odd too.

Hard to say. I don't have much anecdotal information except that this came up when I visited Berkeley. One of the administrators mentioned the relative lack of men applying; I think this was when I asked if she could generalize at all about the students in the program (in terms of age, work experience, etc). She made it sound like they're certainly very interested in reading applications from men, but she also pointed out that 3 or 4 men applied for this concentration last year and none of them made the cut. She also said they take note if, for example, an applicant is fluent in an unusual and helpful language, but again, my impression was that that would be a nice bonus but wouldn't really change the odds much. The child welfare track is pretty unique because it requires an interview with a panel, and the interviewees' answers are scored and ranked, so the admissions process is pretty standardized and there might not be much room for adding diversity points. You could definitely ask about this in info sessions; I'd be very curious to know the answer!

Congrats on the fellowship! That's so exciting. I'm definitely leaning toward Berkeley as well. I've worked in child welfare and want to continue, so I'm really excited about the support the Title IV-E program provides. Since I'm not sure I'm as interested in strictly clinical work, Smith might not be the best fit for me. Also I've worked in social services for a few years, so I'm not as excited about having 8-month field placements and cramming all the academics into summer terms. I'd rather have a balance between fieldwork and academic work. It also seems like it would be hard to bond with everyone over the summer and then scatter across the country for the year. I've moved around a lot over the past few years and I'd be excited to stick with one community for a while!

Purplescarves, have you made your decision? I heard from Smith much earlier than I was expecting to, so I went ahead and submitted the deposit before hearing from Berkeley. I got into Berkeley this week and I'm so grateful to have such wonderful options but so nervous to make a final decision! On top of feeling really torn, I feel guilty for holding onto both acceptances and worried that Smith won't be happy if I withdraw my decision. (There must be a waitlist, right?) I plan to make a final decision this weekend. Good luck to you if you're still deciding!

I just got an acceptance email from UW! Good luck and I hope you hear today as well!

Just got into UW! Hope other people are getting emails now too!

Hey Twoone, sorry to hear that. I'm one of the people who still has to give them my decision. I was told that once I tell them if I plan to attend, THEN they will process my "official admission" through the university. So even though the dept admitted me...they basically aren't gonna have SJSU do the official admission until they KNOW I'm attending. Maybe 30 people agreed to attend, but they technically offered admission to more (like me). That would explain the vagueness... Anyway, I will be turning them down so there's at least one more spot opening!

Hi prevail, I'm in the same boat... Got into SF State but haven't heard from Berkeley yet. I thought we'd hear this week but now I'm not sure. What did you think of SFSU?

I got into SFSU (for Title IV-E...seems like they move faster than the regular program). Haven't heard from Berkeley yet.

Hi purplescarves! Looks like you and I might be classmates... I am torn between Smith and a Title IV-E program (either SFSU or Berkeley if I get in). About Smith: from what you've heard, does it sound like people do sometimes have to switch locations for the 2nd field placement even if they really don't want to? I guess I was hoping that wouldn't be an issue, but it's definitely something that I'd like to know about... I'm in the Bay Area too and hoping to stay here long-term. On the other hand, it's exciting to think about the possibilities with Smith. Title IV-E comes with a serious commitment to working in a California agency post-graduation, and it would be nice to have the freedom to move in the next 1-5 years if I end up wanting or needing to. I really don't know how I'll choose, but I need to this week!

Hey Paige Elizabeth, sorry to hear about Berkeley. Did you apply for CMH? It's awesome that you'll be attending UW!

Congrats to everyone who got into SJSU yesterday! Sounds like a lot of you are planning to attend. I'd love to hear some of your reasons for choosing SJSU!

I know, the wait is agonizing! I know people in some concentrations have already heard, but I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up about hearing this week... What concentration did you apply for?