PurpleSocialist

Typically for graduate students, need-based aid comes in the form of government loans and sometimes you can land a work study position. Some schools have graduate assistantship positions. Try to see if this particular school has any. I didn't use another school's merit based aid to try to get more money out of another school simply because I knew I wasn't THAT competitive of an applicant; otherwise I would have been offered money by the school that didn't offer me ANY merit-based aid. This school based their merit-based aid off of GRE scores and my GRE score was not competitive. I say all that to say: only try the "pitting one school against another" tactic if you feel you are a VERY competitive candidate. My recommended course of action would be to ask the financial aid if they will take your household's change in income into consideration. That may land you a work study position but I know that doesn't help out much. Best of luck!

I'll add my two cents: Go wherever it makes the most financial sense to attend/whichever choice will leave you in the least amount of debt AND a program that you feel will be a good fit. I don't think an Ivy League MSW pays off-if anyone has any evidence to the contrary, feel free to correct me but I think what really matters are the skills you learn and how you sell yourself to potential employers. Chicago will always be there. Attend a good program that won't leave you in a bunch of debt and hopefully when you're done, you can move to any city and find a job.

I think such a career goal is realistic. The key will be to get your foot in the door-perhaps being a part of a program in an organization you're interested in, working your way up to program manager, and perhaps eventually you can be made the director over a department or maybe even the whole organization. It will depend on the organization's structure. A great way to find out what it will take it to have an informational interview with those in non-profit management, perhaps the head of a non-profit or perhaps someone who is a step or two below them. You can Google/Bing/etc. for information on how to ask for an informational interview. Best of luck!

I think you'll be fine, along with all the others who replied. You've had a lot of great experiences and I think that is going to really stand out. I also agree with SofieCat, most MSW programs are not hard to get into. That isn't to say they just take ANYONE [even though a few of my classmates make me question this....] but I think a lot of your experiences will make you a great candidate.

Congratulations, citychild! I am a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and will be conducting my internship in Chicago starting in August. [We conduct our internships AFTER we've completed our coursework.] From what I've heard, Roger's Park is a very affordable area for students. If you're okay with a commute, I'd look into apartments around UIUC as well. The best way to find a place, IMO, is to go to the city, drive around, and look for places. When I went to Chicago with a friend to find her an apartment, we saw lots of ads on the sides of buildings. Maybe they were advertised online as well, maybe they weren't. If you don't have the time, money, or desire to just explore, I recommend Craigslist and finding a website that allows you to search apartments all over Chiago. I've been browsing Craigslist also for apartments (a friend of mine found her apartment through Craigslist and it's a VERY cute place) and that isn't too bad. Best of luck!

Excellent advice! With my volunteer work, I had a mix of macro and micro. From what I've learned through talking with a lot of my classmates, very few in my cohort had macro volunteer experience. I think having macro work really makes you stand out and if macro is what you want to focus on with your MSW education, it makes you look like you're serious.

Univ of IL at Urbana-Champaign. I wasn't advanced standing and when I started my summer classes, I didn't run into anyone who was advanced standing.