gradschoolmom

Agreed. I'm a stay-at-home- mom with 2 little ones (aged 4 & 2). You have to have a supportive network to help you. I could not have gotten through undergrad without that and will not make it through grad (I'm only looking at part time though). Your kids need to understand what you're doing and why. You're going to need to find resources to help with the inevitable child care issue. Hopefully the school you're attending has some of that in place. It's not entirely uncommon to have children in grad school. You have to realize that the next two+ years of your life are just not going to be the very best in existence BUT the end result is so worth it. Good luck!

I found Edinboro University (Pennsylvania) to be a really affordable online MSW that is CSWE accredited. BU & USC also have strong programs. You can use Income Based Repayment to reduce the cost for you when you repay your student loans (USC is just outrageous). Fordham has geographic restrictions (I wish they didn't!) and some of the other programs do too. You also have to look at how they conduct their field placements. Some schools, like University of New England, require you to find your own field, whereas places like USC & BU will find it for you. Depends on what you like. Also, some schools like University of North Dakota have a big synchronous component. I think it's 3 days a week, which can be tough for a working adult. The online programs have really expanded and some of them are truly robust. I've heard the acceptance rates can either mimic the in-seat or be tougher because of competition. Sometimes people who aren't really qualified apply for online because they think it's easier. Most are not accepted but admissions offices still have to process their applications. Bottom line is that I think online is a truly viable option for learning, even in a people-heavy discipline like social work. The synchronous portion is crucial, you do your field locally, and the academics are the same. Good luck! I'm applying to three online programs (of the five I applied to) Haven't heard anything yet.

I applied to BU's online clinical MSW program. I got everything in by mid January but because I don't graduate until May 11th from my current program, I was told I cannot be considered for Fall until the summer! I told them I mixed in-seat and online programs and expect to have decisions long before that, but they didn't budge. Good luck to everyone applying to BU.

Hey all...long time lurker, first time posting. Freaking out bigtime! Tomorrow (2/12) is my Upenn interview. Applying for the MSW program. I'm doing in person rather than skype, in large part because I've heard about technical issues that can occur which make it tougher to give the best impression. I've checked a lot of threads here and I guess the interview process is pretty positive, but it doesn't stop me from panicking. This is a dream school for me. I've been to their info sessions and done a ton of research and I like what I see at Penn. But I'm not a traditional student either. I'm older (mom of two kiddos), completed some of my coursework online, but have a great gpa and some positive intangibles. Hoping I can wow them enough! Any last minute advice is appreciated! Good luck everybody.