Purplescarves

Echoing some of the sentiments above, make sure you figure out the job placement numbers. While a funded PhD is great, the purpose is getting a full-time job. If they don't have a track record of doing that for their graduates, then that's not a good sign.

Respond to the email responses you have received. You don't need multiple logins for that.

Thank you for bumping. This thread is awesome and really resonates with my experience.

Thank you for the thoughtful responses. Keep in mind I'm not judging all of UCB to be okay, just this particular program given what I would like to do. I have no doubt in my mind that the school is awesome in general, but I also won't doubt the students and alumni I've spoken with who have stated in no uncertain terms that this specific department is lacking. Given that, I'm seriously doubting whether to attend.

Did you get financial aid at USC? That would bring the cost down. If not, $45,000 for just tuition for a single year is a lot. I would talk to students and alumni about the 'clout'. To be honest, I've heard conflicting reviews. I don't know anything about Utah though. Have you visited? Talked to people who are familiar with the program? Looked at course offerings? Checked out the research interests of the professors?

Average earnings upon graduation are $50,000. I don't have much that I could contribute now. Fortunately, I only have undergrad debt and that's not much. It would probably take me about 8-10 years to fully re-pay.

Like many others on this thread, I'm not sure what to do. School A (Smith College) - Leads the field in clinical social work (which is exactly what I want to do) although they are ranked in the top 30 - Course offerings are superb and rigorous, the content will likely be new - Students earn more experience hours here than any other school - No summers off - No funding provided, I'll have loans of $40,000 or more - To sum it up: great education, really high cost School B (UC Berkeley) - Ranked in the top 10 in the field - Received a fellowship that covers the majority of the cost. I can even get a car which I may need for my internship. - Course selection is really lacking, they have a more generalist approach - Option for summers off - Opportunity to network with grad students across disciplines - To sum it up: okay education, practically free It's just a Master's, so it's only about two years. Any thoughts? Should I just take out the loans and consider it a major investment? I know the answer lies with me, but I'd like some insights.

I finally heard back from USC. I was accepted.

Congratulations on getting in to Berkeley!! That's awesome. Last weekend must have been a great weekend. I wouldn't worry too much about Smith. They definitely have a waitlist, I remember reading last year about some people who got off of the waitlist and were super grateful. I just found out that I received a fellowship from Berkeley. I'm so excited! It's a complete game changer because I figured if I had to pay the same price, I might as well go to Smith. That's no longer the case, so I'm leaning towards Berkeley. I definitely feel incredibly grateful for all of these opportunities. If you choose Berkeley, most likely I'll see you there!

I have a feeling today is the day they notify about CFS. They notified CMH last Friday and the other concentrations prior to that. I hope it's good news for all of you!!

In the email I received, it said that additional financing information would become available at the end of March. Good luck!

I'm in a similar boat, that's why I started the pro's & con's thread here: needed a definitive list of what I stand to gain and lose at each school. I'm also interested in knowing what factors other people are considering at their schools. Have you done a complete cost breakdown? That helped me completely cross off one school, it was just too expensive. What are you hoping to do once you graduate? If it's clinical, the public health degree might not be as useful for future employment. More degrees doesn't always mean better. If your interest is not clinical, Smith might not be the best fit. A place like BU or Salem State probably would be a better choice. I had the same feeling from Simmons when I visited and decided to not apply for that reason.

Check out this thread As citychild said, there are several other similar threads and private loans can be nasty, they are definitely not eligible for loan forgiveness. If you are in the Boston area, I would suggest that you contact uAspire. They help students of all ages wade through the mess of funding higher education. They have office hours and you can schedule some time to talk to an advisor and figure out the best steps for you. So far I have only received specifics on my Chicago financial aid, but I don't plan on attending. Tuition at the other two schools I'm considering is around $21,000 for the year. I had to come to terms over the past few weeks what I will and will not be doing to fund the MSW. I will not be taking out any private loans. I will be working while I'm in school to offset some of the costs. I'll also be living rent-free for the most part. If possible, I will use the loan forgiveness. That's how I'm going to make it work. Some questions you might want to ask yourself: - How did you support yourself through college? (You've gotten this far!) - How much do you have to pay back on college loans, if any? - In what ways can your family support, if any? - Can you reapply to less expensive schools next year? (If you aren't convinced that the less expensive school can provide you a quality education, speak to current students and graduates. You'll then be convinced.) - What are your financial goals after graduation? (purchasing a house or car, getting married, etc.) Good luck! It can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be really expensive.

I don't think you will scare them away. What you just wrote looks good and I'm sure you typed that out pretty quickly. With some polishing I think that could be a great theme to your statement. Admissions teams want to know what has shaped you personally and professionally. They want to know how you think and process things. They are trying to get a sense of who you are, which can be hard to do on paper. The most important thing is to not dwell on the crisis. Identify it, resolve it, and then write about all of the other amazing things that are you. A few sentences should suffice, rather than paragraphs bogged down in details. What I kept hearing from admissions was that they know the coursework of an MSW can bring up a lot of emotional baggage, so they want students who can handle that healthily. I wrote about my personal experiences and how it impacted me. It took forever to craft it and a few people helped with the editing, but I was really happy with the end result. Like you, I've been through a lot and at a young age. I didn't want people's pity, just empathy, and it was really important for me to convey that. My experiences have been a benefit to my work and I showed that by writing about what I've done and how I've done it. I didn't just write that I'm better now. Make sure you have someone read it and edit so that you message what you have intended. Also, explain why you are now interested in social work. Connect this entrepreneurial endeavor and your major with social work so it doesn't seem disjointed. I'm sure there are a lot of transferable skills that you could discuss. You started your own business in the midst of all that was going on. If you have some concrete examples of success to write about then that says more about your talent and drive than your grades. You might want to read Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald Asher. He explains how to write about this and provides several real examples from other grad school applicants. If you were to take some courses now and ace them, that would be icing on the cake. You could mention that in your statement. Are you planning on applying to UNC? Inquire about whether you can take their social work classes. That would probably be better than the sociology courses because you can meet the professors who might be reviewing your application eventually. Like you, I would be more worried about the lack of social services experience. Several of my friends have gpa's in your range and they are in great MSW programs, like BC, NYU, and Michigan. They crafted great statements and visited info sessions to make a great impression from the beginning by engaging with staff and faculty. I think what put my friends' applications at the top of the pile, despite their poor grades, was their extensive experience in social work/social services. I don't think a few months of volunteer work would indicate to me that you are serious about this work. I know some engineers that have more volunteer experience in social services that that. I would seriously consider putting off an application to a top program until you have the experience. Some organizations are looking for e-Mentors, which could be great if you are busy. You may want to chat with volunteer coordinators to figure out if there is a way to use your entrepreneurial skills to help their clients. Maybe you can design and teach skill-building workshops. Good luck, it seems like you have something great in the making!

How are you hanging in there? Keep breathing. I'm sending positive thoughts your way.

Can you move out once you graduate and live with family or friends for a couple months. It's not ideal, but that's probably the largest expense and it could save a lot of stress.

I've already been scouting out a new MacBook Air, a stylus for my ipad, and getting price quotes for the cross country move. I'm really excited to be moving to CA!! My boyfriend and I will be living with family while we search for an apartment. In the meantime, I have to finish work, say my farewells, and pack up.

I use a similar app on the iPad, but it's only $2, called Notability.

Thank you. I'm excited that I have the option to choose! No decision yet. However, it's pretty clear from almost everywhere that Berkeley isn't necessarily the best place for students interested in clinical. If I don't go to Berkeley for my MSW, I can always apply for the post-MSW fellowship, which is all clinical. Did you get it in at Mich? What's making you lean more towards Mich rather than USC?

+1 I responded in the other thread that you posted.

Glad to hear others are having similar dilemmas. Dida, from what I hear most people get placed in the location of their preference for the second year, but I guess there is always that small option that you would be placed somewhere else. Oh the possibilities at Smith! Just browsing through the classes: Neurobiology Clinical Social Work, Severely & Persistently Mentally Ill, Advanced Treatment with LGBTQ, Race & Ethnicity in Psychodynamic Clinical Practice, Collective Trauma...and it goes on. There isn't a class that Berkeley has that Smith doesn't have, but on the flip side there are several classes that Smith offers but Berkeley does not. Regina I went to a Jesuit school for undergrad. I wrote about it in another post. We fought really hard to change the non-discrimination clause, but no dice. Despite that, I found a group of peers and faculty members as well as coursework that were supportive. I've been reaching out to schools to talk to current students and that has helped identify which campuses are inclusive and which are not. That has definitely factored into my decision.

Now that the letters and financial aid awards are rolling in, its time to sign the letter of intent, but for which school? I'm interested in hearing what pros and cons are factoring into your big decision. I'm still waiting to hear back from one school, but I've already begun making my lists. Here's what I have so far: UC Berkeley SSW Pro's: The university has a great reputation overall; Several scholarship opportunities are available; Students in CMH can choose or at least guide the selection of their field placements; Small cohort; High employment rates of graduates Con's: Although it's a public school it still costs about the same as Smith; the coursework has a generalist, not clinical, focus (clinical is even discouraged by some faculty) Smith SSW Pro's: Specializes in clinical social work (which is perfect because I eventually want to open a practice); Anti-racism commitment is weaved into each class and there are advanced courses on oppression; A huge selection of electives; Classes are in the summer so I won't have to juggle classes and the field placement; Full-time field placements, offering more hours of social work experience than any other school; Graduates are known for having a great clinical foundation, with substantial employment opportunities Con's: I could get placed outside of the Bay Area for my 2nd year field placement; Traveling to/from Northampton and storing my belongings will be onerous, No scholarship because I don't have need What are you considering in your decision?

Sorry to hear that. Did you apply to any other programs?

Doesn't USC also tend to receive a lot more applicants than most social work schools? That could be why it's taking so long to review everything. I wouldn't worry too much since several of us haven't heard back yet. The school also isn't that difficult to get into when you consider about half of the applicants are accepted. Bradley you sound like a definite shoe-in. Sending positive vibes to all applicants who are awaiting decisions!

Similar situation for me. I applied before January 15 and haven't heard anything. I thought about inquiring, but I already heard back from my top choices.