Kristopher

I currently attend Ohio State. When I applied everything was submitted on March 1st and the decision came on April 1st.

Ranking matters very little. If it's accredited and if you have the opportunity for good internships, that's all that matters. 

Ranking matters very little. If it's accredited and if you have the opportunity for good internships, that's all that matters. 

Hi All,
I wanted to post here to get any feedback or advice from anyone who is currently getting a MCSW or has already gotten one.
I scrolled through a forum earlier where a lot of social workers had posted, and started to feel a little discouraged. A lot of them seemed to be very unhappy with their jobs and the pay. I am aware that the pay is not very much. I am currently working as a lease analyst/landman for an oil and gas company and have gotten some sh*t from a few people about wanting to leave my job to go back to school for this type of work. I know it will be a big change and I will have to make some sacrifices, but I really want to be passionate about what I do every day. I am willing to make less to be happy with what I do. Ideally I would like to make $60,000/yr though. I know it is very unlikely I will start off with that and that's okay.
My plan as of now is to get my Masters in Clinical Social work so that I can get my license to be a therapist, and maybe one day open up my own private practice. I have started tutoring homeless teenagers every Tuesday and really enjoy it so I think I definitely want to work with kids and teens. I am trying to get started in a lot more volunteer work on top of that. I start training in January at Bo's Place (which is a place for families who have lost a loved one) to be a facilitator, which would lead the grief support groups. I wish it was sooner but the next training session isn't until January. I've also applied to be a "Big Sister" for Big brothers big sisters of America but they take a while to match you with a kid.
I am working on my application now for enrollment of Fall 2015 and it's due March 31st. I feel like that is a lot sooner than it seems and I just really want to make sure that this is the right decision for me. I am pretty sure that I want to be a therapist, however I am only 24 so I have my doubts. I worry about not being good at it, or finding it too emotionally exhausting. I do think that even if I change my mind, social work is the right path for me. So I know there are other options, but I worry a little about finding something else to do in Social work, but then being stuck making $45,000 a year for the rest of my life.
I know my volunteer work will help with decision making but I just wanted to get some feedback/advice from as many people as I can who have some experience. I would really appreciate any advice I could get. I know social work can be very draining and I want to hear about all of the difficulties but also the rewards. 
 
Thank you so much!
Abby

Yes that is what I said "Work/volunteer experience, LOR, and personal statement are all considered."

I am unsure as to why you think you will be at risk because the people you are transporting having mental illness. It seems your biases about this population are overshadowing what social work is. Safety is certainly important, but severe mental illness does not mean more danger than other populations. Your assumption that because they are ill means they are violent  is unfounded.

With all due respect, I have to politely disagree with Eigen. For clarification purposes, unlike the typical social science PhD program, the MSW program is a professional program that (usually) lasts two years. The placement the OP described can be up to a 24 hour a week commitment (900-1200 hours in total) where students are (usually) unlike PhD students placed for FREE! Students are expected to network and make connections for career placement in the very near future. Many times employers take on students with the intent of hiring them after the placement and I have seen this happen quite often.
Typically, though not always, this is a terminal degree for the student. Which means in a two-year span the student needs to absorb as much classroom and practicum experience to last her entire career. This practicum represents half of her learning experience, so I applaud the OP in taking a proactive approach.
She is very wise to interview at other places and the sooner the better, because this is not a PhD program where people have been known to take 10+ years to graduate! Two years is a very short time to get industry experience and make the right contacts. Best of luck!!!

It's apparent Eigen doesn't understand the field of Social Work at all, nor the importance of field work. But I guess if his program (chemistry) had to do a year long rotation learning how to be a chemist from an astronomer, that would be OK.
 
Bluebird, I think you have been doing the right thing. You mentioned a professor also said they knew of troubles regarding the site. Perhaps if the field office is still giving you grief you can "recruit" that professor to help advocate for you. I'm not sure how it works where you go to school, but where I do, the field office and MSW/Social Work office, while working together, are very separate entities. So just because some field coordinator is pissy, doesn't mean the whole program will dump on you. I've known a few students who didn't fit with their initial placement and were moved with no stress or problem so I'm hopeful you will too. Get a new placement and start fresh and I'm sure you will have a good experience.
 
Good luck! And keep us posted.

I would check with the school. I don't think a University would care if it came from a class after undergrad. In fact, it could help and show how you tried to further your studies after undergrad and before grad school.

I love Ohio State. The program has a great array of classes that reach all areas of social work. Columbus is a wonderful city with lots to do. The city and surrounding suburbs are very affordable compared to many places in America. I couldn't have picked a better program. California has great schools for social work, but the cost of living is too high for me to live out there on a social work salary (plus teacher salary since my wife is a teacher).
 
I wouldn't worry about taking classes to raise your GPA yet. Apply to schools and see what happens. 2.8 isn't terrible and I think it could be a potential waste of money and time to retake classes simply to get over 3.0. If you have a "good" story that can help a lot.

I love Ohio State. The program has a great array of classes that reach all areas of social work. Columbus is a wonderful city with lots to do. The city and surrounding suburbs are very affordable compared to many places in America. I couldn't have picked a better program. California has great schools for social work, but the cost of living is too high for me to live out there on a social work salary (plus teacher salary since my wife is a teacher).
 
I wouldn't worry about taking classes to raise your GPA yet. Apply to schools and see what happens. 2.8 isn't terrible and I think it could be a potential waste of money and time to retake classes simply to get over 3.0. If you have a "good" story that can help a lot.

GPA is just part of the picture that programs look at. Most programs I have seen require GRE scores for those under 3.0 in order to help bolster it. MSW programs look at much more than GPA. Work/volunteer experience, LOR, and personal statement are all considered. I would say that out of many grad school programs, MSW programs don't weight GPA as heavily as other programs. I am sure at the very top tier schools like Michigan or Columbia GPA may matter more since they get a ton of applicants. If you search this message board you'll find many people get into programs with GPAs below 3.0. Don't worry about prestige unless you want to obtain a PhD and become a professor. Going to an accredited program and having relevant field placements are what is important.
 
Personally, I only applied to one school: Ohio State. I had a 3.04 undergrad GPA (3.5 last two years/60 credits) and no direct social work experience. I obtained solid LOR and explained how my work experience in retail and experience in my personal life motivated me to obtain my MSW.
 
Social Work is a field where individual experiences and circumstance matters. Schools don't necessarily want everyone with a 3.8 GPA. MSW programs "love" to see stories where someone didn't have a high GPA because they had to work two jobs to support family, or other reasons. It's experiences like that which make great social workers, not necessarily good grades.

I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with Reddit, but the social work subreddit is fairly active. It's a mix of those in the field and students. http://www.reddit.com/r/socialwork/

I'm not entirely sure where you're getting your numbers from. If we're talking strictly tuition (ie: living expenses, health insurance, etc, removed from the equation) NYU won't even put you at the $80,000 mark. Yes, it's close, but it's still under your projected range of $80k-$100k. Fordham is approximately $20,000 less. Hunter is obviously significantly less, as is any other state school. There are cheaper options out there, even ones that hold some prestige, though many argue that prestige is useless in the realm of MSWs. Personally, I'm hoping they're right, being that I turned it down (somewhat; Tulane is a great school, too)  for the sake of cost and location.
 
Regardless of anything, getting your MSW and working as an LCSW, or working as anything for that matter, should be about your drive to do it and not about the money. I guarantee you that there's not a single social worker in the world who is in it for the money. It's not a get rich quick scheme. But if you want to do it, and you feel like it will give your life purpose and meaning, and you truly want to help others, then do it. Yes, you'll have student loan debt - we all do. Most people who go to college/graduate school do. So what? You can't take your (or your husband's, in your case) money with you when you die.
 
My suggestion? If you really want to do be a social worker, that is... Is to pay your own bill. That way it's your risk and you don't have to justify anything to anyone. You won't owe any explanations and you can move at your own pace without someone pressuring you to make a timely return on their investment.

I'm surprised there is even an option to test out of classes for a MSW program. I would be skeptical this is possible.

I am unsure as to why you think you will be at risk because the people you are transporting having mental illness. It seems your biases about this population are overshadowing what social work is. Safety is certainly important, but severe mental illness does not mean more danger than other populations. Your assumption that because they are ill means they are violent  is unfounded.

Just do Craigslist. You can't live life scared. Sure, there are a lot of psychopaths, serial killers, rapists, pedophiles and feminists on Craigslist, but you have to be willing to take a risk. You can find a lot of good deals. 

I'll buy you a Dr. Phil shirt to sport with your fancy mangina.

I just looked at my last 20 posts. You down-voted 10 of them. Far from 2-3. But once again, you're sensitive. Anything that isn't, "Aww you're so great. Just keep being great," seems to offend you. I don't mind. I just find your softness humoring. 

How do you know which ones are undergrads? Haha. 
 
You give very good advice. I never thought about being in the same vicinity all day, but that does make perfect sense. It's not like in undergrad where you'll have random classes all over campus. You'll most likely be in the same building all day. 
 
Very good point. If you really can only walk 20-30 steps at a time, then I would consider that some type of mobility disability. Contact the DRC and they'll be able to better assist you than any of us will. 
 
I like your style, persimmony. 
 
Now my insight... Once again, you can only take 20-30 steps at a time. That qualifies, in my opinion, as disabled. But of course, it's a correctable disability. Grad schools don't start for another 6 months. I'm not saying you need to become an Olympian within that time, but you shouldn't just settle for 20-30 steps. You should make it your goal to increase your steps each and every week. Who knows, maybe by the time you get to grad school you'll be perfectly mobile. 
 
I see what you're saying about having seating, desks etc that are accommodating to your needs. To tie in to my previous point, you do have 6 months to work on your fitness. Maybe it won't be as much of a problem by then. But I don't see finding suitable seating to be such a big problem. I'm sure the disability department provides some sort of seating available and they can place it in the classroom for you. There is someone in one of my classes who has his own desk. I don't know exactly what his disability is. He looks fine to me. But he is an older guy and a war vet. Sure it has something to do with that. 
 
And as far as culture... We've talked about this in the other thread about fitness. You didn't really seem to respond to anyone's advice, or at least anything that wasn't what you wanted to hear. My points were that educated people seem to be more health conscious. You'll find way more vegans, yoga nuts, cyclists, mountain climbers etc on college campuses than you'll find anywhere else in the country. I know 70-year old professors who bike to campus every day. Even if they're not meat head gym rats, they can still be health/fitness conscious. I've noticed that younger undergrads are more into looking good and older grad students are more into being healthy. There's really no way of getting around it. I don't think there's such thing as a non-fit culture. You probably won't have a bunch of classmates being too vocal about their workout routines, but you'll definitely have a lot of fit classmates. 

A guy who just brings up babies with someone he barely knows is obviously cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

I am unsure as to why you think you will be at risk because the people you are transporting having mental illness. It seems your biases about this population are overshadowing what social work is. Safety is certainly important, but severe mental illness does not mean more danger than other populations. Your assumption that because they are ill means they are violent  is unfounded.

I am unsure as to why you think you will be at risk because the people you are transporting having mental illness. It seems your biases about this population are overshadowing what social work is. Safety is certainly important, but severe mental illness does not mean more danger than other populations. Your assumption that because they are ill means they are violent  is unfounded.

I am unsure as to why you think you will be at risk because the people you are transporting having mental illness. It seems your biases about this population are overshadowing what social work is. Safety is certainly important, but severe mental illness does not mean more danger than other populations. Your assumption that because they are ill means they are violent  is unfounded.

Please don't let such an important life decision come down to a poll, traffic, and weather.