MJL34

Good points, all. For those of you that were awarded scholarships or grants, were those primarily "need based" or were they awarded regardless of financial situation. And, in the case of merit, any idea what that criteria was based on? As someone whose FAFSA is going to look much better in the year I apply than when I'm actually going to school, I'm curious what drives the decision to lower tution costs.

Hi -- I've read these forums for a while, and I haven't heard much discussion of UC's program. I know the University of Cincinnati is considered a strong university overall -- but does anyone have any experience either as a student or an applicant to the MSW program? Curious to hear any views. Thanks.

My understanding is that there is a far greater percentage of women applying for MSW programs than men. As a result, do men have an advantage with schools that are looking to "diversify" their cohorts? Does anyone have any experience (or anecdotal information) that suggests this is the case? Full disclosure: I'm a guy interested in applying to some of the top programs and I'm curious if that is a potential advantage with the more selective admissions processes. Thanks.

Hi all -- I'm new to this forum and am planning to apply to the Berkeley MSW program for Fall 2014. I'm curious from those of you who went through the process this year, what sort of relationships, if any, did you establish during the year with instructors or administrators in the program? Was there an interview process -- or did any of you find it helpful to make contact in other ways? I've read so many different points of view with regard to other programs, I'm curious if Berkeley has a certain "culture" where that's more (or less) expected. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. M