SuburbanLite

Hi! I've been accepted to UW as well, and received my financial aid package a few weeks ago. I'm an out-of-state student, and they didn't give me any scholarships. However, they did give me all federal student loans with good interest rate terms. Apparently, you can apply for their tuition fellowships, but the deadline was in late February. I didn't think I'd get into UW, so I didn't bother applying, but I do plan on applying next year. Here's a link to UW's MSW scholarships: http://socialwork.uw.edu/admissions/scholarships/master-of-social-work-msw. If you do have to take out a significant amount of federal student loans like me, don't fret. There are a few loan forgiveness programs to consider. One such program is The NHSC Loan Repayment Program. In exchange for serving two years at an approved site, they'll forgive up to $50,000 of your federal student loans. It's a great way to not only gain experience working with diverse clinical populations, but to also get out of student loan debt fast! If you also qualify for the federal government's pay-as-you-earn repayment plan upon graduating, you can have up to half of your student loan amount forgiven. The only downside is that you're required to pay federal income tax on the amount that is forgiven. Here's a student loan repayment calculator: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/mobile/repayment/repaymentEstimator.action My only advice is to stay far away from private student loans - they'll screw you over big time! And if you end up with a low-paying job, they're liable not to reduce your monthly payments or offer deferments like federal student loans.

Hey I just got accepted into University of Pittsburgh's program with a $7,000 yearly scholarship. Not sure if I'll attend yet, since I'm still waiting to hear back from University of Washington and Portland State University. Did you apply early decision?

Hi Everyone! So, I'm applying to the University of Washington, and I've just finished my personal statement/social problem analysis. This is my first time ever writing a personal statement for graduate school. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in reading my statement and giving me their feedback? The application for early decision is due next week, so I'm anxious to turn it in! If you'd be interesting in critiquing my statement, please just send me a private message. Thank you so much in advance!

Hi y'all! I've started working on my graduate admissions CV, but I can't seem to find good examples online of proper formatting/structure/language. Can anyone recommend helpful websites and/or books on how to write and format a good graduate admissions CV? Thanks so much!

Hello Everyone! I'm new to thegradcafe, and I was wondering if I could get your opinions on whether or not I have sufficient enough experience to apply to MSW programs for Fall 2014. I am primarily interested in transgender/LGBTQ issues. Here's my background: I graduated from Brown University (December 2010) with a B.A. in psychology (clinical track) and a 3.95 GPA. During my undergraduate career, I was a teaching assistant for an upper-level clinical psychology course (behavior modification) and I was also a psychology research assistant. After I graduated, I moved abroad for two years to Germany and the UK, where I did work non-related to my field (I was an English tutor/worked at a non-profit art museum). During that time, I received a Fulbright award to teach English in Austria, but I had to turn it down due to insufficient funding (I would have to generate an extra $1,000/month just to live in a small, expensive Austrian town). By the way, can I still put down on my CV that I was a Fulbright recipient, even though I did not accept the fellowship in the end? Maybe I can put an asterisk with a footnote? Anyway, this past year, I have tried to accrue as much experience related to social work as possible. While living in Liverpool, I worked as a private caregiver for a child with Asperger's syndrome. I was also a volunteer (and still continue to be from long distance), with an informal LGBTQ support group. I am currently tutoring and mentoring foster children, and I will soon be volunteering at an LGBT community center here in Phoenix. Having seen the horrors of patient abuse when I went to work as a behavioral health technician in the for-profit mental health field here in Phoenix, I am currently working on an expose that will be published in a credible literary magazine. I've also obtained some additional certifications that are pertinent to the field of social work, namely Crisis Prevention and Intervention, Daily Assisted Living, and CPR/First Aid. I applied last year to Portland State University's MSW program, but was rejected due to insufficient experience. I'm currently planning on applying to: Columbia, McGill, NYU, University of Washington, University of Pittsburgh, Smith College, Hunter College, Portland State, San Francisco State, and Loyola University Chicago. Am I aiming too high with my list of schools? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! I've been such a nervous wreck thinking about applying for next year. Thank y'all so, so much!!!