Emarouk

Oh jeez, I hope not. I spoke with folks there on Friday and it didn't sound like they had made their decisions yet. I also just checked the results page and I don't see anything from UW? Strange.

I think DSW programs are great! Personally I didn't go that route for several reasons. They don't tend to be funded and I can't imagine taking on paying for this myself; they don't have the research focus; and some R1 universities are hesitant to hire those with a DSW. I would love to be a tenure track professor someday and while that is possible with a DSW, it is easier to navigate that path with a PhD.

I hope your programs come through too! And those are our kind of "what we please" activities too! I love that my daughter has been part of this process with me. She graduates from preschool at the same time that I finish these master degrees. The dean from one of my programs said to bring her and they'll have a little paper diploma to give her when we BOTH walk across the stage. I was so touched.....this has been her life as much as it has been mine for the last three years.

I have convinced myself that tomorrow is when the University of Washington will announce its decisions. If this turns out to be wrong and I have to wait through another weekend, I'm going to need all the wine....

I love this! I'm SO glad that you're dedicating your passion and work to our growing ones. Thank you!

Hey all, I'm so glad to have found this thread! I'm 38 and anxiously awaiting to find out whether or not I'll be starting a PhD program next fall. I only applied to one school (University of Washington) and holy moly am I nervous. I've decided that if I don't make it in, I won't be attempting this again. I actually almost didn't apply this time--a mentor of mine talked me into it 6 days before the application was due! That helped with the anxiety a bit--I didn't have too much time to obsess--but ohhhhhh I'm in it now. I've followed a rather......curvy....road to where I am now. I'm just finishing up my MSW/MPA with an additional certification in Global Public Health at UW. I also work doing anti-poverty research at the university. I actually didn't finish my undergrad degree until just after I turned 36! I was fortunate enough to graduate from that program while living in Spain with my 2 year old who is absolutely the reason I'm on this path at all. As much as this has been an incredibly unconventional approach, I feel so fortunate to have done it this way. Being a single parent has focused me on stability while still engaging in adventure, security while pursuing my passions, and pushing hard while still taking time to enjoy the moment. Every once in awhile I certainly feel like the ol' lady in my current programs, but it's nice to have some perspective--it's a little hard to panic about midterms when I have so much 'real life' to be concerned about. Anyhow, my program said they will be letting us know their decision by "middle February, maybe earlier." For some totally unscientific reason I've decided that means we will know tomorrow. I REALLY hope I'm right.

I hope you're right! Thanks.

At least we have each other! Ha. Have you come out to visit UW yet? Here's to hoping we are classmates next year...

Ahhhhh I am spending too much time trying to figure out the latest day that is considered "early February" and hoping it somehow magically means this week and that this torture will end soon.... UW is the only school I applied to and this wait is oh so distracting.... I've read 6 pages of the project I'm working on since 10am and about a million posts in here and in other forums. Super productive, I know. Did anyone else apply to UW? Or was anyone else as silly as I was to pin all their hopes to one school?

I'm graduating from Evans this year. I would say one of the biggest "perks" of Evans is how adept the school is at networking for graduates of their program. Evans graduates are everywhere--there are plenty in federal government. That type of network may be less important to you if you're planning on returning to your old job, but it never hurts to have plenty of folks you are connected to. Did you look into the executive program at all? If you already have quite a bit of experience that may be a better fit for you--and it's faster. There are quite a few folks who came into this program with some experience and many who are currently working, but that group is smaller than is the less-experienced and younger part of the cohort. There are some courses around cybersecurity at Evans and you can also take electives in other colleges for that. Big data is a hot topic on campus at the moment and more and more courses are popping up. I did the MPA program concurrently with the MSW and I also work in social policy research at UW. I added on the MPA because I wanted more quantitative coursework and it has been good for that. My main critique of Evans is that it lacks contextual coursework--it really is a tool based, quantitative, professional program. For me that wasn't ideal on its own, which is why I did the dual degree, but if you are focused on quantitative work, this is a great program. I've made it through while working and raising my daughter here on my own, but my oh my would I have appreciated some family support. If I was in your position, that might be a defining factor for me. I'm not sure if that helps at all, but feel free to hit me up with any questions!

Where did you apply? Good luck!

I'm so glad I found this thread....it's so much more fun to read all of the posts here than it is to get my actual work done..... The only program I applied to is the University of Washington. I am currently finishing my MSW/MPA at UW and I do social policy research here as well. I came back to the education game after a looooong hiatus, so I have some research experience that predates this program and I have been doing research since arriving here. I honestly wasn't going to apply because I felt it was unlikely that I would get in right out of the MSW, but a professor I work with and study with really pushed me to do it---a week before the applications were due! Fortunately UW had most of my materials saved so I just had the personal statement to get done--and the references. All four of my references are from professors that I have worked with and studied with here--3 of whom are in the SSW. One of those is on the steering committee. I have NO idea what my chances are, but I'm really excited about the possibility. A lot of what I do now concentrates on the importance of working with transdisciplinary teams to address inequities in health and mental health systems and on transgenerational trauma. There are a couple members of the faculty here that I am really interested in continuing to do this type of work with. I took the GRE with NO studying to get into the MPA program here and I didn't have time to retake it. I scored a V169, Q150 (yikes!) and a 5.5 on the writing. Hopefully with all the quantitative stuff I've had to do since, I've shown that my math skills are good for stats--just not so much for the geometry that is on the GRE general. I currently reside in UW's family housing with my daughter and I've been here for almost three years now so if any of you UW folks have any questions about the city or the SSW, please feel free to reach out! Annnnnnd PLEASE, for the love of all things good, let me know if you hear anything! I'll do the same.

I'm trying to not lose it waiting for UW to make a decision too! I got the generic email about decisions coming out in Feb., but nothing since. This is the only school I applied to....it's going to be a long couple of weeks!

I got that email last year and ended up making it into the program during regular admission. Good luck!

Last year it was on March 29th. Good luck!

Thanks! They had actually sent me the wrong email. I am still waiting to hear what my financial aid package will be. Has anyone heard about theirs yet?

Have any of you heard about aid/funding??? I wrote as ask about it and received an email saying that it is loans only for out of state students. There are independent scholarships that I will apply for for text term, but this still seems odd. Other out of state schools offered me grants. Could this be a mistake? Financial aid/funding at a graduate level isn't something that I am at all familiar with. Can anybody point me towards some information?

Is anyone else doing the extended program? I am getting pretty excited and I think this may actually be better for my life as a single mama. Now to fid work in Seattle...and an affordable place to live. Woohoo for changes!

Thank you mridgeway! I did finally hear back and I got in, but for the extended weekend program. In a way that would work since I am a single mama, but I don't know... 3 years with no weekends? Ha...at least I got in. Kind of? Is there any difference between doing an extended program and the regular day program? It would be an extra year in a really expensive city. I wish I knew more about my financial aid. Ahhhh decisions! I am glad that I at least heard back though!

Congratulations to all of you who have been accepted! I still haven't heard anything so I'm guessing that is a no, but I am okay with that at this point. Mridgeway it has been a crazy long wait, I feel your pain! It looks like you've got your share of great schools to choose from. Again, congrats to you all!

I keep trying to "like" this, which shows I've been spending a little too much unproductive time on another site. . This is really well said; I've been thinking a lot about how this career path utilizes so called "feminine" traits and how that is related to the lack of respect and the lack of monetary reward. It seems crazy to me that a career that requires so much dedication an education is one that pays so little. As a single mother this has me truly concerned, enough that I still haven't decided if I will be attending a MSW program in the fall. I want to do good in the world, but part of the good I have to do is to support my daughter, both with my time and financially. That doesn't mean I've abandoned anything, it just means that I realize that I have value and that I don't need to sacrifice everything to be of use in the world. It's a tough call to me...how are we supposed to support others fully if we are constantly concerned with our own well-being?

Also, just so you know, I actually thought of you when I got the news today. I have been stalking this site lately, of course...ha, and have been so impressed with your ability to take all of this in stride and to use it as a motivator rather than something that holds you back. I don't doubt that you will be an excellent social worker.

Maybe? I think I also just don't have enough recent experience. My daughter is only two so for the last couple of years I just did school and raised her while supporting us on financial aid. I was hoping that my grades, life experience, work history, sop, and letters would be enough to make up for that. I guess not. It's a bit frightening since I now have no financial aid or job and a child to support. Ahhhh life! Oh well, I'll just keep saying "it will all work out" through clenched teeth.