nightwolf1129

You could briefly address this in your personal statement(s) mentioning that you experienced some family problems which resulted in difficulty maintaining passing grades during your Freshman year; however, you transferred to another University and managed to achieve a 3.50 GPA. You can also mention how you've learned and grown from this situation....basically turn a negative into a positive as best as you can. If an MSW program is doing their job, they'll look at everything holistically including your internship experience, extracurricular activities, work in a nonprofit company, organizing community events, etc. I hope this helps!

I can only speak about Boston College, but the minimum GPA required to be in good academic standing is 3.0 As per the grading scale for all classes, "B" work (3.00 GPA) is considered satisfactory work at the graduate level. Generally speaking if you do decent in your classes, you'll easily earn at least a B+ (3.33 GPA) or an A- (3.67 GPA) which could equate to about a 3.50 average GPA.

CupofJoe23, Graduate school (and especially private MSW programs) are not cheap. I strongly believe in the concept of smart financial planning. Unfortunately those in the social work field do not make a ton of money; however, the sheer cost of obtaining an MSW can often leave graduate students indebted for many years. You may have to ask yourself if you're willing to take on a substantial amount of debt for the initial "gratification" of an MSW 2 yrs from now, or perhaps find a cheaper alternative (e.g., saving up $$, going part-time vs. full-time, etc.). Debt can often stunt or inhibit personal growth and achievement such as buying a home, having children, etc. It's just something to consider. Take me for example. If it wasn't for the military (and my subsequent disabilities), I wouldn't be able to afford graduate school. Because my wife and I were already well over our heads in debt when we first got married, it honestly didn't make any sense to go back to graduate school and take out over $50,000 in student loans in the process. Nightwolf1129

Dx44, I will second that. I'm a Veteran and having worked at the VA hospital along with my volunteering experience there, it greatly helps you. One thing to add is the VA give preference to Veterans and disabled Veterans who are applying for jobs within the VA. So just like TLC said, if you are interested in working with Veterans (which btw, I am very pleased to hear someone who is very passionate about my cohort), getting your foot in the door at the VA--whether it be through an internship or volunteering opportunity, is the MOST IMPORTANT THING!!!!! To be quite honest, clinical internships at the VA are very hard to come by and are extremely competitive.

Social Innovation Day is different from LEAD. As a macro student, I'm taking a class on Social Innovation and this was the culminating event. Was very interesting. I'm assuming that you went to LEAD? What were your thoughts? I lobbyed for a proposed bill aimed at further increasing substance abuse treatment services. It was a mad house at the State House---but a vast majority of the legislatures were at the Ted Kennedy library opening ceremony. I guess an event like that trumps LEAD lol

Hey there TLC!!!! What's going on?! I've switched from clinical to macro, still focusing on Veterans. Although the switch was not entirely my choice (long, difficult story), it is definitely a much better option for me. Earlier today I participated in a Social Innovation Day where I had an opportunity to meet the former Secretary of Massachusetts Veterans Services Needless to say I connected with him lol Hope all's well with you TLC! Maybe we could grab some coffee sometime. Shoot me a message if you wanna connect!

Hello kaykay, I'm sorry to hear that you had to immediately leave your previous MSW program this semester due to financial reasons. Assuming that you're not currently living in the Boston area, the sheer cost-of-living and roughly $40,000 a year in tuition, fees and books makes Boston College one of the most expensive MSW programs to attend. The average cost of rent is $1600 a month for a one bedroom apartment in the Allston/Brighton area (near Boston College). Two to three bedroom apartments (which generally are floors of a 3-4 story house) run around $2100-2400 a month. So the average rent per person, if you could figure splitting that between 2-3 people + utilities, may run you around $700-800 a month. I'm saying all of this because, depending on the causes of your leaving your former program, Boston College may or may not be a cheaper option in the long-run.

Hello stateofmind! I'm glad that you've found this information to be helpful. I'm currently working with my field advisor on figuring out my next year's field placement. I'm very interested in working at the VA hospital where I used to work; however, since I'm a macro student (and a majority of Social Work internships at the VA are clinical), they are trying to figure out how this could. I'm hoping to have my final year field placement by the beginning of April so that I can schedule my classes in the Fall accordingly. Fortunately I don't have to work part-time or full-time because I'm covered under a VA funded program which provides my wife and I's financial needs. First year field placements are generally Mon & Tues and classes are Wed, Thurs, and Fri. All Fall & Spring Social Work classes meet once a week. What most students do is they try and block their classes on one or two days to give them at least one day off during the work week. Final year field placements are 3 days a week. Due to the increased workload during your final year, students are given the option of taking up to 2 summer classes between 1st & final year which count as electives for your final year.

Good afternoon Drdoom, I believe the overall program is really good. BC has the only Social Work library in the entire New England area. The professors are really knowledgeable and resourceful, and the field placement advisors are excellent as well. Yes, the price tag is quite steep especially when you factor in the cost of living here in Boston. Although I'm one of the anomalies who has their education fully covered (thanks to the VA since I'm a Veteran), generally speaking most students receive some form of scholarship $ to offset the tuition costs. If the cost is scaring you, you could opt for the 3-4 year part-time program and pick up a graduate assistantship on-campus that provides some tuition remission as a form of $ compensation + a small monthly stipend. I have a good friend of mine who's in the part-time program who did just that; however, the thing to keep in mind is that most of these require between 15-25 hrs a week. Depending on whether you choose the 3 or 4 yr part-time program, you'll eventually be in field placement between 2-3x a week. As for the safest and cheapest neighborhoods close to campus, Allston/Brighton is a really good neighborhood to live in. My wife and I live in Brighton right along the B line on the MBTA (a straight shot to campus) and are within a 15 min walk as well. My wife and I pay approx. $1700 a month in rent; however, depending on the # of roommates you get, you'll most likely be paying around $800 a month for a room. I would HIGHLY recommend NOT bringing a car into Boston. So far this winter we've received over 100" of snow which has caused quite a mess for finding parking spots let alone the commute (to say the least). Should you bring a car, I'd recommend getting MA plates & a resident parking sticker or finding an apartment which offers paid parking. Generally speaking most paid parking spots can avg. around $150 a month and you would be able to negate having to switch plates & registration to MA. The town of Brookline is quite expensive, so I'd stay away from there. Lastly, with respect to the website question regarding roommates, BC has the following website: https://offcampushousing.bc.edu/ You will need to log-in with your BC credentials. I hope this information helps.

Hey there hopefulmsw, I'm a first year Macro student at BC and several of my classmates just got accepted into the Global program. They told me the interview process wasn't too bad. Certaintly it makes you a stronger candidate if you have relevant work experience and language skills (esp. Spanish), but I know of a few students who are working within the U.S. in the Global program. When I get to class next week, I'll ask a couple of them what the pre-requisities were and I'll get back to you.

Good morning Becky, I went to Undergrad @ SUNY New Paltz and I had an internship during my Senior year. My field supervisor graduated from Adelphi (I believe the campus in Poughkeepsie) with an MSW. He told me it was a good school. Brian

The only reason I used the word "selfish" was because it seems as though she's putting her own personal desires ahead of what might be best for her family. As someone who's married, I'm no longer making decisions solely for me but my decisions have consequences (both positive and negative) that will affect my wife and vice versa. Some of what Trufflesalt had said concerned me which was why I brought it up. Yes you are absolutely correct Kristopher in that my job is not to try and correct her behavior nor tell her what she should do. I will be honest that it's often difficult for me to simply give advice and leave it at that especially when I can see the potential and/or actual damaging effects. I apologize if my words/actions came across as rude, condescending, or inconsiderate. I guess that due to my upbringing (my father was in the military) and my own experience of being in the military, I'm not someone who necessarily sugar coats and I will often call something as I see it. Obviously my approach is not welcomed and/or appreciated by some; however, I believe that many of the issues that arise which require the interceding of social workers (e.g., homelessness, substance abuse, etc.) may require "tough love." During my senior year as an undergrad I interned under an intensive case manager who was a male and his approach with his clients was from a "tough love" perspective. I saw the benefits of that especially when many of his clients were extremely manipulative. So with that said, I've said my peace and I will do just that---leave it be.

Kristopher, Have you taken the time to read this entire forum post from the very beginning? The OP had posed a question (e.g. "Is an LCSW worth it?") and provided a lot of background information regarding her family situation, school she wants to apply to, talks she's had with her husband and his doubts, fears, and concerns. Now granted I could've overlooked the glaring problems and simply said "Yes an LCSW is worth it" and left it at that; however, all of my posts come from personal experience. I've lived in New York and I currently live in Boston. I too am married and had it not been for the VA program that's funding me through grad school, I wouldn't be able to pursue grad school for the simple fact that my wife doesn't want to incur anymore student loan debt. So am I judgmental and "rude" for rementioning the problems that may very well occur if the OP does in fact decide to move her family to NYC and attend NYU? Because if you've read the forum post in its entirety it seems as though she's still determined to attend NYU. Now yes just because someone elicits (or solicits) advice doesn't mean the other person has to take it to heart; however, as I mentioned in my previous post, if I see someone steering towards a cliff I'm going to try and do what I can to prevent a tragedy from happening. I simply want Trufflesalt, in this case, to succeed. Sometimes the best advice is the advice someone may not want to hear. As someone who was in the military, sometimes you have to be a little more "in your face".

Trufflesalt, Though I'm glad to hear that you're not a "troll", I'm still confused as to why you're so insistent upon attending NYU when there ARE cheaper and just as good alternative schools that offer well-known MSW programs. Please explain why you're still willing to force your husband to completely uproot himself all so that you can become an LCSW in NYC and attend one of the most expensive universities? New York City is NOT cheap. I lived in a one bedroom apartment about 2 hrs north of NYC and I paid over $1200 alone in rent. I currently live in Boston and the median rent for a one bedroom apartment is $1700 a month. NYC is much more expensive than Boston. You'd be lucky if you could find a closet in NYC for rent, and the fact that you have a child means you'll require at least a 2 bdr apartment. Unless you're willing to live a couple hours north of NYC and commute to and from school, it'll be impossible for you and your family to survive while you're incurring $$$$ of debt at NYU (not to mention the hellish cost-of-living in NYC). But hey if you're willing to potentially run your family to bankruptcy all for your selfish ambitions without considering your family's needs and cheaper alternatives, then go for it. In all honesty, what you're considering and forcing your husband to do is bound for failure. Trust me I've lived in the northeast for the past 7 years. Should you decide to attend NYU and move your family to NY or NYC for that matter, you're in for a VERY rude awakening. I'm not trying to be an asshole or tell you what you should do, but if I see someone steering towards a cliff, I'm going to at least wave my hands in hopes to prevent a tragedy.

If I may chime in, I currently work for the Natl Center for PTSD and there's a researcher here who has a PhD in Psychology and specializes in eating disorders and how it relates to women's health, PTSD, etc. You may want to also look at how anxiety disorders such as depression may interact with eating disorders.