nightwolf1129

You are most welcome icelestial! Congrats on your acceptance into BC's GSSW!! If you are ever in need of any tips, suggestions or whatnot regarding where to move to, I recommend reading the "BU Fall 2014" forum post that includes a response from me about what it's like living here in Boston. I hope you got enough financial aid/scholarship support from BC because it's not a cheap endeavor going to graduate school and living in Boston. Looking forward to going through orientation with you in the upcoming months Make sure to hold up a sign saying "icelestial" at orientation so I know who you are and I'll do the same lol

Thanks for the support! Yeah I debated whether or not to inform the admissions office about this; however, I'd hate to see her get accepted into the same program largely due to my efforts rather than her own. Honestly, that's what convicted me to contact the admissions office---mainly to inform them and let them take the appropriate action. SaraFL, to answer your question I spoke with someone at the admissions office who passed along the message to the Director himself. She agreed with me that what this lady did was wrong and assured me that something would be done. I followed up this morning with the Director who said they're handling it. I have a feeling that her application will now be rejected (and possibly any other programs she applied to will at the very least be notified). I'm just curious what the admissions office would either say in the rejection letter/email or what the admissions office would say if she were to call them inquiring a reason for rejection. My fear is if there's any reprocussion from her since we work in the same building, but hopefully she takes this as a lesson learned rather than a reason to lash out. Bottom line, it was an ethical issue and I felt compelled to take action. As for my application, I've already been accepted to this program so by me contacting the admissions office was my way of clearing my own conscious.

No I applied and submitted all my materials in November when the application was made available, and my application was completed in late December when all my letters of recommendation were submitted. From what I remember, she submitted her application in January but at the time when I spoke with her (mid January) she was still missing her transcript & a letter of recommendation.

She already submitted her applications, and I felt compelled to contact the admissions office at BC to notify them of this. What they (the admissions office) do is their perogative. I personally don't feel comfortable confronting her face-to-face as I'm not actual friends with her. She is just an acquaintance with whom I've met and interacted with just a handful of times (e.g., saying hello in passing, etc.). I had attached my personal statement NOT for her to copy, but simply as an example because again I know how daunting writing the personal statement can be. She has a lot of great experience that she highlighted in her personal statement; however, she copied word-for-word many of the key concepts and phrases I used in my personal statement to substantiate her experiences. I think you did hit the nail on the head about her lack of self-confidence. She has come across to me as someone who has doubts and struggles (particularly when it comes to writing). So I guess she thought it'd be easier to snag ideas from someone who writes well than struggle through finding the words to say herself. I don't know. Honestly I'm just offended, slightly flattered that she really liked my personal statement enough to steal many of my ideas, but still offended nonetheless.

Good morning all, I know many of you have already applied to MSW programs or are in the process of applying to them so this message may (or may not) be relevant right now; however, I wanted to share wih you all the following: As many of you know, writing the personal statement (especially for MSW programs) can and often is a very daunting and exhaustive task. I should know because I spent almost an entire year writing, polishing, editing, and having colleagues and supervisors give me their thoughts. A fellow employee at the hospital I currently work at was (and is) applying to MSW programs here in Boston. Her and I have similar backgrounds as we're both Veterans and last September she shared with me her frustrations and concerns regarding how to get started on her personal statement. So, being the kind and thoughtful person I am, I sent her an email with some tips/suggestions of what most MSW programs are looking for and how I tackled the particular questions for the MSW program I applied to. I then attached a copy of my personal statement not knowing what was to eventually happen (mind you at that time I'd already spent close to 9 months writing it). So we fast forward to January and I stopped by her office to see how things were going regarding her applications. She told me she was stressed and frustrated because some of her transcripts are missing, etc. I then asked if I could see her application status and I wanted to also briefly look at her personal statement. She showed it to me. Immediately I noticed that a majority of her introduction was word-for-word (or very close to it) as mine. I mentioned briefly how hers looked similar to mine to which she replied "Yeah I used some of your ideas." I spoke with a friend of mine (who works here) about this and yesterday she asked me to bring a copy of my personal statement to compare it with this lady's. Throughout her personal statement it was obvious that she copied many of my ideas, phrases, words, etc. With that said, I'd like to raise a question to you all. As we all have, at some point, either read someone else's personal statement or gained feeback from someone about our own in order to help in the development and structure of our personal statement, how then could someone borrow an idea without losing their "voice"? Reason I ask is I'm deeply offended that this lady literally stole my ideas and concepts that I had worked so hard developing and polishing. However, I know that many of us have sought the advice and suggestions of others when writing our personal statements but I believe that a personal statement is just that, personal. Which means I believe it's essential that the individual's voice be the one scripting the narrative. Any thoughts?

Not a problem HopefulMSW I'm glad I could help! When I moved to Boston almost 2 years ago, it was a pretty stressful experience and I can only begin to imagine how stressful you all are in trying to decide what school to attend let alone how to survive day-to-day here in Boston. Moving into Boston is not easy, but with plenty of planning and preparation it can be a rather smooth and "stress-free" process.

where is the field application located? Is it on the agora portal website?

Something to consider though is some places offer repayment of student loans as long as you commit to working xx years for an agency in a high need area. But yeah I hear you pmelwani regarding taking out $$$ in student loans for a not-so-high paying job. Unfortunately that's the nature of social work---most of us do it for the passion, not to become millionaires. Lord knows if it wasn't for my military service I wouldn't have been able to pursue a college education--especially at the graduate level, so I completely emphasize with you pmelwani when it comes to the frustration of possibly having to defer and wait it out.

For those that are out-of-state (e.g. not living in Boston) and are wondering what the average cost-of-living is here in Boston, I live in a 1 BD apt in Allston/Brighton and I pay $1625 a month. Depending on the area you move to, most 1 BD apts will run around $1500-1700 a month. The closer you live to the center of Boston (e.g., Back Bay) the more $$ you'll have to pay. Also Brookline is pretty expensive too. From what I saw when I was first deciding where to move here in Boston, Allston and Brighton were decently priced and both are accesible by bus/subway to BU & BC. Obviously if you were to share an apt with roommates and rented a room, you'd be paying a lot less. One of my co-workers shares a 4 BD apt with 3 roommates and she pays $675 a month, but the average cost to rent a room here in Boston is about $700-800. Also if you're wanting to rent an entire apt, most places around Boston require the use of realtor brokers. And when all's said and done, chances are you'll have to pay 1st & last month's rent, security deposit, & broker's fee. If you do the math for a $1700 apt that's $6800 up front!!!! Places go really fast so it's highly recommended to start looking by April/May. Some places waive the security deposit and/or broker's fee. Mass transportation (MBTA) costs $70 a month for unlimited subway/bus and as a student you receive a 10% or so discount but have to pay for a student pass each semester (e.g., 4 months x $63 or so). If you're bringing your own car to Boston, keep in mind that unless you have MA plates & a MA license, you won't be able to obtain a neighborhood parking sticker that allows you to park in certain areas. Parking in Boston is at a premium and out-of-state vehicles are only permitted to park along certain desginated streets. This becomes especially challenging & tricky when the mayor declares a snow emergency and you're required to move your car else getting towed. No bueno. So if you can live without your car for the 2 years you're in school, I'd highly recommend keeping it at home with the parents. Lastly, for those that do decide to move to Boston (especially around Sept 1st), please note that that weekend is VERY chaotic as 99.9% of the leases expire on Aug 31st. Make sure to reserve any moving trucks, UHauls, etc. well in advance and if you're able to, you can visit Boston City Hall and pay for a parking spot in front of the bldg and that reserves the spot for 12 hrs. The cost of that is around $100 but it's definitely worth it as it guarantees a parking spot. Trust me that's a good thing to have! Moving day is chaotic and stressful enough, why add to that the inability to find a parking spot let alone having to unload and return the truck before it's due? So as you can see Boston is not a cheap place to live but hopefully this information helps. I've been living here in Boston for almost 2 years.

JMM1020, BC does state that the application review process takes approximately 4-6 weeks from the time the application is completed. I hate to say this, but if BC were to rush your application based on the fact that BU is only giving you a couple weeks to decide, then they'd have to do the same for everyone else. Unfortunately as aglings said, all admissions committees are on their own timetable and may not necessarily "bend over backwards" for an applicant (whether they're able to or not). If you decide to wait it out for BC (since they are your top choice), you run the risk of possibly losing your acceptance slot at BU and then you're faced with the hope that BC accepts your application. I can only begin to imagine how difficult of a decision it is for you and everyone else who's replied to this discussion thread when you're given a short deadline to pay $300 (which isn't a small amount of $$ by any means) with the fear that if you were to get accepted to BC, you'd have to pay $200 and the $300 you paid to BU is non-refundable. This, I think, is why schools like BC recommend applying as early as possible because that might afford you the opportunity to have multiple acceptances arriving around the same time (if you had applied to multiple schools). If I were in your shoes, I'd weigh out the risk vs reward of all possible scenarios. If you chose not to accept BU's offer and didn't get into BC, then you'd regret not making that decision. If you chose to accept BU's offer and ended up receiving an acceptance from BC later on, then you're faced with a bit of a dilemma. One, I don't know what the process would be if you were to accept, pay tuition deposit, and then withdraw your decision afterword. I think that'd be possible, but I'd definitely look into that to see if it's indeed possible. Second, you'd be out $300 but would be accepted into your top program. Obviously if BU offered you more $$ in financial aid than BC, that might sway your decision. At this stage of the game your application will most likely be reviewed by mid March with a decision towards the end of March. If you're willing to take the risk, then go for it, but again you'd kick yourself in the butt if you didn't get into BC. And like you said, you definitely don't want to sound pushy as I can bet they field 100s of similar calls each week asking for updated statuses, etc. So my final verdict: I'd accept the offer from BU and see what pans out at BC. The worst that will happen is you'd be out $300 (if you got into BC as well). It's better to be safe than sorry. That's my $0.02

For those that have been accepted into Boston College GSSW, congratulations! As I previously mentioned in this thread, I received my official letter yesterday. I just wanted to let you all know that Boston College gives a 3 week period from the time you receive the official letter to make the decision & provide the $200 tuition deposit. I know for many (or some) of you, you've applied to multiple programs and may want to wait to hear back from others in case they accept your application and provide more financial aid, etc. Boston College does state that you can request an extension in case you needed more time to decide; however, I'm unsure of how long that extension is. So again congrats to everyone who's gotten in already, good luck to those who have already (or will soon) apply/applied (as the deadline for all applications is fast approaching), and I cannot wait to hopefully see most of you (if not all of you) this Fall!

Received my official acceptance letter today! There was noting on the letter indicating financial aid but I'll be calling them next week to see if I've been awarded any merit based scholarship..

I know that was how I based my decision on where to go for my Undergrad since there were several really good private schools in my area and only one state school. Fortunately the state school I attended had a relatively low class size in the Psychology department so I was able to forge great relationships with the faculty while not having to pay an exorbitant amount of $$. If someone could go to a selective school, like Hunter, and not have to dig a Grand Canyon's size trench of student loan debt, then to me that's a no-brainer. And I agree with your inference about the aspect of location since I live in Boston and hear about people applying to just BU, BC, and Simmons. Obviously they can't attend all three I'm curious though how the notoriety of top ranked private MSW programs plays into decisions when there are much cheaper public alternatives that may be decent? And furthermore, is where someone graduated from as important anymore in the job market today? Reason I ask is I've had this conversation with people who've argued either way when it comes to Person A coming from a small public college vs Person B from a big name private school (e.g., Harvard, WashU, Boston College) when deciding who gets hired for the position. It's unfortunate that many aspiring graduate students are willing to incur tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt all for a prestigious college/university to put on their resume, when at the end of the day they may be earning the same salary as someone who attended a public university.

Thanks for the compliment icelestial! It definitely was a struggle, at times, to get through my Undergraduate degree as I started college 10 years after I left high school (8 1/2 yrs in the military). When I had spoken with the Director of Admissions at BC back in 2012, I showed him my resume and asked him if any of my prior military experience, internship, and work as a Research Assistant would be considered (since I had read on their website that they look at experience). He told me that all of that is good---because frankly, I was afraid that my prior military experience wouldn't be worth jack s#&# (citing a couple visits at job fairs during my Senior year where I showed folks my resume with my prior military experience and they simply said "Yeah that doesn't count, we're looking for psychology-related experience.") He also mentioned that BC had started a "Veterans and Families Initiative" within the MSW program that includes specific courses geared towards Veterans, military members, and their families. This was music to my ears as I want to work with these populations once I finish my MSW. Also I'm pretty sure that being a male Veteran played in my favor too since I'm a minority of a minority (e.g., not too many men statistically enter the MSW profession). And like sweetpearpie said, it's unfortunate that schools like BU might've used your overall GPA as a "cut-off" of sorts in determining a wait-list; however, BC does look at the big picture and you definitely have some great volunteering and social work-related experience. With that said though, BC is still a very competitive program and GPA may be factored just as much into their decision as volunteering/work experience. I wish you much luck and hopefully you hear some positive news from BC soon or even better are removed from the wait list at BU and accepted. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

I'm wondering lola9900 if the low yield %s for BC & BU, for example, are due largely because of the high tuition rates and varying levels of scholarship/fellowship $$ awarded to accepted applicants?

Your assumptions serve you well pmelwani, believe your gut instinct you must! (sorry I had to do that as I'm a huge Star Wars nut lol)

Congrats rhey! As for your latest question icelestial, I can at least tell you what my stats/credentials are: 1. B.A. in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology 2. Graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.83 GPA 3. Was the Veterans Representative for the Student Advisory Board for the President of the University I attended 4. Interned with an intensive case manager (MSW) my last semester of Undergrad 5. Have been working as a Psychology Research Assistant for the past 1 1/2 yrs examining postdeployment psychosocial risk and resilience factors among Veterans 6. Have spent the past 9 months volunteering as a Job Search Mentor here at the VA hospital assisting local Veterans with job-placement & educational "counseling" (including resume writing, etc.) and my volunteering supervisor has a PhD, LICSW and is a BC alumni I also had the opportunity to visit with the Director of Admissions, attended an informational session last year, and met with a faculty member who I'd like to collaborate with (mentioned this in my personal statement). All this to say BC (and most MSW programs in general) look at the bigger picture of "who you are" which includes not only your academic achievements, but also any volunteering & professional experience that's related to the field of social work. Icelestial if you're worried about the status of your application, if you haven't heard back from BC by the middle of next week, I'd give them a call. You might want to check online to see if there are any pending or missing documents. As for the official letters, I checked my application status last night and noticed there was a document uploaded onto my porfolio dated 2/11 labeled "BC_GSSW_CORR". I have a feeling this is the official letter and if so it should be arriving in the mail very soon.

Good morning mlaham, I've recently applied for and got accepted to Boston College's GSSW in the clinical health & mental concentration. I spent almost an entire year writing, polishing & revising my personal statement so needless to say I know how stressful and anxiety-ridden this process can be. I'd be more than willing to look over your personal statement. You can email it to me: brian.walker6@va.gov

I received an email from BC last Thurs (2/6) telling me that I've been accepted and an official letter and response form will be mailed out soon. I'm expecting those either this week or next. I see you're from Danbury, did you attend West Conn?

icelestial, if you completed your application to BC before the beginning of January, then chances are your application is currently being reviewed. Several of us, including myself, received emails from BC notifying us about our acceptance. Hopefully you should hear from BC within the next week or so regarding their decision.

Congrats on your acceptance to U of Michigan casualrunnergal! I've heard they have the best MSW program in the nation (according to usnews). I myself received my acceptance email from Boston College (which was my top choice and only school I applied to). What area will you be planning on concentrating in?

Hey there Pepsiholic2014, After reading your post (and btw I know it must've been very hard to be open and honest), I realize that sometimes it's difficult to come across to the Admissions offices in the best light possible when one's academic past may not have been spectacular. Like CorruptedInnocence said, talking about how you've grown from the period of self-defeating behavior and most importantly what you've learned from that experience is key. Often Admissions offices will look for patterns and if you can show consistency in good grades (e.g., last few semesters), then highlight that in your personal statement. We all learn and grow and it's important that you emphasize how you've grown and matured. If there were some external sources that may have contributed to that self-defeating behavior (e.g., very difficult class, not enough time to study for exams) it might be a good idea to talk about those things that became barriers for you and how you've managed to overcome them. The key is recognizing the barriers that you've faced and talking about how you've overcome them because there will most definitely be challenging and stressful times in graduate school, and the Admissions office wants to know how you'll handle those situations if (and when) they arise. Ultimately Admissions offices want to admit potential students that they know will succeed in their program. Lastly, it might be too late to ask this (as many applications are due by next month), but have you considered taking the GRE? If you study and do well on the GRE that could be used to help bolster your applications.

I'm doing clinical with a concentration in health & mental health. Perhaps we'll see eachother at orientation later this year (assuming you decide to attend) and at the very least we'll be taking the same set of classes in the Fall 2014 semester. Are you still debating whether or not to go part-time? Because, if I'm not mistaken, you can make the switch from full-time to part-time but not the other way around (e.g., if you wanted to change your mind afterword). Now I forgot to ask you where BC ranks in terms of the three schools you applied to?

If I may chime in too regarding your question Gummybear4182 (and the point that tiennnthai made) is that I believe most schools who offer MSW programs look at the applicant from a holistic perspective. So in your case Gummybear, you have 10 years of service in the Navy as a cook. You must've at least served a couple of deployments so you've probably had a chance to visit foreign countries and you most likely weren't stuck in one duty station for those 10 years so you've had a chance to work at several locations & work with people from a multitude of backgrounds, ethnicities, etc. Though you may not necessarily have direct social work-related volunteering/internship experience (e.g., volunteering at a homeless shelter, etc.), your LIFE experience should, in theory, be recognized by admissions committees---especially those like USC who place a strong emphasis on the military & Veteran populations. May I ask what your Undergraduate degree was in? Because if it was something along the lines of Psychology, Sociology, Social work (e.g., BSW), or even Human Services then that could work strongly in your favor especially since you have a great GPA. Have you considered possibly looking into any social work-related volunteering opportunities in your town or area that you could do in the meantime? If you're connected with a local VA hospital or have one near you, it might be worth looking into because I know firsthand that there's a huge need for volunteers in the VA. Some programs I know (since I currently volunteer and work for the VA) are the Center for Returning OEF/OIF Veterans, and HUDVASH (aka homeless Veterans). Not only would this experience be great on a resume, but it's an awesome opportunity to network yourself within the VA, for example, that might make it easier for you to obtain an internship when you're an MSW graduate student OR even better, a potential job opening upon graduation. Let me know if there's anything I could do to help. I know I'm clear across the U.S. from you but can definitely point you in some directions if you're interested. Always willing to help a fellow shipmate out

If anyone is interested in applying to Boston College's GSSW and would like some assistance with their personal statement, please don't hesitate to contact me. Looking forward to hopefully see most of you in the Fall! Good luck to everyone who's getting ready to apply to Boston College or has already applied. It's one of the best MSW programs in the nation!