Lifesaver

I can't really say that I'm nervous, but I am anxious to get going and meet my classmates and professors. My advice to you (this is my second masters) is to keep up with your work. I know that keeping up with schoolwork is especially hard with online classes; at least it was for me, and I only took three during undergrad/grad 1. Don't leave your assignments for the last minute. They're probably going to be longer than you're accustom to and professors demand a little more substance to your submissions. I skated by in undergrad. I barely studied, didn't proofread anything, etc. In graduate school I changed all of those habits and became a much better student and it definitely paid off. If possible, I suggest doing the bulk of your work in a library. There are a lot of distractions at home and you may not accomplish your best work there. I did most of my work in my school's library and studied primarily in Starbucks in groups. Don't worry about not having a book list. You likely wouldn't be able to do much with it without a syllabus. I can't speak for all professors, but in my experience, only portions of textbooks are assigned and they aren't always assigned in order. I know I would be a little miffed if I read all of the wrong chapters trying to prep, lol. I'm sure you'll be fine. Don't stress out.

That IS ridiculous. If I remember correctly, my semester parking pass in undergrad was only $73. Parking was free on campus where I did my first masters, other than $20 commuter decal that was good for the calendar year. Small schools are good for something - we could literally park at the doorsteps of the classrooms, for the most part. I'm still debating how I'm going to get to class in September. I can either take the bus or I can drive and park (in various lots with different payment options). I'm going to do a test run on the bus in a few days. I've only been on a public bus once in my life. Kind of weird for someone who grew up in NYC. Anyway, back to the initial topic. These are my 7 fall classes, 16 credits total: Professional Foundations - 1 credit Social Welfare, History, and Politics - 3 credits Diversity and Social Justice - 2 credits Intro to Organizational and Community Management - 2 credits Theories of Human Behavior - 2 credits Intro to Direct Social Work Practice - 3 credits Tools for Learning and Practice (formally known as Research Methods) - 3 credits

School is starting soon! Is everyone ready? I have a few questions for you guys. 1) How many classes are you taking in the fall? If you know what they are, feel free to include. 2) How many books are you required to purchase? 3) How much did you spend on books? I ordered my eleven books today and spent almost $500. YIKES!

The life-long friend can't/shouldn't write your LOR. Since you already have two professors writing on your behalf, your employer/former employer should write your third. When you get to filling out your applications, you will see that schools are very specific about who writes LORs. I can't vouch for anything in California. Didn't apply anywhere there. Definitely start volunteering! Volunteering is HUGE for SW school and the application process. And as far as the personal statement goes, I suggest starting it early and having everyone read it. I re-wrote the first three paragraphs of mine several times. When I finished writing, I proof-read it several more times. Even then, I still missed a few grammar errors that were later caught by my mother's friend who is a self-proclaimed grammar Nazi and ironically, a SW herself. That being said, she was the third person reading for grammar and the two before her (both have PhDs!) missed the majority of the mistakes she caught. So, I mean it, have everyone you know with half a brain read your statement.

Hah, tell that to my ex! Clearly, he disagrees.

I figured 8 years was long enough. Nope.

Your resume is impressive. Especially for someone your age. I can't begin to tell you how many people I know went into graduate school with nothing more than retail or bartending experience. Definitely keep doing what you're doing. Study harder, get your GPA up. As far as distinguishing qualities goes, different universities "specialize" in different things. MSW students generally only have two main options for their focus - macro and clinicial. You'll have to decide which you are looking to pursue, however, it seems like you're looking to go the clinical route. Some universities are stronger in macro, while others are stronger in clinical. You'll also have to decide if you're looking to pursue a certificate program on top of the MSW. For example, marriage and family counseling, disaster management (Tulane), Goldring Reentry Initiative (UPenn), geriatrics and aging, etc. Those types of specifics will help narrow down your search for you. Money was a big deal to me. I got into UPenn (and planned on going) and struggled for two months with the pricetag. It was going to cost me in the neighborhood of $200,000, and I just couldn't take that risk, knowing that I am going into a field that is notoriously underpaid. I got scholarships to two other schools and decided to go with one of them. Out of all the schools I applied to, Tulane had the shortest program and would cost me the least amount of money. I love Louisiana/New Orleans, so the decision was a good one for me, all around, but did cause me a lot of mental anguish, lol. I'm originally from NYC and contemplated going back, especially after being accepted to Fordham and NYU. I spoke to a few of my friends who are MSW students (they actually just graduated) in the NYC area and they couldn't tell me one positive thing about their programs. All I heard was that they didn't get the field placement they wanted, the area is overpopulated with MSW students (there are A LOT of programs in the area) which hinders their ability to "do things," they are just a number to their programs, etc. Also a downside, I think only one of them has a job thus far. The last time I counted, I believe I came up with 11 MSW programs in the greater NYC area. That means they're cranking out a lot of students every year, who, for the most part, are competing for the same jobs. That played a big part in my decision to go elsewhere where there is less competition. I am selfish. I want the best opportunities for myself, and after hearing those things from the NYC people, I didn't want to knowningly put myself in a bad position. I could go on forever, but I need to get going. My last question for you is, why apply and defer? Why not just wait and apply next year with the rest of the 2016 applicants? Based on what I've read, grad programs are a lot less apt to hand out deferments, and a lot of times require extenuating circumstances, especially if their is funding (scholarships) involved. I wouldn't risk it, merely due to the money. I do highly suggest a gap year, though. The admissions folks like them, too. If you have any Tulane-specific questions, or questions in general, feel free to PM me.

Take things one day at a time. If you start freaking out about the job hunt now, surely you will make yourself crazy by the end of your program. As said above, network. Make yourself some business cards, give them to everyone you meet. Talk to everyone, and be polite as hell, even if it's someone you think has no connection to the field. You never know whos mother, brother, uncle, dog walker, etc, is in the field and can be your winning connection. You can volunteer, join a networking group, attend conferences. write a paper for publishing. The list goes on and on. Never miss an opportunity to market yourself. And make sure that when you're doing so, you're doing it positively.

Parking at/around Tulane seems to be a pretty big biatch. I've been to the uptown campus a few times now (I moved way too early) and parking has been near impossible each time. However, I heard there's a commuter lot on campus. So, if you can score a parking tag for the commuter lot and don't mind paying for it (no clue how much it is), then it probably wouldn't be terrible as the traffic here really isn't that bad. I really like the uptown neighborhood and wanted to live there myself, but the timing just didn't work out right for me to do so. I live much closer to the downtown campus, which is where my program is, so I probably did myself a favor in the end. Where is your plan B location? I should probably update my last post for the sake of comparison for anyone else who's looking for housing. I ended up having to change apartments, so I didn't rent the $1600 one. I'm in a smaller 1bedroom with no balcony, no garage, for $1250. I've been here about three weeks now and I like the neighborhood, it's super convenient to the interstate, and the gym is wonderful.

Don't ever, even partially, base your educational decision on a man. No matter how long you've been with them. It's not a good idea. I'm super happy to be here, in this city, and to be going to this particular school, but I'm still annoyed at myself for letting him play a part in my decision making process. He's such a douche. Even thinking about him makes me mad.

Just sayin', friend. I've moved 8 times since 2006. Half of those were distance moves over 700 miles, with the longest being 1500, and of course, I did that one with the smallest car I've ever owned and no trailer. As mentioned, pack in duffles. No plastic/cardboard boxes. I bought hockey duffles from a sporting good store and they fit a TON of stuff. I can fit my entire wardrobe and some of my linens into two of them. If you have access to a vacuum seal bag contraption, you'll be in good shape. I may even suggest you buy one for the occasion if you have a lot of clothes/linens. Fold your back seats down if they fold 90-100% of the way down. If they're the 75% fold kinds, don't bother, you'll just be wasting space. Beyond that, you seem to have answered your own question.

I went the Uhaul trailer route and spent $380 with insurance for a 5 day/1000 mile rental with the biggest enclosed trailer they have. Not really that expensive, all things considered. Let me just say that I threw out and sold SO much stuff before I left, and I just barely was able to fit everything in. You will be surprised how quickly every square inch of space will be gone in your very small car. You'll basically be restricted to clothes, shoes, basic toiletry items, and maybe some personal effects. Linens, towels, books, etc, will have to get shipped or left behind. Replacing that stuff will cost hundreds in itself. I sincerely hope you're a minimalist.

I purchased a lot of stuff from Overstock.com a couple years back. I got about a year-two years use out of what I bought since it was all assemble-yourself furniture and pretty cheap. I think the only thing I still have (meaning, it's still in one piece) is a ladder shelf. So, if you're looking for throw-away furniture, Overstock.com may be a good option. The quality is going to be the same as Walmart, Target, and probably Ikea. If you have a few more dollars to spend and would prefer a little better quality of a product, check out Big Lots or their website.

Do you realize how rude your emails are? Be glad they even responded to your first one! As stated above, you paid for them to process your application, not to give you an answer. Sure, it sucks not getting a response and I don't think it's good practice myself, but damn dude, your attitude is deplorable! Would you act like that if you were standing in front of them in the admissions office? Hissy fits will get you nowhere.

Thanks for the input, folks. I'm probably going to bitch out and get a new Macbook Air. I had an incident with my 46'' Smart TV while moving this week and now the screen is cracked and beyond help, per Best Buy. So, now that I've lost that and am restricted to my computer alone, I'm just going to suck it up and replace it.

I have to say, I love my Mac. I always swore I'd never get one, but after going through three computers in only a few years, I decided to make the leap. Even my ChemE techy brother who hates Apple and all they stand for recently bought a Macbook Air because he "got a really sweet deal on it" and seems to really like it. My same one Macbook has lasted me almost six years. It still works fine, it is just beginning to lag and the battery life has gone to crap (<2 hrs unplugged). I could absolutely salvage it by buying a new battery and swapping it out myself, and perhaps having someone technologically inclined clean it up and maybe fix the lag, but I'll be honest and say I'll probably just be buying a new one in a few weeks simply because it's 5 lbs heavier than the new Macbook Air. Diva, I know. But it got me through half of undergrad, through my first masters, it has been flung into airport xray bins hundreds of times, dropped out of my SUV twice, etc. It owes me nothing at this point. With a student ID (or proof that you're a student) you can get a pretty sweet discount at the Apple store or Apple online. So yeah, I'll be buying a 13'' Macbook Air as soon as I get closer to financial aid refund disbursement.

Has anyone else been receiving TONS of emails from NYU? I got my initial acceptance letter in early April. I never sent them a deposit, and after the 15th I told them I'd accepted an offer elsewhere. I received around 5-10 emails about their open house, to which I replied and again told them I'd accepted another offer. At the beginning of this month I got an email telling me registration was beginning and to submit my deposit if I hadn't already. I replied yet again, telling them I wasn't coming and they replied that time and thanked me for letting them know. Today I got another email from them, this one notifying me of my acceptance to the program again! I feel bad! I was hoping they'd give "my" spot to someone else who wanted to go there. Has anyone else been having this experience? I think I'm going to call them.

I searched Amazon for 30 minutes. Figured I'd ask some techy folks after coming up short.

My Macbook is almost 6 years old and could use replacing (mostly cause the battery life now sucks), but I can't afford a new computer right now. My father suggested looking into a USB battery booster for it, but I've only seen them for phones/tablets. Does anyone know if they make them for computers?

Me. Reppin Tulane University in New Orleans, LA.

Good luck riding a motorcycle during NY winters. My father has a BMW R1200R and when he lived in NY (which he did for 50 years), it didn't come out most of the year.