justastudent

There was a great post on this by socialworkphd back a few years. Basically, I believe that it boils down to: what region do you want to live? (1st job and subsequent contacts) How strong is that school's alumni group? same reason. Cheapest tuition. Reputation among the employers. I don't think specialization matters, but internship is critical. So if you want to do child welfare, hospital, schools, mental health etc.. you have to have that specific practicum experience before they will hire you. That said, concentrations are sometimes the gatekeepers to the practicum experience that you want. If you want a PhD, disregard all of this!!!

It really depends on your goals. I like the fullerton program because it has more of a psychological orientation and differs from the social work curriculum. I think it is useful for people to develop skills and substantive interests from outside social work before the MSW level. That's how they enrich the program; by bringing in skills and experiences. On the other hand, I like the san jose program because it would be a great way to transition to a MSW program seamlessly and you will get useful letters of rec from faculty in a MSW program. If you need help to stay motivated to complete the MSW degree, then that is a very important factor.

I forgot to comment on the Berkeley housing. We never lived in the housing in Albany, but we had friends who did and they liked it. It was very new and well-maintained. The biggest complaint is the price, which is why many people live off-campus with kids. Also, you have to take a city bus to campus and it doesn't run frequently enough during the middle part of the day. Some people drove from the housing. I took a city bus from within (off-campus) Berkeley, but you could easily take Bart (train) from other cities. My husband rode bikes with our daughter to school. (lots of bikes in Berkeley) If I had to do it for the long-term 5+year PhD I would live in El Cerrito and rent a bigger apartment. I'm sure there is a reason why I didn't do that, but I can't remember why. Basically, as a parent, it boils down to what kind of parents do you want to spend time around? You will find yourself dragged into these play dates, classes, birthday parties etc. and you want to be around people who validate your experience and point of view. The last thing you want to be doing is constantly defending your choices as a parent. If possible, take a visit to get a sense of the "vibe." good luck!

I love Berkeley. They were offering a student parent grant of $8000 a year so ask about that. The local public schools are great as well. Also, they have strong community functions for the city and the student parent community. Lots of people drive in the bay area, so please do consider that factor. Berkeley has somewhat good transportation, but with a newborn it would be nice to have a carseat etc. Best of luck! I don't subscribe to this listserv, but it might be helpful for you. http://parents.berkeley.edu/

If I was asked to do this I might start with looking at a think tank like urban institute. It's just one of many good ones. I found this, which might help. http://www.urban.org/publications/412982.html My first approach would be to figure out how many characters/words you are limited to. That will help guide you. pm if you like.

Advocate for a paid placement. Moreover, ask if your school can give you work-study to make it easier on the employer. Worked for me I had a preschooler and a spouse during the program.

done!

Eigen: I will concede that any sort of apology could very well smooth over any perceived disrespect. It can't hurt right?

Eigen: I am not sure your post was addressed to me, but I will respond anyways . As the OP has already moved her concern up the chain of command, I don't think it is useful to advise her not to at this point of the game. OP: Moving forward, it might be useful to negotiate or suggest that you interview with two sites or have input on identifying the next potential site... That way, you can avoid the possibility that they stick you with another lemon placement. At least the odds are better that one of them might actually have an MSW and/or be familiar with their role as field supervisor. Best of luck!

With all due respect, I have to politely disagree with Eigen. For clarification purposes, unlike the typical social science PhD program, the MSW program is a professional program that (usually) lasts two years. The placement the OP described can be up to a 24 hour a week commitment (900-1200 hours in total) where students are (usually) unlike PhD students placed for FREE! Students are expected to network and make connections for career placement in the very near future. Many times employers take on students with the intent of hiring them after the placement and I have seen this happen quite often. Typically, though not always, this is a terminal degree for the student. Which means in a two-year span the student needs to absorb as much classroom and practicum experience to last her entire career. This practicum represents half of her learning experience, so I applaud the OP in taking a proactive approach. She is very wise to interview at other places and the sooner the better, because this is not a PhD program where people have been known to take 10+ years to graduate! Two years is a very short time to get industry experience and make the right contacts. Best of luck!!!

Hi Crow. Who are you referring to? just curious. I would have to disagree with you on one particular point. I studied for the MSW under a few certain professors who were proud to boast about never having performed social work. I was not pleased nor impressed with their disdain for doing the thing they were supposed to be training me to do. Also, had I not had social work experience before the MSW I would not have had the personal experiences to match to the theory I learned in class. That said, we all learn differently. This was just my experience. Best of luck in your apps.

My grad advisor emailed me to expect an assignment from housing and I had already received the email from housing a half an hour before. I think once the department approves housing in the system it goes pretty quick. At least this week when I got my assignment.

In your case, my advice would be to make sure you can clearly demonstrate your commitment to the field of social work. I am unbelievably passionate about social work. I was not so passionate about therapy. I made a strategic decision to pursue the MA in counseling psychology, but I paid a price for picking a degree in something I wasn't completely sure I wanted to pursue a career doing -- although I have absolutely no regrets about the education I received. As far as application advice I could not tell you more than the typical response. Make sure you submit your best package possible and apply to as many places as you can. If you are young enough, be willing to apply to more than one application cycle. Beyond that, I have no true understanding about the behind the scenes admissions process. Feel free to pm me.

I originally earned a masters in family therapy towards the MFT license in California. After getting that and working in the field of social work for many years I realized I wanted to pursue the social work PhD to transition to doing research and teach. I then earned an MSW in management and planning before applying to any PhD programs. I will be starting a PhD program in the fall at a different school than I earned the MSW.

Cheerleader at a Southern California school full of grateful dead head surfers? Think Fast Times at Ridgemont High. cheerleaders were kind of nerds at my school.

Okay, it's officially past the 15th. So what are the decisions? I have decided to attend Columbia. I am now waiting to hear back about housing options.

I wholeheartedly agree with what juilletmercredi said. net cost and placement (leading to job) are the criteria for masters (sans phd)! good luck.

Do you see yourself doing research or social work practice or something else after graduation? Also, what would be the net cost of each school? Right now from your post it sounds like you want to go to school B. If it was me, I would have gone with the school A the Ivy w/some funding and the added support of family, because I wanted to go on to doctoral studies and the Ivy name could help. Also family/partner support is really helpful for long term studies (dual degree should be 3 years at least?). Also, if you want a certain job in city A you can possibly get an internship that will hire you afterwards. Many of my cohort were hired by their placements. Best of luck, let us know what you choose and why.

What do you hope to get from your degree? What are your research interests? Will there be a practicum or internship included? Without any of those questions answered I would say that Washington D.C. and #12 seems like the obvious choice if you want to learn more about the US political environment and get a job in D.C. Cornell might be right if you are looking to continue on into academia, especially if you have your eyes on another discipline and want to leverage the Cornell name, plus the money sounds great. Brown doesn't seem that attractive given that it is #53. Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

Congratulations on your NYU admit!!! How exciting.

Congratulations on your accomplishments! What a wonderful list of choices. UNC is number 2 in public health. Doesn't seem you can go wrong there. Plus they want you, they were nice and are willing to pay!!!!! If you decide on Columbia make sure that you are eligible for the loans they say you can take. I know someone who had a foreclosure on their credit rating and couldn't take grad plus loans. The school didn't even know/understand this rule and gave them bad advice. Good luck. keep us posted.

WashU is a very well-regarded school in the US. I don't know about transferring to public policy. I think people would end up getting both MSW and MPP/MPA. The semesters go by so fast. I don't think you'll have time to switch before you have completed a year, which will be half the program right? At some schools you can arrange to do a dual degree where the practicum hours can count toward both degree if needed. It really depends on what kind of job you want after you graduate and where. If you want some kind of international policy position then I think Columbia could position you well especially if you fold in SIPA or SIPA classes into your program. If you want to become a clinical social worker in the US either school would be great. In fact at these price tags you could go to a cheaper school and have a great social work career. If you want to go on to apply to the social work PhD, then look at the professors' specific research interests at each school. That way you can try to get some research experience while you are there. keep us posted

This thread started out so good.... I will say that UC Berkeley has a lot of slopes/hills, but they have a golf cart that will take disabled people around campus. They have a bus that does a loop around campus. They have a fairly active disability services center. I know from pushing a stroller around you have to really learn the campus regarding elevators and ramps vs. steps but once you get a routine down you can manage okay. Hope that helps.

Engineer grad: with regard for the o/p I respectfully challenge you to add something, anything at all, to the discussion. Surely you have something to offer.

Okay this is a really naive post but here goes. My daughter just had a tonsillectomy at the childrens hospital of Robert Wood Johnson and they were phenomenal. The facilities were amazing, and the medical staff were like angels. All the way down to the people who valet park your car. So, if you have an opportunity to work in this hospital you would be in an amazing environment with really bright well-trained people in a very well-run facility. The adult hospital where my husband stayed recently was average but he received appropriate and fast care. I'm not sure how this reflects on the program you are interested in but I hope it helps.