ediblestranger

I just received my acceptance letter from Case Western as well. Just waiting on OSU at this point, which I am not too concerned about. That's five, possibly six schools to choose from. Deadlines for accepting/declining offers are all over the place, despite applying for early decision around the same time for each. Extensions are pretty easily extended but unfortunately may compromise scholarships in most cases. So in many ways hearing back from schools was only half the battle as far as reducing stress. We have our work cut out for us!

I got accepted to UW too! Waiting on scholarships/fellowships/etc. will be a drag. I will probably put my deposit down elsewhere and then opt out if I get a great offer from UW.

I just received an email from the school that I have been awarded a 32K scholarship over two years, including the Integrated Healthcare Scholarship (20K) and a Michigan Opportunity Grant (12K). I am thrilled to have been accepted into the special program but this is going to make it much harder for me decide where to go as I was on the verge of ruling UMich out!

Those sound like great experiences to me. From what I have observed on this forum in the past few cycles, that fellowship has been given to applicants on less, so I think you stand a good chance!

I remember seeing on UWashington's application checklist that we would hear back by the end of February. I wonder if this still holds. Has anyone heard a more recent estimate?

Most if not all schools consider experience in the admissions process. If he has an otherwise strong application (personal statement, letters, GPA, etc.) then a lot of programs will probably accept him, and there are several schools with ridiculously high acceptance rates if this is a concern. I would be concerned about lack of experience if he is not otherwise a strong applicant. And as others have mentioned, experience is a pretty important step in deciding to become a social worker, especially a direct practice or clinical social worker. At my agency, I have seen more entry-level workers come and go than I can keep track of. It isn't for everyone.

For those of you still waiting to hear back about scholarships, the school plans to have this information out by the March 15th deadline to accept/decline admission. This may seem like common sense but I had to ask, lol! The deadline is flexible, you just have to be sure to request an extension in writing ahead of time.

Congratulations, Joy! That's a big deal and I hope you get it! Would that be the Leadership Fellowship you are referring to? I am hoping to be considered for that as well as it's the only way I can envision attending Case. However I do not have much leadership experience per se, only potential ;). Can I ask what your experience is?

I received my scholarship letter today. I was awarded $7,000/year. A little disappointed because I have a fairly high GPA and a significant amount of highly relevant experience, so I was hoping for more. This makes UPitt one of the lowest costing programs on my list (so far) but I don't think it's enough for me to justify attending.

I am in the same boat as you guys re: trying to rationalize the cost because WUSTL is such a perfect fit for me. It seems like this could be a good choice especially for you anony, because you're going for the MPH too in which case school reputation matters more, and there is greater potential for higher earnings in that field, as I understand it. It is a little less clear-cut for me because I plan on working as a clinician. However, I am not totally averse to sticking it out with IBR to attend this program if it means being a better-prepared clinician. St. Louis is only about 5 hours away from home for me as well, and geographically I prefer it over Ann Arbor because there will be more opportunities to work with diverse and disadvantaged populations. If I went to UMichigan, I would most likely end up commuting to/from Detroit for my field placement which sounds kind of exhausting. And rents are really high there for what seems like not a very exciting place to live. Not to mention that without scholarships, UMichigan will actually be more expensive than WUSTL. I'm still waiting to hear back about funding from other programs but unless I get some really impressive offers, I will probably be heading to St. Louis.

Scholarship letters were sent out on Friday. I have been checking the mail obsessively and with much disappointment. Even though we should all hear by Saturday at the latest, I am getting really impatient!

Well, there is always the option of leaving the country to escape student loan debt

I wasn't talking about self-care in terms of coping with mental health issues, but as a way of guarding against compassion fatigue and secondary trauma, which do affect a large number of direct practice social workers. As for discussing mental health issues in the personal statement, I don't see a problem with it as long as it is done with a great deal of care and tact. As long as you can show that these issues have been overcome and will not affect your work, and you can demonstrate how it has made you a better fit for social work, then I think it's fine to include. Now I'm not saying these things should be discussed at length, but the admissions committees are looking for evidence that you will be successful in the field after all. As I understand it, listing all your strengths and not mentioning any weaknesses at all may raise a red flag.

I would discuss not only how it will extend into the program but also social work practice. Good luck with your applications!

Likewise. I have heard that too. However, I can't imagine that social workers wouldn't at least qualify for income based-repayment, after 25 years of which the remainder is forgiven. But still, that's 25 years.

I agree that resiliency is a pretty important quality for social workers to have, especially for those in direct practice. I decided to mention self-care in my personal statement on the basis that showing rather than telling is generally considered a good approach. I explained how I learned to practice self-care throughout my social service experiences after initially over-extending myself by working over-time, in order to guard against compassion fatigue. I think it showed honesty and maturity and probably helped.

This is one of my dilemmas as well. The program seems like a really good fit for me, but it's expensive. Because I intend to practice as a clinician probably in a community mental health setting, big returns on this investment are pretty much outside the realm of possibility. But I am very interested in looking more into income-based loan repayment and public service loan forgiveness, which forgive the remainder of your student debt after 25 and 10 years of on-time income-based payments, respectively. The only thing about public service loan forgiveness is that you have to work for tax-exempt or otherwise qualifying employer/employers, and it is not clear to me how to determine that other than by asking agencies directly. I am assuming that community mental health agencies would fit into this category, but then again I'm not sure.

It seems like you have already secured two good references who are very familiar with your work and will likely write excellent letters. At this point, if you are truly at a loss as to who to ask, I would consider the third letter a formality and just ask a former professor whose class or classes you did well in. If you still have the papers you wrote for their class, send them copies to refresh their memory. Ask them if they would feel comfortable writing a strong letter of recommendation, and make it clear that they are free to refuse if they cannot. It sounds like you are in a better position than most as far as already having great references. I myself had letters from two professors whose classes I did well in, and while it's not as impressive as being recommended by someone who has worked with you more closely, it's still something. Not having enough letters or using inappropriate references, like your colleague, would probably be the worse option. Good luck with your applications!

For those of you who have been accepted, any word on when financial aid packages will be sent out? I applied to the Integrated Healthcare Scholarship Program but have not received a request for an interview as others have. Also, does anyone know how flexible Michigan is with their decision deadline of March 1st? I doubt I will hear back from all programs by then, and the others I have been accepted to such as WUSTL give significantly more time than that for admitted students to accept/reject offers.

I haven't heard from them yet, but then again I did not submit my application until the beginning of January. I know at least one person on here has been accepted.

Wow, two decisions back to back - just receive my acceptance from Pitt! Although not that exciting with their guaranteed admission and all.

Likewise. Certainly makes it a lot easier!

Thanks. Yeah, fit is one of the most important considerations. It's good to have options, but it is probably possible to have too many. Anyway, I am much more relaxed about potential rejections now that I have been accepted into two of my top choices. You've gotten into some really great programs as well! I hope at least one of them is among your top choices!

I received my rejection from Chicago today via the website. I am not too disappointed because truthfully, it was not the best fit.

I wasn't asking about grants. I was mainly worried that delays with submitting the FAFSA may result in not being offered work-study, assistantships, etc. as those kinds of awards are usually pretty limited.