alex bo balex

I just wanted to offer a word of warning re: CSULA....in that I would not recommend entering this program, once you guys start receiving letters. It is *extremely* disorganized on an administrative level, the instruction is inconsistent, and there are a lot of problematic aspects surrounding racism/sexism. I don't feel comfortable saying more as I'm still in the program, but if you want further information you can contact me privately. Just didn't feel it was right to not give a "buyer beware" heads up.

I just wanted to offer a word of warning re: CSULA....in that I would not recommend entering this program, once you guys start receiving letters. It is *extremely* disorganized on an administrative level, the instruction is inconsistent, and there are a lot of problematic aspects surrounding racism/sexism. I don't feel comfortable saying more as I'm still in the program, but if you want further information you can contact me privately. Just didn't feel it was right to not give a "buyer beware" heads up.

I understand! What are your areas of interest/long term goals?

I was admitted to both as well, and will be attending CSULA. I heard back from CSULA very early on--I think they accepted me in late February---and I've had a really good experience communicating with them so far. Some of the things I took into consideration: they're ranked identically, and both seem to have well respected programs (although from what I hear CSULA's is older and more established.) People seem to prefer CSULB for the campus, location, and some concentrations/specializations, while the forensic concentration is a big draw for CSULA. Since the campus was irrelevant to me, and I wanted to be more centrally located (for field placements, and for my husband's job), I was happy to accept CSULA. I'm also pleased with the agency they've placed me for my first year, so I think it'll be a good fit. Anyway, if you do decide to go to CSULA, please feel free to join us over here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/csulamsw2017/

I just did the "self service" status check and it said I've been admitted. I haven't received any correspondence from them (postal or email), so it was a bit of a surprise. I also can't login to my portal to see the admission letter, so I'll have to wait to hear back from the helpdesk before I can confirm for sure. I have kind of mixed feelings about this. I've already accepted and am planning to attend CSULA, which I'm happy about (and have been extremely impressed by the efficiency of their communication)...but I also know a lot of people hold the Long Beach program in high regard, which gives me the tiniest bit of "what if?" feeling. I think if I'd been accepted to CSULB earlier, I would have been more torn in my decision--but now that it's so late in the game, I can't see any reason to change course. I guess I'm just confused about why they're taking so long to get back to everyone, since people have to start making plans and everything. Anyway, good luck to everyone still waiting to hear back! I know this process is pretty stressful.

Just thought I'd post this again, as more acceptances go through: https://www.facebook.com/groups/csulamsw2017/ Hope to see some of you over there, and congrats to those who've heard back from their schools!

I am! I'll actually be starting my MSW at CSULA in the fall. My areas of interest are women's rights and homelessness, so it's entirely possible we'll cross paths once I'm out there!

That also affected my decision re: USC, so I completely understand. Additionally, I couldn't get my head around the idea that they charge so much to complete a social work degree, which seems extremely at odds with the values of the field. So glad to hear that you love LA, though! I'm excited about it for all the reasons you mentioned, too.

Saidy, I'm curious--what are your thoughts on the various CalStates (pros and cons)? Is there a reason you're leaning toward one/some over the others..?

I'd love to see this thread boosted too; I think it would be really interesting to hear some perspectives from people who either live in CA, or have attended any of the CSU's. Any thoughts appreciated! (re: campus, location, faculty, coursework, student body, culture, diversity, opportunities, etc.)

If you're set on applying to schools that require it, then yeah, it's probably not a bad idea to study hard and try again (unless they're only interested in the analytical section, in which case, you may be alright.) I know many schools use the GRE as a cut off, so it's generally in your best interest to get above the 50th percentile if you want to give yourself the best chances. Again, though, it will depend on the schools, and how strong the rest of your application is.

I know CSULB and CSUF don't require the GRE--do the other schools you listed require it?

Thank you! And I'm rooting for you--I've seen your other posts on here and appreciated your insight/feedback, so I really hope you get good news soon. Hang in there!

Sure thing. I applied on January 17th, for the two-year program in the Community Mental Health concentration. Which program/concentration did you apply to?

Hey dreamcatcher, thanks for the info--that's good to know, and confirms what I suspected. I'd say the email I received today was more unprofessional than anything else, and left me unimpressed. But, all's well. I was accepted to my first choice in February, so this transcript situation has largely been an unexpected nuisance. It would have been nice if the application time/money hadn't gone to waste....but all the same, I'm not willing to pay for a new batch of transcripts to compensate for their error, just so I can get closure. In any event, I hope my experience will be useful to applicants during the next cycle. Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear back!

Just a heads up for current and future applicants: the transcript saga continues. I received another notice that my transcripts hadn't been received. When I wrote back letting them know I'd sent my transcripts in January to the address on the FAQ page, I was told that the address wasn't a problem (which isn't true--the address was incorrect, and has since been updated on the FAQ page.) The person who emailed also scolded me, saying that I shouldn't have sent the transcripts before submitting my application and receiving my USC ID, and that the transcript instructions are "clearly stated on the website." So: out of curiosity, can any of you confirm seeing these instructions? I just checked the Application Process page and FAQ again, and don't see anything about waiting to submit the transcripts until after receiving the ID. In any event, this interaction only re-confirms my decision to not go to USC. : P For anyone applying in the future, I'm going to say that it's probably in your best interest to contact the admissions office well in advance to double check the application instructions and addresses, just to save yourself some grief.

Just received my acceptance today--I'm pleased, but won't be taking it, so hopefully that'll help anyone on the waitlist. Good luck everyone, and fingers crossed for you!

Sounds good. : ) Btw, when they sent your admission packet, did you get a fieldwork application too? (I'm curious because according to the packet, it looks like we'll be working outside our concentration for the first year, which I thought was a cool way of generalizing our experience. My concentration is CYWF, but I requested working in a forensic capacity at first.)

Just got off the phone with them--they're "aware of the error" on the MSW FAQ page and "working to correct it ASAP", but any transcripts send to that address are lost. So as a heads up....if you sent them there, you'll have to pay to have transcripts re-sent.

Just got an email from them saying they don't have any of my transcripts. Meaning...they lost them, since I sent them in December/January. : / I'm annoyed, because there's a cost associated with re-sending the transcripts that I don't feel like dealing with (again), and I likely wouldn't have accepted an offer from USC anyway since I was accepted somewhere else (that's much more affordable)....but, it would have been nice for my application to not be a total waste of time and money, and at least find out if they were going to accept me or not. Anyway. I guess it doesn't really matter. Anyone else have their transcripts lost by USC? (FTR, I sent them to the address listed on their FAQ page: University of Southern California Office of Graduate Admissions University Park Campus Los Angeles, CA 90028-0915 but the address they gave me in the email is totally different: University of Southern California USC Office of Graduate Admissions 3601 South Flower Street Room 112 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0915 I wrote to them to clarify--but for anyone planning on applying, I'd be cautious about using the MSW FAQ address. )

Thanks so much! I appreciate all the feedback I can get. : )

Awesome!! And congrats. Hope to see you there. : ) (PS: Here's the class of 2017 group link, just fyi: https://m.facebook.com/groups/csulamsw2017)

Teem, have you picked a school? (CSULA? Somewhere else?)

Out of curiosity (I'm not a California native), what would you say the major cultural differences are between the Bay area and SoCal?

I've heard/seen similar things--it's not easy to do, and often involves a lot of unpleasant sacrifice.