jalapeno_bagel

Officially put down a deposit at UPenn! Good luck to everyone in making your decisions, thanks for sharing here for the past couple months

I was wait-listed at UW Seattle. Can't decide if it is worth it to agree to wait and hear back, which might take all summer. Does anyone know how likely it is to get in? Is it appropriate to ask the admissions office what # I am on the list (if it works that way)?

BA in Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from Macalester College 3.4 GPA 4 internships during undergrad, one paid position postgrad in the field

Thank you! I graduated from Macalester College last May with a degree in Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies (3.4 GPA). I had about three internships in the field during undergrad and one paid position after graduating. I've worked mostly with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, and neglect, and preschoolers in an autism day treatment program.

Did you get into Seattle? I'm tryna figure out if they sent that "it's too close to call" email to everyone or if they're letting me down gently...haha

Not completely! I've been trying to keep an open mind and heart until I hear back from everywhere I've applied, but there's been such a stretch of time between being admitted to some places and waiting around for others. I've naturally been looking into the places I've been accepted, as of right now I am most interested in UPenn. But I have an interview with Hunter next week and I'm still really waiting to hear from Seattle and to see what they offer me for aid if anything/what my intuitive gut response is.

Just received this email from Seattle: It is still too close to call! Thank you for your application to the MSW program. We received your complete application for our December deadline and therefore expected to have a decision to you this month. We are impressed with your qualifications, however it is too close to call. We had an overall increase to our applicant pool from last year. Most of our candidates display very good match with the school and profession. For that reason, it is taking us a bit longer to construct this cohort than we expected. I am sorry to disappoint you by saying we won’t be able to make a final determination on your application for a few more weeks. I guarantee you will hear from us by the week of March 24, if not sooner. Sincerely, Juanita Ricks Director of Admissions

Still waiting to hear from Smith, UW Seattle, and Hunter.

Just accepted to UMN Twin Cities!

That's awesome, I'm sure you were great. It's irritating that they make it a group interview, that automatically makes me more nervous - though sometimes it can be a nice reminder that YOU are ALSO a qualified candidate. Curious to see how the whole Skype thing goes, I wish it were sooner. Has anyone heard from UW Seattle yet?

congrats!

Also, Hunter emailed me back saying that I will get scheduling options for a Skype interview sometime in mid-March. I wish it were sooner! A part of me is just ready to commit somewhere so I can start envisioning myself in a new city and figure out the logistics. Still unsure if it's a Skype group interview, or what that even looks like, haha.

Honestly, this is all I said!: Hello, I received an email last week informing me that I have been admitted to the MSW Fall 2015 program. I am curious about deferment - what this entails, how long it is applicable for, etc. Is there an option to extend my 4 week window to accept or decline the admissions offer? I am traveling outside of the country, and have not yet heard back from other schools that I am considering. I was surprised to receive information regarding acceptance so soon (10 days) after submitting my application. I was planning on waiting 4-6 weeks like most other programs, and as indicated on your website. Still very excited about the prospect of attending! Just curious to learn more about the next steps and decision making process. Thanks for your time, Kelsey Woida

I can't remember because I saw the email when I got home from work, and now it just says "2 days ago" not the time. But my application status said "pending interview" for over a month after I applied, so I think that just implies that you are waiting to see if you get an interview.

During my interview with UPenn, the interviewer told me that technically there is a law that all schools must give you until April 15 to accept admission. NYU tried to tell me I only had a couple weeks to decide - I emailed them asking for more time, and they said it was no problem (now I know they had to give me more time). Penn also cited this code in my acceptance letter. So you should definitely ask for more time! Just be polite and professional about it, of course.

Just received an email invite to interview at Hunter. I am out of state, and will be doing a Skype interview - does anyone know if the Skype interview is also a group interview? Sounds logistically challenging and kind of scary, haha.

I haven't decided where I'm going yet, still waiting to hear back from 4 schools. As of right now UPenn is my first choice, but I can't really feel certain until I've heard from everywhere. Also I've been told that you can use financial aid from one school as leverage to get more than another - so if for some reason another school grants me more, I might be able to negotiate with Penn. They emailed me a couple of weeks after I applied asking me to set up a skype interview. During the interview they told me I should hear within two weeks - they both called me and emailed me to check my app status online, where there was a decision letter uploaded.

I was accepted to Upenn about a week and a half after my interview - they both emailed me to check my admissions decision letter online, and called me on the phone. They gave me $20,000 total, for the two years.

Also, to the people who have heard back from Smith - did you really get a letter in the mail? How long ago did you apply? And did your admissions letter tell you where your field placement will be? Thanks!

I received an email from UW Seattle about financial aid, but nothing yet about my admissions decision - weird? The email just says they have received my financial aid app, and what to do when admitted...Has anyone else heard from them?

Congrats! When did you apply to Smith?

The interview was really relaxed and comfortable. I was nervous about the Skype aspect, because I always feel so awkward on video chat. But it turns out using Skype for professional contexts is actually much better than personal ones. I was interviewed by an alum who works in admissions and teaches an elective course in the MSW program. She asked me your basic interview questions - why social work, why UPenn, to elaborate on my experiences from my personal statement and resume. I talked about the interdisciplinary focus of the program and how it related well to my undergrad degree, my experience balancing academic work with internships, the importance of anti-racist work and research to my own feminist ideologies, the urban and cultural context of UPenn, etc. It lasted an hour, and at the end she told me she was strongly recommending me for admission. I got to ask her questions about the program, which was exciting and helpful. I asked for more info about a couple of the certificate programs they offer, how to best prepare for graduate study at this point in the process, what the biggest challenges MSW students/Upenn students specifically face. Honestly, walking out of it made me wish I had done interviews with every school! It's helpful to speak to someone about programs after muddling through bland college websites and program descriptions. Good luck!

I applied to the U of M because I have lived in the twin cities for the last five years - it would be super easy to stay here and their program looks cool. But I'm trying to use grad school as an excuse to move and start a new adventure. As of right now I am leaning toward Philadelphia or New York. I will keep you posted on what I hear from then though!

I just got an email from Hunter today, it says: Thank you for submitting your application to Silberman. Our goal is to make this a smooth and transparent process for you. You are able to track the receipt of your transcripts and references on your online application. We are in the process or reviewing each of your applications. As you can imagine this process will take time, please be patience with us. We will call or email you directly if we have questions regarding any missing documents. If you uploaded your transcripts to your online application, we will need to manually review them in order to complete your application. Thank you for choosing Hunter College School of Social Work.

My status also says "awaiting program decision," but this is the first time I have logged in to check it. I applied on 1/3 as well.