MarineBluePsy

I think this is going to vary for everyone.  I took a number of years off between undergrad and grad school and while I was a good student in undergrad I still felt I needed a review of statistics and some core content.  It wasn't something I spent months on, just did a crash course consisting of skimming my undergrad textbooks (yes I kept mine lol).  I felt it helped when I enrolled in classes and wasn't struggling to remember basic concepts.

I'm also happy that I am self-confident enough that I don't see this failure as a failure of who I am in terms of intelligence and ability. I know this is also a matter of the fact that  I have received very little guidance on the part of my supervisor throughout my master's degree. This is the second time that something backfires in my master's degree, and both times, she never warned me, prepared me or anticipated it. But I won't tell her that because I know she loves me a lot, and probably feels very guilty already. I'm sure that out of all of her students, she surely did not expect me to fail. She knows me, my work ethic, and the fact that I am a hard and dedicated student. But my family was very upset when they learned I had failed because I spent the last year complaining to them about how I felt like I did not have as much feedback as I wanted to. I almost had to defend her. I had to clarify with my family that my supervisor does not have bad intentions towards me. She definetly wants me to succeed. But I think she was overly confident in my ability to do this and did not offer me enough guidance.

Top programs can still suck, just saying.

Top programs can still suck, just saying.

Thanks again. I have met him in person and things are going well

Uhhhh I don't think you need to do a second email clarifying anything.  You've stated your reasons and that is all that is required.  He doesn't have to like them or agree with them, but you also don't need to continue to justify them.  All that will do is create a back and forth that will eventually turn sour and you 2 still need to work together.  This is a great time to agree to disagree and move on to more productive uses of your time.

I refuse to call professors by their first name, even if they allow it.  We have a professional relationship and the formality is a reminder of that.

Another thing to consider is if any of the classes you have have taken at Cal State will transfer to U of Washington.  If they don't accept all of your courses then having to repeat requirements could delay your graduation plans and you'll want to be sure your funding will cover that.  That aside I think wellbeing is tremendously important and especially when doing something as difficult as graduate school you need to set yourself up for success.  If the move to Washington feels right then it probably is.  Even though the program doesn't have a hospital internship, there may be a way to create an opportunity for you to get some training in that setting if you ask.  

I refuse to call professors by their first name, even if they allow it.  We have a professional relationship and the formality is a reminder of that.

I'm also no longer a first year, but I found it endlessly frustrating that faculty harped on how important self care is and that we need to model that for clients, yet gave us grief for actually trying to do it.  Meaning if we worked exercise, regular sleep, or time with friends into our schedule faculty would then tell us that whatever research, clinical, or class related tasked was top priority and everything else should be put on the back burner.  There was no respect for the need to maintain these routines when trying to schedule meetings (that were often unproductive) either.  I declined to give up my self care routine and have no regrets, but I could have done without the attitude from the faculty.  Other students caved and found themselves constantly ill, gaining weight, and exhausted.

I'm also no longer a first year, but I found it endlessly frustrating that faculty harped on how important self care is and that we need to model that for clients, yet gave us grief for actually trying to do it.  Meaning if we worked exercise, regular sleep, or time with friends into our schedule faculty would then tell us that whatever research, clinical, or class related tasked was top priority and everything else should be put on the back burner.  There was no respect for the need to maintain these routines when trying to schedule meetings (that were often unproductive) either.  I declined to give up my self care routine and have no regrets, but I could have done without the attitude from the faculty.  Other students caved and found themselves constantly ill, gaining weight, and exhausted.

I'm also no longer a first year, but I found it endlessly frustrating that faculty harped on how important self care is and that we need to model that for clients, yet gave us grief for actually trying to do it.  Meaning if we worked exercise, regular sleep, or time with friends into our schedule faculty would then tell us that whatever research, clinical, or class related tasked was top priority and everything else should be put on the back burner.  There was no respect for the need to maintain these routines when trying to schedule meetings (that were often unproductive) either.  I declined to give up my self care routine and have no regrets, but I could have done without the attitude from the faculty.  Other students caved and found themselves constantly ill, gaining weight, and exhausted.

I think this will vary a lot as not all grad students are right out of undergrad or even 20somethings.  A grad student with kids and/or a spouse will have a different experience making friends compared to those who don't for example.  I think it really helps to not limit yourself to the students in your department or even your university when it comes to making friends.  Establish hobbies off campus, go study in cafes in different neighborhoods, go to random events all over town, join meetup groups, etc.  If you don't want to work all weekend then make your work week so productive you don't need to.  If drinking isn't your thing, find other activities to enjoy.  My weekends only involve work if I should to play hooky on a weekday or if I feel crazy inspired.  Otherwise my weekends are for self care, socializing, or just lazing about.

Did the journal specifically say they don't publish articles authored by Master's level persons?  That would seem strange to me as many in Social Work don't go beyond a Master's and I'm constantly seeing articles published by MSWs and LCSWs, none in French however.  I'm not sure how many journals are published in French, but the broad advise I was given regarding journal selection is as follows:
1) Ask your advisor or the faculty member that is also an author on your article for journal suggestions
2) Look at the references you cited and see where those articles were published, often you see trends where certain journals tend to publish certain topics or an author tends to only publish in a few journals
3) Check professional associations for your discipline and see if they have preferred journals
4) It is very normal to have an article rejected so if you get a revise and resubmit consider that a golden ticket and celebrate.  If you get a no thank you don't resubmit then see if their feedback includes suggestions of other journals that might be a better fit

Did the journal specifically say they don't publish articles authored by Master's level persons?  That would seem strange to me as many in Social Work don't go beyond a Master's and I'm constantly seeing articles published by MSWs and LCSWs, none in French however.  I'm not sure how many journals are published in French, but the broad advise I was given regarding journal selection is as follows:
1) Ask your advisor or the faculty member that is also an author on your article for journal suggestions
2) Look at the references you cited and see where those articles were published, often you see trends where certain journals tend to publish certain topics or an author tends to only publish in a few journals
3) Check professional associations for your discipline and see if they have preferred journals
4) It is very normal to have an article rejected so if you get a revise and resubmit consider that a golden ticket and celebrate.  If you get a no thank you don't resubmit then see if their feedback includes suggestions of other journals that might be a better fit

I think it might help if you browsed the Psych forum here as all of your questions have been asked and a variety of answers have been shared.  Ultimately its not too early to be thinking about grad school and there's nothing wrong with taking a gap year or two or three to figure out exactly what you want to do.  Depending on what kind of a career you want a Master's may be all you need or it may make more sense to apply straight to PhD programs with a few Master's as a back up.

Well you're right that some explanation is necessary and it is perfectly ok to not share your mental health issues.  You can say "personal matters" or "issues at home" or whatever other broad statement makes you comfortable and indicates you do not wish to be specific.  I do wonder about the academic dishonesty charge however.  Is that something that is listed on your transcript?  If so then that is definitely something you're going to have to come clean about in the sense that "due to personal matters a poor decision was made that resulted in...."

I refuse to call professors by their first name, even if they allow it.  We have a professional relationship and the formality is a reminder of that.

Depending on where in the world your program is and your specific financial needs, going to school full time may not be the best choice.  Yes that would be ideal because you'd finished faster, get licensed faster, and be a full fledged professional faster.  However there are plenty of MSW students who go 3/4 time or 1/2 time and things still work out for well for them in the end.  I say this not to be discouraging, but more to say that this is also a great option if necessary.
However, there are many MSW students who do attend full time and work part or full time.  If you're able to find a job in the field that offers tuition reimbursement and/or funds for books that will reduce loans that you need.  It may also help to look at where you can cut or reduce expenses.  What can you live without for 2 years?  Subscription tv service?  Dining out?  A gym membership?  Can you switch to a cheaper auto insurance company?  Maybe take a roommate?  

There are some universities that have rules that state you can only apply to one program per cycle. As a precaution, I'd check with the Graduate School to make sure it's something they allow.

I think this will vary a lot as not all grad students are right out of undergrad or even 20somethings.  A grad student with kids and/or a spouse will have a different experience making friends compared to those who don't for example.  I think it really helps to not limit yourself to the students in your department or even your university when it comes to making friends.  Establish hobbies off campus, go study in cafes in different neighborhoods, go to random events all over town, join meetup groups, etc.  If you don't want to work all weekend then make your work week so productive you don't need to.  If drinking isn't your thing, find other activities to enjoy.  My weekends only involve work if I should to play hooky on a weekday or if I feel crazy inspired.  Otherwise my weekends are for self care, socializing, or just lazing about.

You can ship by using media mail through USPS, which is cheaper than $1 a pound after you hit 5 pounds!

That's a pretty broad question, and really depends on your individual situation.
Do you have a way to transport your stuff?  If you have a car, you would probably want to bring what fits in it and could consider renting a small uhaul trailer to tow for the rest.  That depends on what you already have (like furniture that is worth keeping) vs what you will need there - if you're living in a furnished dorm or apartment you might not need much, but if you're starting out in an unfurnished apartment you need to consider the cost of bringing your stuff with you vs. replacing it all when you get there.  Money may very well be the deciding factor.

@derphilosoph It seems like you're asking 2 questions. 
The first, how can I be an RA in my 2nd or 3rd year?  This generally happens by knowing who in your department needs an RA and how to apply for the gig.  RA opportunities may not fit your specific research experiences, but they do give you an opportunity to gain research experience and be involved in posters/papers/conference presentations.
The second, how can I be an RA in another department?  First make sure this is something that exists within the culture of your University.  At some it is very common to have RAs from other departments, while at others students stay in their own department.  Assuming this is acceptable at your University then find out where RA positions are posted.  This could be a graduate student listserv/email blast, it may be department websites, or faculty lab pages.  If there are particular faculty you are interested in working with you could reach out to them directly to learn more about their work and inquire about possible opportunities.

I refuse to call professors by their first name, even if they allow it.  We have a professional relationship and the formality is a reminder of that.