hyronomus4

I can't say what's best for you but I can say I have very limited research experience (less than you) and got into two of the three programs I applied to. I assume it varies by program so you would probably be better off contacting the places that you're interested in and checking what they'd like to see.

I think it varies from state to state. I was a resident of WA while going to school in WI for my masters. I even changed my official address (that was linked to my drivers license and all of my official state mail) to WI while keeping my WA residency. I then kept it for another year while living in IL (which was probably a stretch). I never ran into any problems. What I found when first looking into it was that you have to change your residency within three months of declaring permanent residence. I figured as long as I was in school I could say I wasn't permanent. Honestly though I never looked into it too deeply because I had no desire to spend the money to change my residency. I got pulled over once and told the police officer I was a student and he didn't question it.

I lived with 2 undergrads during my masters. I was 5-7 yrs older than both of them and it worked out fine. Compatibility is waaaaay more important than age. We would laugh because it would be 9:30 on a Wednesday and I'd be changing into pj's at the same time they'd be getting ready to go out. It was kind of handy actually because they were more familiar with the campus and the city since they had already been there for a few years. One thing I would look out for is the neighborhood. Living with one or two undergrads is one thing while living in a neighborhood full of people experiencing freedom for the first time can be exhausting. It might just be me being old and grumpy but I don't like hearing drunk guys yelling on a loud speaker outside my apartment at 4am.

First of all, there is no bad choice. Wherever you go you'll get out of it what you put into it. They're different programs with different opportunities but either way you'll have a solid degree at the end. With that, I'm a year out from finishing my MSW and I can honestly say I wish I would have paid more attention to the financial aspects. Loans suck and paying them off with a social worker's salary sucks too. Unless you have lots of help from elsewhere to pay for school I would really look at that 12-15K difference. I can also say that I've had to do the whole "create your own program" thing before and I absolutely loved it! It took more work but it forced me to seek out opportunities I would have overlooked otherwise and created solid connections with professors and other professionals who were passionate about what I cared about. For me that would be a selling point. Sorry I don't have much to help ease your decision making! Good luck!!

The VA is the most obvious route. However, it's not the only route and as others have mentioned it can be difficult to get started there. Honestly if you find an area where you know there is a high veteran population (usually the same areas where they have a lot of VA facilities) you can do social work in another area (addiction, mental health, housing, etc.) and get some good experience. I worked in such an area and did case management for older adults and ended up doing a lot of work with veterans. It helps you get familiar with VA and other community services and how to get people connected and it's a good resume builder as VA jobs open up (if that's where you're hoping to go). There are also plenty of other private organizations who serve those populations that you can try for.

If you like the program I would say to go in state and save the money. From my experience on the job market I would guess 99% of social work positions don't look at prestige as much as they look at experience anyways. Odds are you won't be getting rich in social work so you're better off with less debt.

I submitted a writing sample that was almost double what it was supposed to be. I felt like I couldn't cut half of it and it was to the point in the process where I was so tired of everything that I basically just said "screw it, they can read as much as they want but I'm sending it all." I did that for two programs and got accepted to one of them. Who knows if my writing sample had anything to do with that. I would avoid it if you can. If it's a super competitive program they're probably looking for any reason to cut people and "not following directions" would be an easy one to throw out.

I grew up in rural Illinois but have lived several years in WA so I can kind of see both sides. The lack of mountains is hard but you get used to it. Then when you go back west you'll fall in love with the landscape all over again. As far as pretty much everything else you mention, you'll get what you put into it. There are good people, fun stuff to do, and good food available... you just have to find it and you'll have a few years to figure it out. And for all of the crappy parts of life there, you can bet you won't be alone. The whole "we're all in this crap together" can be a good community builder.

Funding for both is solid but I want to visit UIC before I decide. Have you made a decision?

To follow up, I got into two out of three programs so there is hope for those of us with less than stellar scores

Earlier this week I was still waiting for 2 of 3 programs (with December deadlines) and I told a friend I felt like a shell of a person, these programs had taken the life from me. I had lost any self confidence I once had. As of today I've heard back from all and I can say I'm feeling more human than I have in the past 6 months. Even a rejection made me feel better because it was better than not knowing.

The GRE deeeeefinitely wasn't the strongest part of my application. I had 151 quant and 157 verbal (I think writing was a 5 but I don't remember for sure). I didn't retake it because honestly I'm afraid my quant would go down (and I can't afford to keep paying ETS for that damn test). I had a friend who applied for social work PhD a few years ago and they rejected her because of her quant score because they said they were worried she wouldn't be able to get through the stats requirements. My friend retook it and got in after that. I got a good grade in stats so I'm hoping they will let me slip in with that 151. My professor from my MSW (also on an adcom) said the GRE score isn't terribly impactful for admissions. A really good score looks good and a really bad score looks bad but they're looking at the "larger package" more than anything. I hope she's right. What were you scores?

I had this same thought process and chose the more expensive, shorter option. Basically my thinking was to get done fast so I could start working and pay it off faster. Because my program was so short and full I wasn't able to work much while in school and ended up taking out a pretty fat loan. Also, I got a job I love but I'm making about 10-15k per year less than what I anticipated so I'm not paying nearly as much on my loans as I had hoped. I loved my MSW experience but I think I could have been better off financially if I had done the longer program at a slower pace and worked more while I was in school.

Send balloons filled with confetti to all those accepted and sympathy flowers to all those I have to reject... and keep everyone well informed during the whole process.

I'm still waiting on SUNY Albany and UW Madison. I was accepted at UIC. Madison said they will make final decisions this week... they already sent out some acceptances and some rejections a few weeks ago so I'm not sure what to make of that. Hopefully they'll let me know tomorrow so I don't have to wait another week.

"SOP, fine. LOR, fine. GPA, fine. GRE, fine" *throws papers on the table, stands on the table* "Where is the sparkle?!? Where is all the pzazz?!? *shoots off a glitter cannon and storms out of the room in disgust* I guess I've always assumed the admission process takes so long because it's an entire room of divas and divos(is that a real thing?).

I refuse to let another Social Work PhD thread die out so I'm going to try to keep this one going! Has anyone heard anything this week? I'm supposed to hear this week and I got my tax refund today so I'll either throw myself an expensive pitty party or an expensive celebratory bash this weekend.

It's probably possible if you're very organized but I would say avoid it if at all possible. I worked a live-in job Fri-Sun during my MSW and it was a challenge for me to do anything while I was on "work time". It was a completely different job from what you're looking at but similar idea. I found that the biggest issue was I was never able to get long chunks of time to work on papers and projects. I could only get an hour here or an hour there (with constant interruptions) and I found that I really need several hours to sit down, organize myself, and get stuff done without distractions.

I broke down and sent an email. Final decions next week. My fate is drawing near.

The struggle is real. I'm still waiting on two. One wasn't due until late January so it's to be expected but December 1st? That seems ridiculous. There's an irrational part of me that thinks I'll jinx it if I get in touch with them to find out where they are in the process.

I’ve been very strict about not going back to look over any application materials after they’re submitted. It hasn’t been a problem until this week… I REALLY want to read my SOP but I know it’s a terrible idea. Instead I’ve been reading old encouraging emails from professors and some of the top papers from my masters program. Reading those has been a nice change of pace from crippling self doubt that’s come as a result of this application process.

Me too! I would have thought rejection dreams would be the worst but at least with those you wake up and realize you're wrong.

If you're sure you know what kind of jobs you're going to apply for after graduation then you should choose a specialization. It's helpful when the coursework you do and the professors you learn from are related to what you're interested in. I can also say from my experience if you're applying in a competitive job market then a relevant specialization looks good (especially if you're lacking in experience).

I say try something new! I did my BSW at a small school and I loved it there. They didn't offer an MSW so I had to go elsewhere. I did my MSW at a large research university and loved that even more. I also went advanced standing but I wish I could have stayed longer. It was a completely different experience and it was awesome to get exposed to a different program with new professors who had different research interests from the profs from my undergrad. This might just be my issue but one thing I would say is to check how many are advanced standing vs. regular. At my program there were lots more 2 year people compared to advanced standing so you joined a cohort who had already been together a year and knew each other pretty well. My first semester I struggled to integrate and make friends. By second semester it wasn't a big deal anymore but if you're only there for a year it's something to keep in mind. I know it sounds kinda silly and petty but if you're moving to a new city without knowing anyone it might be nice to have a larger group of people who are starting and ending at the same time as you.

-If you haven't taken the GRE yet you should start looking into that. Study as much as possible before you take the test. It's a lot of stuff you probably haven't had to know since high school/ early college. -Reach out to your professors who do research and see if there is anything you can do to help so you can claim some research experience. If they aren't currently working on anything then ask them to point you to someone who does. Some programs require 2-3 PhD level/ research professors to write your letters of rec. Start planning for that now. It's easier to find those people while you're still in school and then keep up with them after you're done then it is to seek them out after you've graduated. -You might want to work for a few more years. Many PhD programs want you to have 2-3 years post-MSW work experience if you're planning on becoming a professor so you'll be able to teach practice classes. -While you’re still in school use the resources available to students to help polish up your resume and writing sample. You have to pay for that stuff once you graduate and most schools have somebody who will do it for free. That's what I've got. I was in the same position as you last year and that's what my professor recommended to me.