sunnyskies13

I'm still figuring it out. Budgeting and cutting back on wants vs. needs. Just keep telling yourself it's just for a couple years. Good news is as a student you qualify for free to low-cost health insurance coverage under Affordable Care Act "Obamacare".

This is just personal experience from people currently in my program... A lot of classmates who were working full-time or even part-time are no longer working due to the academic and field placement commitment of grad school. I don't interact much with people in the part-time program, I talked to one woman who had to cut back her hours at work from full-time to part-time.

Yay yes go CSUF! of course I am biased Stats: Bachelor of Social Work 3.5 GPA 1 year internship at homeless nonprofit 1 year work helping individuals with severe mental illness adjust to independent living 2 years work case manager for chronically homeless who have mental illness volunteered at homeless conventions, homeless street outreach, domestic violence shelter, political campaigns

Hi! I am currently attending CSUF and LOVE it. As do all my other classmates in the cohort. I think I remember receiving my acceptance around March/early April. Majority of people did have to do an interview. Our professors told us they had roughly 500 apply and we are a cohort of about 75-100 I believe. CSUF is great. Professors are awesome, have great experience and you really get to know your cohort. Personal opinion (no one hate me): I could NEVER justify the cost of USC when you can get the same degree at a CSU school. Rumor going around is "everyone" gets in to USC. They recruit HARDCORE once they learn you are interested in their program. Alright personal opinion over.

In regards to financing education, I took out loans for the first year. There are numerous grants you can apply for, I am applying for one that would cover my entire second year tuition. These grants include CPS or mental health work. Basically if you got the grant relating to CPS, you would study child welfare and promise to work a 1-2 years in a child welfare agency immediately after graduation. I'm sure there are others like this, research a little bit on Mental Health Initiative or CALSWEC and you'll get a better idea. Also, there is a program that my past co-workers have done where if you work in the nonprofit sector for 10 years and make consistent loan payments during that time, the remainder of your federal loans will be forgiven after those 10 years. Research: Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

-Accredited program so you will qualify for getting your license -Amount of debt you are willing to be in. Need to be realistic, MSW degrees can make good money, but usually it is average income -Pay attention to programs offered and what type of work you want to do. You don't want to end up in a policy-focused program if you want to work with kids for example.

Don't expect acceptance offers until March/April. Hoping any sooner is just going to stress you out more. I applied to LB last year way before the deadline and received my acceptance on April 10th. Also, I did receive an email confirming they had received all application materials. I remember last year in a similar thread here people were complaining about LB taking forever to send out acceptance letters, especially those who had been placed on "pending". Currently I am attending a different CSU MSW program. Here were my stats: Bachelor of Social Work, 3.5 GPA 1 year internship working at a homeless nonprofit 1 year work as mental health worker helping individuals with severe and persistent mental illness adjust to independent living 2 years work as a case manager for individuals who are chronically homeless and have a severe and persistent mental illness Volunteer work included homeless conventions, homeless outreach, domestic violence shelter, political campaigns **Good luck to all. The MSW experience is awesome and I am loving my choice to go to grad school!!!**

Speaking from the MSW perspective... It is a pretty comprehensive program. You learn about human development and childhood trauma. Heavy focus on trauma and how it affects clients. When I worked with people who were homeless it was shocking how many were victims of childhood trauma. You begin to see correlations very quickly. You also get the chance to learn about systems, policies, institutions, etc. and how that can influence trauma. MSW can allow you to do just therapy and have your own private practice if you get your clinical social work license. If you end up going the MSW route, look for a program with a clinical or mental health emphasis. Some MSW programs are more general or policy based. Any other questions just ask

Go somewhere different! I moved to a different state. Yes you get homesick, but it is a fun experience! If you really hate the state you only have to stay out there the length of the program anyways.

I'm at CSUF. Mental Health concentration. It's clinical. Look for concentrations that involve direct practice with clients.

I applied to six CA MSW programs last year and was accepted into three. Currently attending CSUF. Let me know if you want any info on their program.

I applied last year and answered under each question. I was denied, but I doubt it was because of the format of the essay. I'm now attending a different Cal State MSW program. SFSU took FOREVER to get back to me and send a rejection letter.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester is recognized as one of the best in the country. There are plenty of medical options throughout MN and mental health is considered an important medical field among MN residents.

Oh good, yes NY and Montana winters are similar. If you need a new car now is the time to get 4WD/AWD I would have hated to see you end up stuck in a winter situation you didn't know about and end up hating life.

I am biased too as I am a current MSW student. But I did consider the whole psychology vs. social work thing too. If anything it's the Psy.D. that won't give you independence. MSW you can do a variety of work in a variety of fields. Psy.D. is kind of stuck within mental health or therapy fields. It just depends on what you want to do with your degree.