TigerMem

Hi all, 
 
Making this general thread to talk about some of the challenges of finding a POI/Adviser, looking for programs where we "fit", and the general stress of feeling like we've got so much to prove. I hope to go into clinical psychology to study resilience in racial minorities and immigrants as well as the use my degree as a platform for social justice advocacy and systems change. Finding an adviser in this space has been hard enough and I have been encouraged to pursue something "easier" many times. But the heart wants what it wants!  
I hope we can make a safe space for all minority applicants out there as our stress is a little more than the majority applicant. 

Hello, 4th year PhD Clinical Psychology student here who’s a minority (multiracial) student. I admire your tenacity to pursue this field in spite of some discouragement and apprehension, especially as it relates to being a cultural minority. 
I will say that your specific research interests may align more with PhD Counseling Psychology programs, who are basically the identical twin of Clinical Psychology with slightly different goals. Both “Counseling Psychology” and “Clinical Psychology” are perceived as evenly matched, though Counseling Psychology tends to have more focus on the broad multicultural issues than Clinical Psychology. 
In any case, I just wanted to let you know that it’s possible to make it into this competitive field! Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Alcohol. Lots of alcohol...
Just kidding! Haha! Don't do that!
I am a Ph.D student, going into my fifth year, and I am very quiet and self-contained. I barely even spoke to my family until I was almost 20. People don't point out that I'm quiet much anymore, but they used to do so all the time. I would just smile, because its true, and I don't think it is a bad thing, most of the time.
My heart still races when I raise my hand in workshops. It's been four years, you would think I'd get over it by now, but I haven't. One thing that has helped is that my dissertation chair also has introvert tendencies. He also doesn't speak up in workshops often. I was in his presentation at a major conference once and he barely looked up from the floor the entire time and his arms were crossed the whole time. But he has coauthors who he works with and he is very well respected in the community.  So I know if he can do it, I can do it too.
As for conferences and other situations when you need to interact with people, the key to being interesting is to be interested. I am a great listener. I do go up and introduce myself to people, and then I mostly listen to them talk, with a few interjections so they know I'm interested in what they are saying. And I almost always have people to talk/listen to because of it.

Overall, give yourself a break. Try not to worry as much about sounding stupid or looking goofy. And realize that you aren't perfect, but no one expects you to be. But don't give up on trying to better yourself. It isn't a paradox to love yourself for who you are while also realizing that you have areas you can improve on in your life. And there are very few jobs that don't require communication with other people, so it is important to try to do as well as you can at it.

First of all, if the person said this to you in a way that was obviously meant to be negative then that person is a) an asshole, and b) probably has some issues of their own that makes them take issue with your silence. I think most people in general say things like this because they genuinely want to know what you think about something. People who don't speak up a lot tend to seem "mysterious" and for many people that allows them to project their own ideas onto what is behind the mystery. Sometimes, they associate negative things that are entirely unrelated to you. It's hard, but unless these negative things are actually detrimental to your career, you should try to let them roll off you.
I am personally a sort of weird hybrid of socially anxious introvert who is also not afraid to speak up for myself. I think the second part comes with age. One thing that I find helps me to speak up when necessary is being really prepared. I don't get (very) anxious doing public speaking if I know what I'm talking about, but when I have to speak off the cuff I have issues. Even when off the cuff is like doing that horrible "introduce yourself to the group" thing. So, I guess my advice as far as academic stuff goes is to practice, practice, practice. I'm not in grad school yet, so take this for what its worth, but I would say even when it comes to lab meetings or seminars, maybe think ahead and make some notes for yourself about things you might speak about, practice saying them before you go. I think the more you do speak up and people appreciate what you have to say, the more that will build your confidence as well.

Hey All,
I had a quick question for anyone able to give an input. I was wondering how close you research has to be with that of you POI. I am really second guessing on some schools as I am trying to send out emails to my potential POIs. If anyone can explain more about connecting your research with that of you POI, that would be helpful too. I would love any recommendations for schools if anyone is able to offer some 
My research focus: 
-How effective are western-based treatment/interventions in treating trauma/PTSD in non-western victims or perpetrator.
-Trauma and resilience across cultures
-- How cultural influences affect perception of trauma and treatment expectations
 
 
Thank you

Mother Psychology professor Consultant to international I/NGOs (I.e. UN, UNICEF, etc) Entrepreneur

I also went to TC for my MA and one of the factors I can think of considering when deciding between TC and NYU is incoming class size. TC's incoming class size felt large at times, so if NYU has a smaller incoming class, that could be a pro for their program. 
The previous posters are correct when it comes to freedom to research wherever you want to. I went to TC and did research there and at NYU and ultimately did my IP (kind of like your thesis to graduate) with an NYU lab. 
I liked that TC was fairly unstructured. They don't tell you which courses you have to take, however, that means if you are planning on a PhD in the future, you'll want to plan your courses accordingly. They don't make you take stats, but a PhD program will want you to have taken it. If that makes sense? There are grad student advisors that you can meet with to discuss what courses would be good to take for your future plans. They're usually really helpful. Faculty are also good resources for that, but they tend to not be as up to date on requirements. They know what they look for in a grad student but not necessarily what the field in general has moved to. I think this program is a very good example of something being what you make it. If you are proactive and organized, then you'll do great here. If you're looking for a more structured environment, you may want to consider NYU (if they possess that quality). 
If you want to research with a faculty member at TC (counseling or clinical) I would suggest contacting them and expressing your interest and then seeking them out very soon after the semester begins. You want to start research as soon as possible and a lot of the labs fill up quickly the first semester. Or, find research opportunities outside of TC as soon as possible. The longer you are working with a lab, the more likely you are to have presentation and publication opportunities. 
Just a side note about financials: they offer scholarships the first year but generally speaking those scholarships do not carry over into the second year. So unless your financial award explicitly states it is for multiple years, it's probably only for your first year. 

No, I wasn't allowed to defer my scholarship-just hold my place.  They said I had to be reconsidered in 2019.  This time around, they gave me $0, so I opted for another program.  

@MettaSutta Semi-off topic, but when you deferred your admission, did Columbia allow you to keep/defer your scholarship also? I was accepted to an MA program at Columbia in the Fall 2019 with a scholarship also, and am just curious. 

I applied (and surprisingly was accepted) to TC's program. If my financial aid is sufficient, I will likely go there in the Fall because the program is a good fit for me  (it is multicultural and social justice oriented, and has faculty doing global mental health work, which aligns perfectly to my research interests).
I think its less about which school is "better" (they both are very good programs and do well getting their students into PhD programs) and focus more about which school aligns with your research interests.

i think you also may want to consider what your research interests are - you'll probably be working with faculty and it could be helpful for your network + to learn relevant techniques to one of the two that closer aligns in that regard.

Hey I can relate to not being sure about if MSW was a good fit, I'll tell you though my alternative would be MFT or PhD in clin psy, not LPC. I think you have a sort of stereotypical view of the MSW orientation. MSW is a CBT, strengths based, and systems based approach. When I say systems I mean some of that stuff you mention, like taking into account a persons community or neighborhood as being part of the puzzle. It is about identifying barriers that are preventing progress and helping them overcome them. None of that means you have to be anti government, anti police, anti white, or that you must vote a certain way. You are supposed to advocate for your clients and help them by supporting causes that would provide them some social justice. That doesn't nevcessarily mean you go rally for open borders or vote for minority candidates because they are minorities, it means you assess how the population you choose to work with is under served or discriminated against or stigmatized and you do all you can within reason to help. Now that said, you will encounter people who are anti police, anti military, anti immigration, anti white, anti male, who are in these programs, and you will be in school with a mostly democrat or socialist  group, but that's ok even if it's outside your comfort zone. You gotta work with clients from all walks of life, with colleagues. I don't even know if this stuff applies to you, but for what it's worth, I say keep an open mind, you can do the MSW and follow the code of ethics while still being about empowerment and positive psych. I mean strengths based is like that too. I for one love that I had a good psych undergrad to support my MSW that I'm doing now. And the MSW is the best degree you can get, big scope of practice.

About your dog: I think that depends entirely on you and your program. I am in a social science program where the majority of my analysis and writing can be done from home, and I prefer to work from home or from a library (as opposed to my cube in the windowless cube farm). When I was taking classes I was generally there from 9-6 or so, but now that my coursework is finished I am rarely at the school itself. I go for meetings, seminars, interesting kinds of things and I do most of my work remotely. My time is verrry flexible, and if my building didn't prohibit it I would get a dog in a heartbeat. Another thing to keep in mind: a dog can be a great comfort when you're all stressed out over graduate school.

Advice?

Age:
-Don't feel like you have nothing to offer just because you are younger. I was 22 when I started graduate school. You got accepted to the program for a reason, and chances are you are just as equipped as any older students are to successfully complete the program, just in a different way.

-Your older classmates may be just as terrified as you. Talk to them. You have a lot in common. You are, after all, in the same place.

-You will feel like an imposter, like you don't belong, or like you are constantly behind. Or all three. It's normal. It will pass. (Well, sort of.) People of all ages go through this.

Adviser related:
-If you are lucky enough to get both research interest fit and personality fit perfect, congratulations! But sometimes, personality fit is more important than research interest fit as long as the research isn't too different. A great adviser is interested in your career development, likes you as a person, advocates for you, and wants to hear your ideas. Even if his or her research is quite different from yours, they may give you the autonomy to work on your own projects and just supervise you. A bad personality fit will drive you nuts, even if you love his or her research. Consider that when evaluating your adviser fit. (This will vary by field: research fit may be less important in the humanities, more important in the natural and physical sciences. Social sciences are somewhere in-between.)

-Don't be afraid to be straight up blunt with your adviser when it comes to asking about your progress. Ask if you are where you should be both academic program wise and getting-a-job-after-this-mess-wise.

-Be proactive. Advisers love when you draw up an agenda for your one-on-one meetings, come with talking points and progress to share, have concrete questions to ask, and have overall shown that you have been thoughtful and taken control of your own program. Of course, this won't immediately come easily to you, but in time you will work up to it. Every semester I type up my semester goals, and at the beginning of the year I type up annual goals. I show them to my adviser and we talk about whether they are too ambitious, or whether I need to revise them, and how I can meet them.

-Don't expect your adviser to actually know what courses you have to take to graduate. They will know about comprehensive exams and the dissertation, but a lot of professors don't really keep up with the course requirements, especially if their program is in flux. Get you a student handbook, and find out what you need to take. Map it out in a grid, and check off things when you finish them. Show this to your adviser every semester. You may have to explain how such and such class fills a requirement.

-Nobody loves you as much as you, except your mother. Keep this in mind as you take in advice from all sources, including your adviser. Your adviser is there to guide you, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything he says.

Studying:
-You will have to read more than you ever did before, in less time than you ever have before, and you will be expected to retain more than you ever have before. The way that you studied in undergrad may need some tweaking. Be prepared for this.

-Corollary: you may find that your methods change with age or interests or time. I preferred to study alone in college, but in grad school, I prefer to study in groups. It keeps me on task and the socialization keeps me motivated. You may find that you shift from being a more auditory learner to a visual learner or whatever.

-You will feel behind at first. This is normal.

-At some point you will realize that your professors don't actually expect you to read everything they assign you. This, of course, will vary by program, but there will be at least one class where the reading is actually impossible to do in one week. The point is to read enough that you know the major themes and can talk intelligently about them, and then pick some of the readings to really dig into and think more deeply about.

-For most programs, don't worry so much about grades. If you stay on top of your work and do what you're supposed to, you will probably get an A. How much grades matter varies from program to program. In some programs, a B is a signal that you are not up to par, and more than a few Bs will warrant a discussion with your adviser or the DGS. My program isn't like that - A, B, it's all meaningless. My adviser doesn't even know what my grades are. But at almost all programs, a C means you need to retake the course, and two Cs means you have to convince the DGS not to kick you out.

Extracurricular activity: What's that? No, seriously:
-A lot of your time will be unstructured. You will have coursework, but most grad classes meet once a week for two hours and you may have three classes. You may have meetings with your adviser every so often and some seminars or things to catch (like we have grand rounds and colloquia that are required), but a lot of time will be unstructured. However, since you have so much more work than you had in undergrad, you actually will have less free time than you had in undergrad. This may initially cause you great anxiety. It did for me. Some people love unstructured time, though. (I don't.)

-Because of this, you'll have to be planful about your non-grad school related stuff.

-TAKE TIME OFF. DO it. It's important for your mental health. However you do it doesn't matter. Some people work it like a 9-5 job. Some people take a day off per week (me) and maybe a few hours spread across the week. Some people work half days 7 days a week. However you do it, there needs to be a time when you say "f this, I'm going to the movies."

-Find your happy place, something that keeps you the you you were when you came in. I love working out. It gives me energy and I feel good. I stay healthy. I also love reading fiction, so sometimes I just curl up with a good book, work be damned. You have to give yourself permission to not think about work, at least for a couple of hours a week. You may also discover new hobbies! (I never worked out before I came to graduate school.)

-Your work will creep into all aspects of your life, if you let it. This is why I hate unstructured time. You will feel guilty for not doing something, because in graduate school, there is ALWAYS something you can do. ALWAYS. But since there will always be more work, there's no harm in putting it aside for tomorrow, as long as you don't have a deadline.

-You may need to reach outside of your cohort for a social life. None of my close friends are in my doctoral cohort. I've met master's students in my program, master's students in other programs, and I know a few non-graduate students I hang out with, too. Go to graduate student mixers. (If your university doesn't have any, organize some, if you like planning parties.) Join a student group that doesn't take up too much time. I had a doctoral acquaintance who kinda laughed at me because I joined some student groups other than the doctoral student one, and I was usually the only doctoral student in those groups, but I met some close friends (and future job contacts) and had a good time.

-DO NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR WANTING A LIFE OUTSIDE OF GRADUATE SCHOOL. This is paramount. This is important. You are a well-rounded, complex, multifaceted human being. NEVER feel bad for this. Everybody wants some kind of life outside of work. Yes, you may loooove your field, but that doesn't mean you want to do it all day long. Some other doctoral students, and perhaps professors, may make you feel bad about this. Don't let them. Just smile and nod. Then disappear when you need to.

Career:
-This is job preparation. Remember that from Day One. Always be looking for ways to enhance your skills. Read job ads and find out what's hot in your field, what's necessary, what's in demand. For example, in my field statistics and methods are a hot commodity, and they're not a passing fad. I happen to really like statistics and methods, so I have pursued that as a concentration of mine.

-Don't be afraid to take on volunteer work and part-time gigs that will give you skills that will be useful both inside academia and out, as long as it's not against your contract. Your adviser may be against it, but he doesn't have to know as long as it doesn't interfere with your work.

-If you want to work outside of academia - if you are even *considering* the possibility - please please definitely do the above. Even if you aren't considering it, consider the possibility that you won't get a tenure-track job out the box and that you may need to support yourself doing something else for a while. You will have to prove to employers that you have developed usable, useful skills and this is one of the easiest ways to do it. But don't overdo it - get the degree done.

-For more academic related ones - always look for opportunities to present and publish. Presentations look good on your CV. Publications look better. When you write seminar papers, wonder if you can publish them with some revision. Write your seminar papers on what you maybe think you may want to do your dissertation on. Even if you look at them three years later and think "these suck," you can at least glean some useful references and pieces from them. Discuss publication with your adviser early and often, and if you have the time and desire, seek out publication options with other professors and researchers. But if you commit to a project, COMMIT. You don't want to leave a bad impression.

-If you can afford it, occasionally go to conferences even if you aren't presenting. You can network, and you can hear some interesting talks, and you may think about new directions for your own research. You can also meet people who may tell you about jobs, money, opportunities, etc.

-Always try to get someone else to pay for conference travel before you come out of pocket. Including your adviser. Do not be shy about asking if he or she can pay. If he can't, he'll just say no. Usually the department has a travel fund for students, but often it's only if you are presenting.

-If you are interested in academia, you should get some teaching experience. There are two traditional ways to do this: TAing a course, and teaching as a sole instructor. If you can help it, I wouldn't recommend doing a sole instructor position until you are finished with coursework. Teaching takes a LOT of time to do right. You should definitely TA at least one course, and probably a few different ones. But don't overdo it, if you can help it, because again, it takes a LOT of time. More than you expect at the outset. If you are in the humanities, I think sole instructor positions are very important for nabbing jobs so when you are in the exam/ABD phase, you may want to try at least one. If your own university has none, look at adjuncting for nearby colleges, including community colleges. (I would wager that the majority of natural science/physical science students, and most social science students, have never sole taught a class before they get an assistant professor job. At least, it's not that common n my field, which straddles the social and natural sciences.)

-Always look for money. Money is awesome. If you can fund yourself you can do what you want, within reason. Your university will be thrilled, your adviser will be happy, and you can put it on your CV. It's win-win-win! Don't put yourself out of the running before anyone else has a chance to. Apply even if you think you won't get it or the odds are against you (they always are), as long as you are eligible. Apply often. Apply even if it's only $500. (That's conference travel!) Money begets money. The more awards you get, the more awards you will get. They will get bigger over time. If you are in the sciences and social sciences, you should get practice writing at least one grant. You don't have to write the whole thing, but at least get in on the process so that you can see how it's done. Grant-writing is very valuable both in and outside of graduate school.

-Revise your CV every so often. Then look and decide what you want to add to it. Then go get that thing, so you can add it.

-The career office at big universities is often not just for undergrads. I was surprised to learn that my career center offers help on CV organization and the academic job search, as well as alternative/non-academic career searches for doctoral students. In fact, there are two people whose sole purpose it is to help PhD students find nonacademic careers, and they both have PhDs. This will vary by university - some universities will have very little for grad students. Find out before you write the office off.

-It's never too early to go to seminars/workshops like "the academic job search inside and out", "creating the perfect CV," "getting the job," etc. NEVER. Often the leader will share tips that are more aimed towards early graduate students, or tidbits that are kind of too late for more advanced students to take care of. This will also help you keep a pulse on what's hot in your field. It'll help you know what lines you need to add to your CV. And they're interesting.

Other:

-Decide ahead of time what you are NOT willing to sacrifice on the altar of academia. Then stick to it.
I'm serious. If you decide that you do NOT want to sacrifice your relationship, don't. If it's your geographical mobility, don't. I mean, be realistic, and realize that there will always be trade-offs. But you have to think about what's important to you for your quality of life, and realize that there is always more to you than graduate school.

-If you don't want to be a professor, do not feel guilty about this. At all. Zero. However, you will have to do things differently than most doctoral students. Your adviser will probably never have worked outside of the academy (although this may vary depending on the field) so he may or may not be able to help you. But you have a special mission to seek out the kinds of experiences that will help you find a non-academic job. Test the waters with your adviser before you tell him this. My adviser was quite amenable to it, but that's because I told him that my goal was to still do research and policy work in my field just not at a university, AND because it's quite common in my field for doctoral students to do non-academic work. If you're in a field where it's not common (or where your professors refuse to believe it's common, or it's not supposed to be common)…well, you may be a little more on your own.

-Every so often, you will need to reflect on the reasons you came to graduate school. Sometimes, just sit and think quietly. Why are you doing this to yourself? Do you love your field? Do you need this degree to do what you want to do? Usually the answer is yes and yes, and usually you'll keep on trucking. But sometimes when the chips are down you will need to reevaluate why you put yourself through this in the first place.

-To my great dismay, depression is quite common in doctoral students. Graduate work can be isolating and stressful. Luckily your health insurance usually includes counseling sessions. TAKE THEM if you need them. Do not be ashamed. You may be surprised with who else is getting them. (I found out that everyone in my cohort, including me, was getting mental health counseling at a certain point.) Exercise can help, as can taking that mental health day once a week and just chilling. Don't be surprised if you get the blues…

-…but be self-aware and able to recognize when the depression is clouding your ability to function. Doctoral programs have a 50% attrition rate, and this is rarely because that 50% is less intelligent than, less motivated than, less driven than, or less ambitious than the other 50% that stays. Often they realize that they are ridiculously unhappy in the field, or that they don't need the degree anymore, or that they'd rather focus on other things in life, or their interests have changed. All of this is okay!

-You will, at some point, be like "eff this, I'm leaving." I think almost every doctoral student has thought about dropping out and just kicking this all to the curb. You need to listen to yourself, and find out whether it is idle thought (nothing to worry about, very normal) or whether you are truly unhappy to the point that you need to leave. Counseling can help you figure this out.

-Don't be afraid to take a semester or a year off if you need to. That's what leaves of absence are for.

Lastly, and positively…

…graduate school is great! Seriously, when else will you ever have the time to study what you want for hours on end, talk to just as interested others about it, and live in an intellectual community of scholars and intellectuals? And occasionally wake up at 11 am and go to the bank at 2 pm? Sometimes you will want to pull out all of your hair but most of the time, you will feel fulfilled and wonderfully encouraged and edified. So enjoy this time!

Thank you. 
I talked to a professor from Fordham last week and the conversation was really helpful. I guess I underestimated how willing professors are to meet/talk to students.
I'm going to continue to reach out/talk to professors - I want to make sure I'm applying to schools that will be a good fit for me and my interests. 
Thanks again and good luck with your applications! 

Just noticed I made a mistake in my first comment. I'm co-authoring a book CHAPTER, not a whole book!

I've been emailing folks through their school email address listed on the school website. I usually introduce myself as a current student, state my school, and explain that I will be graduating soon. Then I mention my interest in their school's PhD program and their research focus specifically and ask if I can meet in person or over the phone (depending on if I'll be visiting before December) to learn more about the program. 
For the ones I have completed in person so far I have provided them my CV in person. The ones completed over the phone I've been sending my CV as a PDF attachment. However as I've been working on it, I think it makes more sense to include the CV in that initial email. A couple of professors have wanted to forward my CV to other faculty members or current PhD candidates that they think would be good contacts and having a PDF copy of my CV on hand makes that a lot easier. 
So far all but one professor has responded to my meeting requests. I learned from someone else at that school that that particular person is on sabbatical this semester so it makes complete sense that they would not be checking their email.

@scthorne 
I'm primarily interested in child and family welfare, poverty and economic mobility;  juvenile justice, and trauma. I have a BA in psychology and am also interested in the intersection between social justice, psychology, and education - researching (and providing solutions to) issues like the school-to-prison pipeline, economic inequalities and racial disparities in education, etc. I want to study social work with an international focus and am especially interested in schools that have a global focus and/or faculty doing work in this area. Career wise, I want to teach, conduct research, author books, and consult with domestic and international agencies (i.e. the United Nations, World Bank, etc.).
Thank you for suggesting having informational interviews. Great idea. How do you initially go about setting them up? Do you usually give the faculty members your CV via email or in person?  

@TigerMem
I am planning on applying for 2019 as well! I will also be applying to Berkeley and U of Chicago. I'm also looking at UCLA, USC, and UW (I've got a real west coast bias  ).
So far I've been focusing on holding informational interviews with faculty members that I would be interested in having as mentors. Everyone has been very open to talking with me about the program, their work, and the application process. This has also given me an opportunity to give them my CV and get feedback on what I should focus on improving before December. It's been a fantastic experience for me so far (just today I spoke to a faculty member from Berkeley over the phone) and a great way to get to know the people behind the schools. Some schools offer admissions advising appointments as well!
Like you, I'm also working on improving my GRE score. My scores were 155 V, 157 Q, and 4.0 W the first time around. I have practically no clinical experience (macro-practice focus for my MSW) and some research experience. Thanks to a fantastic field instructor, I'm co-authoring a book that will be published in August 2019 and am currently assisting on a research article.
Impostor syndrome is really real and really sucks. I felt it in the first year of my MSW program and I am feeling it now. A big thing that I have heard from the faculty I have spoken to is that a lot of people enter these programs without much prior research experience. What they're really looking for is someone that is an overall good fit to the program, school, and area of focus who has the drive to learn.
If you don't mind my asking, what type of research or population are you interested in?

I am graduating with my MSW this Aug, and starting my PhD program in Social Work three days later. From my understanding, regardless of the program you apply to in any field, if your research interests are not a match to the school they will not consider you since they have to consider funding etc. So research the schools and the faculty members and find those faculty member who you believe would be interested in picking you up as a student. Reach out and connect with the Director of the program. I know my relationship with the Director helped push my application through.
Considering that applying to PhD programs is arduous and overwhelming, I think this feeling of "imposter syndrome" can resonate among most of us who have applied to the programs, so you are definitely not alone. I would encourage that you try your best to strengthen your applications with higher GRE scores. Try your best and if you don't make it through this cycle, you can always apply again next cycle.  Your worth is not determined by whether you get accepted or denied into these programs
Good luck

I am in my 3rd year PhD in a Social Work Program at a top 10 R1 institute. I applied for 5 psychology PhD programs and 2 Social Work programs, I got into none of the PhD programs (however i have an undergrad and master's degree in social work).  I think a big critique depending on the program you apply for is having a minimum of two years in the field prior to application.  I had low GRE scores however because I had 5 years of experience and varied experience in the field,  I think it helped round out my application.  I would suggest really making a strong argument about why you do not need 2 years (for example you have a strong focus and know you want to pursue research etc.) As I mentioned our school wont even look at applications unless they have 2 years post MSW experience so i would encourage you to check out the schools you are interested in and prepare to have a strong justification.  Speaking to our school again, we typically get 35-50 applicants and accept 4-6 so its not overly competitive.  It sounds like you are well positioned.  If you have any questions, feel free to message me.  Good luck!

As someone who recently applied and got accepted - it entirely depends on what schools you are applying to. The ones you mentioned are all tier 1 social work schools and WILL be difficult to get in. You will need to compensate for your low undergrad GPA, retake your GRE, and try to get research experience if you want a good chance to get into any of those schools. 

I've been told that it isn't that hard to get accepted into PhD programs in social work, at least in my Canada. Most social workers practice, rather that do research so I guess that partially explains it. I think it all depends also if your research interests fits with the interests of your potential supervisor and the expertise of the university you're applying to. You do sound like a strong applicant. I think you should apply, you've got nothing to lose. 
 
 

My plan so far is to stay in a hotel or maybe a short term sublet until I've learned the area.  I don't want to wind up moving every year because the area sucks or end up trapped in a long lease for a slum.
I get that you're eager to move out, but since you have the option of free housing right now I'd stay there until the last possible moment.  That way you can boost your savings and spend some quality time with them before you're busier.
So if a unit is vacated before "leasing season" do they just let it sit empty?

Hey y'all ! Congrats to every who's been accepted! I'm starting my MSSW at UT Knoxville this Fall. This is my second time starting grad school. Got accepted into a M.S. Psychology program last fall and had partial funding, but soon realized it wasn't the right fit for me. So I decided to leave and pursue social work because it's a better fit for my interests and career goals. I'm hoping the second time is the charm. 
I'm also applying for a few scholarships and waiting to hear back from the school regarding funding. Most likely will be work part-time to offset some of the costs.
Any who, good luck to everyone in your studies!

I'm the opposite to everyone else! My lease starts 5 days after I start my PhD (but the weekend before classes begin), but I'm planning on moving to the US about 2 weeks prior, and I'll just stay in a hotel - I looked at Airbnb's but they were ridiculously expensive - for the 2 weeks with a hire car (until I can get my own car). Sympathise with you on the moving out of home lark! I moved out at 17, travelled, went to uni then half-way through undergrad I had some unfortunate circumstances with a housemate so had to move back home, where I remained for the next 2.5 years (on and off). I've enjoyed being out of home this past year, but mum still drives 3 hours for a surprise visit so hopefully she won't be doing that when I move to PA!!