
morningjunky
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I petitioned for more funding (was given $14K initially) and was given $20K. I informed them I was accepted to several other schools with higher funding packages ranging from $8K-$28K), but that Columbia remained my top choice due its policy/macro focus and how great of a fit it is for me. They mentioned second year students are eligible to apply for various internal funding/scholarships (so my second year scholarship package might possibly exceed $20K) and work-study funds ($4K/annually) may become available throughout the academic year, which could potentially increase my package to $24K. External funding options were also referred to me. While a $20K scholarship package seems to be a high number for Columbia, I will be declining it and notified them of my decision to not attend for fall as I would still be well over $95K in debt. Good luck to all!
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I did some research on various schools’ outcomes as well as alumni surveys solicited by said schools. Many schools do have alumni networking/organizations, events and publications which are on their respective websites, but do not seem to solicit surveys to their graduates to gauge where and what they are currently doing. However, the larger schools (with larger endowments and budgets) seem to be more engaged with their alumni and in retrieving this pertinent information. Even then, this information is dated, has not been updated and recent graduating classes have not been contacted for information. I also contacted a lot of schools, but many of them told me they don't have any up-to-date information on this or have solicited a survey in years. They did refer me to current students I could talk to and direct me to the website for more information. Graduate schools of social work need to make this information more readily available and more transparent. Furthermore, as future social workers, we also need to be proactive and advocate for these things (and also anticipate lots of obstacles and challenges along the way). Schools with alumni employment surveys: 1) Social Policy and Practice Career Plans Survey Class of 2012 http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/files/sp2survey2012.pdf 2) Portland State - Class of 2011 https://www.pdx.edu/ssw/sites/www.pdx.edu.ssw/files/MSW%20Alumni%20Survey%20-%20Executive%20%20Report%20(2012)_0.pdf 3) Rutgers - Class of 2009 http://socialwork.rutgers.edu/prospective/Surveys/MSWSurveys0910.aspx 4) DePaul - 2012 http://las.depaul.edu/academics/social-work/about/Documents/Alumni_Survey_2012_Summary_for_web.pdf 5) Dominican University - 2012 http://socialwork.dom.edu/sites/socialwork.dom.edu/files/documents/2012AFS_GSSW_Results(1).pdf Schools with information on selected alumni who are successful: 1) NYU http://socialwork.nyu.edu/alumni/alumni-in-action/stories-of-alumni-in-action.html 2) Michigan SSW Alumni Employment Data http://ssw.umich.edu/offices/career-services/employment-data 3) WUSTL https://msw.wustl.edu/your-experience/alumni-experiences/ 4) UW-Seattle http://www.washington.edu/alumni/partnerships/socialwork/201002/alumni.html 5) Berkeley Alumni In Action http://socialwelfare.berkeley.edu/alumni-in-action 6) Chicago SSA http://www.ssa.uchicago.edu/alumni-profiles 7) Boston College http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs146/1110936526727/archive/1120240094586.html 8) USC https://sowkweb.usc.edu/alumni/success-stories
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Late April-May is the general timeline for fellowships and assistantships. I applied for three assistantships and also the MSW Tuition Fellowship with my application. Here is the email I received after applying for an assistantship: Thank you for your application to the Student Information Specialist (SIS) position. This e-mail confirms that your application has been received and all required items were included. While the timeline could change depending on scheduling, currently we anticipate being able to finalize the review and selection process for this position in May. Initial review will begin in March, but the remaining timeline depends on the applicant pool and is contingent upon the timeline for admission decisions (current UW MSW students are applying for this position, as well as incoming MSW applicants who are expected to receive an admission decision by the end of March). The committee will identify the strongest SIS applicants, to be invited to phone or Skype interviews which will take place likely in late April or early May. Depending on the number of applicants and how competitive the applicant pool is, the committee may invite top finalists to a second round of interviews on campus (or via Skype for those outside of our area) if appropriate. While we hope to be able to fill this position in April, April is indeed an especially busy month for our small office. The timeline will likely extend into May due to the competitive SIS applicant pool and staff workloads/availability during these busy months. We thank you for taking the time to submit your application, and for your patience with the process. Thank you, and good luck! This was included in my admissions email: 5. Review your financial aid award, if applicable:Application letters for the Social Work Tuition Fellowship or PreMSW Research Fellowship will receive responses in May. All other questions about financial aid (including questions about revising your financial need figure) should be directed to the University of Washington Office of Student Financial Aid at 206-543-6101.
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Boston College SSW, Fall 2016
morningjunky replied to KatePurpleOrchids's topic in Social Workers Forum
Does anyone know when we will receive our financial aid package? I reached out to the Financial Aid Office a few days ago, but they are understandably busy and never got back to me. -
I applied for COP&D as well. I think this concentration receives much less applicants as most social workers aim to be clinicians. I was lurking through past threads and it seems that late March/early April is the timeline for this concentration in terms of hearing either a rejection or an interview invite. I hope it's soon because this is my last school I am waiting on!
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Just received my financial aid package via email. Offered 14K annually in scholarship with the rest in loans (60K). So that's still about 32K remaining in tuition. Going into 120K in debt for a two-year terminal degree isn't worth it for me. It's crazy how Columbia's endowment is so large, but they offer such paltry scholarship funds. I applied years ago for another Master's program and they only offered me $8K in scholarship. Oh, well. Best of luck to everyone not only in the admissions process, but funding process as well!
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Right. It's not the best thing to do if you eventually choose another program besides the one you accepted initially, but you have to do what's best for you. It could potentially lead to burning bridges in the future should you wish to pursue a PhD, but schools also have a waitlist to ensure they have a full incoming class. I did this when I was an undergrad. I initially accepted a partial scholarship at one college in February and in mid April, a school took me off their waitlist and offered me a hefty scholarship package and I politely emailed the first college notifying them I wanted to rescind my initial acceptance. They weren't pleased, but I'm sure another student who was on the waitlist was. Is UW your top choice? If so, you should let them know by calling or emailing them. Many schools are accommodating and understand the various commitments a student faces when applying to graduate schools. When I spoke with an admissions rep, he mentioned that interview invites for graduate assistantships and fellowships would be announced in late March or early April. If you haven't heard by then that you were invited for an interview, that most likely means you were not selected to move forward in the process. Are you applying for the Advanced Standing or regular two year day program at UW? If it's the former, UW has their advanced standing students beginning in mid-summer and it can be really stressful waiting until April or May to hear back regarding funding, especially if you are coming from out-of-state. I'm okay with waiting until May since I'm originally from Seattle and moving back home wouldn't be that stressful. Good luck! Here's a great thread on this topic:
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On the results page, someone posted they were accepted today, 3/1 and was offered an interview on 2/27 for the clinical route. So they are beginning the process! Just checked website this afternoon and was accepted. Interviewed on Friday 2/27 for full-time, 2-year program, clinical track. Thrilled.
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Fall 2016 Clinical MSW. Nyu vs hunter vs fordham
morningjunky replied to alyssak112's topic in Social Workers Forum
I hope this isn't too late, but Hunter has a great community organizing program/focus. Since it's in NYC, there are lots of field placements, especially with the population you want to work with. However, Michigan also has a superb community organizing program. If they offered you substantial funding, Michigan would be a great choice! Hunter is cheap for MSW standards ($13K per year in-state tuition), but for an out-of-state student, it's about $27K annually. Plus, cost of living in NYC is higher than Ann Arbor. One of the reasons why I was really drawn to Hunter is because of their social justice focus, focus on serving those at the margins and in urban areas, but specifically those in NYC and how policy/research/macro areas are still considered and given attention. Outside of community organizing, Hunter students very often are able to intern in areas of the government (i.e.: city council) so you can see how social workers can influence and eventually change policies and legislations. -
Financial aid packages as well as assistantships/fellowships will be announced in May. I agree, quite late, but I spoke with a rep from the Admissions Office and it's because for those two year day students who did not apply for early decision, they will receive their admissions decision in mid to late March which prolongs the notifications (assistantships and fellowships would thus begin the review process in April). I do like the fact that a tuition deposit isn't due (for two year day students) until June 2016 though, so even if you decide not to enroll after submitting your intention, you won't lose any money. I put down a deposit at another school, but if I receive an assistantship at UW which would cover tuition and offer a small stipend, I'll withdraw my offer and attend UW since it would be fully covered financially. However, the wait can be arduous, especially for those who are coming from out-of-state since moving is very stressful. Best of luck to everyone!
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How exciting! Congrats! I moved to NYC after undergrad so now I'm facing out-of-state tuition. I did apply for three fellowships so a tuition waiver/stipend is very possible, so I'll wait until May and see if I get funding and make my decision.
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I applied 11/20 and haven't heard anything. My application is listed as 'submitted' and 'completed' online. Two friends applied last year and had interviews in March and April and said interviews are split according to concentration/practice method (clinical vs. macro). Both heard back about 1-2 weeks they were accepted after their interview.
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It really is frustrating, isn't it? Our tuition deposit isn't due until June, but we are required to submit our intention to enroll as well as our background check by April 15. UW has a great program, but by May, I feel like everything would be neatly squared away already (health records, field placement application). I attended UW for undergrad and the building is pretty compact. The campus as a whole is large and really beautiful (I especially love the gothic architecture and grandiose libraries a la Harry Potter).
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I applied by 11/20 and just received my acceptance via email from UW (11PM Eastern Time). However, funding (scholarships/fellowships/waivers) will not be made final until May. Yikes! They expect a response by 4/15 with a tuition deposit due in June. I believe financial aid packages will be awarded in March.
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Hey everyone, It seems we've received most of our admissions decisions and I'm just wondering what school(s) everyone is considering or have entirely ruled out already. I'm still waiting on CUNY Hunter (my top choice in-state) to invite me for an interview (or decline me), but have already received a substantial scholarship offer from Boston College (BC) which would make attending slightly cheaper than Hunter. I'm leaning towards BC as they have a strong global practice concentration and offer study abroad internships/field placements for second year, the availability of graduate assistantships which would help me pay for living expenses and research being conducted currently is relevant to what I want to study/practice. However, Hunter would be great because I like how strong their community organizing concentration is, their global practice with refugees and immigrants is also strong, how social justice oriented they are and how focused they are on assisting those in urban areas, but especially NYC and the fact that I wouldn't have to move for school (moving can be so stressful). I also looked up external funding for my second year from outside sources which would make taking out loans for living expenses and tuition ranging from 25-35K (I have undergrad loans and do not want to take out more than 40K for my graduate education). Both schools offer my interest - macro/community organizing with refugees and immigrants within an international context. Funding, location and interests/fit were the most important factors in deciding what schools to decide. So I'm still split between Hunter and BC. Has anyone decided?
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Boston College SSW, Fall 2016
morningjunky replied to KatePurpleOrchids's topic in Social Workers Forum
BC sent me an email notifying me of my admissions decision (no attachment). My status on Agora wasn't updated. I received a physical letter with scholarship information to my mailing address about 7-9 days later. -
Boston College SSW, Fall 2016
morningjunky replied to KatePurpleOrchids's topic in Social Workers Forum
I was actually looking at JP as my friend recommended it to me. Thanks for all the tips, I really appreciate it! -
Do you know (based on anecdotal experience) how much funding is usually given to students? I'm considering Columbia, but it doesn't seem like they give incoming students any more than around 16-20K annually in scholarships, work-study and other forms of financial assistance (outside of loans). Thank you!
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Boston College SSW, Fall 2016
morningjunky replied to KatePurpleOrchids's topic in Social Workers Forum
I just sent in my tuition deposit to BC and am pretty certain I will be attending (just waiting on Hunter as it's in-state and could potentially be cheaper if offered funding). Kate, I'm looking at studios in Boston. I've heard that Allston/Brighton is relatively affordable for students, but can be quite rowdy and boisterous? Is this manageable or is it the point where undergrads stumble home drunk at midnight, loiter and yell sort of thing? Can you suggest other neighborhoods that are relatively affordable? I looked at Cambridge, but the commute seems quite long (a bus to the subway). Since we only have class one or two days a week, I figure living a little farther away from BC is fine in order to save money. Thanks so much! Is anyone else considering BC or committed yet? -
I applied on 11/20 for the two-year program. Based on past threads in previous application cycles, it seems that advanced standing students hear a bit later then two-year program students. Best of luck!
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LOL. Okay, I just saw that. I should't have skimmed through the acceptance letter. Yikes! Thanks and congrats!
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I just received my acceptance as well. Does anyone know when financial aid awards will be mailed out/available online? I didn't receive any notice about scholarships in my letter online.
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Fall 2016 Clinical MSW. Nyu vs hunter vs fordham
morningjunky replied to alyssak112's topic in Social Workers Forum
Hey there. Most people use US News as their benchmark in terms of ranking universities in the States and they re-evaluate and rank this list every four years (next ranking will be this year). http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/social-work-rankings However, there are lots of problems with US News and many universities have opted out of this process or have stated it's quite a subjective list. For example, research productivity is weighed quite heavily in US News' ranking. While research is certainly important part of an MSW program, more students are interested in becoming competent clinicians and have no plans in pursuing a doctoral degree. Furthermore, an MSW is a terminal degree and is quite different than a Master's degree from another discipline/realm such as STEM. The cornerstone of an MSW degree is the merging of both theory and practice and fieldwork is especially important. If you are looking at US News, Fordham is the highest ranked school at #11 followed by NYU and Maryland tied at #16. If you really value rankings, all three schools rank within the top ten percent of MSW programs in the States (there's really not much of a difference between 11 and 16). However, I would urge you to look beyond the rankings and look for personal fit in terms of the school's mission/focus, location, curriculum, research, student population and other important factors such as alumni connection, graduates' rates of securing a job, etc. Ask yourself those questions I posed in the previous post. This is really important. What do you want out of your education? What is important to you? You mention you want to eventually live in NYC. So perhaps attending a NYC school is better for you since you already know you want to live here since your fieldwork during your two years establishes lots of networking opportunities. However, if you don't want to graduate in hefty debt, I would go to the cheaper option. I didn't even apply to NYU or Fordham because finances are a huge concern for me. While they both offer scholarships, the general tuition most students seem to pay is around $25-30K a year not inclusive of living expenses and other fees such as health insurance (another $15-20K). Both Maryland and Rutgers offers plenty of clinically based courses and have micro/clinical concentrations. Please look at both these school's website carefully and peruse everything. If you have questions, ask the Admissions Office, reach out to current students and practice due diligence as this is your education. It's just a matter of fit and what is important to you at the end of the day. Per Maryland's website: SWCL 703—Family Therapy [3 credits] Working with families requires a conceptual base in understanding the importance of transactions and patterns among family members and development of practice application in family therapy techniques with diverse populations. This course extends knowledge in current theory about family interaction and methods of direct intervention in families of various composition, traditional and nontraditional. Among the various theoretical perspectives examined, special emphasis will be placed on structural, strategic, and brief models. SWCL 722—Cognitive Behavioral Therapies [3 credits] (Additional Prerequisite: SWCL 700) This course provides an overview of the behavioral approaches to therapy. Students will become familiar with the respondent, operant, social-learning, and cognitive-behavioral models and their applications to individuals, families, and other client groupings. The various settings for behaviorally oriented social work, such as schools, hospitals (behavioral medicine), and others are discussed. SWCL 723—Couples Therapy [3 credits] In this course, students will learn to assess and treat troubled couple relationships as they are seen in clinical social work practice. They study how couples’ relationships vary over the life cycle and how couples from diverse backgrounds seek assistance. They learn to focus on strengths as well as problems in couple relationships. The course is taught from a comparative theoretical viewpoint. http://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/academics/course-offerings/ Per Rutger's website: 19:910:507 Psychopathology (3)19:910:530 Solution Focused Therapy19:910:550 Play Therapyhttp://socialwork.rutgers.edu/current/mswcourses.aspx Something as silly as rankings should certainly be a tiny consideration, but not the definitive reason why you attend a school. Here's a great blog post on the rankings of MSW programs and its inherent flaws: http://sp2admissionsblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/beyond-rankings-assessing-msw-programs.html -
Hey everyone, Make sure to also look at Graduate Assistantships for funding as well: http://www.fordham.edu/info/21087/gse_financial_aid/2993/graduate_assistantships Fordham's Graduate School of Education offers tuition remission for one class per semester. I would reach out to the Admissions Office and see if MSW students can also partake in this opportunity as well. This could a possible $4-5K a year in extra assistance! If this is your top choice, make sure the Office knows your intention to enroll at Fordham. I'm sure they will assist you in any way possible to help your dreams of attending Fordham a reality. Lastly, ask for more assistance! I emailed a few schools if they could re-consider my scholarship/funding package in order to make it financially viable for me to attend their program. While two schools did not, one school did re-evaluate their initial package and offered me a little more ($3K). Attending graduate school is expensive. Attending an MSW program is often even more expensive (if you attend out-of-state or a private university) and often the return on investment isn't that great. So advocate for yourselves! The worst thing that can happen is they say no. Good luck! Graduate Assistantships Assistantship awards provide tuition remission for one course per semester. Graduate Assistantships are made in recognition of academic achievement, special competencies, and/or academic potential. They provide opportunities for academic and professional development. There are two types of assistantships: Research Graduate Assistantships support research, service, or professional efforts. It may involve flexible hours and off-site or service activities. Administrative Graduate Assistantships support programs administratively. Students must be available during regular business hours. PS: Internal/External funding opportunities for your second year at Fordham: http://www.fordham.edu/downloads/file/3581/2015_-_2016_scholarships_and_fellowships
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It's still quite early (for most schools)! A few years back, I remember reading a thread where Columbia notified applicants as late as April/May. The larger schools tend to get well over 1,000 applicants and also seem to have a high acceptance followed by a low yield rate (I'm assuming due to the tuition shock once accepted with a paltry scholarship offer). Columbia probably is sifting through all their applications and making their decisions on who to accept, reject outright and to place on a waitlist. Hunter is notoriously slow as well, but they conduct interviews which takes up a lot more time and effort. But for those those who applied by the priority deadline established by the schools, late February/early to mid March is about the time most schools will issue an admissions decision. I heard back earlier this month from four schools already (Michigan, Chicago, SUNY Buffalo, Boston College) as I applied by 11/20 for all my applications and am waiting on three more schools (Columbia, Hunter, UW-Seattle). However, I'm almost certain I know where I will be attending since one school (whose mission/focus/curriculum is a great fit) offered me a hefty scholarship offer which would actually be cheaper than attending my top in-state choice (Hunter). If Hunter or Columbia gave me a substantial scholarship, I would remain in NYC, but based on past precedents and anecdotal experience, it doesn't seem like this will occur. It would just be nice to know pronto since this is obviously a very stressful time for us all. Ahaha. Hang in there everyone! Best of luck! Per Rutger's website: Decision Notification and Accepting Your Offer Applicants applying for the Advanced Standing Traditional/On-Campus program are typically informed of a decision between February and April. Most applicants for the fall program are informed of a decision between March and May. Applicants for the 100% Online and Professional Credit Course Spring start are notified by December. Applicants will be notified of an offer of admission by email and they may also check their status online. Written notification of a change of address must be submitted to the School of Social Work AND the Office of Graduate Admissions. http://socialwork.rutgers.edu/prospective/MSW_Admissions/DecisionNotificationandAcceptance.aspx Per Columbia's website: When is the deadline for Fall 2016 admission, and how do I apply? The application deadline for Fall 2016 admission is December 1, 2015 (priority) or January 4, 2016 (final). Please see our Application Requirements (PDF: 9 pages) for more information (PDF: 9 pages). Already ready to apply? You may submit your materials to the Columbia School of Social Work’s Online Application Portal. NOTE: Once you have submitted all required items, you can expect to receive an admissions decision on or around March 1, 2016. http://swadmissions.columbia.edu/frequently-asked-questions-new-york-city-campus/