morningjunky

For Columbia's MSW, the GRE isn't required. From my experience and anecdotal (so take this with a grain of salt) experiences, Columbia's MSW program is holistic in its approach to admission. That is, you can have a lower GPA if something else is substantial in your application (experience, essay, LORs). You have a superb GPA, so just make sure your LORs and most importantly, your essay highlights things your GPA isn't able to. Expand on your resume and what led you to pursue the field of social work. It's extremely important to show the committee why you are drawn to this field and what past experiences (both personal and professional) led you to social work. Columbia's program tends to admit a lot of students due to a lower yield (probably attributed to the high sticker price and smaller funding packages offered). Columbia's program is massive and has over 20,000 alumni worldwide and tends to be more macro/policy focused than other MSW programs, but you can certainly obtain a great clinical education here as well. 
https://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/columbia-university-school-of-social-work-000_10014163.aspx
Two former college classmates applied to Harvard's GSE and it seems a bit more competitive than Columbia's MSW program, but it isn't fair to compare these two programs as they are extremely different. The Prevention Science focus is very narrow and for those who are interested in working with adolescents/children within a school setting whereas the MSW is broader in its practice and theory, focuses more on human behavior within the social environment and has a overwhelming social justice focus. GRE, GPA, experience and the essay seem to all be important in admissions into Harvard's GSE. It would be extremely important to highlight what led you to want to practice with this sort of population (children/adolescents) within this particular setting (schools) through LORs, your essay and your resume. Good luck!

For Columbia's MSW, the GRE isn't required. From my experience and anecdotal (so take this with a grain of salt) experiences, Columbia's MSW program is holistic in its approach to admission. That is, you can have a lower GPA if something else is substantial in your application (experience, essay, LORs). You have a superb GPA, so just make sure your LORs and most importantly, your essay highlights things your GPA isn't able to. Expand on your resume and what led you to pursue the field of social work. It's extremely important to show the committee why you are drawn to this field and what past experiences (both personal and professional) led you to social work. Columbia's program tends to admit a lot of students due to a lower yield (probably attributed to the high sticker price and smaller funding packages offered). Columbia's program is massive and has over 20,000 alumni worldwide and tends to be more macro/policy focused than other MSW programs, but you can certainly obtain a great clinical education here as well. 
https://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/columbia-university-school-of-social-work-000_10014163.aspx
Two former college classmates applied to Harvard's GSE and it seems a bit more competitive than Columbia's MSW program, but it isn't fair to compare these two programs as they are extremely different. The Prevention Science focus is very narrow and for those who are interested in working with adolescents/children within a school setting whereas the MSW is broader in its practice and theory, focuses more on human behavior within the social environment and has a overwhelming social justice focus. GRE, GPA, experience and the essay seem to all be important in admissions into Harvard's GSE. It would be extremely important to highlight what led you to want to practice with this sort of population (children/adolescents) within this particular setting (schools) through LORs, your essay and your resume. Good luck!

Congratulations on your acceptance! Choosing a school is ultimately a very personal decision depending on a variety of factors. If you want to be a clinical social worker, note that the curriculum for MSW programs are streamlined and very similar to one another since they are all accredited by CSWE. However, there are differences between these schools as well ranging from price, location, overall arching focus and research areas of specializations. Fit is extremely important as is cost and location. What one student values, another may not see any value in it all. 
I applied to Hunter, but not NYU since I am interested in macro social work. I know Hunter offers scholarships, but they are quite limited compared to other schools. As an in-state resident, I expect to take out loans to fund my first year and applying for external funding to pay for my second year. I considered applying to Fordham because of its research focus and social justice focus, but the price tag deterred me and they seem to be very paltry in their funding (I've heard of students being offered a measly $2-5K a year in scholarship assistance).  
Fordham is a Jesuit school and is very focused on social justice and assisting those at the margins. There's also the option of three campuses and the College is very flexible in meeting the needs of its students. It's also a generalist program offering both clinical and macro courses. Fordham's main campus is on the Upper West Side which is nice, but also has two other locations (Westchester and Long Island) as well as an mixture (hybrid) component. 
Hunter is New York City's oldest public graduate program in social work and as such, makes it a priority to focus on the New York community by making education affordable so students can ultimately become agents of change in NYC. Hunter is also very focused on topics surrounding social justice, diversity and various isms and is very involved in local politics and government. I'm very interested in community organization and am very interested in social justice so Hunter's program is a nearly perfect fit for me. Hunter's location is in East Harlem, which some find unsavory (mostly out of state folks), but I have no problem with it and feel comfortable and safe.
On the other end, NYU's curriculum is very clinically focused. If you plan on applying to post-MSW clinical fellowships to accrue your hours for your LCSW and garner experience, many of them require certain courses in psychopathology and theories and techniques of psychotherapy which NYU has.However, you can certainly excel and apply for these post-MSW fellowships if you graduate from any MSW program in the United States that is accredited by the CSWE and have fieldwork experience and enrolled in the specific coursework the fellowship required. NYU's location is superb since it's in Greenwich Village. 
For example, Berkeley's Post-MSW Fellowship in Clinical Social Work states the following:
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must have a master's degree in social work from an accredited training institution. All applicants must have graduated by July 25, 2016. Course work must include personality development, psychopathology, and theories and techniques of psychotherapy. Applicants must have two years of supervised clinical experience as part of their master's training. Candidates with a demonstrated interest in working with multicultural populations are preferred.
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/joinourteam/cps/mswintern/training1.shtml
Just one thing to note, fieldwork is the cornerstone of MSW programs, so this aspect of our education is extremely important to note. Some folks think that by attending a private or prestigious schools they have better access to fieldwork placements. I've had friends who are attending/who have attended NYU, Hunter and Fordham and they have completed their fieldwork at similar places (obviously, this is purely anecdotal, but I've had plenty of people attest to this). 
I think the best thing for you is to do your due diligence, visit the schools, attend an Open House or similar event, contact current students with questions and peruse the website heavily (look at the curriculum, electives offered, focus and mission of the school, etc.) and ask yourself the following questions:
1) How large/small are classes? What is the average class size? Do you prefer larger or smaller class sizes? Do you enjoy a smaller cohort or larger cohort?
2) Where do I want to practice after I graduate? Do you want to stay in the state you attended your MSW for or do you want to move? There can be lots of issues with licensing and rolling over hours if you decide to move to a notoriously difficult state to do so (i.e.: California).
3) What sorts of scholarships are available? Is this merit, need or a mixture of both? Look at the school's endowment to see if they are able to offer substantial awards (schools with endowments over $1 billion tend to be more generous with funding). I applied to over five schools and not surprisingly, private schools with endowments over $1 billion gave me very generous merit and need based scholarships (one offered me a 2/3 tuition scholarship). After securing a GA or RA position, the private school would only cost me about $9K per year in tuition and expenses, which is about $4K cheaper than my state school I applied to.  As a second year student, can you secure a GA or RA to pay for your entire or partial tuition at NYU or Fordham? How competitive are these assistantships?
4) What sorts of field placements are available? Do these field placements line up with what you want to do as a social worker and your areas of interest?
5) How many students find a job within 6 months (within 12 months) post graduation?
6) How large is the alumni network? Are there career services for alumni?
7) What is the average salary of an MSW graduate down the time line (1st year, 5 years, 10 years)?
8) What sorts of electives and classes are offered? If you are interested in getting your LCSW and already know you want to specialize in a specific sort of model of therapy (i.e.: CBT), look to see if CBT is offered.
9) What are current faculty conducting researching on? Are there are specializations or concentrations or areas you are particularly interested in? 
10) Lastly, finances. How much do you want to take out in loans? Will you be happy with your quality of life if you accrue over $80K in debt and make $45K your first year post graduation? Do you have hefty loans from undergrad? Make sure to use the following link below to estimate your monthly loan payments and how much your initial loan will result in due to interest charges. For example, a $60,000 loan with an average interest rate of 6.8% with a term of 10 years ends up becoming over $82K. Your total interested paid will be in excess of $22K. Nearly all of us in MSW programs will take our loans and accrue debt, but it's especially important to educate ourselves of the reality of repaying back these loans once we graduate. Luckily, there are plenty of resources and programs offered for social workers in assisting us in this process. However, we shouldn't rely on these resources solely to help us. As social workers, we advocate for others, but we must also learn to advocate for ourselves and educate ourselves. Let's be honest. Debt can be crippling and can vastly affect one's quality of life. 
http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml
http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/091514p14.shtml
http://socialwork.nyu.edu/alumni/career-licensing-resources/loan-forgiveness.html
Here's a really great thread from 2012 comparing the five big MSW programs in NYC (Fordham, Hunter, NYU,  Yeshiva and Columbia):
I wish you the best of luck in selecting a program that fits your needs and wants!

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 Therapy
19:910:550 Play Therapy
http://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
 

MSW admissions are very odd, obscure and totally random at times (like other Masters programs). Some programs heavily value certain criteria/traits while others consider it, but it is not mandatory. I tend to believe private schools are more liberal in accepting students with lower GPAs due to a lower yield while public universities are more competitive due to the lower tuition. 
Our trajectories and undergrad history are very similar. I graduated from undergrad with a 2.7 GPA about 8 years ago due to personal problems and lack of focus and ambition during school. When I decided I wanted to go back to graduate school (I was considering a MFT and MA in Counseling before settling on the MSW), I knew I needed to take classes post-graduation in order to not only strengthen my application in order to be admitted, but to receive scholarships/funding as MSW programs are extremely expensive with a relatively low ROI. I later took post-bacc classes (about two per semester including summer) at my local university at night/on the weekends for about 2 years while working full time and also volunteering in the human services realm and now have a 4.0 at this school. I also have about four years of volunteer experience in the human services field at this point which I think helped my application tremendously.
Last application cycle (Fall 2015), I applied to three schools (UPenn, CUNY Hunter, NYU) just to see if I could get into them and what the process entailed. I got into Penn and NYU (though rejected from Hunter) with very little funding ($4-6K) and I decided not to attend since I would be well over $120K in debt with tuition and living expenses. Moreover, at this time, I had my heart set on becoming a clinical social worker. I wasn’t surprised by the Hunter rejection because they receive over 1,000 applications and the tuition is relatively affordable and is well known and respected in the NYC area. Through perusing past topics on this forum, I’ve read similar stories where students are accepted at USC, but rejected at a state school like SFSU or SDSU. 
This application cycle, I decided to switch from clinical social work to macro social work and applied to over seven schools and received an acceptance from five (UChicago, Boston College, UW-Seattle, Columbia; all four gave me funding/scholarships ranging from $10-28K, the fifth was a SUNY offering no funding) and one rejection (UMichigan). Ironically, the private schools I applied to will be slightly cheaper than the state school I applied to ($7K/year vs $14K/year) since the private schools offered me a hefty scholarship/funding package. Schools with larger endowments tend to be generous with merit/need based funding.
So it’s definitely possible. I would say the most important thing is to show the committee you are not the result of your low GPA. You can do this in several ways. Firstly, you should mention it in your essay (why, what happened, why it won’t happen again and how you are a capable student).  Secondly, make sure your letters of recommendation can attest to your intellectual curiosity and caliber as as student. Thirdly, some argue that taking the GRE can strengthen your application. Again, I think this also varies among schools. At UW-Seattle and UChicago, staff members at the Admissions Office told me taking the GRE wouldn’t benefit me or hurt me in any manner and for me not to waste time and money on it. However, schools like Boston College and Boston University state on their website that taking the GMAT/GRE can strengthen your application if you have a GPA lower than 3.0. I took the GRE and did relatively well on the Verbal and Writing sections, but mediocre on the Math portion.
Good luck to you!

That makes sense. Honestly, if Michigan admitted me with a scholarship, I would have attended because, like you, my program was so tailored to what I wanted to do (Global Social Work). But coulda, woulda, shoulda. We are in great positions and I'm sure we will do fabulous things in the future. Good luck at UM!

Congrats on making a decision! I'm glad you petitioned and they gave you some more funds. I'm still a little sad I couldn't attend Columbia due to finances, but life moves on! Best of luck to you in your studies!

Best of luck to you! I think the average fund increase has been around $2K for most students, but I hope you get more and also apply for external funding as well. 
I have to say that Columbia's Admissions Office has been the most warm, receptive and welcoming out of all the schools I applied to (besides possibly UChicago). They followed up with an email after I declined my acceptance and prior to that, I also had a current graduate student call me to remind me about the mandatory Orientation date in August and if she could answer any questions for me, I could call her back (she left a voicemail since I didn't pick up). When I sent an email or called the Office, they were really patient and seemed to care about their students. 

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

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!

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.

Congratulations on your acceptance! Choosing a school is ultimately a very personal decision depending on a variety of factors. If you want to be a clinical social worker, note that the curriculum for MSW programs are streamlined and very similar to one another since they are all accredited by CSWE. However, there are differences between these schools as well ranging from price, location, overall arching focus and research areas of specializations. Fit is extremely important as is cost and location. What one student values, another may not see any value in it all. 
I applied to Hunter, but not NYU since I am interested in macro social work. I know Hunter offers scholarships, but they are quite limited compared to other schools. As an in-state resident, I expect to take out loans to fund my first year and applying for external funding to pay for my second year. I considered applying to Fordham because of its research focus and social justice focus, but the price tag deterred me and they seem to be very paltry in their funding (I've heard of students being offered a measly $2-5K a year in scholarship assistance).  
Fordham is a Jesuit school and is very focused on social justice and assisting those at the margins. There's also the option of three campuses and the College is very flexible in meeting the needs of its students. It's also a generalist program offering both clinical and macro courses. Fordham's main campus is on the Upper West Side which is nice, but also has two other locations (Westchester and Long Island) as well as an mixture (hybrid) component. 
Hunter is New York City's oldest public graduate program in social work and as such, makes it a priority to focus on the New York community by making education affordable so students can ultimately become agents of change in NYC. Hunter is also very focused on topics surrounding social justice, diversity and various isms and is very involved in local politics and government. I'm very interested in community organization and am very interested in social justice so Hunter's program is a nearly perfect fit for me. Hunter's location is in East Harlem, which some find unsavory (mostly out of state folks), but I have no problem with it and feel comfortable and safe.
On the other end, NYU's curriculum is very clinically focused. If you plan on applying to post-MSW clinical fellowships to accrue your hours for your LCSW and garner experience, many of them require certain courses in psychopathology and theories and techniques of psychotherapy which NYU has.However, you can certainly excel and apply for these post-MSW fellowships if you graduate from any MSW program in the United States that is accredited by the CSWE and have fieldwork experience and enrolled in the specific coursework the fellowship required. NYU's location is superb since it's in Greenwich Village. 
For example, Berkeley's Post-MSW Fellowship in Clinical Social Work states the following:
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must have a master's degree in social work from an accredited training institution. All applicants must have graduated by July 25, 2016. Course work must include personality development, psychopathology, and theories and techniques of psychotherapy. Applicants must have two years of supervised clinical experience as part of their master's training. Candidates with a demonstrated interest in working with multicultural populations are preferred.
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/joinourteam/cps/mswintern/training1.shtml
Just one thing to note, fieldwork is the cornerstone of MSW programs, so this aspect of our education is extremely important to note. Some folks think that by attending a private or prestigious schools they have better access to fieldwork placements. I've had friends who are attending/who have attended NYU, Hunter and Fordham and they have completed their fieldwork at similar places (obviously, this is purely anecdotal, but I've had plenty of people attest to this). 
I think the best thing for you is to do your due diligence, visit the schools, attend an Open House or similar event, contact current students with questions and peruse the website heavily (look at the curriculum, electives offered, focus and mission of the school, etc.) and ask yourself the following questions:
1) How large/small are classes? What is the average class size? Do you prefer larger or smaller class sizes? Do you enjoy a smaller cohort or larger cohort?
2) Where do I want to practice after I graduate? Do you want to stay in the state you attended your MSW for or do you want to move? There can be lots of issues with licensing and rolling over hours if you decide to move to a notoriously difficult state to do so (i.e.: California).
3) What sorts of scholarships are available? Is this merit, need or a mixture of both? Look at the school's endowment to see if they are able to offer substantial awards (schools with endowments over $1 billion tend to be more generous with funding). I applied to over five schools and not surprisingly, private schools with endowments over $1 billion gave me very generous merit and need based scholarships (one offered me a 2/3 tuition scholarship). After securing a GA or RA position, the private school would only cost me about $9K per year in tuition and expenses, which is about $4K cheaper than my state school I applied to.  As a second year student, can you secure a GA or RA to pay for your entire or partial tuition at NYU or Fordham? How competitive are these assistantships?
4) What sorts of field placements are available? Do these field placements line up with what you want to do as a social worker and your areas of interest?
5) How many students find a job within 6 months (within 12 months) post graduation?
6) How large is the alumni network? Are there career services for alumni?
7) What is the average salary of an MSW graduate down the time line (1st year, 5 years, 10 years)?
8) What sorts of electives and classes are offered? If you are interested in getting your LCSW and already know you want to specialize in a specific sort of model of therapy (i.e.: CBT), look to see if CBT is offered.
9) What are current faculty conducting researching on? Are there are specializations or concentrations or areas you are particularly interested in? 
10) Lastly, finances. How much do you want to take out in loans? Will you be happy with your quality of life if you accrue over $80K in debt and make $45K your first year post graduation? Do you have hefty loans from undergrad? Make sure to use the following link below to estimate your monthly loan payments and how much your initial loan will result in due to interest charges. For example, a $60,000 loan with an average interest rate of 6.8% with a term of 10 years ends up becoming over $82K. Your total interested paid will be in excess of $22K. Nearly all of us in MSW programs will take our loans and accrue debt, but it's especially important to educate ourselves of the reality of repaying back these loans once we graduate. Luckily, there are plenty of resources and programs offered for social workers in assisting us in this process. However, we shouldn't rely on these resources solely to help us. As social workers, we advocate for others, but we must also learn to advocate for ourselves and educate ourselves. Let's be honest. Debt can be crippling and can vastly affect one's quality of life. 
http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml
http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/091514p14.shtml
http://socialwork.nyu.edu/alumni/career-licensing-resources/loan-forgiveness.html
Here's a really great thread from 2012 comparing the five big MSW programs in NYC (Fordham, Hunter, NYU,  Yeshiva and Columbia):
I wish you the best of luck in selecting a program that fits your needs and wants!

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!

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.

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!

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!

LOL. Okay, I just saw that. I should't have skimmed through the acceptance letter. Yikes! Thanks and congrats!

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

Congratulations on your acceptance! Choosing a school is ultimately a very personal decision depending on a variety of factors. If you want to be a clinical social worker, note that the curriculum for MSW programs are streamlined and very similar to one another since they are all accredited by CSWE. However, there are differences between these schools as well ranging from price, location, overall arching focus and research areas of specializations. Fit is extremely important as is cost and location. What one student values, another may not see any value in it all. 
I applied to Hunter, but not NYU since I am interested in macro social work. I know Hunter offers scholarships, but they are quite limited compared to other schools. As an in-state resident, I expect to take out loans to fund my first year and applying for external funding to pay for my second year. I considered applying to Fordham because of its research focus and social justice focus, but the price tag deterred me and they seem to be very paltry in their funding (I've heard of students being offered a measly $2-5K a year in scholarship assistance).  
Fordham is a Jesuit school and is very focused on social justice and assisting those at the margins. There's also the option of three campuses and the College is very flexible in meeting the needs of its students. It's also a generalist program offering both clinical and macro courses. Fordham's main campus is on the Upper West Side which is nice, but also has two other locations (Westchester and Long Island) as well as an mixture (hybrid) component. 
Hunter is New York City's oldest public graduate program in social work and as such, makes it a priority to focus on the New York community by making education affordable so students can ultimately become agents of change in NYC. Hunter is also very focused on topics surrounding social justice, diversity and various isms and is very involved in local politics and government. I'm very interested in community organization and am very interested in social justice so Hunter's program is a nearly perfect fit for me. Hunter's location is in East Harlem, which some find unsavory (mostly out of state folks), but I have no problem with it and feel comfortable and safe.
On the other end, NYU's curriculum is very clinically focused. If you plan on applying to post-MSW clinical fellowships to accrue your hours for your LCSW and garner experience, many of them require certain courses in psychopathology and theories and techniques of psychotherapy which NYU has.However, you can certainly excel and apply for these post-MSW fellowships if you graduate from any MSW program in the United States that is accredited by the CSWE and have fieldwork experience and enrolled in the specific coursework the fellowship required. NYU's location is superb since it's in Greenwich Village. 
For example, Berkeley's Post-MSW Fellowship in Clinical Social Work states the following:
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must have a master's degree in social work from an accredited training institution. All applicants must have graduated by July 25, 2016. Course work must include personality development, psychopathology, and theories and techniques of psychotherapy. Applicants must have two years of supervised clinical experience as part of their master's training. Candidates with a demonstrated interest in working with multicultural populations are preferred.
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/joinourteam/cps/mswintern/training1.shtml
Just one thing to note, fieldwork is the cornerstone of MSW programs, so this aspect of our education is extremely important to note. Some folks think that by attending a private or prestigious schools they have better access to fieldwork placements. I've had friends who are attending/who have attended NYU, Hunter and Fordham and they have completed their fieldwork at similar places (obviously, this is purely anecdotal, but I've had plenty of people attest to this). 
I think the best thing for you is to do your due diligence, visit the schools, attend an Open House or similar event, contact current students with questions and peruse the website heavily (look at the curriculum, electives offered, focus and mission of the school, etc.) and ask yourself the following questions:
1) How large/small are classes? What is the average class size? Do you prefer larger or smaller class sizes? Do you enjoy a smaller cohort or larger cohort?
2) Where do I want to practice after I graduate? Do you want to stay in the state you attended your MSW for or do you want to move? There can be lots of issues with licensing and rolling over hours if you decide to move to a notoriously difficult state to do so (i.e.: California).
3) What sorts of scholarships are available? Is this merit, need or a mixture of both? Look at the school's endowment to see if they are able to offer substantial awards (schools with endowments over $1 billion tend to be more generous with funding). I applied to over five schools and not surprisingly, private schools with endowments over $1 billion gave me very generous merit and need based scholarships (one offered me a 2/3 tuition scholarship). After securing a GA or RA position, the private school would only cost me about $9K per year in tuition and expenses, which is about $4K cheaper than my state school I applied to.  As a second year student, can you secure a GA or RA to pay for your entire or partial tuition at NYU or Fordham? How competitive are these assistantships?
4) What sorts of field placements are available? Do these field placements line up with what you want to do as a social worker and your areas of interest?
5) How many students find a job within 6 months (within 12 months) post graduation?
6) How large is the alumni network? Are there career services for alumni?
7) What is the average salary of an MSW graduate down the time line (1st year, 5 years, 10 years)?
8) What sorts of electives and classes are offered? If you are interested in getting your LCSW and already know you want to specialize in a specific sort of model of therapy (i.e.: CBT), look to see if CBT is offered.
9) What are current faculty conducting researching on? Are there are specializations or concentrations or areas you are particularly interested in? 
10) Lastly, finances. How much do you want to take out in loans? Will you be happy with your quality of life if you accrue over $80K in debt and make $45K your first year post graduation? Do you have hefty loans from undergrad? Make sure to use the following link below to estimate your monthly loan payments and how much your initial loan will result in due to interest charges. For example, a $60,000 loan with an average interest rate of 6.8% with a term of 10 years ends up becoming over $82K. Your total interested paid will be in excess of $22K. Nearly all of us in MSW programs will take our loans and accrue debt, but it's especially important to educate ourselves of the reality of repaying back these loans once we graduate. Luckily, there are plenty of resources and programs offered for social workers in assisting us in this process. However, we shouldn't rely on these resources solely to help us. As social workers, we advocate for others, but we must also learn to advocate for ourselves and educate ourselves. Let's be honest. Debt can be crippling and can vastly affect one's quality of life. 
http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml
http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/091514p14.shtml
http://socialwork.nyu.edu/alumni/career-licensing-resources/loan-forgiveness.html
Here's a really great thread from 2012 comparing the five big MSW programs in NYC (Fordham, Hunter, NYU,  Yeshiva and Columbia):
I wish you the best of luck in selecting a program that fits your needs and wants!

Congratulations on your acceptance! Choosing a school is ultimately a very personal decision depending on a variety of factors. If you want to be a clinical social worker, note that the curriculum for MSW programs are streamlined and very similar to one another since they are all accredited by CSWE. However, there are differences between these schools as well ranging from price, location, overall arching focus and research areas of specializations. Fit is extremely important as is cost and location. What one student values, another may not see any value in it all. 
I applied to Hunter, but not NYU since I am interested in macro social work. I know Hunter offers scholarships, but they are quite limited compared to other schools. As an in-state resident, I expect to take out loans to fund my first year and applying for external funding to pay for my second year. I considered applying to Fordham because of its research focus and social justice focus, but the price tag deterred me and they seem to be very paltry in their funding (I've heard of students being offered a measly $2-5K a year in scholarship assistance).  
Fordham is a Jesuit school and is very focused on social justice and assisting those at the margins. There's also the option of three campuses and the College is very flexible in meeting the needs of its students. It's also a generalist program offering both clinical and macro courses. Fordham's main campus is on the Upper West Side which is nice, but also has two other locations (Westchester and Long Island) as well as an mixture (hybrid) component. 
Hunter is New York City's oldest public graduate program in social work and as such, makes it a priority to focus on the New York community by making education affordable so students can ultimately become agents of change in NYC. Hunter is also very focused on topics surrounding social justice, diversity and various isms and is very involved in local politics and government. I'm very interested in community organization and am very interested in social justice so Hunter's program is a nearly perfect fit for me. Hunter's location is in East Harlem, which some find unsavory (mostly out of state folks), but I have no problem with it and feel comfortable and safe.
On the other end, NYU's curriculum is very clinically focused. If you plan on applying to post-MSW clinical fellowships to accrue your hours for your LCSW and garner experience, many of them require certain courses in psychopathology and theories and techniques of psychotherapy which NYU has.However, you can certainly excel and apply for these post-MSW fellowships if you graduate from any MSW program in the United States that is accredited by the CSWE and have fieldwork experience and enrolled in the specific coursework the fellowship required. NYU's location is superb since it's in Greenwich Village. 
For example, Berkeley's Post-MSW Fellowship in Clinical Social Work states the following:
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must have a master's degree in social work from an accredited training institution. All applicants must have graduated by July 25, 2016. Course work must include personality development, psychopathology, and theories and techniques of psychotherapy. Applicants must have two years of supervised clinical experience as part of their master's training. Candidates with a demonstrated interest in working with multicultural populations are preferred.
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/joinourteam/cps/mswintern/training1.shtml
Just one thing to note, fieldwork is the cornerstone of MSW programs, so this aspect of our education is extremely important to note. Some folks think that by attending a private or prestigious schools they have better access to fieldwork placements. I've had friends who are attending/who have attended NYU, Hunter and Fordham and they have completed their fieldwork at similar places (obviously, this is purely anecdotal, but I've had plenty of people attest to this). 
I think the best thing for you is to do your due diligence, visit the schools, attend an Open House or similar event, contact current students with questions and peruse the website heavily (look at the curriculum, electives offered, focus and mission of the school, etc.) and ask yourself the following questions:
1) How large/small are classes? What is the average class size? Do you prefer larger or smaller class sizes? Do you enjoy a smaller cohort or larger cohort?
2) Where do I want to practice after I graduate? Do you want to stay in the state you attended your MSW for or do you want to move? There can be lots of issues with licensing and rolling over hours if you decide to move to a notoriously difficult state to do so (i.e.: California).
3) What sorts of scholarships are available? Is this merit, need or a mixture of both? Look at the school's endowment to see if they are able to offer substantial awards (schools with endowments over $1 billion tend to be more generous with funding). I applied to over five schools and not surprisingly, private schools with endowments over $1 billion gave me very generous merit and need based scholarships (one offered me a 2/3 tuition scholarship). After securing a GA or RA position, the private school would only cost me about $9K per year in tuition and expenses, which is about $4K cheaper than my state school I applied to.  As a second year student, can you secure a GA or RA to pay for your entire or partial tuition at NYU or Fordham? How competitive are these assistantships?
4) What sorts of field placements are available? Do these field placements line up with what you want to do as a social worker and your areas of interest?
5) How many students find a job within 6 months (within 12 months) post graduation?
6) How large is the alumni network? Are there career services for alumni?
7) What is the average salary of an MSW graduate down the time line (1st year, 5 years, 10 years)?
8) What sorts of electives and classes are offered? If you are interested in getting your LCSW and already know you want to specialize in a specific sort of model of therapy (i.e.: CBT), look to see if CBT is offered.
9) What are current faculty conducting researching on? Are there are specializations or concentrations or areas you are particularly interested in? 
10) Lastly, finances. How much do you want to take out in loans? Will you be happy with your quality of life if you accrue over $80K in debt and make $45K your first year post graduation? Do you have hefty loans from undergrad? Make sure to use the following link below to estimate your monthly loan payments and how much your initial loan will result in due to interest charges. For example, a $60,000 loan with an average interest rate of 6.8% with a term of 10 years ends up becoming over $82K. Your total interested paid will be in excess of $22K. Nearly all of us in MSW programs will take our loans and accrue debt, but it's especially important to educate ourselves of the reality of repaying back these loans once we graduate. Luckily, there are plenty of resources and programs offered for social workers in assisting us in this process. However, we shouldn't rely on these resources solely to help us. As social workers, we advocate for others, but we must also learn to advocate for ourselves and educate ourselves. Let's be honest. Debt can be crippling and can vastly affect one's quality of life. 
http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml
http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/091514p14.shtml
http://socialwork.nyu.edu/alumni/career-licensing-resources/loan-forgiveness.html
Here's a really great thread from 2012 comparing the five big MSW programs in NYC (Fordham, Hunter, NYU,  Yeshiva and Columbia):
I wish you the best of luck in selecting a program that fits your needs and wants!

Per NYU's website:
Based on the above tuition figures, here are the projected total charges in tuition and fees for a typical student enrolled for the fall/spring academic year:
Full-Time course load totals for academic year 2015-2016: 
Advanced Standing:
$40,072 based on 32 points total – 16 points Fall ($20,036) and 16 points Spring ($20,036)
Two-Year Program:
$41,299 based on 33 points total – 17 points Fall ($21,263) and 16 points Spring ($20,036)
http://socialwork.nyu.edu/admissions/msw/tuition-fees.html
 
 
The cost of living in New York City is among the highest and most expensive in the States. NYU does have graduate student housing, but I think it's quite limited:
https://www.nyu.edu/life/living-at-nyu.html
The cheapest rate I found for on-campus housing at NYU for the 2015-16 academic year was a shared room (that is, you share a room with another student) for $9,190.00 a year. For a single private room in a shared suite/apartment, the cheapest I found was  $11,056.00. Lastly, the cheapest private studio/apartment was priced at  $16,912.00.
https://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/resLifeHousServ/documents/ApplicationsandAssignments/2015-2016AYRates.pdf
Compare this information with Columbia University's proposed living expenses for 2015-16 via their website:
Living Expenses for 2015–16
The following table lists estimated living expenses based upon reasonable expenditures over a nine month period. To determine a more realistic cost of living, however, you will need to adjust these figures to account for the personal expenses particular to your lifestyle.
TUITION AND FEES PER ANNUM     Room & Board (rent, utilities, food, etc.) $19,350*   Books $1,200   Transportation $1,170*   Personal $3,510*   TOTAL
$25,230 http://socialwork.columbia.edu/student-resources/cost-attendance
Essentially, room and board can vary from $12,000 to $20,000 annually depending on your level of comfort (size, privacy, location). You have to figure out if you are willing to spend more money living next to NYU, but sacrifice space and privacy. You will have roommates if you live in Greenwich Village or the surrounding areas (Lower East Side, East Village, NoHo) because of the astronomical prices for a studio (priced at anywhere ranging from $1,600-$2,100 a month). If you are wiling to live in Northern Manhattan (Harlem, Inwood, Washington Heights), your commute will be longer than 40 minutes one way, but you will have more space. You can also look at Brooklyn as well since NYU is in downtown Manhattan.
Lastly, here's a great website you can use to gauge the overall cost of living (COL) in NYC and also use it to compare the COL to another city as a benchmark:
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=United+States&city=New+York%2C+NY
 
Good luck!

Congratulations! Choosing a school is ultimately a very personal decision based on a variety of factors. I hope you find the one that suits you the best. That's really great. If I had family in NYC, I would live with them in a heartbeat to avoid taking out an extra $20K in living expenses and fees! What is your top choice?
Fordham, NYU, Columbia, Yeshiva and Hunter are all great schools. It's good to remind yourself that if you plan on becoming a clinical social worker, the curriculum for MSW programs are streamlined and very similar to one another since they are all accredited by CSWE. However, there are differences between these schools as well ranging from price, location, overall arching focus and research areas of specializations. 
Fordham is a Jesuit school and it's very focused on social justice and assisting those at the margins. There's also the option of three campuses and the College is very flexible in meeting the needs of its students. It's also a generalist program offering both clinical and macro courses. I considered applying to Fordham because of its research focus, but the price tag deterred me. Hunter is New York City's oldest public graduate program in social work and as such, makes it a priority to focus on the New York community by making education affordable so students can ultimately become agents of change in NYC. Hunter is also very focused on topics surrounding social justice, diversity and various isms and is very involved in local politics and government. I do agree that Hunter's lack of immediacy in terms regarding education can be frustrating, but I'm okay with that and advocating for myself. Columbia has name recognition, a vast alumni network (over 20,000), tons of specializations and concentrations and tends to be a bit more macro/generalist in its program based on my experience with their open house and perusing their website. If it wasn't for the price tag, this would be my top choice since I am interested in macro social work and would like to segue into other realms outside of social work such as policy. On the other end, NYU's curriculum has a very clinical focus. If you plan on applying to post-MSW clinical fellowships to accrue your hours for your LCSW and garner experience, many of them require certain courses in psychopathology and theories and techniques of psychotherapy which NYU has. However, you can certainly excel and apply for these post-MSW fellowships if you graduate from any MSW program in the United States that is accredited by the CSWE and have fieldwork experience in whatever it is the fellowship requires. I don't know much about Yeshiva though, but I have a friend who is in their PsyD program and really enjoys it.
Lastly, it is important to note that fieldwork is an important part of an MSW program (this is, after all where we learn the foundation of social work and translate theory into practice) and a few of my friends have/are attending these programs and many of these programs offer the same field placements. 
 

From what I've heard, you probably won't know you've gotten a GA until you've already committed, might not even be until this summer. So that's annoying. However, there are a variety of positions available. I know of GAs at the Women's Resource Center, Montserrat Coalition (organization for low income students), and BC Neighborhood Center. I'm sure there are more. I'm not sure how competitive they are, but the sooner you contact them, the better (I'm sure). 

The following link below is a great resource to your question regarding what types of students enroll in an MSW from the Council on Social Work Education's 2013 survey on social work education in the states:
http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id=74478
Begin on page 29 which highlights Masters programs in social work.
"Enrollment
There were 35,178 full-time students enrolled as of fall 2013 in the 213 programs that provided this information, with an average of 165.2 students per program. Overall, full-time master’s students were predominantly female and under 34 years of age. There were 35.1% (n=12,355) full-time students from historically underrepresented groups and 2.0% (n=694) full-time foreign students (no resident visa)."

Hello!

I know this topic is a few months old but I wanted to jump in. If you are considering MACRO social work I would advise against UT Austin. I am currently in my first year in the CAL concentration, their MACRO focus. I started full time and dropped down to part time once I realized something wasn't right and I was questioning whether or not I chose the right school. UT is a clinical school. The MACRO program is struggling in the shadow of the LBJ School of Public Policy. They do a lot of what he MACRO program wants to do and I think it is suffering from an identity crisis. Really to get what you need out of this degree at UT you almost have to do a dual degree program. Austin is a fantastic city but the MACRO program at UT isn't so great. I would recommend looking elsewhere. I am transferring to the University of Michigan Fall of 2013.

Matt