BrendonSW
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Posts posted by BrendonSW
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On 3/28/2020 at 4:23 PM, ebjc87 said:
I applied as well. Interviewed beginning of February. I contacted then beginning of March as I received an acceptance from another school and wanted to understand their notification date. I am told the admissions committee is meeting 4/13
Wow, this is really close to the 4/15 deadline. Most schools want responses by then. I’m wondering if programs are extending this deadline due to covid-19?
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7 hours ago, PsycAdvocate said:
Wonderful, congratulations!!! Mind if I PM you?
Not at all! ?
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8 hours ago, dani.ela said:
I got into Columbia yesterday-- they sent me an email telling me to check the application portal.
CONGRATS!
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4 hours ago, penguinqueen said:
Hi all!
Is anyone on this thread the one who posted on the results page? Just trying to get a sense of what other social science and how likely it is that I’ll hear, thanks!!
It wasn’t me! But I’m definitely curious about which social science it was. Fingers crossed it was one of you. ??
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I got accepted to the University of Denver yesterday! ? An official offer letter will be coming over the next couple of weeks. Hope others have received some news this week!
- Foctest and PsycAdvocate
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I called Michigan earlier today and was informed that most people will receive a response within the next 2 weeks. They said this was for all social sciences-- I specifically applied to the SW/Sociology program and they said they're aiming to get decisions out within the next week but no later than the next 2 weeks. The review process according to the person I talked to is (1) the SW review committee recommends you, (2) the social science dept. recommends you, and (3) the SW review committee finalizes decisions based on who was accepted to the SS programs. Not sure how accurate this is, but it's what I was told.
Also, congrats on your interview, @anelab! ?
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If you did not receive a decent financial aid package from U-Michigan, I highly recommend asking for a financial aid re-review. I got my MSW from UM and I was initially offered $3,000/semester. I could not justify attending, so I reached out to Tim Colenback to see if there was a way to receive more aid. He told me about a re-review process and sent me the details via email. I had to fill out a worksheet with my info and how much additional aid I needed, and I also had to submit an essay (around 5-6 pages, I believe). I applied for the re-review in April and heard back in late May or early June.
The re-review is kept very quiet. They don’t publicize it on their website which is a barrier for many folks and a form of gatekeeping. I highly recommend reaching out to Tim directly and inquiring about the re-review. I was able to receive around $7,000 more each semester than what I was initially awarded. No guarantees you’ll receive more aid, but it is worth a try. Many students will decline their offers which means more money will open up.
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I had my Zoom interview with the University of Denver this morning! The interview was 20 mins and more laid back than I anticipated. The committee was very kind, warm, and easy going. For anyone interviewing with them, they told me they admit on a rolling basis, meaning you could hear back a few days after your interview, a few weeks, or a couple of months. The Co-Associate Director of Doctoral Education said I/you can email him at anytime to get an update on the status of your application— he said they would be transparent about your status (accepted, rejected, undecided).
Now, I wait to hear back from them and U-Michigan!
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21 hours ago, 2020PhDMom said:
Does SSA not interview? All the other programs I applied to interview and have sent out notices for interviews so I was starting to believe that my chances at SSA were dashed.
Based on the info I gathered from the results page, they have not interviewed candidates in previous years. Most students who posted their results received their acceptance letters beginning-to-mid February. They either received an email or it was updated on the portal. I hope you hear back soon! ?
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8 hours ago, PsycAdvocate said:
Will be applying to DU and U & M PhD Social Work/Psychology program later this year.
Good luck with your interviews!
Thank you! Feel free to reach out to me if you want any support/guidance when you decide to apply. ?
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19 hours ago, habitualniki said:
Hi HannahJoy and Zayah,
That's actually not the whole story in regards to Ann Arbor. While it's true that Ann Arbor city proper is affluent and not very socioeconomically diverse, it borders Ypsilanti to the east, which is an incredible racially and socioeconomically diverse area. 30% of the residents in Ypsilanti live in poverty; 40% of those 18 and younger. The median family income is just shy of $36k. Ann Arbor is also only a 30 min drive east to Detroit, and just about everything off I-94 between Ypsilanti and Detroit is racially and socioeconomically diverse. Ann Arbor is a pocket of wealth, but it's closer to the exception in that area. Also, while Ann Arbor is reasonably populated, the city itself really isn't that big in terms of actual area, so you should expect to travel outside of Ann Arbor city proper for field placements, likely to places like Ypsilanti.
How do I know all of this? I'm from Ypsilanti and I lived in Ann Arbor for 5 years before moving to Chicago a decade ago. I'm starting the AM program at UChicago SSA starting in the fall. Just for some perspective, for the UChicago field placements, I'm expected to be able to travel anywhere within the entire 228 square miles of Chicago city proper plus 44 surrounding suburbs. Ann Arbor, by comparison, is only 28 square miles. Considering the nature of the work we hope to do as social workers, it seems unlikely that your field placements would stay within that 28 square miles when the true southeastern MI diversity is outside of it.
All of this is to say, don't discount UofM if you're into their program.
This is a great response! I'm from Nashville but moved to Ann Arbor for my MSW and lived there for 2 years. I lived in Ann Arbor for my first year and then in Ypsilanti for my second year. To add to your reply, many field placements end up in Detroit which is extremely diverse. Some field placements are also in Dearborn, which has a very large Arab population. Ann Arbor is a fairly affluent place but it does attract diversity in the study body.
I also want to say that if you move to the area and have a car, I recommend living in Ypsi. I live in Baltimore now, and I miss Ypsi a lot, even more than I miss Nashville. It's a special place with a lot of diversity and people who care. But yes, definitely echoing what @habitualniki said on this topic. ?
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24 minutes ago, LisaOh said:
For those of you that have been accepted, did that school do an admitted students day? Wisconsin is paying for me to go out there for theirs. I was just curious if this was typical.
MSU didn’t/hasn’t mentioned this. That’s pretty awesome of Wisconsin to pay you to go!
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24 minutes ago, LisaOh said:
Is your signature from the past? It says that you were accepted and going to UM.
I went to UM for my MSW. Since I’m on mobile, I can’t see my signature so I had no idea it was even there. ?
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18 minutes ago, sparrow123 said:
Honestly, the thing about asking people on here if your GRE scores are good enough is that literally no one can say anything for sure. We're not on any admissions committees. We can't see your application in its entirety. My impression is that schools (in Canada, at least) are starting to move away from using the GRE as any kind of be all, end all, but some schools probably really care. Anectodally, I know plenty of people in clinical psych programs who did poorly on the quantitative section. One of the smartest people I know who is incredibly productive and successful now scored at the 40th percentile. I know someone in a highly rated program whose quantitative score was at the 24th percentile. Her POI doesn't care about GRE scores and cared much more about her research experience, grades, and letters of recommendation.
^ Totally agree with everything said here!
Absolutely this!
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1 hour ago, Psychtime said:
Unfortunately, you are wrong about the GRE not mattering. In Psych, it is often used to screen people out to the sheer number of applicants and small amount of spots. Social Work is a completely different field. To be blunt, your GRE scores would not get you interviews in a clinical psych program. Your advice is well-intentioned, but misguided here. Many schools won't even look at scores below the 50th percentile and rarely accept people even that low. Look at the stats of accepted people in clinical. It's eye opening.
Hi there! I never said that the GRE doesn’t matter— I’m just saying that it is one aspect of your overall application. I actually have a friend who is in a clinical psych program (it is a top program) and their GRE scores would be considered below average. When applying to almost any program, you are evaluated as a package. Sure, a 140 quant score will likely rule you out from the beginning, but having a score a little below average likely will not. And you’re absolutely right, social work is a very different field, so my advice isn’t as accurate as someone in clinical psych. But I will still stand by the opinion that you are evaluated holistically and that a GRE score slightly below average typically will not get you rejected.
A 154 verbal score and a 161 quant score likely won’t get you ruled out of most programs @AMiche.
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Hey everyone! I just found this thread and figured I’d introduce myself— I also started a PhD social work thread a few months back, if any of you are interested in checking it out!
This is my first time applying to doctoral programs and I applied to three schools: Michigan State University (MSU), the University of Denver (DU), and the University of Michigan (UM) joint program in Social Work and Sociology. As of right now, I have been accepted at MSU and received an interview invitation at DU. My interview is next week (2/7) and I’m very nervous/excited! I haven’t heard from UM yet— I believe those decisions are usually released in mid-February.
I have an MSW from UM and almost 2 years of post-MSW experience. I currently work in research at Johns Hopkins and have spent much of my career doing political activism around LGBTQ+ rights. In a PhD program, I want to specifically focus my research on transgender and nonbinary health equity with a special emphasis on rural communities. I’m interested in working with trans people of all ages as well as those with multiple intersecting marginalized identities.
Additional stats: I have one publication that actually just got accepted 2 weeks ago (not first author), my GRE scores are 150 verbal, 140 quant, and 5 in writing, and my grad GPA was a 3.8. My stats are not the strongest, but I’ve really focused on my personal statement, research experience, and tried to find a strong faculty fit at each school I’ve applied to.
I’m excited to have found this thread and hope we all receive some good news in the near future!
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On 1/30/2020 at 9:56 AM, AMiche said:
I've already taken it four times. Twice five years ago so I waited and took it again twice this year. I studied for an entire year, went through all of the books, literally no progress. My scores are stuck at 154 verbal, 154/161 math and 5 writing. And my GPA is 3.62/4.0/4.0/3.9 (I took courses from four institutions to graduate early.
I’m new to this thread but I wanted to share some info that may be useful. I don’t think your GRE score or GPA are holding you back. In most cases, especially for social sciences, the more important aspects of your application are your personal statement, faculty fit, and potential as a researcher/scholar. Your letters of recommendation are also really important. Your GRE score is likely considered much less important than those things. Your GPA is solid.
The reason I say this is because I’ve also applied to PhD programs this cycle— all 3 are top 25 social work programs and this is my first time applying. I’ve received 1 acceptance, 1 interview invitation, and haven’t heard back from the other yet. I took the GRE once and my scores were 150 verbal, 140 quant, and 5 in writing. Yes, you read that correctly! I didn’t study much and put little stock into the GRE based on what my mentors said. I really think it comes down to the faculty fit and your personal statement.
I hope you hear back soon! Interviews are still happening and there are likely more invitations to be sent out. Fingers crossed!
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3 hours ago, Behaviorscience said:
Applied to Uchicago SSA and am going nuts waiting...
I hope you hear something soon! Based on past forums and the results page, U-Chicago typically releases acceptances around Feb. 6-10. The wait can be exhausting.
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I was accepted to Michigan State on Monday! An official offer letter will be coming mid-February, but it is 5 years of guaranteed funding, which is sweet!
I also received an interview invitation from the University of Denver on Monday. My interview is next Friday. Hope others are receiving some good news this week or in the near future!
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12 hours ago, AR93 said:
Hi All,
I recently got invited for interviews at WUSTL and NYU and I had an interview with BU last week! Still awaiting responses from Michigan and U of Chicago SSA.... Anyone else apply/hear from these schools?
Congrats on your interviews!
I applied to U-Michigan and haven’t heard back. Historically, decisions have been released between February 15th and 25th. Apparently it takes quite a bit longer because you have to go through multiple review committees since it’s a dual program.
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On 1/15/2020 at 10:19 PM, dani.ela said:
Hello! I received an interview offer for today for U of Wash for the following 4 Tuesdays. Hope this is helpful!
That's awesome! Congrats! Keep us updated. ?
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7 minutes ago, anelab said:
Dec. 1st.
At DU, I'd work with Jen Greenfield (and Kim Bender). Did you apply to work with Donny?
Nice! My first choice listed was Eugene Walls. I also mentioned Donny, Jen, and Kim! All four of these faculty seem super invested in LGBTQ+ health. I’m really drawn to Jen due to her political background— I’ve done a lot of activism and many universities condemn it. She really sold me on DU due to how the school has supported her in her political work.
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51 minutes ago, anelab said:
I've heard that DU is meeting next week. I love DU, it's a great school with fantastic scholars and support.
Good to know! I’m very nervous. I’ve been checking my email and the DU portal way too much. Did you apply before the December 1st deadline or the January 15th deadline? Also, who are you hoping to work with there?
Fall 2020 PhD!
in Social Workers Forum
Posted
I haven’t posted in awhile, but I accepted the offer at the University of Denver awhile back and will be heading to Colorado later this summer! ?