G-MSW

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input and opinions on the subject. After reading through everything, I decided to base my choice on what I felt would be most beneficial to me as a student and future professional. I appreciate everyone's thoughts on financial aid being a huge part of the decision making process, huge debt can be crippling. However, I agree with @The Nerd that my education is the greatest investment I can make and I believe it is worth it. With that being said, I made my decision based solely on my happiness and ultimately what I found to be the best fit after visiting both campuses. Columbia seems to be a fantastic program with great faculty and networking opportunities. I was even able to ask current students if they thought the price was worth their education and they answered honestly that the Ivy League name has opened doors that may not have been opened if it wasn't for the brand. I met lovely prospective students who were all having the same dilemma I was--choosing between 2 amazing programs and everyone was leaning towards Columbia. I have to say I also was at first, however I knew deep down that I could not see myself attending this wonderful institution. I realized I was convincing myself that I should want to go to Columbia because (like everyone around me said) "It's Columbia!" After visiting Rutgers, I knew as I walked around the campus and talked with a current first year student that this was where I wanted to spend the next 2 years getting my MSW. I was excited hearing about the research opportunities as well graduate assistantships available. Not to mention the field placement opportunities for my second year while getting my VAWC certificate. At the end of the day, it seems that the $20,000+ I'll be saving (after an eye opening financial aid session at Columbia that revealed my work study actually couldn't go towards tuition) is just an added bonus on top of going to my preferred program. All of this to say, my advice to anyone making this stressful and difficult decision--do not make your decision based on the opinion of others! Do what is best for YOU because you will be the one attending the program after all. If an Ivy league happens to have the program and campus that is the best fit for you, go for it. Don't let others believing you are making a "foolish" decision stop you or discourage you from attending. I would have made that choice if it had worked out that way for me. People invest in houses and cars all the time, your education will dictate what you do for the rest of your life and in my opinion, is worth every penny. Conversely, if everyone around you feels you should just go to the Ivy League because of the name and prestige but you feel that a state school or not as widely recognized school is the better fit for you, do what you gotta do and screw what anyone else says. Your happiness and education is worth more than the fleeting opinion of others.

Thanks for your input!

Hey everyone, I wanted to start this thread because I haven't really seen much talk about people's experiences with the Rutgers MSW program. I am stuck between these 2 schools, both of which have great programs, but one is MUCH cheaper than the other. What are your opinions about going to an Ivy League school (& paying for the Ivy League name) for an MSW? Is it worth it to be (in my particular case) about $16,000 more in debt for Columbia than going to my state school of Rutgers with a great program? If anyone has experience going to school in the city, it would be nice to hear what that's like, especially since I currently go to school in New Jersey. If anyone currently goes to Rutgers, what is your experience like? Just for some background info, I am aiming to do the clinical route and would like to be an LCSW eventually. Thanks so much for any info/opinions/thoughts you may have, this decision is tough and I flip flop back and forth about which program I should choose!

Thank you! I'm glad I could help. I applied to the clinical practice method. I believe the rest of the group was applying for the same.

Thanks so much! The interview process was not as stressful as you would think, I was the first to arrive and the girl at the front desk (she was a student enrolled in the one year program) was extremely welcoming and friendly which definitely helped me relax. There were 4 other people in my group which made it easy to take turns when answering the questions. It was very conversational and the interviewer was extremely laid back and kept it real with us. At first, you start by first introducing yourself and elaborating on your experience, she told us right off the bat that she wasn't interested in our personal experiences so I would recommend focusing on your professional/academic experiences when answering the questions. The most important questions were "What would you do" sort of questions like "If you worked at a shelter and an intense storm hits, and a homeless person wants to come in but you were already to full capacity, would you let him in?" She also asked about social identity and why you chose to be social worker. My biggest tip would be to be yourself, I think the interviewer appreciated my honest answers in addition to the way I was able to relate it back to my professional experiences. Don't be afraid to answer first! I would recommend jumping in there and being one of the first to answer questions (of course without cutting anyone off) in a respectful way, this is important to show you're able to carry a discussion in a productive way. Plus, if you always answer last, chances are everything you wanted to say has already been said. Also, keep eye contact not only with the interviewer but also the group, it just makes everyone else feel included (it is a group interview after all). The writing portion was the last thing we did, they give you an article to read and respond to. I wouldn't worry too much about this, I'm pretty sure they just want to see that you can write coherently and answer the question. They only ask for 2 paragraphs so just stick to the main points and you should be good! I hope this was helpful!

Hi everyone! Just made an account to give you an update on Hunter: I applied 2/5 and received an interview invitation on 2/19. I attended the group interview on 2/26 and just heard back with an acceptance yesterday, 3/1. I hope this gives you some idea on how fast they review the information after you receive the interview invitation, I chose the earliest possible date I could attend in hopes that I would hear back sooner. Good luck to everyone! i know how difficult it is to just wait around for a response.