zachidacki

Check this website for scholarships for Scandinavia. Sweden is listed at the bottom. http://www.amscan.org/alternate.html

I'm not sure how much experience you already have, but it doesn't seem like a bad option at all. I would, however, urge you to only intern at places that you think are worthwhile for you and the community, not for your resume. Do something that will allow you to look back at it with positive thoughts, with real accomplishments under your belt (that mean something to you). I think a genuine experience will be much better, and that will come across in your SOP, LORs, and interviews. That being said, any work is good work at this point. Of course it will add to your resume. It seems like the question to ask is whether it adds anything special to you, or is it just another way to look better on paper.

This post is for all potential European Fulbrighters, and is something I wished I would have known before the process. Toward the middle of your grant, you will be notified of UNESCO Fulbright Fellowships. These fellowships are only for European Fulbright Grantees, and you typically need to speak French, but not always. The fellowships are for six months beginning the September after your Fulbright. So, if you have a Fulbright from Fall 2010 - Spring 2011, the UNESCO Fellowship would be from Fall 2011 - Winter 2012. Anyway, this year there are four positions available, but that varies. This year the positions are in HIV/AIDS, education, information technology, and evaluation. You would work with UNESCO at their Paris offices, and you would receive a stipend, readjustments costs, etc. If you are considering applying to graduate school during your Fulbright, and the UNESCO fellowships are of interest, plan ahead. These fellowships interested me a lot, but I contacted my graduate school for next year and, although my admission is deferrable, my financial package is not. This could be similar at other institutions. It could also be a great option for those still unsure about graduate school and the field to choose.

The answer to this question is probably dependent on country. For example, in Belgium, Research Grantees and ETA's all get 800euros a year for tuition. Our grant starts on September 15th and lasts until June 15th (last payment is May 15th), meaning you don't get funds until arrival in Belgium and they end with the last payment. You could, however, apply to extend your Fulbright and stay the summer after the grant for more language courses, but I highly doubt the Fulbright will cover your expenses for the summer prior to the grant. I applied for an ETA in Belgium as it is, to my knowledge, the only placement available (for French speakers) that places people in universities. I wanted university teaching experience, so it was perfect. The downfall (turned out to be a huge positive, though) was that I was placed in Flanders, the Dutch/Flemish-speaking part of the country. My allotted tuition stipend only covers (Dutch) language courses for 2/3 of the grant. I applied for more funding for language courses for the remaining 1/3 and for summer, and got more funding for the remaining time but not for summer. This is only my experience in Belgium, and the Fulbright experience is very different from country to country, but it gives you an idea. Once you get the confirmation that you have been awarded a grant, I would call the Fulbright Commission in your host country, as they are the ones that distribute your guaranteed funding and deal with any extensions or requests of extra funds.

I'll be starting a MSW program in the fall with a concentration in social and economic development. One of my interests is housing, so if I had to start over I think I would go into industrial design. It would be a cool way to tackle housing issues in a creative, non-trad route. Part of me doesn't think I'm creative enough to do it, and that challenge is part of the appeal. I used to dance and learned quickly from outside forces that the arts is a hard place to make it, so I threw the artistic ambitions out. No matter how many classes you take, it's never the same. A return would be nice, though!

I'm not really sure how to go about pushing for money. I called when I received higher scholarships at other schools, and was told the half-tuition scholarship I received was the highest award possible, and that no more money is available on an individual student basis. I didn't think there was much pushing I could do. I would just call them up or go by if you live close, explain the situation and your appreciation, and ask if there is more money available for a low-income student. If NYU is your first choice, let them know that and express the financial strain. Propose research assistantships, student work-study, depends on what you're willing to do. My hunch is they have more scholarship money available. Good luck!

To begin: this is only my 2 cents, and I didn't even consider Columbia, and decided not to enroll at NYU. I will just tell you why I even applied to NYU and what about Columbia was unnattractive. Similarly to you, I am interested in client-centered management and services, particularly in queer and HIV+ communities. NYU's program is fully centered on clinical skills (though it doesn't ignore policy issues), so that sounds like a good fit for you. (I actually, in the end, turned it down because of that fact.) Your clinical training would be fantastic, both in theory and in practice. NYU's Social Work department has amazing connections to inner-city clinical traineeships. The faculty also lines up well. Have you talked to James Martin? His research and area of practice is mainly in clinical intervention for at-risk or HIV+ queer men and adolescents. There are a couple other faculty with parallel interests, so take a look. Also, NYU gives scholarships - up to half-tuition, I believe. If you haven't been awarded one, I know I freed up a half-tuition scholarship, so just push for some more money. Columbia's program seems (from talking to people and the website) highly concentrated on the macro experience - administration, policy, social theory. I can only remember one faculty member who works with HIV+ and queer communities, but they're very well may be more. Columbia's highest scholarship is $8,000 a year, and if you're lucky you'll get some sort of assistantship. The lack of integration between social work methods and the stingy nature of the School just turned me off. I'm not sure if you're going into academia, but that, in my opinion, is the only reason to go into debt from Columbia. You can spend the two years after the program working and making a dent in your debt, then go back to graduate school where those loans will be deferred, and hopefully land a higher-paying job afterwards. If you want to go directly into clinical work, NYU is probably your better bet. The connections NYU has for clinical opportunities, from what I can tell, far surpasses those at Columbia. If you want to go into corporate responsibility, maybe HIV-awareness programming and administration, or something along those lines, Columbia might be your better bet. The prestige of Columbia will undoubtedly fade, and the prestige of NYU's clinical program (for which it is highly praised in clinical circles, along with Smith, Simmons, etc.) will come to the forefront.

A few I know of: The Institute for Humane Studies, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Point Foundation (LGBTQ), and check out this link: http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3gradinf.htm

When I was going through the medical stuff for my Fulbright last year, the prices were ridiculous. My total turned out to be about $800 (full blood work, x-rays, the exam). Since I had had a full physical nearly a year before (but not quite), and since my insurance only allowed one a year, the costs were high. I talked to my Fellowships Office and my university paid. It's worth a shot to ask if money is an issue for you.

If you're willing to go out of the country, I would look at some international fellowships. Most programs in Europe are one year, so it wouldn't be much time lost, and it would definitely be a step in the right direction for the PhD. Look at the Mitchell (http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=34), the Marshall (http://www.marshallscholarship.org/), Gates-Cambridge (http://www.gatesscholar.org/), the Clarendon (http://www.clarendon.ox.ac.uk/about/), and perhaps the Sauvé Scholars program (http://www.sauvescholars.org/). The Sauvé is independent research, but you work on getting published, which could be favorable in the PhD app process. All of these deadlines are early Fall typically, so you have plenty of time to prepare a great application. The other option is to look at MA and PhD programs that are a bit more interdisciplinary. I'm not sure what your particular interests are, but take a look at American University's PhD in Anthro program (http://www.american.edu/cas/anthropology/PHD-ANTH.cfm) and Arizona State's PhD program with the Justice and Social Inquiry program (http://justice.clas.asu.edu/). Those are just two examples that come at the social sciences from a very mixed perspective, which could be a good stepping stone from your undergraduate experiences. Also, I know that George Washington University's MA in Anthropology offers funding, so check them out (http://www.gwu.edu/~anth/grad/index.cfm). It's also a good option to build some Anthropology connections and foundational skills because it's more of a general MA, while the PhD is very specific. The third option I can think of is by doing a joint degree. Again, not sure what your interests are, but there are plenty of Anthropology programs that do joint degrees with public health, public policy, education, etc. You could get funding from the second department and, since some classes overlap, some of your MA in Anthro classes would be covered. Hope this is helpful! If you have any questions about international fellowships send me a PM; I have a whole list bookmarked I could share with you.

My understanding is that, if the program has separate MA and MS programs, the MA will often come with a language requirement whereas the MS doesn't. It should be in a program guide usually on a department's website. If you don't have significant language experience, and the department doesn't anticipate you meeting one or perhaps needing one, that may be why they have you registered for the MS. As the previous poster said, if you're still really confused and can't find the answer you want just call them up. For what it's worth, I don't think having a MS over the MA will be a huge hinderance for a PhD program. If it is in fact the language thing, and your future PhD program requires a language, and you don't already have one or two under your belt, it may be a problem.

My understanding is that the first year practicum is in general social work, meaning you may do some administration things, some clinical things, and some macro things. Since you do have some years of experience, I would look for schools that have agreements with organizations to do paid practicums. I have a friend at University of Washington, doing the MSW, and she just received a paid practicum for her second year at Children's Hospital. I'm pretty sure there are quite a few schools that have the option of doing a paid practicum, plus some schools that allow you to keep your current job for the practicum. It just takes some research.

As previously mentioned, I also think admissions to MSW programs is based primarily on personal character (including LORs), prior human services experiences, and undergraduate record. I've had friends rejected from WashU and University of Chicago because they were trying to go straight to a masters after undergrad with no work or research experience. If standardized tests aren't your thing, perhaps Berkeley, UCLA, and UNC might fare a bit tougher as they require the GRE. Really, though, if you have a decent resume, great LORs, and above a 3.0 GPA, I think all of those schools are pretty much the same in terms of competitiveness. Admissions may not be super competitive, but getting the degree funded will be. Social work research assistantships are pretty rare at the masters level, and internal scholarships are often limited and rarely do schools give out full-tuition scholarships. I would imagine if your friend applied to all of the listed schools, he or she would be admitted to at least one of them.

I came across this scholarship for people studying the health professions. Deadline isn't for a few months, so check it out: http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/news/subptyschol.inc

Could anyone offer some words of wisdom on how queer-friendly St. Louis is?

MSW programs are a bit different. Most people getting the MSW stay in the public sector and work, so they will eventually have an income to pay the loans back. Most schools know this and use it to their advantage. It is only a two year degree, so the debt can be low if you get a decent deal. For the MSW, the only real way, in my opinion, to get more money is to use another school as leverage. Hopefully you get great funding at one school and can use it to get the other school to keep you on board by offering more money. You could also ask about research assistantships as those can bring in at least some spending money while in school. Good luck!

The original poster wants to do a degree in Higher Ed Administration, not just "education" in the broad sense of the word. That being said, I doubt that would qualify for public service loan forgiveness, even if working for a public university. Also, to the original poster, keep in mind that Higher Ed Admin programs do offer assistantships. It is very possible to do your masters and go into no further debt. Research programs, talk and meet with faculty, and apply for assistantships. It's actually quite pointless to do a degree in Higher Ed Admin without having an assistantship because, like most PhD programs, the job market looks for those with experience. Without the experience you would fall flat, or end up in rural Louisiana or something (not hating, just saying). For some great Higher Ed Admin programs, look at University of Vermont, Miami U of Ohio, Loyola Chicago, Seattle University... actually, I would apply to all of the Jesuit schools that offer this degree. Jesuit schools are typically pretty free with money (especially if you're a minority - race, sexual minority, low-income in particular), and they love love love Higher Ed Administration. The schools are often located in desirable cities, too. As some people have mentioned, consider (while living with your folks to save on rent) doing a year of AmeriCorps, or City Year, or something of the like, to get at least some of your federal loans reduced. (You can defer your current federal loans during this period, too. As for your private loans, check with the lender.) This will also make you more desirable a candidate for a masters program that works with youth (development), so it would be perfect for a degree in Higher Ed Administration. Just be very aware that Higher Ed Admin programs do offer assistantship and tuition remission. It's just a matter of making the right connections and picking the right school. Also, once you get the Higher Ed degree, you will make a decent wage. Consider taking positions as a Resident Hall Director where you will get a salary and free lodging and usually free board. You may have to live like a college student until you're 35, but you'll be making a dent in your massive student loan debt. Good luck. Edit: Also, if I'm not mistaken, I thought you couldn't get out of student loans even with bankruptcy... Is that true?

You are correct in saying there aren't a whole lot of MPH/MSW dual degree programs. The ones off the top of my head are at BU, NYU (Global Health), UC Berkeley, University of Washington, and Washington University in St. Louis. You should, though, take a look at Portland State University. The MPH in Community Health is actually one of the top ranked programs (although the MSW is not), and Portland is a very, very livable city. The MPH only asks for 1000 on the GRE, most likely with leeway on either side. The MSW I do know is fairly persistent in asking for at least one year of work experience, which it sounds like you have. Even though the MSW doesn't rank as high up there (and rankings can be arbitrary, particularly if you're not interested in going into academia), it is still a solid program, and the only one in the state. Portland has lots of organizations to get involved with, and has some unique "urban" issues that you could get involved with, particularly around health. PSU is a public university, too, so you could establish residency then apply in case scholarships don't come through. Anyway, good luck!

I would disagree with this. At all top universities, professors must do research and publish, including social work professors. I e-mailed professors at all the schools I was interested in that I knew offered research assistantships to ask about their research, upcoming projects, and potential placements. I received one RAship, and I think a lot of it was because I expressed interest in the projects and the topics aligned with what I expressed in both my SOP and e-mails. They can also be helpful in answering questions about the strengths of different concentrations, how RAships work, where they'd like to see the program go in the future, etc. Also, it's nice to get a professor's take on the program and the student population. If a professor isn't impressed with students in the program, that probably means something. When applying to any graduate program I think it is important to make sure you can mesh well with professors and your research/practice interests can be met. I know it's late in the game, but maybe someone will see this for next year.

The MFT will train you primarily in counseling, whereas, in order to be accredited, the MSW has to give you a bit broader of an experience. The MSW will allow you to specialize in family work, but you will have to take courses in policy history, policy formation, and macro social work practice. The MFT will be more intensive clinical work. Also, do you want to be licensed as a counselor or a social worker? To be a LCSW you need to go the MSW route. In California the two degrees may be used interchangeably for family work, but if you want the option to extend that to community work, or, again, become a LCSW, you should go the MSW route. That being said, you can most definitely apply to both programs simultaneously. Salary difference I'm sure is minimal, though I don't know anything about that.

I think the best thing you can do is look into programs that you like and contact them about scholarships. From doing that I found out WashU gives seven full-rides plus RAships. UChicago gives decent scholarships and RAships. Many MSW programs only give up to half-tuition, which for me wasn't enough. From the post above, it also looks like Michigan gives good aid. You could also look into the state schools in your area, because those can work out to be cheaper. If you're not in a state with stellar MSW programs (California, Washington, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia), move for a year and then reapply. Then again, the move could be really expensive, too. As far as great programs for policy and grassroots experiences, I would look at urban areas that make it more accessible and give you more options. Even though WashU is in St. Louis, it has lots of connections in that area. Additionally, Berkeley, UCLA, and Fordham are pretty connected urban schools. Also, if you want to work with policy, I think landing a research assistantship will be a huge advantage, so look for schools that offer those because not all do. Good luck!

I was extremely disappointed in the BU MSW admissions process. I applied early (in November), and I got an e-mail in December saying that two of recommendations didn't come through. We sent them again. When I called to check on my application in January, they said they still hadn't received them. I contacted my referees and they both sent me confirmation e-mails that the recs had in fact been received. I just withdrew my application because I had acceptances and hefty aid packages at two other schools. They told me they started using a new online app system this year so there were lots of problems with it, which is probably why they extended the deadline so the online app could be worked out. The other thing to note in the BU process is this: when I called to ask about my admissions and explained my situation with UChicago, the lady on the phone told me to go to UChicago and that she wished she had. Doesn't seem like the staff at BU even thinks their program compares...

One of the current EU Fulbrights is in Belgium with me. Let me know if you want to be put in contact!

Last year they notified us via e-mail in mid-March, by language. For example: I applied for Beginning Arabic, which was offered in three different countries. All accepted applicants got the e-mail, and we were later notified about which country we would be studying in.

I know at my undergrad that if you qualified for federal grant monies they would use that to reduce some of the scholarship/fellowship. The money they would have used in the scholarship/fellowship amount would then be given to a different student. So by you filling out your FAFSA and potentially qualifying for monies, you could help a fellow student out.