3dender

I believe both approaches can get you where you want to go. The macro division of MSW degrees is heavily geared towards organizational management. The advantage to the MPA would be if you think you may eventually want to work outside of the SW/therapy field, although experience managing a non-profit within the field could help you cross over. Sorry not to be more helpful but that's because it sort of seems like 6 of one, half-a-dozen of the other. My answer is based on my wife's experience, who just graduated with an MSW last month from a top-5 program. She originally thought she'd want to do the macro track but changed to direct practice because it didn't involve enough therapeutic training.

I'm sorry you're going through this. I don't have any other real consolation but I wish you and your family the best.

I agree with this and would emphasize that it was difficult to detect any passion in your post. You say you want to be a professor but you don't say why, and you don't have any idea what field you would want to do it in. It's hard to imagine how it would be possible to achieve your goal without feeling passion for the field you next stumble onto. In your shoes I would spend a lot of time reflecting on what subject I'm actually passionate about, and to what I'd like to dedicate my life's work. I speak from experience as I am currently transitioning from an unchallenging career into a field that not only fascinates me, but one that I believe will be extremely fulfilling as well.

I recently read a fascinating book that might interest you, called American Slavery, American Freedom. It's several decades old but a comprehensive look at the economic beginnings of the Virginia colony. Most of my recent readings have been around race/slavery, and I read another recent one that linked nascent capitalism with slavery, called The Half Has Never Been Told. It was interesting but not as compelling an argument as the other, and I've since read compelling critiques about the author's methodology. Cool topic though, for sure, and I wish you luck on it.

Anthropology, religion and philosophy are the three major fields that jump to mind. With so much work done in Sociology you're probably closest to an Anth degree. Looking for joint programs among those three fields for your graduate degree would probably be where to aim.

If you like the west coast, Berkeley-Goldman does great work in this area and can get you set up anywhere out there.

I didn't mean to imply that the framing was partisan. Propaganda -- that's in fact what I consider it to be -- goes way beyond partisanship. It's the same reason that Democrats don't embrace truly left positions like Single Payer healthcare or anti-monopoly legislation. Your areas of interest sound intriguing. Your concern for oligarchy/monopoly is obviously of interest to me as well. When you talk about democratization of economic power the first thing that pops into my head is of course labor unions. Are you interested in delving more into the nuts and bolts of right-to-work legislation and efforts to counteract it? I've read a handful of intriguing articles/books that tie the greatest periods of prosperity in our country to periods of strong unionization. Then I just caught up with this 5-year-old rebel Ted talk that was given by a rich guy who swore that rich people don't create jobs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKCvf8E7V1g&feature=share The TedTalk people ended up not releasing the talk for Reasons but it's suspected that they were pressured by the business community to sit on it. Oh, and if you figure out how to successfully de-bloat government bureaucracy I will personally figure out how to submit your name for a Nobel Prize :-)

I like the way you frame the issues. I think there's a definite relationship between disenfranchised people bearing a heavier societal burden, whether cause/effect or otherwise I'm not sure. I also think your penultimate sentence is interesting when you talk of issues being framed. You word it passively, but it's important to remember who is doing the framing. Identifying the framers points straight back to the factions whose power must be limited by campaign/corporate reform. But enough about me. What do you plan on specializing in at Sanford?

If it's compatible, Macbooks are worth the premium (not Pro, I agree you don't need that). They require hardly any maintenance and a few years down the road are still running 90% as fast as when new. I've never met a PC I can say the same about -- and that's before even taking into account all the countless hours you will spend running virus/malware scans. I don't like Apple snobbery but their machines are simply better and it's not particularly close.

You should make the decision based on your interests and not on how easy the grades will be. It sounds like you may be leaning psychology despite being less interested in it, but decisions like that often don't pay off in the long run (mostly in terms of mental health). If your grades suffer in the joint program you can always get some field experience to bolster your PhD app.

You may not get many bites on your question because there's a really long thread devoted to this issue -- it may answer your questions if you read it first. This one: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/23492-the-am-i-competitive-thread-read-me-before-posting/?page=37

Basically, whenever I look at the most serious issues -- environment, education, healthcare, poverty, unnecessary war, mass incarceration, etc. -- I notice that in large part the political will is never there to fix them. The reason the political will isn't there is that politicians know who butters their bread (and it's not their constituents). Until that changes, I don't believe anything else will. So by my logic, getting money out of politics is the single most crucial issue of them all, the first domino if you will. Figuring out how to do that and working toward it will make for constructive and fulfilling work. But yes as a tangential concern I'm very interested in voter suppression and gerrymandering, and I'm particularly interested in the work they're doing at POLIS. I saw that course you're talking about, and will take it if at all possible. I guess you could say my primary interest is democracy-boosting.

I hope you're right because the sectors you pegged for vitalization are where I want to go. Also headed to Sanford, looking to create my own specialty in corporate and campaign finance reform. Some faculty have recommended that I take courses at the law school as well. I look forward to getting to know you. . .

One of the more memorable moments from my visit to Chicago-Harris was hearing Anjali Adukia speak about her experience with education development in India. She was impressive -- I'd suggest looking her up and even reaching out to her.

As for letters of rec, I didn't have any academic either as I've been out of school for over a decade. I had strong recs from supervisors/colleagues and got in everywhere with good offers. When applying you might want to think about cost. If it's a factor then there's not many places more expensive than SIPA (cost of living included), especially since your profile won't scream scholarship for them. If it's not a factor, lucky you. Schools I got significant money from with a less-than-elite profile: UChicago, American U., Duke and Maryland. No money from SIPA, Berkeley, GW or Texas-LBJ (though that last one was still cheaper than almost anywhere else).

Konstanz.

You are already ahead of where I was at this time, because I didn't stumble upon this forum until my applications were in. I'm on the east coast and applied to schools all over, eventually settling on Duke due to prestige/financial offer. I'm not sure about where I want to end up ultimately but have considered DC and I know Duke has a strong network there, plus the brand seems transferable pretty much anywhere in the U.S. For your situation, I would stick to east coast schools or U. Chicago, which also gives out a fair amount of money and has an elite brand. You didn't mention any DC schools but there are several great ones (GW, GT, American) if your goal is to end up in DC, and at least a few of them (American, Maryland, GMU?) give out lots of money. For perspective, I think I was a strong-but-not-elite candidate and I got offered 2/3 tuition from AU and a full ride from Maryland. If they give out AmeriCorps grants as well then that would basically have you covered. The other great thing (for your purposes) about the DC schools is that most of them have classes at night with the goal of you working or interning during the day. So you could easily be interning/working at Urban Institute or another think tank while you're getting your degree. As for your last question, I don't think it will be incredibly difficult to land the job you want if staying in the midwest. Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan all have well-known programs and can surely connect you with some helpful people in DC. I do think it will be more difficult, however, than if you were on the east coast (or Chicago). As for Brandeis, I've heard from several people who visited that the newness and smallness of the program, as well as the heavy social policy emphasis (and lack of quant) scared them off. They do give lots of money though. I hope this helps. I'll check back if you have more questions, or you can PM me if you'd like me to elaborate.

You should post this in the SLP forum. Link: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/95-speech-language-pathology/

Housing market here is very fluid and will be active until August. I wouldn't give up hope yet. There are also a lot of people in your boat so it's not necessarily a problem with you but just that people have the luxury of holding out for ideal personality matches. Are you looking primarily at Craigslist?

Sounds like totally normal thumb-twiddling you're experiencing. I'm going through the same while waiting for the next step. Funny enough, my WIFE is going through the same, after just FINISHING school and having to wait a few weeks before her job starts. Totally rational response to moments of limbo, I say.

No that reason is because on some level they accurately describe reality. If you disagree with the above depiction, YOU offer an alternative, and I'LL decide whether I agree with it or not (spoiler: I probably won't).

I don't know. Why look for something new and exciting when the cliche description is the most accurate? Cliches are cliches for a reason.

This occurred to me as well. I wonder if these (mostly partnered) females get the feeling you've been hitting on them. In my experience it's not typical for a guy to just invite a girl to lunch or a concert unless he has romantic interest. Are you being sincere about your platonic intentions, or is there a part of you that "wouldn't mind" getting involved romantically? Women will pick up on that second part every time, and it will keep them from wanting to be alone with you. And if you keep trying, you risk getting the label of "that one creepy dude." Basically I suggest looking for some guy friends outside of school who share your interests.

If you got admitted to half of your PhD programs you're clearly capable with words. Just be earnest, or maybe fib a little about how it was such a tough decision but ultimately you decided against med school, but you appreciate their support no matter what. Older mentors/supervisors understand young, confused people struggling with life decisions. It doesn't have to be Shakespeare, just be sincere.

This may not be too helpful because to me it seems like it's going to be an absolutely personal decision, essentially coming down to what YOU (think you'll probably) want for your future. Obviously you know that there's no better place in the world for your field than NYC, and it will get you the credentials you need to enter any aspect of Digital Media, including at the most elite levels. Then again that may not be what you're ultimately after, and if you're comfortable with what Melbourne offers and think that's the right fit, then go for it. Then again there is something to be said for leaving your comfort zone. . . so you see where my comments may not be that helpful.