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I was accepted with 17k in scholarships, but then when the official award letter came they changed it to 12k. Don't know if that was intentional or a mistake. Didn't matter though because I turned their offer down

I am a UChicago alum and I disagree with listing an MSW behind your name if that's not the name of the degree you actually received (and we're not the only ones - Columbia and Case Western grant theirs as an MS). However, you will be eligible for licensure, and that will make it clear to people inside and outside the discipline. It seems extremely ridiculous to me that in many states one would be something like CashewGuy, MSW, LMSW.  We get it. You have a master's degree in social work, and you're licensed. 
One thing I would also caution people on is to think about what their goals are. Chicago is a politics city, not a policy city, for example. If you want to work to impact change in the city after graduation, I'm not sure policy skills or degree prestige are actually valued as much as people think. But if you want to do policy at the federal level, which is where a lot of the policy work really is, prestige really helps. Also, there are a lot of federal agencies in Chicago, and I was able to work at one for both years of my time at SSA (and I work at one now that I've graduated).
It's a difficult trade off because there's often not a clear choice. It doesn't make sense for someone who wants to be a therapist to go 100k in debt for an MSW. But prestige may be important in certain career paths, particularly policy. But you're going to need to aim for a certain subset of jobs to justify the cost. I will also warn you that my experience was that the UChicago name opens doors, but the SSA degree does not necessarily teach you what you need to get a particular policy/administrative job or to do it well. You have to make sure you're in the driver's seat of your own career path, rather than just sort of showing up and hoping someone hires you afterwards. I think this is grad school in generally, but it's especially true for fields where the labor market isn't as directly organized as something like nursing or computer science. 
Some advice I heard about the JD/MSW is that you're either going to be hired as a lawyer or as a social worker, but not as both at the same time. And unfortunately, the law path requires a lot more debt (and is much more prestige obsessed) than social work. Law school admissions is also basically 100% your LSAT and undergraduate GPA, and nothing else. Going to a top 10-14 law school is really difficult and expensive, but is one of the clearest paths to well-paid policy work with real impact. If you're not able to get into one of those programs, you're almost definitely better off going to a night or weekend JD while working full-time. And unless you actually plan on practicing law, you're probably better off getting a different degree from a higher status school if you want to get into policy.
Just my two cents.

I received 15,000. I’m online advanced clinical

I received $11,000 in scholarships as well, $12,000 after I appealed. It seemed that a handful before me were receiving more like $18,000 and others have vaguely stated they received a "substantial" financial aid offer which made them able to go. I was a bit disappointed with my package but I accepted my offer nonetheless. 

I got in!

I got in!

I got in!

I got in!

I noticed a lot of people asking about stats. For those interested in the acceptance process, the professors at current university told me that stats don't really count for much, there is a minimum requirement, advanced standing is more strict, but after they check off that you passed they don't really look at it again. if you have an amazing GPA they may remember it when making a decision but it is not a guarantee you will be accepted. The decision is mostly based on the content and quality of the essay, which is based on your experience and goal, which is what they really care about.  the next important part is references. it is a very subjective process based on how the specific faculty feels about you being apart of the program. It goes through multiple staff but each does the same thing.

Thanks, I honestly figured I wouldn't get in because other people's stats were crazy nice! I am going to decline immediately though. 

Hey guys! Just thought I'd let you know that I received a very nice email from the Office of Admissions just now saying that my application is currently in the review process and that they hope to have decisions released around the beginning of April!

Hey Everyone! I have been silently watching this page to see when decisions were coming out lol. Just thought I'd share that I received an acceptance from Columbia for their traditional 2-year program yesterday around 5:30pm EST. I applied on 2/02 but they received everything on 2/20. I am also non-priority. So it was exactly one month from when they received my application that I got notified. Hope this helped a little! Good luck everyone see you in the Fall!

That does sound awful. I feel for you though - it's hard to say no to something you've wanted for such a long time. You just gotta look out for future you! But it sounds like you know that.
I'm sorry UChicago didn't give you enough aid to make it a viable option. It occurs to me now that you might be able to get them to increase your scholarship if you ask - I think I've read elsewhere that people have had success with that.

Amen to all of this. The year of attending your dream school is really just play time, because you learn the same material at any other school. Really, really, expensive play time.

Truthfully, I don’t think any MSW program, even a particularly well-regarded one, is worth going 100k into debt for (I know they call it something different but I’m trusting what I’ve read which is that it’s equivalent to an MSW). You have to think about the debt versus what you’d be making, especially starting out. I know there are loan forgiveness programs and whatnot, but I also feel like that doesn’t give you much flexibility in terms of your career. As someone who went into a lot of debt to go to a fancy private school for undergrad, I have to be especially frugal. But honestly it blows my mind when people say that they’re seriously considering taking out that much in loans. That’s like a mortgage. It’s wild.

Thank you!! The decision was easier after I visited the other option this past week. 

Just toured NYU this past weekend and although I love NYC, I will be attending University of Denver!  (I also got rejected from UCLA so made my decision fairly easy!)
Love NYU's location in the big city but I didn't love that they don't have concentrations. DU has an Animal Assisted Social Work certificate I can do and opportunities for equine therapy stuff that I'm super interested in.  Denver isn't nearly as exciting as NYC but I'm thinking at least I can get a studio apartment without going incredibly broke
 

I officially committed to NYU! I sent in my deposit so I couldn't change my mind. lol

Nope! I didn't find out yet. I kind of jumped the gun by committing before waiting to hear back from all schools, but Columbia just doesn't make sense to attend for me!

Nope! I didn't find out yet. I kind of jumped the gun by committing before waiting to hear back from all schools, but Columbia just doesn't make sense to attend for me!

I'm going to paste my connection's entire email because I think it's pretty insightful!
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To answer your questions:
1) Keep in mind that your area of interest and track of study impact your experience, choice of courses and practicum a lot. 
2) I can only share with you my experiences, so what I share may not be the common experience people experience. It was not easy to get my first choice practicum site, but that may be because my student status (visa as a international student), track (its harder for international students to do clinical because of security and safety reasons....), and focus (my issue of interest was human trafficking). I applied for CSSW Advanced Standing, which was a 10-month program (summer + 1 year). The program gives priority to 2-year students for their second year. I think whether you get your first choice depends on your track and focus. If you study at their 2 year program, it's very likely you'll get your first option your second year. If you're applying for advanced standing, you'll have to see if someone already filled the spot or if you can talk to a counselor to advocate for you to get the practicum or similar practicum that you want.  
I'm sure there are many options available for you to pick and choose from, especially since its NYC.
2)  There was a time I regretted my decision and that was when I was put into a practicum placement I did not sign up for and when I asked to leave I was not feeling supported. However, I was able to change to an organization I wanted given the limitations and time constraints given to me, after I advocated for myself. I did end up with the practicum experience I wanted and did learn a lot from the process. Take note though that my case wasnt the typical. 
3) My favorite thing about CSSW was the ability to see NYC from a social working lens. NYC is the 'city of dreams' for many people worldwide, so if you are interested in migration-related issues, I highly recommend CSSW. Observing people on a day to day basis and applying my knowledge inside and outside the classroom to the work at my practicum, I think I was really able to humanize and understand the issues my clients at the mental health clinic experienced and this impacted the way I provided psychotherapy and counselling for them. 
4) People were clicky. Although everyone was doing social work, many people have sub-conscious presumptions that are clearly shown in the way they talk and interact with others. This was something that bothered me, however, I was able to find classmates and friends that were not judgmental. Majority of the students were also very experienced and older (mid-30+). 
Overall, I think my experience at CSSW was so so, but I truly value and loved my experience in being in NYC. I felt everything I learned in the classroom was applicable to things I saw on a daily basis outside work, given the diversity and vibrancy of NYC daily life. 
As advice, I think you should base your school choice of where you want to be after grad school. If you want to live and work in a big city, pick a school that is located in a big city. If you want to live and work in the sub-urbs then pick a school that is located in a suburb area. The nature of the location impact the scope of the people and issues you work with. 
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Yes, my friend who is African-American said she often got questioned if she truly attended Columbia and would receive a lot of unwanted attention because of her skin color. So I would not doubt what your friend said at all. But you know, Columbia is for some people and not for others. 

Nope! I didn't find out yet. I kind of jumped the gun by committing before waiting to hear back from all schools, but Columbia just doesn't make sense to attend for me!

Social worker in Denver here and graduate of Umaryland. 
When talking with co-workers who went to DU, no one has said it was worth the cost. While the program is decent, for what it is worth, it is simply too expensive to be worth it. With new grads making $42K or so out of school at a community mental health agency and much less at other nonprofits, there is no way it makes sense to pay $47K per year in tuition. 
If you want to live in Denver, consider Metro State's MSW program. It has a similar reputation and is 1/3 to 1/2 the cost. 

I JUST GOT INTO WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS (WUSTL) WITH A $50k SCHOLARSHIP!!!!!!!