uncmsw2019

So I'll say this. Being in a top-ranked school provides some nice networking opportunities, and it's especially helpful if you want to do research/go on to get a PhD. The reality, though, is that the main purpose of networking is to help you get a job, and because social workers are underpaid/undervalued in our society, elite networking contacts aren't going to somehow get you connected to an elite pot of high-paying social work jobs. They might help you get your foot in the door somewhere where you otherwise would have been lost in the crowd of applicants in areas like NYC that are over-saturated with MSWs and MSW programs, but those jobs are probably not going to pay that much more than other social work jobs. I was accepted to some "elite" social work programs but ultimately decided to go for a more affordable in-state option. Also worth noting that PSLF, in theory, allows you to have your federal loans forgiven. If you have to take additional private loans because the costs exceed what grad students can get through unsubsidized and grad PLUS loans, none of that money is eligible for loan forgiveness. Also worth mentioning that, unlike undergrad, your loans begin accruing interest while you are in school, so if you do have to take huge sums of money that first year, the compounding interest is going to be intense. I think I took just under $25K for this first year and I already have more than $1000 of interest accrued in 9months with more than a year to go before I have a job to start paying it off. All of that interest gets added to the principal of the loan and continues to compound unless you pay the interest while you are in school. i don't mean to rain on anyone's parade. ☹️ Getting into a top school is a great accomplishment, and I hope we can all be advocates for our profession to see it better compensated, but in the meantime, salaries are rough out there and will continue to drop as the market floods with MSWs. Every practicing social worker I know has encouraged me to go for the cheapest possible option because the curriculum is pretty even across programs and employers (generally speaking) care much more about your work experience than where your degree came from. good luck!!

9 times out of 10 the least expensive option for an MSW is the best. Programs are fairly consistent across schools because of accreditation requirements, employers don't care where you got your MSW, and social workers can't expect to make salaries that make $80-100K in debt an easy thing to pay off. Also, if you end up taking private loans, those loans are not eligible for public service loan forgiveness. I know lots of MSWs who deeply regret spending so much on their degree. Something else to consider - cost of living in the areas these out of state schools are in is astronomical compared to Madison, so the actual debt you'd go into is much more than the tuition itself, plus possible trips back home, moving expenses, etc. it's a tough choice for sure and the lure of these other schools is strong, but anecdotally I've had friends go to all of them and no one was blown away by their experiences so much that it made the debt they incurred worth it. Ultimately I asked myself "can I do the type of social work I want to do in this community? Are there professors here I would like to learn from?" And the answer was yes. If there is a particular population or setting you want to focus on that you can't find in state, that's something to consider, but most other reasons for going probably won't be worth the debt.

@rosieposie I hate to hear that. ☹️ It can feel especially confusing when you're not accepted to your alma mater. I saw on another post you mentioned you're applying straight from undergrad - I don't know if this helps make sense of it, but I've heard that UNC has a pretty limited quota of straight-from-UNC-undergrad students they take each year and receive a significant number of applications from UNC seniors each year. I know quite a few people have had success taking a year or two off to work in the field before reapplying, but it sounds like you've been accepted to other schools and may want to just move forward with that. Best of luck to you!

@ACBMSW congrats! you can certainly share that with the field faculty folks and let them know if there are areas you are definitely not able to commute to. I think they say to expect that you'll be placed within an hours drive of your residence. It's not an entirely random assignment - you'll meet with a field faculty person over the summer to share your interests and hear more about field placements that may match up with them. Ultimately field faculty pick after that conversation but you still have the opportunity to interview at the placement and change things up if for some reason it's not a good fit. I'm not sure where you are, but sometimes they'll have placements that are even closer to your home than campus is (depending on your interests/placement availability that year).

@Jessamine G who have you tried to reach out to?

Hey @BackToSchool17! So last year a handful of folks were notified in late Jan/early Feb, but I'd say most people heard in late February through the first 2-3 weeks of March. In terms of cohort age, I'd say the full time 2 year program skews to the younger side, with a number of folks straight out of undergrad or in their mid twenties, and a smaller group of folks in their 30s/40s. Maybe they said the average age of our cohort was 27 or 28? I can't quite remember. I imagine this varies from year to year, but that's how it has looked in general. From what I can tell, there's a wider range of ages in the 3 year part time/distance Ed program, which makes sense because it's usually the preferred/necessary option for people who are already out in the working world, have families, etc. I've seen folks generally bonding regardless of age differences, and there are some great faculty to connect with as well! I think the cohort cohesion piece really comes down to whether or not folks can respect and value that, regardless of age, everyone is coming in with varying levels of experience (in social work, non-social work experience, the world, etc) and that we all have things to learn from each other.

Hey y'all! I'm a full time first-year UNC MSW student who was in your shoes this time last year anxiously awaiting admissions! I've been in the area for about a decade (went to undergrad at UNC too) so let me know if you have questions about the area, the program, classes, etc while you're waiting. Wishing you all the best during this stressful time!