doctormelody

This is a really good point and the truth is I’m very conflicted about what I want to do in the long-term. I will take some time to think on it but it’s encouraging to me that you think both options are possible. Thank you so much for your helpful feedback. It’s definitely a lot to consider.

Sorry for being unclear - if I did the psychology MA, it would be with the eventual goal of applying to a PhD program. If I go with the MSW, I’ll be pursuing licensure. Basically, I’m considering two entirely separate career paths.

Yeah, that’s exactly it. Sorry for being confusing before. My eventual goal if I did that would be to go for a PhD, but obviously I would need the Master’s first, and it’s clearly a risky move with no direct career prospects if I fail at gaining admission to the PhD or just decide I don’t want to pursue a career in academia. Thank you so much again for taking the time to reply, and for your helpful insight.

Like, I want to stress that I know I am not in any way competitive for a psych PhD, and I wouldn’t want to insult your field by implying that. I’m talking about applying to a (most likely unfunded) Master’s.

Hey, thanks so much! I feel like I didn’t articulate myself clearly enough - I was kinda considering two different possible paths here. The first would be attending the MSW program to which I have already been accepted. The second would be taking more foundational psychology courses in order to try to get into a master’s program where I could focus on psychology of religion. I assume when you say it takes people 3-4 cycles to get in you mean for PhD programs? Or is that for the MA as well? Also, thank you for the link to the other thread, it looks like it could be very helpful.

Amazing! Congratulations!!!

Thanks for responding! If I do end up going for the MSW I see myself going the clinical route and becoming a therapist. That’s what I meant by helping people. I am interested in research but my skills in that area are not strong and that’s one reason I’m intimidated by academia in general. I hadn’t considered doing the MSW and then applying for doctoral programs in Psych, though, so thank you for putting that idea in my head.

Hi all. Here's the situation: I was recently accepted to a well-ranked MSW program but a lack of significant scholarship assistance has led to a real existential crisis for me. (I was already kind of having one before, but this just threw it into sharper relief for obvious reasons.) I picked Social Work because I wanted to help people (I know I sound like a 4th grader when I say this but I can't think of a better way of phrasing it), and because I needed to choose a direction for my life, basically. My undergraduate years were characterized by a series of poor choices and I ended up getting a fairly useless degree in a program that only exists at my university. The only classes I really enjoyed in undergrad were ones that had something to do with religion, which is funny because I'm an atheist, but I just find the subject fascinating. However, I know that I will never be a candidate for a traditional religious studies grad program because I have no knowledge of ancient languages. I am interested in psychology generally (obviously, or I wouldn't have decided to pursue an MSW) but what really fascinates me is the intersection of psychology and religion. I'm also interested in mystical experiences and the emergent use of psychedelic drugs for depression and other disorders. I guess my question is, what would I have to do to have a chance at getting into a Psychology MA program? Am I just a hopeless case? I've taken Intro to Psychology and Sociology courses at a community college, and got A's in both, but I know this isn't enough. How many more classes would I have to take before I could potentially be competitive? Money is obviously an issue - even community college classes aren't cheap, and I doubt they would impress adcoms. Also, I assume there is some kind of writing sample required? I did write a thesis for my program that discussed psychology and religion with regards to a specific topic I'd prefer not to specify here, but it was garbage. I mean, it was a literal, actual, flaming pile of crap. I don't know why they let me graduate, let alone escape with my GPA more or less intact. I was severely depressed at the time and also just burnt out and upset that I'd wasted so much money on a degree that wouldn't help me advance in academia OR make me any more employable than the average high school graduate. I apologize if this a stupid question but I guess I'm just wondering if this is a realistic path to pursue, and if so, how to go about it. If I'm being unrealistic, tell me. I'm passionate about this but I am also a realist, and I'm not interested in wasting years of my life toiling away in an attempt to achieve something that will never happen.

Oh, is that when you're supposed to hear back? I kinda thought PhD applicants were notified earlier than that. That's a long wait, I'm sorry!

Thank you so much, this means a lot to me. I know I am not the only one and seeing others (like you!) persevere despite mental health struggles is so inspiring and motivating to me. I'm rooting for you, and for all of us.

Thank you, I really hope so! I’m trying to be more positive and I hope that will help!

Makes sense. Good luck with all your apps! I know waiting to hear back is deeply stressful.

Gotcha! Well, I wish you the best of luck with everything!

Makes sense! You probably already know this but Hunter is definitely gonna be the toughest to get into. This surprised me when I started but a lot of state schools are more competitive than the big name ones, I guess because of the lower tuition. Are you definitely looking to be in either New York or Philadelphia?

It looks beautiful. Thank you again for the info and best of luck with all your applications. ☺️

Oh wait are you Advanced Standing though? That’s gonna make it more competitive if you are.

I think you’ll be fine. NYU in particular has a very high acceptance rate. Idk about Penn but I got into Columbia last year with a 3.5 in an unrelated field and no experience. Might wanna consider adding some more affordable programs to your list though if cost is a factor.

Oh, gotcha! So you are Advanced Standing, then? Do you even have to take the generic intro courses? That sounds super cool. I sort of abandoned my language pursuits because I was bad at them, but I’m always envious of people who can speak more than one language fluently.

That makes sense. And Advanced Standing is if you have a BSW, I think - it's a one year program, or a year and a summer semester, or something. I selected Direct Practice. Lol, academic departments and drama go together like peanut butter and jelly. What is your second degree in? And yeah I completely agree with you, who cares about reputation when you're getting the exact same degree in the end? Also, it's never embarrassing to get a PhD, I don't care what people say.

So few applicants for the PhD, you mean? I think those are great stats! I'm sure having those publications to your name will help a lot. Yeah, I'm just disappointed but I probably shouldn't take it personally. I wouldn't be surprised if a ton of people applied. There were like 50 or 60 people at the info session I went to on a freezing cold Saturday morning in December, so if that's a useful barometer then I'd say interest was high, at least. I hope you get in for the PhD and get fully funded! And who knows, maybe I'll see you there. I was gonna say maybe we will be classmates but I take it you are Advanced Standing, so probably not. Ah well. Where else did you apply?

Oh yeah, maybe you'll hear back later because of the PhD component? I hope you get better news than me! If you're a PhD applicant you probably have a strong GPA and experience, right? My GPA is only 3.5 and I have zero experience in the field so I think that's what tanked it for me.

@A.E.S But yes, I agree with you and I am definitely upset about it, lol.

Yeah, to be blunt, I think they just have no money? From what the person I just spoke with said it seems like they generally only give merit-based aid, and only if you apply by the deadline. Then if they have some money left over they will award it as need-based aid but the person I spoke with said that that was an “an exceptionally rare circumstance,” and it definitely won’t be happening for the fall term.

Lol so I just got off the phone with someone at Pitt and they said point-blank that there will be no need-based aid awarded for the fall semester, to anyone. I also asked them if there was any room for negotiation on the amount of my merit award and they said no, absolutely not. It’s apparently determined by a formula and is based on GPA, years of experience in the field, and I think Americorps? Idk, that last part didn’t make sense to me and it’s possible I heard it wrong but by that point I was too upset to ask for clarification. The person I spoke to seemed kind of borderline affronted throughout the entire conversation, as if it was beneath her to be answering my questions. Idk, I’m probably overreacting but I’m just upset at the bad news and confused as to what I did to deserve being treated like that. Ugh.

Congratulations!!!