findtheriver

The only thing I can think of from what I've heard so far is that maybe it's a little less hands-on? That's way more important in clinical than macro. For example some schools have a regular seminar course that accompanies practicum to discuss fieldwork, conference cases, etc-- like additional group supervision with a professor. UW doesn't seem to have that-- or rather they do but it's not very frequent. That might be changing with the changes to the curriculum but I'm not sure.... Also-- I see you got in to Michigan as well! I was also accepted there so now that's in the running too. Can I ask why you decided not to go there? (Assuming since you said you're choosing btwn UW and BU). What's your impression of the UMich program?

Thank you for the input! That's a little surprising since it seems like so many people are in the clinical track there. Do you know why/ Why not private practice in particular? Do people not get enough clinical training to be versatile and independent? And/or something else? I'm not aiming for private practice, but it would be good to have as an option some time in the future. Apparently they are currently changing the clinical concentration which should give students more options so wonder if that will change... I would love to work/ live in Seattle, but the program has to be right!

Thanks very much! It does seem like an awesome place. This choice is hard!

A big congrats to you too!! And thanks so much for the insights. CH sounds like a lovely place to live. Maybe a shift after living in big cities most of my life, but it sounds like a cool change of pace-- especially the affordability! I've never owned a car so glad to hear its manageable without one. I'm still waiting to hear about funding so trying to choose based on multiple factors. I imagine there are a few tensions, from what I understand its a bit of a "blue dot in a red state...." How does it compare overall to Austin? I applied there too ? Thanks again!

Hey anyone, if UMich is your top choice for your MSW, would you mind sharing why? I just got my admissions notification and am trying to decide between it and several other schools. I'd especially love to hear from anyone in the clinical track. Also, anyone have thoughts on the MicroMasters track? (in which if you have several years of experience in the field already, you take some of the foundations courses in an online condensed form, and complete the MSW in 16 months). Thanks and good luck!

Good luck to you too! ?

UPDATED since I can't edut--- What about U Michigan? Just got an acceptance there as well!

I've been accepted to these two for a Masters in Social Work! Still waiting to hear from a few other schools but have to decide soon. I plan to do the Direct Practice/ Clinical concentration. Does anyone have insights on either of these universities overall? Especially their School of Social Work, or if not that, related departments (eg. public health, nursing, international development, public affairs, etc)? OR thoughts about working / living in either location? How do people make their decisions? My overall priorities: support from faculty, peers & administration, hands-on practical learning, and opportunities to be involved in research. I probably won't be able to visit either school before deciding. Will have to relocate either way. Both have similar rankings. They will cost around the same (although cost of living in Seattle is higher). Both have similar courses of study as far as I can tell. UW is on a trimester system whereas UNC is semesters (but some classes are half semester intensives). In case it makes any difference I've already been working in the field for over 10 years on an organisational/ program development level. Not just out of undergrad. Any thoughts at all are greatly appreciated!!

I got the email about loans from Office of FinAid, but nothing yet about departmental scholarships.

Thank you for the insight! Seems like a majority of students are in the Clinical concentration so that's a bit surprising. Do you have a sense of why? Eg. if someone was specifically looking at private clinical practice they would not be sufficiently well-prepared? (I'm not planning to do that, but would want to at least have the option in the future...) Did people like your co-worker have a disappointing experience working with clinical SWs from UW? Starting this year they are changing the clinical concentration a bit to give students more flexibility/ knowledge integration, so I wonder if that will change... It's good to hear that it's well- regarded overall, but as much as I'd like to live/work in Seattle the program has to be right!

Regarding scholarship notifications--- just in case it puts anyone's mind at ease-- they clarified that they will notify us by email either way, including if we were not approved for scholarship funding, just so you don't have to wonder. And they're now saying early April at latest (so I'm guessing next week).

I cant make any of the welcome events, but if anyone who attends would mind reporting back how they were I would be so grateful!

I'm afraid I don't have concrete answers for you, without knowing your priorities. I think Seattle is a better place to live.... but 30k in finaid is great! I wanted to follow this thread because I'm trying to decide between UW and other school(s) as well. What is your overall impression so far of UW in terms of things like faculty advisory support, and curriculum options? Are you going for clinical or macro?

Hi, may I ask what happened? I have the same thing now....! Thanks!

I'm so sorry about your uncle and the experiences you had to go through! I'm sure your experience will help you to be an empathetic and knowledgeable Pediatric Oncology Social Worker-- what a great way to sublimate something so hard into making a positive change for others. All the best!

Hey anyone- if UNC Chapel Hill is one of your top choices for your MSW, would you mind saying why? Especially would love to hear from those doing the Direct Practice track. Thanks and best of luck!

I received an email saying to login to the portal to see the decision letter.

Hey anyone- if UW Seattle is one of your top choices, would you mind saying briefly why? Especially would love to hear from those doing the clinical track. I have been accepted to the MSW Day program ? and need to make decisions! Thanks and best of luck!

Hi, Just a heads up for anyone who uses Gmail-- I received my acceptance late last week from UNC but didn't see it right away because it went to the "Promotions" folder! All the best with your applications & decisions ?

Hello! Can anyone please share their impressions of the MSW for clinical/ micro/ direct practice concentration at these schools? In particular: - Do you feel that classes, fieldwork, and supervision adequately prepare you to use a variety of modalities and interventions ? - Does the fieldwork placement give you lots of opportunities for hands-on work with clients from the beginning? - Did you feel supported by field education admin? - Did your learning focus only on the immediate location the school is in, or is easily generalisable to other regions? I"d love to hear from anyone who attended, or is attending the following schools-- or are very familiar with the program, or are applying and have been able to visit, etc): UT Austin, UMichigan Ann Arbor, UC Berkeley, UWashington Seattle, UMaryland Baltimore, UNC Chapel Hill, UCLA, University of Chicago. (and If you're not from one of these schools but want to share about great clinical training at your school, please do) Thank you!! (PS. I know that it's best to attend in the locality you have residency in & want to practice in, but that's not a major consideration right now so I'd just love to hear about clinical training)

You honestly sound like an amazing candidate! To be fair, I am not an admissions counselor and am in the process of applying for MSW myself, but I do already have a Masters in Psychology and have been in the field for over 10 years. However: - You have great experience-- especially for a new graduate. - You sound very clear about your vision and what you want to work on. Most programs would want to hear from candidates with a specific professional goal, not just "helping people" or something vague like that. - The fact that you come from an underrepresented community should make you more interesting to any decent program, not less. - Something I'm very excited about is that lately a lot of research and programming seem to be going towards prevention and building resilience in communities, especially for youth, to mitigate problems rather than only focus on recovery. - I can't imagine why your women's health professor didn't think that eating disorders are a problem-- of course they are! In your application essays just be sure you briefly cite some statistics or info about prevalence to back it up, and if possible talk about evidence based interventions that you think could be applied to ED prevention. Go for it! We need you in the field!!!

Hi, just trying to get a general sense--- would you mention the fact that you had previously almost started the type of degree you are applying for now, but then put it off due to taking a different professional path? Many schools ask, "why are you applying for this degree at this time?" If you mention that this is your second go at it, do you think that shows how dedicated you are (and maybe it just wasn't the right time before)? Or is it more likely to make you come across as flakey or uncommitted? I'm applying for MSW (Masters in Social Work), in case it makes any difference. In my case, 5 years ago I applied to 2 schools, got into one and rejected from the other, and ended up deferring (and not returning) because I had the opportunity to work overseas. Turns out I still want to get the degree, and the additional experience should, in theory, make me a better candidate. I'm probably re-applying to the one I was rejected from and undecided about the one I deferred from, so since I'm already in their system I guess I have to at least mention it. But I'm also applying to several others--- best to mention the previous round, or to leave that info out? I may be overthinking this but any thoughts are appreciated!