IvySWCu
-
Posts
275 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Posts posted by IvySWCu
-
-
On 12/17/2019 at 8:08 AM, Holygiant said:
What kind of work do you want to do? How much are you looking for a school that is clinically focused?
I've really struggled with where to apply, actually. I am interested in eventually becoming a private therapist, but I am struggling to find schools that seem like they have really good clinical programs and are well known (and seem easily transferable reputation-wise between NY and CA).
This year I am only applying to UC Berkeley and USC b/c I am in the process of moving to California. If I don't get into either of them, I will regroup and figure out what I want to do. I don't have to go this year, but it would dovetail nicely into me moving to CA.
My previous work is not in a related field, but it kind of is. I have a ton of experience helping individuals who are neurodivergent overcome a specific challenge. If you want more details I'd be happy to PM you but what I do is pretty unique and I have a relatively large profile in my field, and I don't want to out myself.
I want to do direct services at first, so counseling, and then eventually move into nonprofit management/policy. So I am a bit all over. I do want a school that is clinically focused for sure but that is strongly policy based. Honestly U-Chicago is my dream school and seems to have the perfect program as far as a combination of both, after doing more research.
No worries - you don't have to get into the details :).
Sometimes I forget who could be scoping the net.
-
16 minutes ago, DesertRat said:
Darn! It makes me feel a little better knowing there were only 20 travel awards available to social work, nursing and psychiatry applicants! Back to the drudgery of the wait...
If it makes you feel any better - it has nothing to do with the admissions decision :).
UT will be announcing decisions in Jan, so just a few more weeks!
-
2 minutes ago, DesertRat said:
I just received an email that I didn’t receive a travel grant to the integrated behavioral health recruitment fair. Best of luck to you!
Yes, same here! Totally disappointed, however I knew I was not in the requirements of scope. lol
-
On 3/27/2019 at 2:25 AM, Anatta said:
I got into the 2-year programs at BC (w/ $30k scholarship) and BU (w/ $44k scholarship)! Woohoo! (For me and for all of y'all who made it!)
I applied to BC March 4th, and they said I wouldn't hear back until the end of April... But I got the decision on March 18th ?
I'm going to visit in a few days. Anyone want to meet up, talk about MSW programs, or explore Boston together? I'll probably be back for the BC Admitted Students Day, too... but it's such a long trip from California!
This thread has my details:
Hey there!
Did you get a scholarship with your award letter? or did it come separately?
-
Boston College just posted decisions for Fall 2020.
-
10 hours ago, RoseLewis said:
Im SO glad you did. Honestly, I had a great feeling during my interview/waiting in the lobby. Very friendly/welcoming atmosphere. Waiting to hear back about financial info!! Good Luck!
Oh man. They already got back to me and asked for an interview. I am really nervous, can I PM you for details about yours?
-
22 minutes ago, RoseLewis said:
Psychology major, childhood studies minor 3.7 gpa!
Awesome, you actually encouraged me to submit my app to UPenn. I started and finished everything alonggggg time ago and never hit SUBMIT! A friend in passing mentioned some negative comments about the school and it being extremely difficult to get in, so I never sent it.
Now I am taking a shot!
-
3 hours ago, ClJones95 said:
Hey Everyone!
I've been watching this for a while and decided to join in. I live in Michigan and want to stay in-state.
Last year I applied to MSU and was waitlisted and then rejected. Last year my application was rushed and sloppy, this year I took a lot more time and am hoping to get in, as it is my first choice.
This year I applied to:
MSU -Applied 11/29/2019 |
Western Michigan -Applied 11/29/2019 |
Wayne State -Applied 11/29/2019 | Accepted 12/19/2019
Congrats!! WSU's MSW program is very well ranked and have great things from individuals that have went there. Goodluck with MSU - I am sure you'll get in this time if you put alot of effort in! Let us know when you hear back
and welcome to the thread!!
-
10 hours ago, RoseLewis said:
Interview was very laid back! Simple questions. Why Penn? What do I have to bring to Penn? What are my strengths/weaknesses?
But good news, I received my acceptance letter at 9pm!!! It was so quick, I was very surprised but I'm over the moon!!
Can I ask what your stats are?
-
10 hours ago, RoseLewis said:
Interview was very laid back! Simple questions. Why Penn? What do I have to bring to Penn? What are my strengths/weaknesses?
But good news, I received my acceptance letter at 9pm!!! It was so quick, I was very surprised but I'm over the moon!!
CONGRATS! That is awesome!
-
On 12/17/2019 at 1:52 PM, Maxirose said:
Hey guys!! I’ve been a longtime stalker of this page and finally decided to post lol.
applied -
USC -11/27
NYU- 12/1 accepted
UPenn- 12/1, interview tomorrow!
Boston University- 12/16Columbia- 11/24
Awesome let’s of Columbia applicants on this thread! Let’s all keep eachother posted on updates. Im so eager to hear back from UC and Columbia
-
11 hours ago, mswanxiety said:
just got an invited to conduct a video interview for merit based scholarships at Wash U. Has anyone done this before? Any tips?
I’ve done job interviews via video but never for a scholarship! Good luck though!
-
On 12/17/2019 at 2:07 PM, HarmReducer said:
I got accepted to Ohio State today! That took only two weeks! Still waiting to hear back from UMD and LSU (they finally got my last recommendations on Friday), but Ohio was my first choice, so I'm 99% sure I'm going there.
Yay! Congrats, that was your first option right?? I think I’m giving up my spot at UMD, I’m really torn about what city to live In. Good luck on hearing for their program!
-
1 hour ago, BrendonSW said:
Ah! I misread. FAFSA does send a letter in February/March. I was thinking about the social work department’s scholarships for you. Those usually come within a week of receiving an acceptance (in my experience). I believe my FAFSA came in February. The FAFSA for MSW programs really outlines which federal loans you’re eligible to receive. I don’t believe I received any federal aid for grad school.
Oh gotcha! Yeah - so I called UIC and UMD nad Rutgers, and they said the school of social work does not award ANY scholarships until a student confirms their enrollment.. Which means a huge deposit at every school, and I can't justify that.
I have heard UC and other schools make their scholarship offers before acceptance, which makes sense as those are typically more expensive.
-
57 minutes ago, BrendonSW said:
When I received my acceptance letters, the award letter typically came within a week. Now that 2 weeks have passed, have you received your letter yet?
Nope, however when I called the programs it looks like FASFA does not package or send out letters until Feb/March..
-
On 12/13/2019 at 10:34 PM, madisonc7 said:
I definitely wanted to move there. Just wasn't sure how many programs were too many to apply to. I think it's just jitters. Tuition doesn't bother me. I just want to feel like I belong and can study what I want with the most support and expertise.
Gotcha, well you should definitely apply then!
-
11 hours ago, madisonc7 said:
I originally only wanted to go to a Chicago school and then somehow weened out literally all of them in my application process and now have serious FOMO, along with a few other schools. Is it worth it to open up applications to anywhere? I feel like I am annoying the absolute heck out of all of my recs lol.
This process is just so weird. I feel like there is so much weight on every little detail. I really don't know how I'll actually pick a school.
What Mae you originally rule out chicago? And I would only apply if it’s a serious option to move for you. Yes I’m currently weighing my options and feel the same exact way. There’s a lot to consider. I think overall tuition fees will be my main concern as I do not not want to take debt out.
-
9 minutes ago, mswanxiety said:
Anyone receive access to the U of Michigan wolverine portal today? All I saw was the subject line with Michigan and Follow Up Instructions. Just about passed out.... haha
My portal doesn't include any info, besides saying that my app was completed... I have read that some ppl received their offer in the portal...
Hmm It may just be where they post your decision after they review your app! Good LUCK! I can imagine the feeling of passing out. And yes I have read that is where everyone typically receives their decision.
-
On 12/12/2019 at 10:26 AM, madisonc7 said:
Hey friends!
I have/am applying to 4 MSW programs:
- UDenver - submitted / Dual w/ Korbel Int. Human Rights MA
- NYU
- Columbia - submitted
- UWashington
I also applied to ASU's Social Justice & Human Rights MA and got accepted 4 days after completion of materials. No Financial Aid talk yet, though they said it could be a few weeks.
Can't wait to see what else happens
Goodluck, lots of Columbia applicants on this forum -lets keep each other posted with decisions!
-
10 hours ago, Holygiant said:
One thing to also consider is how much you want the social aspect of grad school. If you are a commuter student, you won't really have a chance to interact with your peers outside of class. I wouldn't commute for that reason alone, but thats just me. Also my partner commutes about twice a week. She spends weekends in Brooklyn and the week in NB at school. She has come to really despise the commute, but you may feel differently. She has her own place in NB
Also I'm assuming field placement in NYC is way better and way more interesting than NB. I would be super surprised if Rutgers couldn't place you in NYC.
Yeah if you want to live in NYC for the experience of it as well, and you have experience with big cities I'd say go for it. As long as you can swing the cost.
Its actually hard to find a 2 BR as large as mine is. But its more expensive because of that. It also has like...14 feet ceilings, so its a pretty nice apartment.
I'm moving because I really love the outdoors and although there are amazing woods only 90 min outside of NYC, Lyme disease is becoming an epidemic here. I got lyme a few years ago and it kinda wrecked my health in a bunch of ways, so I want to move to a place where its way less of a problem. Also I absolutely adore Berkeley. We are moving there in a few months anyway, so I may just not go back to school this year if I don't get into Berkeleys program.
Thanks for sharing all that insight, I have on going pro/cons list about all the schools I’ve applied to that I’m highly considering and jotted some of your points that. Sigh, if I get into UC - I think I’ll be set on staying in chicago, I just am worried about picking UIC because it’s the “responsible” thing to do. Tuition would be so cheap ($31k) for the entire program, and they do have a great one! It’s just sadly not clinically focused, which worries me.
Are you only set on UC Berkeley? Also you may have already mentioned but is your previous experience in social work or a related field?
-
-
26 minutes ago, Holygiant said:
Yeah of course. I would definitely recommend going to visit and don't just take my word for it. Again I am somewhat biased because I despise NJ as a whole. That being said....
Living in NYC and commuting is gonna be rough. The train from Penn Station is 40-60 minutes depending on whether its an express or not and its...not the most reliable. Plenty of people depend on it for a daily commute, but I don't think I'd be able to. You could drive also but traffic is a thing. Oftentimes its just as quick to drive as to take the train....except that it really depends on where in NYC you live. I live super close to Manhattan, so its only 30 minutes to Penn Station from where I live, but that then makes the commute over an hour even if you take the express train to NB. So its kind of a journey.
NYC is also expensive. Like...theres just not cheap housing here. To give a couple of rough approximations. A room in a shitty random house in NB is prolly $600-800 a month. A small 600 ft 1 bedroom at Raritan is approx $1000 a month. A 2 bedroom at the luxury buildings in New Brunswick is $2500 a month. A room in a shitty random house in Manhattan is prolly $1200 a month. A 1 bedroom in Manhattan is probably closer to $2000-2500 a month. My luxury 2 bedroom in a trendy part of Brooklyn is $4750 a month. And my place is like....950 square feet. So its nice, but not huge (for NYC standards it is). You can get cheaper housing by going to an outer borough like deeper in brooklyn or queens, but then your travel time increases substantially, and some of the neighborhoods are not super safe. NYC is an amazing wonderful place to live, but its hard. Just everything in this city is hard and its crowded. People are amazing and NYC is a place I do think everyone should live in their life, but it will make the whole experience for you somewhat more difficult. =
You can also consider Hoboken or Jersey City, since you could drive to NB more easily/its cheaper/you can take t he PATH into the city
Yeah, so what the commute being twice I week, I don't think it would be horrible based on what you described, but would definitely be tough. And then field placement would be a whole other thing to consider. I used to commute prior and would take the train for 60 minutes everyday. It was tiresome after months of doing that 5 days a week I'll say. But I don't mind it much if it meant trading off to live in the city.
So definitely not moving into a random house, because my husband and I are a little more settled in and need our own privacy haha. So we were thinking of renting a one bedroom. The prices for a one bedroom in Manhattan are a little more reasonable for NY (which we expected). Because I only plan to live in the area for the two years of my program, we thought it would be fun to experience living in NY if we are going to be in that area anyway. I can't believe you pay almost $5k for a 2 bedroom, NY is CRAZY expensive but that is spacious compared to what I have heard others live in. Does your partner commute from Manhattan as well to New Brunswick? Or are they living on campus?
What makes you want to move from NYC to Berkeley? Which looks like a dream - Hope you get in!!!!!
-
50 minutes ago, madisonc7 said:
Hey friends!
I have/am applying to 4 MSW programs:
- UDenver - submitted / Dual w/ Korbel Int. Human Rights MA
- NYU
- Columbia - submitted
- UWashington
I also applied to ASU's Social Justice & Human Rights MA and got accepted 4 days after completion of materials. No Financial Aid talk yet, though they said it could be a few weeks.
Can't wait to see what else happens
Good luck! That's awesome you already got into one program.
-
2 hours ago, Holygiant said:
New Brunswick is good....for jersey. I've lived in NYC for almost 15 years and before then California so NJ is sometimes weird as hell. A few things to know about NJ and New Brunswick:
1. Honor culture is a thing. Its not super intense like the south, but NJ has random southern tendencies. Not so much in New Brunswick, altho if you go 40 minutes south you will see tons of trucks with confederate flags and such.
2. Housing is expensive, and terrible. Most of the houses in New Brunswick are owned by a few groups who have basically bought them all up and then control the rental market to students. Housing is generally done on a per room basis so a lot of times you don't know your housemates until you move in. They are also, from what I can tell, super slummy. There are a couple of nice apartment buildings in town, and a couple of super expensive ones. I'd recommend Raritan Gardens for a nice in between of semi-reasonable prices, as well as decent living spaces.
3. Its not that safe, but seemingly randomly so. There are reports of muggings of college students with some frequency. There is also the occasional gang related happening.
4. Its walkability sucks. There is a downtown and there are some decent places there, but its a little bit far from where downtown housing tends to be. You will have to drive most places.
5. Food is pretty decent. Some places which are quite good actually.
6. The downtown area is pretty cute. A number of restaurants and bars along the main area.
7. There are some actual gorgeous parts of it. The city goes over a river basically and has some parks on the river and it just very picturesque.
Also...just FYI I'm pretty biased because I lived in Brooklyn while shes been in school, so while I'm trying to give New Brunswick a fair shake, I'm sure i'm not. NJ as a whole I despise...New Brunswick I don't like, but its way better than most of NJ.
YIKES on part 1....
Haha I like the honesty in this post. It almost seems unattractive based on some of the points you mention. However, do you think living in NY city and commuting to school twice a week is doable or would bring a better living experience? My husband and I are even considering live there as well for school. I am planning a visit in Feb/Mar to check out campus. Overall thank you for the very honest feedback.
I hate comparing other cities to Chicago, because It makes it tough to consider them as I love Chicago. It just sucks when other schools have better programs in different areas ? gah.
MSW Applications Fall 2020
in Social Workers Forum
Posted
Welcome to the thread!!
If you want to compare yourself to the acceptance rate statistics at UT - Austin, the information is here: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/admissions/where-to-begin/admissions-and-enrollment-statistics
I have found the average acceptance rate fluctuates between 56-62%. With an average GPA of 3.6. However they measure your last 60 credits, so if you calculate your GPA for that, it may be higher than a 3.4. I also think a 3.4 isn't bad at all.
I do not think GPA matters as much as your SOP, LOR's and Experience. However I also have been out of school for a few years, so I may be measured differently than a straight out of undergrad candidate.
I believe on your GPA, Volunteer hours and involvement, plus that 5 letters you have a great chance of getting in. I've learned with MSW programs, they mostly want to see your clear plans and reasons for graduate education.
I recently was chatting with an adviser at a top school and she mentioned, she doesn't care if the student comes from Yale or a small school, the admissions committee really uses the SOP as their focus point when choosing to admit candidates.
Also UT- Austin was the longest SOP I had out of all the schools I applied to! I believe I submitted almost 9 pages. Their application was very rigorous!
According to the contact there " Decisions will begin being sent after the January 15th final deadline."