AlabasterSeas

Yeah, I'm also worried about it. But at this point I'm starting to think of deferring until next year. Not a good time to take out student loans since the economy is tanking and lenders are going to be more risk-averse.

I've also been admitted to the two. Don't make the decision based on reputation. Both U of M and Columbia have similar reputations for MSWs, so reputation is sort of a wash between the two (usually, U of M's social work program is ranked #1). Secondly, social work is definitely not a prestige-driven field, so it won't matter that you went to an Ivy League school (if you choose Columbia). The main difference between the two would be in terms of placements. If you go to Columbia, you'll have more career opportunities in NYC. If you go to U of M, you'll have more career opportunities in Michigan. But, since you're planning on moving away from both places anyway, that doesn't really matter. The next factor to consider would be cost. Even though you're not getting financial aid from either, it's possible that one of them will still be cheaper than the other (because of tuition and because of cost-of-living). There are cheap places to live outside of Ann Arbor, so you might be able to save some money with U of M. But if you're willing to not live in NYC and commute, you could save money that way. However, if you haven't already, try to get more financial aid. You can email the school's an submit an appeal. Another factor: what kind of social work do you want to do? Maybe one of the school's will cater to your career interests more. For example, Columbia has a DBT center, so if you really wanted to learn about DBT, then maybe you'd lean towards Columbia. Are you interested in clinical social work or want more of a macro / research / policy focus? Finally, where do you want to be? It sounds like you think you'd enjoy Ann Arbor / Michigan more, so maybe trust your gut on that. Based off the info you provided, I'd say go with U of M.

Still haven't received any updates -- wonder if COVID-19 is going to delay things (I believe CUNY schools are on "essential staff only").

How'd it go?

We're in pretty similar boats. I reached out to admissions but never got a response. I'm guessing they might not respond to emails requesting updates. I might reach out again on Friday if I still haven't heard anything.

I applied to two special programs. I found out I was waitlisted for one at the same time that I received my financial aid letter. I still haven't heard about the second. I sent a message about it and heard that faculty are behind in the decision-making process.

Glad to hear from you! A few quick responses: "the DSM is boring to me and I'm more concerned with what material improvements can be made to people's lives rather than the specifics of their particular disorder." Yeah, what you describe sounds boring to me too. But, I think there are therapeutic approaches/styles where you're not falling asleep in a leather armchair with the DSM on your lap lol. Maybe you need to find an approach that is more your style? DBT, CBT, a holistic approach (my partner's therapist, an LCSW, is big on yoga), etc. Similarly, maybe you could try working with another population? Different people get along with different populations better and that's okay. Presently, I feel a lot of excitement around working with transitional age youth who are dealing with substance use issues. Some therapists do better working with lower-functioning clients and other therapists do better working with higher-functioning clients. It's possible that if you find an interesting approach/style and connect with an appropriate population for your interests, that will feel like more energizing work and might be easier for you to have a material impact on your clients' lives. And, keep in mind that the work you do as an MSW student might be more restrictive than the work you can do once you're "out there" (i.e. maybe your program didn't have the agency partnerships that would have been a better fit for you). If you are discovering more of a macro-level interest, that's great too! But remember it's not black and white: maybe there's a hybrid role for you out there where you can do both clinical and advocacy/systemic work (I know a lot of LCSWs who, in addition to meeting with clients, do programmatic work, who drive to their state legislatures, who do grant-writing and fund-development, etc.). In my current (direct service but not clinical) role, I meet individually with clients as well as cofacilitate support groups, but also do local advocacy, work with other, similar programs across the state, plan social activities, etc.

I won't start my MSW until Fall 2020 (still trying to decide which to attend), but am also concerned about student loan debt. For reference, I'm a few years out of undergrad and have had a variety of work experiences and have also had the pleasure of living paycheck-to-paycheck while working in positions related to social work. I have a helpful therapist and have discussed all my worries about money with her, as well as the nagging question, "is this the right choice/path for me?" Here's what I'd say for you: keep in mind you might be depressed/anxious which could be weighing you down. If you are depressed/anxious, I doubt any career change will make you feel better -- in other words, the issue might not be that you've selected the wrong career path (even though it feels like that right now), but that you're dealing with a tough mental health condition. In terms of debt, yes, it's a lot of money. I am also facing six-figure debt to do an MSW. But, keep in mind a lot of people have debt nowadays. And some kinds of debt are okay to have. If you're racking up a ton of credit card debt on stuff you don't really need, then that's one thing. It's another thing for an education. Going into debt for an education or for a house/car tend to be more common kinds of debt that people expect to pay. While a career in social work might not pay as much as other careers, a MSW does lead to a paying job. I'm not sure what kind of social work you're interested in, but an MSW graduate (before becoming a LCSW) can expect to make around $50k/year in NYC if they're working in a clinical role. There's usually a $10-15k bump once they become a LCSW. I'm not sure about other cities or non-clinical social work; at least other cities would have lower cost-of-living. Additionally, the payback period for student loan debt is long. That can feel like a burden, but that can also be a positive -- you can have really low monthly payments. Remember that lots of people with student loan debt are still able to live happy, contented lives, and even take a vacation now and then! You'll just need to come up with a budget that works for your situation. Investing in yourself is a good thing, it's the kind of thing that is worth the debt. It sounds like you have a lot of self-doubt -- that feeling that you've messed up your life and that you're on the wrong path; a sense that you're just this messy human being who can't get their shit together. Additionally, your debt-anxiety might be making your brain play a trick on yourself: it sounds like you're trying to zoom into the future and figure out whether or not the MSW was the right choice, and your anxiety is predicting/saying, "The MSW was the wrong choice." For starters, anxiety is a really bad fortune teller. It doesn't know what your future will be like. There's still the possibility you graduate and think social work was the best decision of your life, debt and all. That's just as much a possibility as anything else. The hard part is that you won't know until you're there. That might seem scary; you might want a guarantee up-front that social work will be fantastic and everything will work out. But, such guarantees don't exist, and keep in mind there's no guarantee any other career will be fantastic or better than social work. Because dropping out / changing paths seems to be coming more from a place of anxiety/doubt/criticism, it seems reactionary; it doesn't sound like a decision that is coming from a place of balanced-perspective. I'd encourage you to not interpret your past, present, or future decisions as right or wrong. That's black-and-white thinking. Life's more complex and more interesting than right or wrong. You didn't make the wrong choice going into debt for undergrad, you didn't make the wrong choice with the MSW path; if you had made different choices, they wouldn't have been the right choices, just different choices. The best we can hope for is not to make the right choice but to try to make compassionate choices, for ourselves and for others. Holding yourself to the standard of right or wrong could lead to a harmful relationship with yourself. It's not about figuring out how to fix your life or yourself by doing x, y, or z. It's about how you can love and appreciate yourself as you are at this moment, even in the presence of pain. Finally, don't think you have to be perfect to be a social worker. A lot of people who are attracted to social work do it because they are very familiar with all the messiness of life, including their own messiness. If anything, your experience of self-doubt, depression, anxiety, hardship, etc. can be the very stuff that makes you a wonderful and effective social worker. If any of this is helpful, it is largely because of the therapy I received. It took me a few tries to find the right therapist for me, but once I did, it has been life-changing.

Sorry you didn't get in, that hurts. It sounds like you have a lot of solid experience. But, keep in mind the decision could be less about your qualifications and more about weird factors that every graduate program deals with (i.e. wanting a class of candidates from a variety of states/countries, wanting people from a variety of professional and personal backgrounds, etc.). It's all a bit of a gamble, regardless of the strength of the actual application. Good luck as you wait to hear from SDSU!

Yeah, the waiting is rough, but good luck to you on their admission and financial aid decision!

Back in November. It sounds like others who applied early heard back in January, but got larger scholarships.

I was admitted to U of Chicago today, but with the lowest scholarship of the ones I have received. So, bittersweet.

I feel you on the Columbia front. Six-figure debt for an MSW is kind of crazy, especially when we'll likely only be making around $50k/year (if that) after graduating. Then, for NY, you have to wait around 3 years before you can take the LCSW exam and then maybe you can get a salary bump to around $60-$65k/year. It's like wut? There are some public school districts where teachers make a comparable amount to start out / a lot of non-profits in NY that offer higher starting salaries for entry-level-ish positions. No good deed goes unpunished. And, then, if you ever want to get a house or have a family, debt will be around until our sixties, seventies. That's why I'm really hoping I get into Hunter. Still a lot, but more practical.

Not yet. And, at this point, I'm sort of doubting an admission. I hadn't realized that some folks who also applied early were admitted in January.

Cost-of-living will likely be lower in Ann Arbor than Chicago. Money is a huge factor for me, unfortunately. I've gotten okay offers from UMich and Columbia (less so from NYU), but unless I can get at least one of them to go up even more, there's a good chance I might just pursue a different path. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Hunter which might be the most practical option for me if I am admitted.