Jen985

Id email them- they tend to be pretty quick with emails!

I dont have any insight, but I might also be attending Columbia I'm debating between the University of Michigan's 16-mo program and Columbia's two year MSW. I had initially declined Columbia for a January 2020 start date then regretted it and reapplied for the Fall..so... my only advice is to really think about it because you might regret turning down one if you act too quickly like I did haha. I've heard NYU only does clinical, so if clinical is your goal, that's one thing to consider...but on the other hand..and this is where I'm at in my thinking with Columbia too- Columbia has professors from all over, and from all backgrounds. I feel like theres a depth and breadth of learning there that is hard to find in many other programs.

That's so exciting!! Penn seems great. I've looked at their PhD program a few times and if I decide to do my PhD down the road I'll definitely apply there. What type of work did you do in prisons?! That sounds amazing. It sounds like you really got your perfect fit in terms of a school and program

Congrats! I had friends who went to grad school at Boston College and they enjoyed it. Best of luck!

Congrats!! I had a low undergrad GPA too. Gpa definitely isn't everything. Do you have a number 1 or 2 pick out of where you've been accepted??

Congrats!! Do you have any thoughts on where you might choose?!

You seem offended somehow. Nothing I said was meant that way- I was simply echoing what the other person said, and trying to help. Best of luck to you!

Hey it's ok to be annoyed at whatever you feel annoyed by

As frustrating as it is to wait, sometimes the schools just get backed up and theres no rhyme or reason for the delay. It definitely could be the letter but it also could just be that they haven't had a chance to review you yet. Hang in there! It'll all work out as its meant to.

Question for people who applied to UMichigan by the Feb. 1st deadline- has anybody heard back yet? I know Dec. 1st people have heard back..but.. have Feb. 1st deadline people heard anything? I realize its SUPER early to even ask this.. I'm just curious Also, is anyone doing Columbia's two year online MSW (Rather than residential)? I'm having second thoughts on denying my admission to Columbia..and I'm now weighing Michigan Vs Columbia... or rather- 16 mo MSW at Michigan compared to 24 month (2 year) online MSW at Columbia. Being in my 30's Im not entirely sure I want to do the whole... on campus experience thing again.. it sounds exhausting haha! Hope everyones having a good day!

I hate to say this but I second this advice. It can be really hard to go right into grad school from undergrad because you run into the trap of being over qualified but under experienced.. I have many friends who did this and they were passed over for jobs because the entry level positions did not require a masters degree and the ones that werent entry level required more experience. @NicoleDes its so commendable that you want to move straight through and just be done- totally get that- but if you do decide to work for a year and defer... then at least you get some experience under your belt and have a grad program waiting for you at the end of that year. Take it from someone in their 30's- there is no need to rush Jobs and such will be waiting for you no matter when you do grad school.

Hey- let me tell you a story (don't worry, swear its true lol). So now I'm in my early 30's but when I was 18-20 in college, in undergrad, I had the worst grades. I almost got kicked out twice due to academic probation. My dad had cancer and I was working three jobs- I frankly did not care at all about grades or school. I would blow off class constantly, for work usually, or because I worked all night and needed sleep, etc. Needless to say, my grades were horrible. Not only low, but I kept taking semesters off because I felt ashamed at my low grades, so I had lots of W's. This was in the early 2000's. So finally, at 23 or so, I went back. I decided I was done feeling ashamed and I was going to walk back into the psych department (I was a psych major) even though my professors probably saw me as a failure, and I was going to work super hard...and thats exactly what I did. I ended up with straight A's and a few B's in my final year or two years (whatever it ended up being). I took on 17 credit course loads and studied like crazy. I eventually had a few psych professors come up to me and commend me for how hard I was working. I then did a one year degree at UCLA, a few years after my bachelors, in marketing (post-bac) and graduated with honors (3.9/4.0 GPA). I then took a few non degree graduate classes, got A's in all of them. I then applied to Northwestern University for a masters degree which I am currently finishing up, and I have a 4.0 GPA. My point is- You've got this. You have SO got this. I know all too well how easy it is to look back at those old grades and think wow, I really messed up. But flip that mindset around- Look at how hard you worked later on to raise that GPA to a 3.8. Admissions committee's - everywhere you apply- will see that turn around and think wow, this person is determined.. look at that work ethic.. they are amazing. It would be one thing if you had bad grades and W's and never came back from it.....but not only did you come back from it, you soared You've got this. From one former W's kid to another- you've got this.

Keep your head up though, it can turn around really fast. I applied to Columbia last September, got waitlisted late October, and got accepted Nov. 15th. Remember- wait list does not mean no Obviously Im not going there now because I'm on this thread haha, I ended up deciding to wait a semester, and apply to Michigan for their 16 mo program instead, but.. my point is... you definitely could be getting an "accepted" status very soon even though you got waitlisted. Keep your head up! You've got this. And if they say no in the end, then just know that it wasn't your door- if you bang on a door, and it doesn't open, it's not your door..aka not your path..something will work out.

From a career changer who went through the whole policy vs SW thing over and over and over....If you really want to continue your career in social work, which you said at the end of your post, then do that. You can always work in policy with a MSW..... You can never claim to be an MSW with a policy masters (I am almost finished with my policy masters at Northwestern and am jumping right into a MSW). The Heller School is awesome- I looked at them for a PhD in Social Policy- but if social work is truly where your heart lies, go for the MSW all the way, get that work experience, and get your clinical license. That will open up more doors, in social work, than policy ever will (for social work). Now, if you said "I dont care about social work anymore" my advice would be to go for policy, all the way. I also got into Columbia for Jan 2020- I declined- but I did attend orientation before I declined...so... I'm happy to answer any questions that I can answer for you. One other thought.... what about applying to a few more MSW programs, just to give yourself options, since you say you want to continue working in social work?

Hey! I dont know if this helps, but I'm originally from Wisconsin and I know Milwaukee... I can answer questions if you want?? UWM Is a good school! Totally understand having decision fatigue- I've been there too. My best advice is to make a list, on paper, of what is most important to you in a program. It can literally be anything from "cheap housing" to "research opportunities" to "urban environment" to "close to international airport" haha for traveling... really just make a list and no matter how small each point seems, add it. Then, when you're done, look at that list and see if any school jumps out at you. If not, do some more research on the city, the school itself, try to find student reviews, try to look up professors and see if anyone really jumps out at you to learn from. Also, if rankings matter to you, that's always something to consider. The answer will become clear though once you figure out your "must have" factors and your "deal breaker" factors... Kind of like dating, but with grad school haha