NE17
-
Posts
12 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by NE17
-
-
Hi all! Is anyone going to the Erikson Institute in Chicago? My sister's considering them for an MSW focusing on Infant and Early childhood mental health. She got a total scholarship of $20,000 spread out over the duration of the 2 years and I'm wondering if this is a normal amount? She applied kind of late and is deciding whether to defer and hope for more money next year.
And in general does anyone know about the program, its reputation, and how it's regarded as an institution around the country?
-
18 hours ago, Jen985 said:
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.
Hi Jen! I'm also deciding between schools at the moment, 2 of which are Columbia's 2 year and Michigan's 16-month programs. How has the decision process been for you, and what things are you considering as you're debating between the 2? I'm finding it really hard to decide based on anything other than cost of attendance/cost of living in the difference cities and would love to hear your thoughts
-
4 hours ago, Polcc said:
^^ my statement said pretty much the same thing, I also attached offers from another school as requested if I had any. I 100% financially support myself as my parents are not around so I don't have much to fall back on. I was very specific with numbers and explained how much I would need. I settled for a lower number rather than asking for it all to be covered but this would make it 42% off of tuition if I'm granted the amount I asked for. I would also suggest filling out any additional forms at the financial aid dept if you are requesting summer loans/work-study which I did. I would call the dept directly and ask.
Im not sure about fin aid in terms of grants for grad school but in undergrad I spoke with fin aid dept and was awarded and extra 2k grant every year because I appealed it. I believe scholarship amount and fin aid dept can be different depending on the school. Again, I don't know if grants are a thing in grad school but I would plan on appealing that as well. Luckily my program is only 1 year because I am advanced standing which makes everything a lot more manageable aside from not being able to work full time hence needing living expenses loan in my case. What school are you trying for?
I'll definitely try this, thank you!! I was accepted to UNC, U Chicago, U Mich, and Columbia but thinking about cost of living and everything I think my top 2 are currently UNC and Michigan. I haven't gotten financial aid or scholarship info from UNC yet, but I'm talking to an admissions counselor from Michigan on Tuesday and will definitely bring this up to them. Congrats on advanced standing though, that one year will def save you $$. Where are you going to go?
-
4 hours ago, rockroad29 said:
I have done it once with a small private graduate school in CA (non-MSW). I was given about 40% off the whole tuition (it was a very expensive school) but asked for reconsideration, 3 times. The process lasts over a month and I even went in for a follow up in person with them. I sent in everything, family income, parents supports, current financial aid I was receiving from my undergrad (it covered 100% tuition and living expenses), bank statement and a letter explaining the situation (I made it every brief and told them the amount of money I would be able to afford). I ended up getting 100% tuition waiver but still had to let go because of living expenses.
I'm a first generation immigrant & college student. Everything in my resume (fellowships, conferences, etc) was all fully funded so it was very obvious about the amount of money I can afford. The only income I had was from work-study and I did 20 hours a week for the whole 4 years of undergrad.
I would suggest everyone to ask for scholarship reconsideration if you need to. There's nothing you can lose.
Oh wow okay super encouraging, thank you!! I had a similar experience with undergrad, I'm first generation American-born, my tuition was covered 100% and even had a scholarship to cover living and other expenses, and worked 2 jobs including a work-study position. I'm going to try what you suggested. Did you go straight to grad school from undergrad?
-
Maybe emailing admissions directly to ask the questions or calling them? I applied to Chapel Hill and find their website super confusing and not very user-friendly compared to other schools, but the admissions counselors I've spoken to have been responsive. Good luck!
-
Has anyone been successful in asking for a scholarship reconsideration? Never thought of it as an option until reading this thread, and I'm wondering what people's experiences have been?
Also would love to hear from anyone who's asked for an extension on giving the schools a final decision-- definitely feel like I need more time but not sure how to go about it.
-
On 2/20/2020 at 12:25 PM, HKC said:
Just got my financial aid offer from Michigan, FAFSA and merit based. Not great.... was hoping for more. Did anyone else feel like they didn't get the best offer from UMich?
I got the same thing and was definitely disappointed because U Mich is one of my top 2 schools. Are you going to go with another school that gave you more $$ or ask for scholarship reconsideration? Never thought about appealing a scholarship decision but it seems like folks on this forum have tried it
-
12 hours ago, perfectamity said:
Curious, what are they offering you and where are you attending now?
Just to be sure, were you meaning to ask this question to me or to anelab?
-
9 hours ago, Msw2020lala said:
Agreed with others to go where youll have less debt.. these are all top programs. also my 2c is if you’re concerned about money I’d knock Columbia off the list unless you were getting reeeeeally significant aid. The cost of living in NYC compared to the locations of the other schools is ???
Definitely makes sense and is something I've thought about a lot. Thank you! Are you also planning to start your MSW this year?
-
15 hours ago, anelab said:
A professor at one of those schools told me the top 20 are all going to have just about the same curriculum, so go where there's money. Research if there's organizations who do the work you want to do in the areas where you could intern.
That makes sense, I feel like I've heard this a lot. Thanks!
-
Hi! Applied to and got accepted to MSW programs at UNC Chapel Hill, Columbia, U Michigan, and U Chicago. Really really thankful, but also having a lot of trouble making a decision or even narrowing it down (made a very detailed Google spreadsheet, color coded and everything haha). Any help or advice from current students on how you made a decision or fellow applicants who have decided, etc. would be super helpful! A few things about me/to note:
-I applied for the community change/macro/generalist area of practice for each school
- Currently doing community organizing work and looking to supplement that work through an MSW-- want to be part of a program with a lot of options for me, with a real commitment to systems change and so a pretty much exclusively clinically focused school wouldn't be a good fit for me
-Not a resident of any of these states (currently live in DC)
-$$ is a huuuge factor (duh) I've gotten some scholarships from every school except UNC so far, but it's still expensive and daunting (my undergrad had really good financial aid and I had no $ so I've never had to take any loans)
-Would love to (ideally) visit a school before I accept, but $$ is a factor and with time constraints it might not be realistic to visit all 4 in time, hence my desire to narrow down the options.
Sorry for the long post! Anything is helpful, so thanks in advance!!!
MSW Applications Fall 2020
in Social Workers Forum
Posted
Has anyone chosen between Michigan and UNC Chapel Hill? If so, how did you decide? Both have given me a good amount of money, but I'm torn because I'm more excited about UM's program (I'm interested in community organizing work), but would rather live in NC and their program might still be cheaper.