mydogismyoverlord

I'm in your same boat...sorta. Got into Columbia and Fordham, still waiting on USC. I live in LA and will be doing an online program. Columbia has that "Ivy League" cool factor, but does that even matter for Social Work? Additionally, I want to work in clinical, and I've read that Columbia tends to focus on macro? Question about the negative reviews you read. I saw a few of them but want to make sure I'm getting a large enough sample size to consider the criticism legit. Are you confident in the consensus about Columbia's online MSW being no bueno?

I was just accepted to both programs. Columbia is ranked #3 (Fordham is #25) and has that Ivy League sparkle. But two things give me pause: the fact that it seems to focus on policy, rather than clinical; and the price. I want to become a therapist, I'm not that interested in macro/policy stuff. And Fordham is basically $35k cheaper than Columbia. Is Columbia worth $35k more for someone focusing on a micro/clinical track? Do rankings even matter in the field of Social Work? PS, still waiting on BU, USC (which is a jaw-dropping $113k all-in), Rutgers and Denver, all of them online programs. So if you have thoughts on those, as well, please share!