mapletree

You know what would be really nice? If we heard this week. Last year I got an email at around 3.30pm on March 4th, which was the first Friday of the month. The first Friday of this month is March 2nd - in 2 days! Also, Ms. Green is a really nice person. I went to ask her a bunch of questions last year (and once this year) and she's always been really sweet and informative.

I just remembered that I got an email from the admissions office the day the application was due. It was helpful, and I'm not sure if everyone got it, especially if you submitted your app before the due date. Here it is in its entirety: Dear Prospective MSW Student, Thank you for your interest in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. We are pleased that you have started an application to our MSW program. Our deadline for application submission is today, December 16th. If you have already submitted your application, thank you! You can check on your admission status beginning in March. If you have not submitted your application, you have until 11:59pm tonight to submit. Some applicants have many of the same questions while filling out the application, so we have provided a list of frequently asked questions and answers that may be helpful to you. Letters of Recommendation Do I have to wait until all three of my recommenders have sent in their letters before I can submit my application? No, you do not have to wait for your letters before submitting. Can I check to see if my letters have been received after I have submitted my application? Yes, you will be able to sign in to your application after you have submitted to check on letters received and to see if your official GRE or TOEFL scores have been received.Can I send reminders to my recommenders? Yes, the application allows you to send a reminder to your recommender. We encourage you to do so if the recommender has not submitted the letter close to the deadline.The application asks for two professional letters and one academic letter. Can I submit only one professional letter and two academic letters instead? Yes, this will be fine. If you have a recommender who is familiar with your research capacity, then that recommender can count as a professional or academic letter writer. Statement of Purpose and Personal History StatementHow long should the Statement of Purpose be? The guideline is 3 pages, double-spaced. However, this is only a guideline. If you need to go to 4-6 pages to tell your story, then please do so. What should be included in my Statement of Purpose? The Statement of Purpose should address your goals in the program and why you have chosen to pursue a graduate degree in the field of social welfare. You may also wish to address why you have chosen your specific concentration in the program. [*]How long should the Personal History Statement be? The guideline is one page, double-spaced. However, this is only a guideline. Please feel free to submit 2-3 pages or more if you need to. [*]The instructions for the Personal History Statement are long and do not necessarily pertain to me so do I need to address everything in the question? No, you do not need to answer all facets of the question. Please use this statement to speak about your background and how it may have informed your decision to pursue a graduate degree in Social Welfare. The following may be helpful: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/personal_statement.shtml GRE Scores and GPA [*]Are there minimum GRE scores required? No, the School of Social Welfare does not require a minimum score on the GRE. [*]How are the GRE scores evaluated in the application review process if there is no minimum score? Does it help if I have a high or low GPA to offset low GRE scores? We evaluate your GRE scores and your GPA as it relates to academic preparation. However, we also look at your course work completed and writing skills in the statements to gauge your academic preparation. If you feel your scores and/or GPA are not competitive, don’t be discouraged. Your experience (volunteer, paid or research), letters of recommendation, writing sample, and your dedication and understanding of the field as evidenced in your statements can make you a strong, competitive applicant!

Berkeley = only school I applied to. So, yes, first choice. I did that last year too. I like to live on the edge.

A 1 in 7 chance for Community Mental Health. That's rough. Thanks for sharing those stats. "I didn't get specific stats on experience but from previous discussion boards, accepted folks have at least a year of experience in the field." I hope this was the main reason that got me waitlisted last year. My GPA is higher than their average, GRE verbal slightly lower, and I had about 7 months of full-time experience. I didn't change my GPA or GRE score this year but I do have an extra year of experience working as a case manager, so hopefully that helps. The first week of March is next week. So close.... yet so far!

I contacted admissions to ask about what happens if the file is incomplete. They said they have been emailing people to inform them.. they won't just reject someone without first telling them about missing documents! Thank goodness. My transcripts are not listed because they are already on file from last year and it won't reflect in the online system. A few other things I asked: When will we find out the decision? About 6 weeks from now, so early March. How many people applied this year? Around 50 more than last year. Nothing left to do now but wait it out.. Good luck!!

Rivka and rjose, thanks for responding. I just logged on to the website and it says: Your Application Status: Submitted On this page you can monitor the status of the supporting information that UC Berkeley has received for your application (e.g., letters of recommendation, exam scores). The page will be updated once an admission decision has been made. Is this what you guys are talking about? It doesn't say anything on my page about "all documents" being submitted, so I wonder if they haven't received all my documents.

Hi everyone, I applied to UC Berkeley and submitted my application close to the deadline which was on December 16. I have a question for those who also applied to Berkeley: did anyone receive an email saying their application was complete? I applied last year (and was eventually waitlisted then declined) and got an email about a week after submitting my application to confirm that they received all my materials and my application was complete and in review. I didn't get an email like that this year. Did anyone get one?