JessicaX

I'll be attending Columbia's two-year MSW program. I won't lie and say that the Ivy League status didn't factor into my decision, but I did feel like the school was a good fit for me after visiting and getting a chance to speak with faculty and students. It was always my top choice and I'm fortunate enough to not have to take out a crazy amount of loans to afford it.

NYU is supposedly really backed up because they didn't expect to receive so many apps.

It might just be a glitch. Mine changed to "pending interview" before my interview took place.

I got my acceptance letter today from Columbia!! Unfortunately I most likely can't afford to attend. They said they'll send a separate letter about financial aid sometime in the next couple of weeks but I'm not getting my hopes up.

The interview is business casual. I wore a button down shirt, navy pants, and flats. Some girls wore slacks and a sweater and one girl wore a suit. I think as long as you look presentable and aren't wearing jeans and sneakers you'll be fine. My interview was kind of weird because my interviewer (older lady with gray hair) asked really personal questions. She started out asking us to introduce ourselves and give a little background. Then she wanted to know what personal experience led us to work with the population we work with currently. She really pushed to get a specific answer out of each of us, which made me uncomfortable. People admitted to all sorts of things such as past sexual abuse, alcoholic family members, and even a current diagnosed personality disorder. I gave a really generic answer that didn't disclose too much. Then she wanted to know how each of us were going to deal with the change that comes with going back to school full time. She asked if we had kids, husbands/wives, etc. Again, I have issues with self disclosure so I didn't say anything. The one social work related question was a "what would you do?" in a scenario where you work in a homeless shelter. I'll be honest - I wasn't sure what the correct answer was so I didn't say anything. I was the person that spoke the least in the entire interview (I kept track) but I still got in. It makes me wonder if the personal questions were a trick to see who can maintain professional boundaries. Or, maybe as long as you don't raise any personality red flags you're in. My suggestion is to not disclose too much personal info and to try to get to know everyone else while you're waiting in the hallway so you're all more comfortable with each other in the actual interview. Based on other people's experiences I've read about, every interviewer will ask different questions. Still, I hope this helps and good luck!

Ugh that brings it into the beginning of April. I remember when they first sent out emails saying we would find out on March 3rd.

Not hearing back from NYU and Columbia yet is stressing me out. It's also costing me $250 because my Hunter deposit is due this week and I don't want to lose my spot.

I thought my interview went terribly as well, but I still got an offer. The interviewer kept asking really personal questions and I didn't feel the need to share such private stuff with a room full of strangers, so I was the person that spoke the least. I thought that I would get penalized for not speaking enough but I ended up getting in anyway, even though I didn't answer the one "what would you do in this situation" question. The interview is only a small portion of your application, I think as long as your answers were not too outside the range of normal and you didn't raise any red flags you're ok. For social work programs that accept hundreds of students I think the interview is to make sure you aren't socially awkward or show signs of mental illness that would impede your ability to work with vulnerable individuals.

I called NYU two days ago and they told me the wait is 6-8 weeks.

The private practice goal is not an immediate one. First, I would probably try to get into a VA hospital or work for an agency that serves the developmentally disabled population like I do now. I've thought about going the PhD route but unfortunately I don't have 5-6 years to spend in school and I'm not crazy about research. You're probably right about clients choosing a psychologist or psychiatrist over a masters level clinician, but not every client will have that choice due to finances or insurance.

^^ Thank you SRS, that was extremely helpful. Luckily I've already been accepted to Hunter but I'm still waiting to hear back from Columbia and NYU and any possible financial aid. The earning power of someone that went to Columbia/NYU over someone that went to Hunter is something that I've also wondered about. A graduate from Columbia will probably be more attractive than a graduate from Hunter to an average layperson (client looking for a therapist, non-social work employer). For someone like myself hoping to eventually go into private practice, it's something to consider. Also, I'm curious about potential networking opportunities and the ease of finding a decent paying position after graduation. One of the big draws of Ivy schools is that you're in an "exclusive" club that takes care of their own. I'm sure this is more prevalent in other fields like business and law, but I'm wondering if it exists somewhat in the social work world as well.

Unfortunately NYC schools don't really offer enough money that the tuition is comparable with state/city schools. I was wondering what the money really goes towards and if the high cost of schools like columbia and NYU were somewhat justified or if its just the name you're paying for.

This is something I've wondered when trying to decide which school I would go to if I got into all of them (Hunter, Columbia, NYU). Since we only have classes two days a week I'm wondering what the high tuition at Columbia and NYU really goes towards. Are the expensive schools able to secure more prestigious internship sites? Also are internship sites open to people from different schools, or does one school have an exclusive relationship with that site. It doesn't make sense to pay an arm and a leg for a private school and end up at the same internship site as someone from a cheaper city school. That would mean you're paying around $20,000 more just for two days for classes. Does anyone have any insight into this?

For those of us still waiting to hear back from Columbia, I called today and asked when we're expected to find out. The person I spoke to told me "after the 10th".

Just received an email saying that I got into Hunter!!! My interview was on Feb 25th. I'm still waiting to hear back from Columbia and NYU.