mylstisr
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Posts posted by mylstisr
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I've been living in Madison for about 5 years now. My wife and I both went to grad school here, and we stuck around after for work.
The city is just great. You usually hear people say how it has big city culture and opportunities combined with smaller city benefits, sort of the best of both worlds I guess. It's also nestled on an isthmus between two nice, large lakes so it has some natural beauty as well. The UW and state governments sort of dominate the downtown area, but with about 500,000 people in Dane County you'd be surprised how many other kinds of jobs and opportunities are around. You're also only 90 miles from Milwaukee, and about 150 miles from Chicago, so bigger city weekends are possible. Cheaper airfare, too.
Madison is known in the area for being fiercely liberal/progressive and having some pretty darn impressive farmers markets. Seriously, I was new to the midwest, but people just love strolling past produce on Saturday mornings at the Capitol square. The city also boasts State St., a one-mile pedestrian street that links the Capitol and the university. It has lots of bookstores, coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and boutique kinds of stores. I've heard that Madison has the most restaurants per capita and I don't know if it's true but I wouldn't be surprised, there are a lot of options. I've also heard Madison has an unusually large number of non-profit/volunteer types of jobs, the sort you would find on http://www.idealist.org. My wife and I have been here 5 years (she's a poet, I'm a statistician) and we've always found things for both of us to do. Nice balance.
Rent seems reasonable. I live on the near-east side (Willy St. area) which is a preferred spot for graduate students. Most of the apartments are in converted 1920s houses and go for about $600 studio, $750 1 bedroom, $900+ for 2 bedrooms. Lots of new condos going up too. I think our neighborhood is considered a bit pricey for rent, so there are probably cheaper options elsewhere. Anything within a mile of campus will be heavily dominated by undergraduate students with very limited parking. I also spent a year in University Graduate Student Housing (Eagle Heights) which was more affordable and right on one lake, but also somewhat cut off from the downtown area of the city. The city bus system is wonderful (and free to students!) so don't be worried about living too far away from campus. Cars are helpful for grocery stores and errands, but not strictly required.
Any drawbacks? Let's see... if you are coming from a bigger city Madison will probably feel somewhat small and more limited. We really don't have a "buzz" like Chicago or NY. Madison is also less diverse than bigger cities. Oh, how could I forget the weather... unless you are coming from Anchorage, Alaska or Duluth, Minnesota, you will find it cold in the winter. It can stay below 20 degrees for weeks with a steady wind whipping across the lakes. Bring a parka, and lose your prejudice against wearing long underwear daily. Other seasons are just beautiful.
Best of luck with wherever you move.
I am thinking about living in the Eagle Heights apartment- what do they look like on the inside? The website doesn't provide any pictures or floor designs... Is it really worth it?
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FSIA, heard anything yet?
all is silent on my front still :-(
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Anyone else feel like they are completely isolated in this process? Even my SO is starting to think I am crazy, checking board results and status again and again. It helps to be on this board, but the process is really getting to me. I am having mood swings, anxiety, patience issues, and altogether feel like no one else "gets it". I even have a friend applying to one of the same programs, but our situations are so different that she can't even identify. (She's applying for the hell of it for some reason, while a life in academia is my dream.)
I am happy to have one accept, yet I feel like I can't move forward until all the results are in. To add to that, my programs are waiting to the last possible moment, and I am worried about having such a limited time to make such an important decision, not to mention moving and paying for school.
My state of mind is suffering, but I have no one to talk to, it's very lonely.
I am sure I am not the only one, should we start a grad applicant therapy group?
ugh i totally agree! my boyfriend rolls his eyes every time he looks over my shoulders and sees that i'm on this site. for the past couple of weeks i've cried almost everyday thinking about how i am probably not going to get into my number one school. and on that note, this is all i've been talking about in my therapy sessions with my shrink. i am super tired of talking to friends about it because they just don't get it. :-(
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jesus christ, who's gotten into 6 schools? i need to start hanging out with you guys and learn a few things...
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I sent an inquiry to some of my schools and surprisingly, I have not heard back from most of them. I was expecting at least a "we're still in the process of deciding" generic email, but instead have been completely ignored. This is strange to me, especially considering I've heard successes of getting a reply from other people who are emailing the same exact people I'm emailing. What could be the problem? Call me sensitive, but I find the lack of response downright rude and unprofessional.
if you are talking acolumbia, do not fear- you are not alone. they have been point blank ignoring me for a long time now. it's so much more crueler than just ignoring me.
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format:
0. name
1. number of years you've applied
2. number of schools applied to
3. number of rejections so far
4. what do you think went wrong?
5. will you apply next year?
6. if yes, how will you improve your app? if no, why not?
7. what will you do in your off year/the rest of your life?
********
0. frankdux
1. 2 years
2. 11 this year. 2 last year.
3. 3 this year but more expected. 2 last year.
4. little research experience, a mediocre gre subject score (although i only sent it to 4 schools)
5. yes
6. try to get some research experience. retake the gre subject test.
7. not sure. maybe teach.
don't give up hope yet. you still have to hear from a lot more schools.
but...that being said,
have you been networking? reading up on your area of interest? what about your statement of purpose? Do you think you could improve that? never underestimate the importance of brown-nosing and sucking up to a professor way before applying.
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thanks guys for your optimism-
it does help!
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That sucks. Have you heard back from Columbia? Or will You just head to UW-M?
no news on columbia yet. and whenever i ask, they are increasingly vague.
it went from "you'll hear soon" to "you'll hear in march" to "you'll hear in the next couple of weeks" to "you'll hear in a few weeks (today)"
I mean, i'm not harassing them because my friend has also applied and she's been inquiring as well.
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2 rejections in two weeks.
i am bitter, is anyone else bitter?
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I'm right there with all of you. I'm in the midst of what I think is the biggest depression of my life. I don't think I can look forwards to ever doing something like this again. I can't bring myself to write up my resume though; the defeat is near but so far away yet (or so I hope!). I don't know what my chances are right now but I am so hoping I get in somewhere.
*Shudder*
i totally agree with you girl. this has been one of the hardest experiences for my self esteem. it's tearing my boyfriend and i apart and i am deeply depressed about the whole situation.
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waiting on brandeis, and haven't heard anything from them. i've heard brandeis likes to take their sweet time
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FSIA,
I will let you know if I hear anything from them...
so far...not a peep. :-(
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i am already starting to seriously consider my plan b school...
it looks more and more appealing every day as the waiting continues
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but why would they host a reception so early if they haven't finalized their incoming class? i guess they really want to court those "must-haves" huh?
:-(
right now i feel like the girl all the cute guys don't want to dance with and i'm waiting by the wall for someone to come ask me to dance...
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Not if that school is Brandeis, because they are livin' by their own rules this year
haha, yeah they've always been a little weird i hear...
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Ok, so there've already been some posts about signs that you're about to or have already been rejected. For example, you coming onto here and seeing like seven other people have posted they've been accepted...yet you haven't heard anything.
So I heard that one of my schools is hosting an "acceptance reception" for people who have already been accepted in about two weeks. Does that mean they've already sent out the acceptances and, since I didnt' get anything yet, that I've probably been rejected?
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I got my first rejection today too...
and although it was from a school i wasn't planning on going to anyways, it still stung...
anyways, i dealt with it by eating a huge piece of lemon cake and had a glass a wine- followed by watching the bachelor finale.
what can you do at this point, eh?
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oh you're smart for not starting a relationship
at least you're not doing with that mess right now!
all my school work right now is on pause, and that's kind of dangerous considering midterms are next week for me and i'm soooooooooooooo behind.
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My freakout moment came when I got three rejections in two days which was rough enough, and then was told by Friend A that she was accepted by UC Berkeley and told by Friend B that he had an interview with Leeds. Now I love both Friend A and B, but I know for a fact that I have the better GPA, GRE, extracurriculars, you name it. They both told me the "oh don't worry you'll get in, if I got this then you're sure to!" line, but as it stands I'm still holding four rejections and not even a waitlist. Argh.
I think the hardest part about the grad school application process is the jealousy that it breeds.
ugh i hate that crap!
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Hi ielah,
I moved from Madison, WI to NYC, and it was a really hard transition for me at first. I tend to take longer than other people to adjust to new environments, so for the first like...6 months I was pretty miserable. But very quickly after that, I fell in love with NYC and now I don't want to leave. The neighborhood CUSSW is in [specifically Morningside Heights] is really cute.
Financial aid is a sore point with me. I got full fellowships to get MSWs at other schools, but I turned them down because I wanted the NYC experience and the Columbia name. I took on a SHIT LOAD of loans, the max amount to live and go to school in NYC at CUSSW- sometimes I really regret it when I think about how I have almost $xx,000 in loans now thanks to CUSSW. But then again, I think about the experiences I've had in NYC and somehow in the grand scheme of things it makes sense...
To be honest, if I were in it ONLY for the MSW and I wanted to be a practicing social worker, I should have gone to a different program. I honestly don't think MSW programs are that different across the board. The Council on Social Work Education kind of ensure a universal curriculum. But I knew I wanted to go on and get a PhD, so I needed a program with research productive professors and enough of a policy emphasis. I also wanted the option to explore international social work, which some schools really cannot offer.
The classes are excellent, the professors are excellent. The administration is a pain, like any bureaucratic institution things happen slowly. sometimes you wait forever to find out if your financial aid has gone through (such a pain that i did not experience at other schools). CUSSW is one of the largest MSW programs, and that's something I feel like people don't really advertise. My class is like 200+ people, whereas other schools have significantly smaller classes. It didn't bother me though.
I did know people who were already at CUSSW and so that really helped with the transition. But it's also very easy to make friends quickly and CUSSW provides a lot of social activities that, if you attend, will help you make friends.
I can't really tell you more about the curriculum without knowing what you want to study- i can only speak about the concentration track i was on. But for a lot of people the field experience is really key and people often complain about that...but from my experience that seems to be something MSW students are generally unhappy with across the board.
Anyways, that's my open and honest opinion! Hope it helps. In general, I am glad I went to Columbia, but everything has it's pros and cons. I know a lot of people who were extremely unhappy with CUSSW and a lot of people who really liked it. I tend to fall in to the more "liking it" side.
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i would check the "results search" and put in MSW and a whole buncha people have posted the schools they've gotten into. hope that helps!
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Not too sure what my chances are, but I will wager on not too good. I am in a strange situation, and whether I get in will depend on whether this particular advisor will take me on. So it is a waiting game, but I think I will have an answer soon. I was contacted in February and so am just waiting for the answer. As far as preferences, I do not rank schools. I only applied to schools I actually really wanted to attend. So it all boils down to financial and advisory support
I would say don't worry to much. Seeing as you are a product of CUSSW, assuming you did very well they should take you. The other schools on your list are also top notch. The people at UC are phenomenal. I have been in contact with them for years and they have produced some great scholarship. Brandeis is also a fine choice.
sorry, just ignore me or tell me if i am prying too much... but which professor are you hoping to work with? there are some really great ones in social admin., it's a really popular track. Also, why did they contact you in February and what did they ask about? Anyways thanks for sharing! I don't know why I am so nervous...even though I am getting my masters here I don't think it really matters...it's almost like they know me too well- therefore they know my flaws and my weaknesses, so maybe it might hurt me...
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I am also waiting for Columbia. PhD Social Admin track. Hopefully will hear something soon.
ugh yay! thank god, someone else in my shoes. why do you think they are taking so damn long? i'm so afraid that because they are taking so long it means i'm about to be rejected...i heard that people get accepted in february and then they reject people in march...
what do you think your chances are of getting in? is it one of your top choicse?
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research and teach.
columbia is great, let me know if you have any questions about the program, would be happy to answer them!
Questions from the uninitiated
in Social Workers Forum
Posted
University of Wisconsin-Madison gives a special fellowship to MSW students that is full funded (tuition+stipend) but the only give it to like two students a year