anony2888

That's awesome to have made your decision! It sounds like the right one. I hope you will share your impressions when you go next month. I will likely come out in April. It IS two professional master's degrees in areas that I am really interested in that will give me a wealth of career options. I really like all the resources WUSTL seems to offer and there is an assistant professor doing research in my main area of interest (cancer survivorship). My career now is my default career and I know I cannot continue like this. I'm not at all opposed to working, especially if I am getting experience in these new fields. I may be able to do some freelance/consulting at my professional rate but since the idea is to gain experience in something other than fundraising, I'm not sure how wise that would be in the long run. This would be a major move for me; I've never lived in a place that snows! Honestly I think it's a better fit for me than Berkeley would be and I never thought that UCLA's MPH programs were in line with my interests. I'm going to be 65 anyway, right? (If I am lucky enough to live that long.) Perhaps I would rather be 65 with this experience and education to my name than not, or some less than ideal compromise I make because I am scared of the cost.

I was admitted to the MPH at WUSTL and can now do the dual degree with the MSW!!! I go back and forth between excited and totally committed to absolutely terrified of the debt. It will be six figures. I will be 40 when I finish and that 25 year IBR payment plan? I will be 65 when the remainder is forgiven. I'm running out of years. What about retirement? The alternative is to go to one of my state schools and start as an MSW admit, then add the MPH, but I will have to retake the GRE. Math is very hard for me. I scored a 6% on the quant and feel that I should take any MPH admit I get because I highly doubt I can teach myself enough to get above the 50th percentile like they want. I have analytical skills; statistics makes a lot more sense to me than algebra, for example. I'm still waiting on Berkeley for the dual degree but I am a long shot because of that GRE. Is anyone else in a similar situation?

I'm not sure yet! To get in to UCLA would be AMAZING. We'll see what happens. I'm looking into medical social work, especially with young adult cancer survivors, and they are the home of Simms-Mann. I'm dying to hear back from everyone so I can figure out what I am doing. I live within easy driving distance of UCLA, so I wouldn't have to move or do anything but quit my job and drive in a different direction on the 405.

@MrsKozee I'm high-fiving you through the screen! Amazing experience and congrats on your well-deserved admittance to UCLA! It's really encouraging to see people of all ages with all different personal and professional backgrounds here on GradCafe getting offers to great schools!

"To date, no decision has been made on your application."

There isn't anything in my email from them, nor has my status changed. I applied later than you, which makes a difference.

I did my usual evening round of status checks on SDSU, Berkeley, and UCLA's websites. A whole bunch of nothing! I applied at the deadline for all of them, so I'm not really going to get worked up about them until March 1.

Cost is a big deal to me as well. I am waiting on all of my state schools, which cost a lot less than WUSTL. I have a number of scenarios that I am considering. My original goal was to do MSW/MPH. I have the MPH decision outstanding at WUSTL and am also waiting for Berkeley, but that's a HUGE longshot. If I am admitted to WUSTL for MPH, that's where I will go, unless by some miracle I am admitted to Berkeley's MSW/MPH program. I will choose Berkeley in that case. If I finish this cycle with MSW-only admits, I will go with the cheapest option, providing I have options. If WUSTL turns out to be my only admit, I won't be going to school in the fall. I am really into what they do and what they can offer me, but not for that price tag. They admit 86% of those who apply and it's because their yield is so low. I am really glad someone posted a link to the thread with the professor's insights. In addition to all the great advice it contains, it links to a blog that lists the admit rates of the programs. They are a bit old now, but definitely worth a look.

Hello! I think we are rowing the same boat. WUSTL is my first choice as well but I cannot justify the cost for an MSW alone. I am a dual degree applicant (MPH) and if I am admitted to the MPH program too, I am 100% sure I will be going. I have not visited yet. I'm still waiting on all of my state schools for MSW and they are all a lot cheaper than WUSTL, so if I do not get an MPH admit from WUSTL, I will be attending one of my state schools (providing I get an admit!). Are you interested in direct practice or macro? I have an extensive non-profit fundraising/administration background (10 years +) so I want to obtain direct practice training.

Oof, that's a long time! Thanks for checking. :-)

I looked at that earlier too. I think UCLA is going to take the longest. I also have SDSU pending and they said by March 1. Berkeley hasn't communicated with me at all either, but I have such low expectations of being admitted that I keep forgetting I applied there!

I also applied to UCLA (12/1) and have not heard anything since they acknowledged receipt of my application.

From the WUSTL MSW website https://msw.wustl.edu/apply/timeline/ Financial Aid Package: Determined 3-4 weeks after admissions offer if FAFSA has been submitted (guess I better do my taxes now). Federal Work Study Awarded: After May 1st. On a related note: I am really excited to see on the results page that another career changer/older student was admitted to WUSTL as well.

Exactly. Need-based grants (like Pell) ended with undergrad. That's why I'm not getting the obsession with submitting the FAFSA before doing taxes. I'm going to try to do some consulting/freelance work to pay some of my living expenses, but loans are inevitable.

Columbia is a rip-off. If you find their admissions stats, they admit almost everyone. A lot of the Ivies make their money off of graduate programs, banking on the name and reputation to draw students in, then charging a huge amount and admitting a lot of students. Congratulations everyone!!!!!!

I doubt the FAFSA played any role here. It's just too early. W-2s aren't legally required to be sent until the end of January. It is expensive. I'm holding out on my in-state schools right now, unless I also get an offer to attend WUSTL's MPH program. My goal is to do the dual degree and if WUSTL ends up being the only school where I have both admits, that's where I will go. If it comes down to just social work, I will choose one of my in-state schools. I have loved WUSTL's program for a long time, but I am also very practical and since the practice of social work is regulated for licensing purposes, they will all essentially teach you the same materials, making the most affordable option the smart choice. If you have research aspirations, that's a whole other kettle of fish!

I was accepted too, and with a $10,000 scholarship. I can't believe it!!!!!! I just received the email to check my status...after already checking my status. Btw, I have not submitted my FAFSA. These scholarships are merit awards. The financial aid package will likely be loans after this part, unless you have applied to one of their special programs/fellowships. The feds don't offer any need-based grants for graduate students.

I wonder where WUSTL is in all of this...the admissions timeline says those who applied by the early decision deadline will hear by February 1st, which is Monday.

I technically applied MSW/MPH but had to do separate application packets for each department. I also applied for the Intregrative Health Scholarship. I am not surprised because it is UM but I wanted to apply to institutions that were a good fit for my interests, even if my academics probably weren't up to par. I was an undergrad 12 years ago and had no interest in social work at all, but my career and some personal developments led me to social work. I imagine that my lack of volunteering and research experience, despite my successful non-profit career, hurt me. I'm not what they are looking for in a student, clearly. Maybe you are! Good luck!

Not advanced standing...but I can confirm they are sending out rejections today, as I received one.

I'm a bit pessimistic today! I think it's great people are now hearing back after all the time, work, and effort we all put into our applications. Congrats on UMich!!! Do you have a number one choice/dream school or will it depend on the admissions cycle?

Mine shows the same thing it's shown for nearly two months: a mix of "official transcript received" and "unofficial transcript." I also applied 12/01 for Integrated Healthcare. I have no acceptance email, so I am guessing a rejection is coming, my second from UMich in less than a week (the other being for the MPH program).

Congrats!!! I applied 12/01...so, any day now.

Good to know. I applied for the Integrated Health Scholarship program. Sorry about the rejection; I hope you get other great acceptances!

You are correct about USC. They do admit nearly everyone that applies and they are serious recruiters. Something to keep in mind is that accredited MSW programs must all teach the same fundamentals. We also are not going to be making lawyer or doctor money once we graduate. People are paying for the USC name, not a better education necessarily. I think charging as much as they do for an MSW (and offering very little in scholarship money) says a lot about the university (and others).