Lisbeth

Yeah if I was a financial advisor I would say definitely do not go to a school that will put you 60K more in debt. Already being 20K in debt makes your total debt the least 80K when you get out and that is just not worth it, it's actualy stupid unless you have a trust fund or some other things like a well paid partner etc. Look, cal states are around 15,000 to 20,000 for BOTH years of education for MSW programs...UCLA is 20,000 Per Year! ridiculous lol and that's not even close to what some of these schools cost like USC and others on the east coast too. I hate to sound like I'm being a downer but I'm not, it's just a reality of life and we can live in a cloud if we want and ignore it but the truth is we will most likely not even land a 50K job right away and the rule of thumb is you should not go to a school that will put you in debt (total) much more than you will reasonably make the first year or so out of that school. Even I am a little worried because CSULA is like 15,000 and CSUDH is 16,000 and with living expenses that I calculated and my own loan payments + driving + food etc. I will go around 40,000 in debt which is right about what I will only Hope to make the first year out, but it's not guaranteed...so even I'm worried and this is the cheapest I can get. So yeah, best to go to a cal state..any financial advisor would say the exact same thing no doubt and you'll be more comfortable afterwards. Plus I plan some day to buy a house...have kids...enjoy life...and realistically those things still won't happen for me until at least a few years after an MSW because I just won't have the savings until I pay down some debt. Good luck again and I hope you make the best choice for yourself personally, I know I am very opionionated abt. some things but when it comes to finances it's kind of like a no brainer...you can live in debt your whole life or you can be honest w/ yourself and eventually live relaxed and happy that you made the right choice because finances affect almost everything else that people want in life now...unfortunately!

Hey blueled, just wanted to make sure you understand that UCLA is not $14,000, that is the Subtotal on their website and there is a "professional degree supplemental tuition" cost which is listed and is required to get certain degrees including an MSW. It is $20,000 to do their MSW program. My friend who went there like 4 years ago paid about 17,000 so I knew that 14,000 couldn't be right. Here's the link to the breakdown for MSW: http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/fees/socwelfee.htm And at the very bottom is the final mandatory fees. Here is the description copied from their website about that professional fee: Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (formerly Fee for Selected Professional School Students or Professional School Fee) Charged to students in the D.D.S., D.Env., Dr.P.H., J.D., M.Arch, M.B.A., M.D., M.F.A. (Art, TFT), M.P.H., M.P.P., M.S.N., M.S.W., and M.U.R.P. programs. The amount of the fee is different for each professional school program. Regents’ policy specifies that an amount equal to at least one-third of the income from the fee must be used for financial aid. The remainder is retained by the professional schools to maintain academic quality. As rjose said though, if you do plan to go onto a PhD program later on or soon after your MSW maybe UCLA is worth the look even if it is 20,000, but even from CSUF if you do great research or other work after your MSW you can still get into great PhD programs (anyone who really tries to tell you otherwise is full of you know what ...sorry but really it's You that puts in the time and effort in life and there are Plenty of people who have gone to all kinds of state schools and gone on to make amazing accomplishments). Example: My teacher from PCC (public junior college) graduated from CSUN, she went on to get her PhD from Caltech (one of the "top" two science schools in the whole United States). She values her work at a public junior college so much mainly because the students who go there are not there for the name or some false idea of themselves, they are there to learn and learn some more and go on to get a degree from all ranks of universities.

Hey Blueled, I don't know personally about CSUF but I found this online http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/2011sp/MSW-accredited.asp ...so it says at least enough to give you a feel that it's a new but good program. I'd trust any program that is accredited as it takes a lot to get that and it's the true stamp of approval. It's difficult to think of going to one that isn't unless it's in the process of getting approval. As far as some schools being "better" than others. I cannot believe this country when it comes to ivy league bullsh*t or UC vs. Cal States...don't get me started. The UC system was originally only graduate universities not undergrad. They were built originally to be the public graduate universities and the cal states were only colleges offering undergrad courses not masters. Now many people think that it's some big thing to go to a UC for undergrad instead of a Cal State when really many cal states give you smaller classes and the teachers went to the same schools anyway. Not to mention that not even that matters because in undergraduate school it's up to You, the student to either put in the time and know your shit or not. As far as graduate school I'll admit that depending on the subject, certain schools are obviously better equipped to serve each person's interests or goals and certain professors have certain research areas that are more towards what you want etc. Even then, when people say "going to a better school doesn't matter for MSW" it really bothers me, because it's not that those schools are better even. We live in a capitalistic society so please understand that as a business model these high profile schools need you to believe that they are offering you something amazing and "better" than the other schools and you definitely pay for that in the pocket! And of course people keep spreading the same damn koolaid because they Go there or went there and need you to believe that they are better than you for going there...and worse, so many employers actually believe this as well and will at times hire someone based on it. Now unless it's because you studied under a specific person or did a unique program at one of these "better" universities or something similar where their program really does offer something others don't (like something that can actually give you more experience and knowledge) if not then it's all hoohaa lies, and really the best person for any job is the person with equivalent education but the best experience, personality and wherewithal to actually do the job etc. Now sadly the truth is that those employers do hire based on name of school alone...so depending on your profession (like being a lawyer maybe?) it could be worth the extra cost if it's already going to be so high. But for social work this is just not the case, so it's really not worth the debt. So pleasae don't get sucked into those people at UCLA who think they are better educated than those who go to a cal state or that they'll get a job before you...it's not true, refer to what kristinmsw said about that. Ok sorry for that rant lol. As for whether there are jobs, and whether there is any pay. I've done a lot of my own research on this, so I'll give you at least my two cents. Job availability will depend on location, and with your experience, and certifications/licenses but it should help you to know that social work was listed as being one of the best careers in 2012 on US world news' website. The outlook for the profession is good because well people are getting older and not dying, and we have over population and because most people don't want to do social work or drop out of it. Also, the median wage starting is 40,000 a year, and it definitely helps that you'll be getting a masters degree. This will allow you to get licensed eventually if you'd like, which opens up many more doors. I plan to do this which takes around 3 give or take depending on how easy it is to find supervised hours with or without pay. So although it takes time after your MSW, it will put you in that $40,000 range for sure and even without it you can land the those jobs in LA with certain experience. So you won't be rich but if you specialize in certain areas and gain a few years of experience you'll be making around $50,000. One of my friends went to UCLA and got the stipend for child welfare and chose only to agree to 1 year for 1 year of work...she Completely regrets this as she has now been working there for 3 years and could have signed on for 2 years for 2 years!! AKA she could have gotten two years paid for instead of just one because she worked there that long anyways. She within three years is making like 52k at the DCFS. Like the other person said above they are interested in getting good people to stay so they'll pay pretty well with excellent state benefits. Of course these are difficult positions to land too! But I also heard from a medical social worker that her sister who is a licensed worker makes around 68K doing her own clinical work with a group. Seemed kind of high to me but it's possible and all...I'd say find your niche like I plan to eventually, and do your best to get as much experience as you can and you'll be able to move around to do whatever you'd like because people willl Want you. As far as cost between UCLA and a cal state, I was surprised to see that they aren't that different. it's like $20,000 for UCLA and around $16,000 for CSULA and the likes. I personally want to save every penny I can, but it's not That different so maybe if you get in there and like their program then it's the place for you. I'd choose based on living expenses too though because I know living around UCLA can be expensive. Good luck wherever you end up!

Hey up above w/ my extra long post I meant Eileen* for the other person who got into CSUDH not Forensic 2012 ...oops sorry.

Hey Everyone! Great to see that these boards about MSW programs has picked up since I've checked last. @ MSW Bound and @ Forensic2012, I also applied to CSUDH! So you're not alone, yay. And I found out back in December that I was accepted since they're on rolling admissions. I was beyond happy because I just wanted to get into ONE at least, I'm not picky...I just want to know my future has a plan! And I chose the concentration in Community Capacity because I may want to do both LCSW and Administrative eventually and only SDSU and dominguez hills have anything that involves a community based/administration program out of all the cal states. I also applied to Cal state LA (side note: I'm a little worried now because when I called up last week in the end of Feb. they told me that since I turned in my app. by the Dec. 15 priority deadline that I'd find out in the beginning of March, but someone on here said they already got in like half way through Feb.) it seems like they could have done a first pick round and then will either be accepting waitlisted second picks or rejections? Because that person said they had to decide by March 5th which just passed this week...like CSULA is waiting to see who accepts/rejects and go from there....hmm. Oh and again to "Forensic 2012", I also applied to the CSULA Forensic option, and I did go to the informational meeting and they did mention that out of their three options, Family/Children comes 1st as a choice for people, aging and families 2nd, and forensics 3rd, so it is the least chosen out of the three which helps us out maybe just a tad lol. Anyways, I did find out from schools I called or went to an informational session for, that in general it's best to always apply EARLY. I did not apply really early but I did my best for my own circumstances (got my four in between mid Nov. through the end of Dec.). I think anyone on here who does not get into any school this time should just keep their head up, remember that one year really isn't the end of the world and to gain even more experience and apply first thing next year because every school I called looks at the apps in the order they are received even if they are not on rolling admissions And lastly...did anyone apply to other cal states up north? I applied to San Francisco State and San Jose State as well. I know SF is very competitive and they also got rid of two of their concentrations and now only have Family/Child Welfare options. San Jose has a great program from what I hear, and is the first cal state actually first public college in california, so their program I assume is very competitive...anyone know anything else? I couldn't make it to an info. session.

Hey Eileen, I see you're applying for Fall 2012 around the LA area too! Have you finished your applications? I'm applying to those three schools plus four others including SF, Chico, East Bay, and San Jose. I just hope I get in somewhere! Good Luck!

Hey there, I know again I'm asking someone who didn't answer the first person lol, but if you get a chance could you explain how your application was, they said your gpa was 3.2 but who wrote your letters of recommendation and did you have strong work experience etc.? And did you just start at CSUDH? Or did you choose somewhere else? Any info. would be helpful thanks!

I know someone already asked you, but I'm considering taking the GRE only because I really like SDSU's MSW program description. But could you share some with us about your admissions criteria like GPA as asked before, how you did on your GREs and who your letters of recommendation were from? And since you've now I think JUST started the program, how is it? Thanks!