SofieCat

She said the program wasn't very challenging or comprehensive; she felt like they were given a lot of "busy work" that didn't teach her much. She got her degree about 5 years ago so maybe things have changed. I've also heard similar feedback from other UCLA MSW students. Recent students say that the program is going through an overhaul and is in a transitional stage now -- and with the budget cuts the classes are likely to get worse (they have less money to put into recruiting distinguished faculty). I've heard from people that UCLA's program is a bit of a joke when it comes to difficulty level.

I think Wishing hit the nail on the head. Name does matter. Having UCLA or Columbia as opposed to Cal State something on your resume WILL catch the attention of a recruiter. It's unfortunate, but true. Esp with Macro work, I've been told by my volunteer supervisor (she has an MSW from UCLA) that when she first started out, she got job offers simply because of where she got her degree....even though she had a less than stellar review of UCLA's MSW program . Now, to what extent does the name matter...that's the question. Obviously much less if you're heavily clinical-focused. I think the more you'll be "working for someone else" the more that prestige will probably play a role in your job offers. To me, it's about balancing your goals with how far you think prestige will take you. I personally won't shell out more than 50k of my own money for an MSW even if it's from an Ivy league, because at the end of the day, there's a low cap on how much social workers make, even with a fancy name on their resume.

arcoventry- i agree. after my calculations, the max i am willing to take out in loans for an MSW degree from ANY school is about 20k. Personally, a degree that offers a starting job of 40k (If i'm lucky) should not cost me more than 50k in student loans. Some of the big name schools offer temping programs, but the return doesn't justify the price tag for me. Money isn't everything, and I doubt anyone who's considering an MSW is an income-driven person, taking out 80k in loans (USC) for a degree that will earn you about 40k per year doesn't make sense to me. Schools are businesses, they are looking out for their bottom line before anything else.

I was a prospective applicant this year but unfortunately missed the deadline. I'm curious to what u dub's scholarships/tuition aid package looks like? Did anyone who was admitted receive aid other than grants?

What are the merit scholarship amounts? I've only heard of 9,000...

That's a good point you bring up regarding paying back the loans quickly... do you mind me asking what specific types of organizations you plan on working in upon graduation? It seems based on my research (and i please correct me if i'm wrong), 40k seems like a respectable salary for new grads. I used to make a bit more than that, and I was only able to save 12k per year max while living in CA (and eating beans for dinner). That doesn't seem like a dent if I owe nearly 70k for MSW loans. I'm curious about your 5 year plan after graduation... No you're right BC doesn't have a big macro focus. It is however a great program if you're interested in int'l relief work or work abroad. So is University of Washington. From what I've read, the good macro schools are few and far between. My main focus is actually int'l work, and the macro focus fell into that because most of that work will be in admin for relief organizations. Sorry, everyone, to have hijacked my own thread and going off topic. Wishing... If you don't mind I'm going to PM you so people don't get bored by our convo

wishing: thanks for the encouragement and pep talk If i had ample time this year (or if i decide i still want to go to fall 2013) i would have applied for UCLA, and some Cal States (I'm a CA resident); Boston College since I just missed their deadline because I was too busy applying for BU; and WashU--both schools also have a good int'l/global concentration. Cost is a huge factor for me. I have the background to get into a good program, but i just can't swallow the price tags some of these schools (USC, Columbia, etc) have. I hear what you're saying about needing to just suck it up and go so you can finish sooner....I am a bit frustrated myself with the waiting game and feel the same way. But logically, if I can save at least 25k by waiting 1 year.... it might be worth it to me. After living abroad (on pretty much nothing) for a few years I've become very debt averse and frugal. I'm really frightened by how much debt people are in from student loans.....

That is discouraging I don't think i'll be able to attend without a scholarship. Do you think your FAFSA/financial situation has a factor in all of this? This is my only shred of hope now because I'm independent (zero family contribution) AND I was in the peace corps the last two years so my income is zero. I've only applied to BU. And i'm still waiting to hear from them. They have a fantastic program for what I'm interested in (macro and international/global focus) and frankly, I missed the deadlines for most of the top programs in the US since I couldn't start applying until January. So, if this doesn't work out I'll have to apply for fall 2013...if I even do that....

Wishing - i am impressed by how quickly you heard back from them. Your stats are fantastic.... Did you receive any tuition help/GA's/ or scholarships from BU? I'm not sure how they determine who gets free aid but from what I've read many accepted applicants get 50% tuition waiver, which I'm hoping for.....

Thanks for the reply MissH. I'm sorry it didn't work out with them. Would you mind me asking your stats/prior experience? I'm looking forward to a reply from them soon, though I've noticed there are people who applied to BU at the start of Feb and haven't heard back yet.

I am not a tech person, nor do i care about trendy or cool gadgets or the "cool" factor (for example, I'm happy with my pre-paid 10 dollar cell phone using technology from 1999). I bought my first macbook a year ago and I have to say...I will probably never buy a PC ever again. I absolutely love my mac. Here are a few reasons: 1. This computer will probably last me 3x longer than any PC would have 2. It's incredibly intuitive and easy to use for non-tech savvy people 3. It's made my life easier. I won't go into details but compared to all the PC's I have gone through in the past, the macbook is a more reliable and better option. I was in the peace corps and my PC's (netbook and laptop) were exposed to an exaggerated amount of elements we see from normal day-to-day usage (tons of viruses, environmental elements-heat, humidity, dust, etc) and both computers died during my two year service. This was the norm for most of us with PC's out there...yet I didn't know any volunteer who had problems with their Mac. I think Mac's are just better built computers, inside and out. Does that justify the huge price tag? That's up to the individual consumer to decide. For me, it was worth paying the extra money to avoid the headache i inevitably get when using technology that I either can't figure out, or dies on me.

There's little mention of BU for fall 2012 acceptances so I thought i'd post something since I've been reading (and not posting) for quite some time. I submitted by app early feb but due to a few reasons, it wasn't officially "complete" and being processed until March 15. I received an email from them saying i'll hear back in 4-6 weeks. Anyone also waiting to hear back? Anyone wait listed/rejected/applying? Rants and raves about the program or application process? Share your thoughts here!

And does this have an impact on admissions decisions? I've read several forums online that sway either way.

Thanks for your insight everyone. I'm not thinking about lying by any means. I am genuinely interested in macro social work, and have lots of experience in this area.... but I'm also interested in clinical direct practice as well. it's 50/50. I could go either way. I'd like to decide once I start the program.

So I know for most programs, a clinical concentration is far more popular with applicants than macro social work. I'm wondering, would applying as a candidate interested in a macro concentration increase the odds of acceptance, since some of the schools have 80% of applicants interested in clinical, and only 20% macro. Or vs versa for schools that specialize in macro social work. Thoughts?

Hi all- What are the top schools out there with this focus for their MSW programs? I've read pretty much every post in this forum and there seems to be a few schools that actually "specializes" in this area: Columbia University of Denver and Boston University Am I missing any? They seem to have a HEFTY price tags and nearly zero free aid except for BU. Can anyone recommend some other schools/educate me in this area? I don't think Columbia or U of Denver is a possibility for me...I can't afford to pay more than 25k for an MSW so if the tuition sticker price is 60k+ then it's too much. I think I'm a pretty good candidate for grants/free aid..I don't have high GPA, but I'm financially disadvantaged and I've spent the last two years in the peace corps so I'm strong in the professional/life experience area. I appreciate your thoughts, everyone. Thank you in advance

Oh, well why don't they put that on the website?! Thanks for the insider tip though! Now I need to scratch my head on who I can ask for a letter. I graduated 8 years ago and didn't keep in touch with professors. I have strong professional references. IMO it makes much more sense for someone that's been working for the last 7 years to use recent references. I'm 30....and realistically, why would they think a letter from a professor written about what kind of student I was at 20 years old be better than one from a recent supervisor? What's someone in this situation to do??

Hey MSW hopeful - the SDSU MSW website says the LOR can be from professors or professionals? Where did you hear that we need all 3 from professors? Also, has anyone who is applying to SDSU noticed the LOR form is a survey...do letter writers need to write an additional LOR to go with the survey? If no one knows I'll give them a ring first thing in the morning to ask.

From my understanding SDSU looks at the apps as they come-in, so it's probably easier for the on-the-fence applicant to get an acceptance if you apply early. But the admissions rep told me they reserve spots until the very end of the period so it's not a total free for all, first come first serve situation. I suspect if you're not a shoe-in applicant you're more likely to be rejected/wait listed if you apply at the last minute. Those are my 2 cents.

Greetings all- New to the board here. I've been doing research on 10-15 of the most popular programs for MSW's and some are phenomenal. The problem is I am a CA resident any out-of-state or private program comes with a HEFTY price tag. I'd like to keep my graduate loans at under 30k (for tuition) when I'm finished. Does that seems realistic? With an MSW I may not even make more than 45,000 my first year so it seems ridiculous to owe about 90k in loans. So my question to all of you is...are scholarships/grants/tuition waivers common? Should I not bother applying to a program that I can't realistically pay full price for? For example, I'm interested in Boston U and U of Washington but for non residents it comes to over 50k in tuition for the program. I DID read on the boards someone was granted a 1/3 tuition waiver from BU.....which would make it doable for me. Do the vast majority of people pay sticker price for these programs or are scholarships/free fin aid a very likely possibility? I don't want to apply if it's unrealistic, but I also don't want to self select out of a phenomenal program because I didn't realize how much aid is out there. Thanks everyone

Thanks! That's very helpful!

I'm interested in clinical. So anything related to healthcare, mental health, direct practice. What's your background?

Thanks for your help! Tracey- Do you know if SDSU (or any school) fills spots as applications are received or do they wait until the cut off (Jan 15th) to look at everyone. I ask because I'm very late to applying and will just barely make the Jan 15th cut off so I'm wondering if I should just wait until next year to apply for 2013. I'm not confident that I'm a stellar candidate so I don't want to get rejected/wait listed because I'm the last person to apply.

Greetings- I'd like to apply for fall 2012 MSW programs but I know I'm cutting it short with the timeline so I might have to apply for 2013 if things don't run smoothly. I'm new to the boards and new to exploring the MSW route so any advice would be helpful! Here are my stats: Age: 29 GPA: ~3.2 Undergrad: BA Psych Work/life experience: 2-3 years volunteer experience with non profits/humanitarian organizations, 2 years working/living in Africa with the peace corps, 3 years of human resources work for for-profit companies (banks), speak 4 languages (2 of which I learned in the peace corps), traveled 25 countries independently, lived in 4. GRE: verbal/quant 420/430. My Analytical writing was 5.5. I'm not sure if this matters but it was taken in 2007 so just one year shy of the 5 year cut off. Goals: Would like to work domestically with veterans or internationally with displaced populations. I'm aiming at applying for programs that don't require the GRE, but SDSU caught my eye. I noticed however that they say they ONLY look at the writing score, which is a sliver lining to me, but I can't only submit my AW score without them seeing the entire thing...so will my low scores scare the admissions board? What are everyones thoughts on applying for other GRE-required programs, such as Berkeley and UCLA with my GRE scores? Will my work/life experience make me competitive or will I be (unofficially) disqualified based on my GRE? I am pretty firm on not taking the test again. It was a terrible experience the first time and I don't want to subject myself to it again. I plan on applying to: UW and SDSU as of now. Berkeley would be a dream. I appreciate everyones insight!