arcoventry

No, unfortunately I am not keeping my employment. I currently work in finance and I am completely cutting ties with the field. I work part time at a restaurant nights and weekends, which is where I intend to contue to get income from when I am in school. However, because it is a small company, they charge more for a much worse plan. I also have to be employed for a year for them to help offset the costs, so it is not an option for me, at least until next winter.

I am single, with no dependents. I plan on working part-time while getting my degree - my income will be around $1500 a month, which covers rent, and maybe food/cat food. I need health insurance, but the options I have seen are out of control expensive. I don't qualify for a lot of the low income programs because I 1) am a sole proprietorship / file schedule C income taxes and 2) my income for 2011-2012 is very high because I am currently working in my full-time job before classes start in August. Anyone find any workable options? I will be attending Hunter College and their insurance for students is also on the high side.

One of the hardest decisions I made personally was choosing the 2-year full time program over the extended program. When I weighed the facts and realities, I knew it would be almost impossible to commit to both. My (non-social work related) job is high-impact, deals with unpredictable clients, and includes a small but mandatory amount of travel, often without warning. I can't speak for how your responsibilities at your full-time job compare, but the decision I came to was that rather than stress and suffer for 3 years, I would bite the bullet - quit my full time job and get my degree in 2 years. It sounds like your boss was not very confident you would get in to grad school - or that you would decide against it once you got accepted. It is easy for them to be politically correct and tell you they support you no matter what, but when your team and your boss's reputation faces damage because you're distracted or otherwise unavailable, it is going to create conflicts of interest between the two of you.

I am giving my notice on July 15th, and my last day will be August 10th. I am not allowing myself too much time off because that last pay check will pay my moving costs/down payment on my new apartment, etc. No one knows I am leaving, they are going to be shocked and disappointed in me. But I don't care if I don't make this change now I will regret it!!!!

To see what your email address is, go to the portal, then to the place where you registered for classes (ESIMS) and on the left hand side there should be an option that just says "email". Clicking on that will give you your email address. You can go to http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/icit/webmail to get information about email login, and on that page is also the link for Hunter Webmail. To be confusing, there are 2 IDs: One for Hunter, and another for CUNY. The difference is explained here: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/icit/help-docs/netid-vs.-portal-id Logging into email requires a different ID than the one you use to log into the portal, the two aren't really related. The page I linked to above contains a bunch of links and information on how to get your email log in and password reset if you need it.

MarielMSW, not trying to hijack the thread but I just wanted to make a comment that I would be very cautious of online programs. A lot of them do not provide the required field work component and thus are not CSWE accredited! Also check the licensing requirements in your state To be on-topic, I would suggest to citychild to come to NYC and check out Columbia, as well as NYU, Fordham, Hunter, and Yeshiva. They are all top schools, and carry a ton of weight in the area. There is no better place (other than maybe San Francisco) to help the homeless as our homeless population seems to soar higher every year, and our outreach programs are always lacking. Best of luck in your application process!

I graduated in 2008, and am coming into a social work degree from a corporate IT sales position - if I can get accepted anyone can!! My biggest ally in this process was the one year of volunteering at a 24-hour crisis center, working with suicidal and depressed individuals. I was working about 50 hours a week at my IT job at the time I began the volunteer work, but the crisis work was inspiring for me, and the schedule was flexible. I volunteered for one 5-hour shift a week, plus an overnight shift once a month. It felt like nothing, once I got used to the emotional toll it took on me. After I completed my year of service and was accepted to a few schools, I did end my commitment there. I miss the work, but I needed to free up some time to get a second paid job to save up for school. Everyone who has the calling to apply to a school of social work must have some part of them that is cut out for the task. If you didn't, you would be like 99% of the rest of the population who say "are you crazy!? I could never do that kind of work!!". Figure out why you want this so bad and be honest about it! Your essay is so important, so don't downplay why you might not have as much experience as everyone else - talk about how hard you've worked in your current career and what it has taught you about your inner social worker!!

Hi Ellie! I am a non-traditional student in the sense that I have been in the work-force for 5 years also since graduation. I am also coming from a non social work field. I currently work as a network design engineer, doing IT sales and implementations for financial companies. I have been planning my transition to clinical social work for a long time, but now that the time has come for me to make the leap I am terrified. I have been saving as much money as humanly possible, both at my full time job, and also at the job waiting tables I picked up nights and weekends. I also have been trying to read more to get used to information retention and concentrating for long periods of time. I also will miss having my own office, and of course that paycheck...but I don't get fulfillment from my current work so I am looking forward and trying to remember what made me decide to make this crazy leap of faith in the first place - a chance at building a career I get more than just a paycheck from!!!

I got an email back saying "We ask that all newly admitted student not register until after pre-orientation."

When I log onto my Cuny portal page it is telling me my class registration appointment is tomorrow at 9:10 AM. This can't be correct, right? I am not attending a pre-orientation until June 19th as per the email they sent me last week.

I got in, mailed in my paperwork and check on March 4 (check was cashed a week later). I have not heard anything about an orientation or registration. My paper letter was also lost in the mail. I have yet to be impressed by this school's administration.

Congrats on everyone who got interviews, and good luck to those waiting For those of you who were already accepted, and sent in your place holder deposit and paperwork: When are you planning on figuring out your finances with the school? I am afraid to do it too early because then wouldn't I have to pay interest starting now on the loans? Also, their hours for the financial aid and bursar office are 9-5, and it's really challenging for people who work. I'm hoping to go there when I have a vacation at the end of April, does anyone think this is too late, or too early? Thanks!

Yes, that's an important detail x) My parents paid for my high school and then cut me loose. I was fortunate to get undergrad grants and scholarships, and I am fortunate enough to have worked a job for the past few years that allowed me to save enough money to pay tuition out of pocket without loans. This is all a perfect combination of hard work, luck, and circumstance. So if you know personally you can take out the loans, by all means, go to that dream school! I won't say I'm not a little jealous Hey Solar, I don't know anything about Canadian Universities, social work programs or otherwise, sorry!

Just to play devil's advocate, I would take a moment to do some thorough calculations on what you pay now monthly, and how much of a difference doubling or tripling your principal loan amount will make, both in monthly payments as well as total amount of accumulated interest over the years. I'll share some of my information to make the example concrete: I personally have $25,000 of under graduate loans. With my current repayment option, I am paying $350 a month. If I were to take out a loan to cover NYU tuition, not even counting living expenses, I would be tripling my total principal I owe in student loans. For the sake of example, knowing there are less aggressive loan-repayment plans available to us, I triple my monthly payments, causing me to owe $1050 a month. Add that to rent, food, etc. Even if I land a job paying $50,000 right out of grad-school (a long shot in our field), after taxes (assuming 25% bracket) I am only bringing home 3 grand a month. A very large portion of that is going to loans. As for the dual-degree, I am not inclined to believe a dual degree in public policy is worth spending an extra tuition on. Everyone in social work I have spoken to has said that if you graduate from a clinical focus school, you will have what you need to make the eventual transition to policy and administration. There is no better way to learn about policy than work in the systems for a while. Once you get real life experience in the field, working with populations, you will gain opportunities to work in a policy-focused job. It seems to be the natural progression of things, and since you mentioned not being interested in that work immediately, it might save you the money to get real life experience and find your way to policy gradually.

Hi Solar, welcome to the forums If you haven't already seen it, there is an amazing post written by an MSW/professor regarding the importance of graduating from a "big name" school. Their opinion is, obviously, just an opinion, but he/she has experience and seems extremely knowledgeable on the matter. I hope it helps you come to a decision as quickly as it helped me.

Hunter

Hello! I am also a career changer, and though only 26, I found myself having to explain away 6 years in corporate America. I currently sell IT infrastructure to the big banks and a few WS trading firms. I am tired of working 60 hours a week just to increase the bottom line of some CTO fatcat sitting in his corner office, when I know I have what it takes to work with people who really do need that boost to get out of whatever hole they are in - emotionally, financially, mentally. In my SOP, I explained how I feel that in a lot of ways, working with clients on the business side of things can be a lot like working with anyone one-on-one in a clinical way. I talk to my clients, I figure out what is bothering them, I think of ways to make it better for them, and I do it in a way that doesn't belittle them or make them feel like they relied on someone else too strongly for help. And all of this while dealing with subtle personality nuances. I do not have my MBA, but I do carry IT industry-recognized certifications, and I proudly mentioned them in my SOP. Showing the ability to study and achieve is important, even if it has nothing to do with social work. One of my recommendation letters came from the chair of my undergraduate major department, and 2 others came from colleagues. They aren't looking for managers I suspect, just someone who works with you and can testify for your ability to perform in a professional and challenging environment. I hope this helps you! Congratulations on going against the grain and making the choice to change careers

JSP, congrats on the Fordham acceptance! I went there for undergrad and I had the best time ever.

Was rejected from NYU today. I wish they said why. It's pretty much okay though, because I have no idea how I would have justified the expense.

If you can foot the $200-300 bill, I would put a deposit down on either NYU or Smith. Make your choice between at least those two, so you can have an easier decision in the event you do not get into Hunter. I did try and get Hunter to budge on the deposit deadline, and ended up not only being told (rudely) no, but missing the deadline and having to beg them to accept my payment x) My suggestion? Just pay up! Not worth the risk of not getting into Hunter and being left in the cold

I got into Hunter and Fordham, with NYU being my first choice - no decision yet. Because Hunter is SO inexpensive for in-state students, I put a deposit there, knowing it could very well be the best financial option for me, regardless of what packages I get. Fordham was a safety/last choice school for me, so I chose to not put a deposit down and save the space for someone else.

Congrats to everyone who was accepted. I am still waiting on a decision...3 months exactly. I am almost set on going to Hunter, but I can't help daydreaming about getting some huge grant from NYU and going there instead x)

Considering the supposed low income cap on the field of social work, I think it is very important to discuss the cost of the MSW degree. I am not a believer in being "complacent" about one's worth - there are well paying social work jobs out there, and a wide array of agencies, hospitals, private firms and corporation who hire MSWs every day. Not everyone is going to be a burnt-out child services worker, just as not everyone is going to be the head of a social justice foundation. That being said, I personally have calculated my maximum loan to be $20,000 for the 2-year program. I currently pay $325 a month on an undergraduate loan of $29,000. Doubling this loan would put me at around $700 a month just to pay off interest and some principal, dragging my payments out to 15 years or MORE. This means even if I got a job making $50,000 a year (which I understand is unheard of as a new MSW grad), over half my monthly income would go to loans. This is not doable, considering as a NYC resident, half my income needs to go to rent. I think it is valiant for people to follow their dreams and go to their first choice school, but unless you have some serious money saved, or are okay with having 2 jobs after graduation, I think it is funding and tuition costs that should dictate your choice. Just my 2-cents, obviously people have other opinions and that is great

I am pretty loyal to Mac. They are sleek, easy to use, and easy to transport (the Macbook Air weighs about 2 pounds). Then again, the cost could basically kill you. I paid $2500 for my Macbook Pro when it was brand new, and for a comparable PC I could have easily saved a grand. I am hooked on Apple products and recommend them to anyone, simply for the reliability. The new Apple OS is clean, beautiful, an comes with the App Store so you can buy compatible programs with a click, no going to the store. Their customer service is also second to none. You get what you pay for. PCs are going to be heavier and less cute - although check out the new Asus that one is tiny like the Air - and you might have more frustration with crashes, viruses, etc. I would compare and contrast a bunch of the newer "lightweight" models with the new Macbook air and decide what you are willing to pay.

I was just complaining about this on another thread (or, like, every thread). I was accepted into Hunter and their due date for the payment to reserve my place was so soon after the decision came out I missed it!! I was still waiting for my formal letter in the mail!! They let me pay late, but I am still waiting on my first choice school to send me a decision. Very frustrating because the place holder cost is not cheap. They probably make 10 grand from people who pay in advance and then get better offers a month later. They can do anything they like, our future depends on them.