futurelcsw

I wouldn't worry about catching up social work.psychology-wise. I don't think they would admit non-BSW or Psych majors if they didn't think they could be up-to-speed quickly. As far as recommended texts, I didn't buy any of them. I'm kind of rethinking that, but how can I be held accountable for texts that were not required? I'm thinking it is simply supplemental material to aid in understanding. (I hope. I really don't want to spend anymore on textbooks this semester.)

Oh, ok. That is good news. I know that the MSW program is nowhere near as rigorous as law school, I was just curious about what to expect. Most of my professors have not made the syllabi available yet so I think I am good.

A friend of mine recently graduated law school and she told me that if you haven't started reading before the semester begins, then you are already way behind. Is this true? Has anyone started reading? Is the MSW academic workload that much more than undergrad?

I feel you, roxyshoe. I wanted to take a year off, but with the rapidly increasing tuition in California, I just couldn't put off grad school. I wanted to take a year off and get more work experience, make some money, and get off the school routine for awhile, but no such luck. I'm really excited about starting, but also really, really nervous. I'm moving to a new city, which I did for undergrad too, but I'm worried about making friends (which sounds so silly). I'll be living with my boyfriend, but I'm afraid of feeling really isolated in my program, but I think those feelings are natural. I'm sure everyone will have a great first semester and get into the swing of things quickly.

Hi all, I'm sure it's probably pretty quiet on here now that admissions are over, but I'm curious if any of you that were accepted into a full time program plan on working. I really want to work to cover food/gas/other expenses so I do not have to take out a loan and pay interest on that in the future. I would like to work around 15-20 hours a week. I am in a situation where I will not be paying for rent and utilities, so I do not need to make a lot of money. Is this possible? I don't want to burnout the first semester, but I don't want to take out more loans either. Thoughts? thanks

I'm going to California State University Northridge! Woohoo! I'm just hoping grad school isn't a huge leap from undergrad. I want to be challenged but I also want my schedule to be manageable. I didn't want to take out loans for living expenses so I'm hoping that I can work enough to pay my bills!

Hi MSW Bound! I feel the same, I'm excited and nervous at the same time! I'm in a full time program taking 15 units and doing 16 hours of field placement a week. I breezed through undergrad, I just graduated in May magna cum laude, but I'm terrified that grad school will be far more rigorous. I worked nearly full time all throughout undergrad, but I feel like grad school will be far more demanding, I'm not do sure I'm prepared for the challenge! I have been researching forums similar to thegradcafe to get an idea of what being an msw program is like, but everyone seems to have a completely unique experience! I can't wait to start!

Thanks to both of you guys. Im going to call the FA office today. I really hope interest doesn't go up, it's already outrageous. I don't want to pay any more than I have to.

I have never used FAFSA/ federal loans until this year so forgive my ignorance... I know that pretty much everyone is eligible to receive up to $20,500 in Federal Stafford unsubsidized loans each year for grad school. I am attending a Masters program at a public school in California so tuition is relatively inexpensive but it will obviously continue to go up. So say I need around $20,000 for both years of tuition and books, (I plan on paying living expenses out of pocket because my boyfriend works and I will try to work part time) should I take out the $20,000 the first year, or should I only take out what I need this year? Is there an advantage to taking out only what I need now for accruing interest reasons? Can I take out more if I only take out $10,000 initially? Thanks in advance for the help.

Ok good. I called the Financial Aid office and she said they received it. Because I was accepted recently, (second week of May), they hadn't put my financial aid package together yet. She said it doesn't look like there are any problems with it but I should calle at the end of next week in case they need anything else from me.

I filled out FAFSA and submitted it Feb. 15th and it was processed Feb. 17th. I hadn't filed my taxes yet so I planned on making corections later. Well I totally forgot all about the form until today and I made the corrections for my tax information. Will I not receive a Stafford loan now? If I do, will I get the money really late and be dropped from my classes? i have never had to use FAFSA/loans and I'm freaking out because I think I royally screwed myself.

Oh, ok. That makes sense. Taking on $22,000 in debt is daunting to say the least. I don't want to be in debt forever.

What do you mean by "expensive"? Was that at the CSUN orientation? I remember her saying something about that. Isn't it free money? If you "work-back" for 1 to 2 years paid, isn't it free? The program should cost around $22,000 total so that would be better than loans

If you apply for CALSWEC or the Mental Health stipends offered at some CSUs, (I think they are both around $18,500) can you use that money to pay for tuition? I really want to keep loans to a minimum.

How long did SDSU give you to decide? They called me on Friday but I can't get a hold of the lady that called and I'm afraid they gave my spot away!