Columbia Social Work Program Fall 2018

[uncmsw2019]

On April 20, 2018 at 5:14 PM, doctormelody said:

Ahh, you guys, I really need help.

I just talked to my dad and he was convinced that a degree from Columbia will cancel out the debt in the long run - meaning, he thinks I’ll make more money over the course of my life if I go there just by virtue of name recognition, the Ivy League factor, etc. He thinks it will open doors other schools won’t. I have no idea whether this is true in the social work field since I’m judging from my own limited anecdotal experience of being an elitist snob who in the past has chosen a therapist based on what school they went to. ?

I need to look more into PSLF and outside scholarships before I decide anything, but I remember people saying on here that they had talked to alumni who said the debt was not worth it. Does anyone know how I might get in contact with alumni myself? I have a friend in the program but ideally it would be someone who has graduated and spent at least a couple years in the field. 

I’m beginning to hate myself both for applying and for considering it. I feel like such a hypocrite given how many times I have given people the advice that I should probably give myself now: that the debt is not worth it, that I can’t reasonably expect to repay that on a social worker’s salary. Idk. I’m just so sad.

So I'll say this. Being in a top-ranked school provides some nice networking opportunities, and it's especially helpful if you want to do research/go on to get a PhD. The reality, though, is that the main purpose of networking is to help you get a job, and because social workers are underpaid/undervalued in our society, elite networking contacts aren't going to somehow get you connected to an elite pot of high-paying social work jobs. They might help you get your foot in the door somewhere where you otherwise would have been lost in the crowd of applicants in areas like NYC that are over-saturated with MSWs and MSW programs, but those jobs are probably not going to pay that much more than other social work jobs. I was accepted to some "elite" social work programs but ultimately decided to go for a more affordable in-state option. 

Also worth noting that PSLF, in theory, allows you to have your federal loans forgiven. If you have to take additional private loans because the costs exceed what grad students can get through unsubsidized and grad PLUS loans, none of that money is eligible for loan forgiveness. Also worth mentioning that, unlike undergrad, your loans begin accruing interest while you are in school, so if you do have to take huge sums of money that first year, the compounding interest is going to be intense. I think I took just under $25K for this first year and I already have more than $1000 of interest accrued in 9months with more than a year to go before I have a job to start paying it off. All of that interest gets added to the principal of the loan and continues to compound unless you pay the interest while you are in school.

i don't mean to rain on anyone's parade. ☹️ Getting into a top school is a great accomplishment, and I hope we can all be advocates for our profession to see it better compensated, but in the meantime, salaries are rough out there and will continue to drop as the market floods with MSWs. Every practicing social worker I know has encouraged me to go for the cheapest possible option because the curriculum is pretty even across programs and employers (generally speaking) care much more about your work experience than where your degree came from.

good luck!!

[doctormelody]

7 hours ago, uncmsw2019 said:

So I'll say this. Being in a top-ranked school provides some nice networking opportunities, and it's especially helpful if you want to do research/go on to get a PhD. The reality, though, is that the main purpose of networking is to help you get a job, and because social workers are underpaid/undervalued in our society, elite networking contacts aren't going to somehow get you connected to an elite pot of high-paying social work jobs. They might help you get your foot in the door somewhere where you otherwise would have been lost in the crowd of applicants in areas like NYC that are over-saturated with MSWs and MSW programs, but those jobs are probably not going to pay that much more than other social work jobs. I was accepted to some "elite" social work programs but ultimately decided to go for a more affordable in-state option. 

Also worth noting that PSLF, in theory, allows you to have your federal loans forgiven. If you have to take additional private loans because the costs exceed what grad students can get through unsubsidized and grad PLUS loans, none of that money is eligible for loan forgiveness. Also worth mentioning that, unlike undergrad, your loans begin accruing interest while you are in school, so if you do have to take huge sums of money that first year, the compounding interest is going to be intense. I think I took just under $25K for this first year and I already have more than $1000 of interest accrued in 9months with more than a year to go before I have a job to start paying it off. All of that interest gets added to the principal of the loan and continues to compound unless you pay the interest while you are in school.

i don't mean to rain on anyone's parade. ☹️ Getting into a top school is a great accomplishment, and I hope we can all be advocates for our profession to see it better compensated, but in the meantime, salaries are rough out there and will continue to drop as the market floods with MSWs. Every practicing social worker I know has encouraged me to go for the cheapest possible option because the curriculum is pretty even across programs and employers (generally speaking) care much more about your work experience than where your degree came from.

good luck!!

Thank you so much for this advice, it was super helpful! I’m leaning towards not going for sure but it’s just hard to officially give it up, especially since if I don’t go there I won’t be going to school this year. ?

[doctormelody]

Sorry to be so needy, but does anyone have any tips on how to write this email to appeal for more financial aid? I'm kind of a loss...

[doctormelody]

On 4/20/2018 at 6:30 PM, frolikewhoa said:

I GOT IN!!!

I'd given up on hearing for the week, but I got the notification at like 6:24. 2 year online clinical!

CONGRATULATIONS!! That's so exciting!! 

[doctormelody]

On 4/19/2018 at 12:07 AM, MSW2018?? said:

You got your aid package the next day after your acceptance?!

Hey, have you heard back about financial aid yet? Not trying to pry, just curious - if you don't feel comfortable sharing, I totally understand!

[Holli82]

On 4/22/2018 at 7:56 AM, Chebrutta said:

YAS CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Thank youuuuuu!

[Holli82]

On 4/22/2018 at 10:31 AM, uncmsw2019 said:

So I'll say this. Being in a top-ranked school provides some nice networking opportunities, and it's especially helpful if you want to do research/go on to get a PhD. The reality, though, is that the main purpose of networking is to help you get a job, and because social workers are underpaid/undervalued in our society, elite networking contacts aren't going to somehow get you connected to an elite pot of high-paying social work jobs. They might help you get your foot in the door somewhere where you otherwise would have been lost in the crowd of applicants in areas like NYC that are over-saturated with MSWs and MSW programs, but those jobs are probably not going to pay that much more than other social work jobs. I was accepted to some "elite" social work programs but ultimately decided to go for a more affordable in-state option. 

Also worth noting that PSLF, in theory, allows you to have your federal loans forgiven. If you have to take additional private loans because the costs exceed what grad students can get through unsubsidized and grad PLUS loans, none of that money is eligible for loan forgiveness. Also worth mentioning that, unlike undergrad, your loans begin accruing interest while you are in school, so if you do have to take huge sums of money that first year, the compounding interest is going to be intense. I think I took just under $25K for this first year and I already have more than $1000 of interest accrued in 9months with more than a year to go before I have a job to start paying it off. All of that interest gets added to the principal of the loan and continues to compound unless you pay the interest while you are in school.

i don't mean to rain on anyone's parade. ☹️ Getting into a top school is a great accomplishment, and I hope we can all be advocates for our profession to see it better compensated, but in the meantime, salaries are rough out there and will continue to drop as the market floods with MSWs. Every practicing social worker I know has encouraged me to go for the cheapest possible option because the curriculum is pretty even across programs and employers (generally speaking) care much more about your work experience than where your degree came from.

good luck!!

 I agree. I got into the reduced residency which hopefully means (not yet confirmed) that I will get a 50% fee reduction. That’s the only way I could see myself able to attend Columbia. 

 

Also so still in shock that they accepted me!

[SSocial]

37 minutes ago, Holli82 said:

 I agree. I got into the reduced residency which hopefully means (not yet confirmed) that I will get a 50% fee reduction. That’s the only way I could see myself able to attend Columbia. 

 

Also so still in shock that they accepted me!

Congratulations to you!! Hopefully you get approved for the scholarship. The scholarship for me helped made my decision, to attend, a lot  easier. 

[Holli82]

5 hours ago, SSocial said:

Congratulations to you!! Hopefully you get approved for the scholarship. The scholarship for me helped made my decision, to attend, a lot  easier. 

Eeep yes I sure hope so! I’ll let you know. Congrats on getting the 50% discount! Did you receive any further financial aid from the school?

Want to connect? It would be good to have some RR buddies. We may end up in some classes together.

[quarrymen]

Hey everyone! Congrats to all those who have been accepted.

 

I’ve mostly been lurking on here but I thought I’d sign in to let you all know I spoke with the admissions office today and they told me two weeks. I don’t know if this means anything at all or I’m just waiting in vain for an eventual rejection. I applied in February for the 2year program and this wait has been exhausting. If you’re still waiting, just know you’re not the only one.

[MSW2018??]

On 4/23/2018 at 10:33 AM, doctormelody said:

Hey, have you heard back about financial aid yet? Not trying to pry, just curious - if you don't feel comfortable sharing, I totally understand!

My fafsa was selected for verification. Annoying! So i had to send them back additionam info. Its gunna take another week or so

[doctormelody]

10 hours ago, MSW2018?? said:

My fafsa was selected for verification. Annoying! So i had to send them back additionam info. Its gunna take another week or so

Ugh yeah that is super annoying, I’m sorry!

[sjbarton93]

Hey yall! Ive haven't been on here in like two weeks, SORRY! Just wanted yall to know I have heard back from both Columbia and Michigan and well I GOT IN!! I'm very excited and shocked. I just want to thank you all for making this wait awesome and I'm so glad I found yall and this forum! yall have been a saving grace during this process!

 

[doctormelody]

5 hours ago, sjbarton93 said:

Hey yall! Ive haven't been on here in like two weeks, SORRY! Just wanted yall to know I have heard back from both Columbia and Michigan and well I GOT IN!! I'm very excited and shocked. I just want to thank you all for making this wait awesome and I'm so glad I found yall and this forum! yall have been a saving grace during this process!

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!! ??? So happy for you!!!

[Chebrutta]

14 hours ago, sjbarton93 said:

Hey yall! Ive haven't been on here in like two weeks, SORRY! Just wanted yall to know I have heard back from both Columbia and Michigan and well I GOT IN!! I'm very excited and shocked. I just want to thank you all for making this wait awesome and I'm so glad I found yall and this forum! yall have been a saving grace during this process!

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[SSocial]

On 4/25/2018 at 12:11 AM, Holli82 said:

Eeep yes I sure hope so! I’ll let you know. Congrats on getting the 50% discount! Did you receive any further financial aid from the school?

Want to connect? It would be good to have some RR buddies. We may end up in some classes together.

Sorry for my late response. Besides the discount I only recived  federal direct unsubsidized and alternative eligibility loans. They have a payment plan, I can do,  if I decide I want to pay out of pocket instead of taking out loans. 

I would love to connect. I'm  put down a deposit on Columbia, however I'm still waiting on Hunter for a decision, before I make a 100% commitment to Columbia.  You can message me if you want further details about the scholarship and/or loans. 

[Holli82]

Anyone still waiting on financial aid decisions from Columbia? Particularly interested in hearing from anyone doing the reduced residency and getting the 50% fee discount ...

[doctormelody]

Well, I just officially turned down Columbia's offer. It was an incredibly difficult decision but I know from the relief I feel now that it was the right choice for me.

Truly sorry to anyone on the waitlist that I might have kept waiting with my indecision, but I had to do some real soul-searching and talk to everyone important to me before making my decision.

Edited April 29, 2018 by doctormelody

[MSW2018??]

 

22 hours ago, doctormelody said:

Well, I just officially turned down Columbia's offer. It was an incredibly difficult decision but I know from the relief I feel now that it was the right choice for me.

Truly sorry to anyone on the waitlist that I might have kept waiting with my indecision, but I had to do some real soul-searching and talk to everyone important to me before making my decision.

I'm happy for you. I'm in a similar boat. I am waiting on my financial aid. As bad as I want to go, I dont think Columbia's program is going to make sense for me because I want to work while I go to school and they don't have a very flexible program. Other schools I got into are much more flexible with working adults. Even though my dad offered to help pay for Columbia.

[doctormelody]

1 hour ago, MSW2018?? said:

 

I'm happy for you. I'm in a similar boat. I am waiting on my financial aid. As bad as I want to go, I dont think Columbia's program is going to make sense for me because I want to work while I go to school and they don't have a very flexible program. Other schools I got into are much more flexible with working adults. Even though my dad offered to help pay for Columbia.

Yeah, that makes perfect sense! Columbia’s program seems super intense. I hope you get the financial aid you are hoping for; if not, SUNY Buffalo seems like an excellent option!

[MSW2018??]

That was so helpful!! Yes for me I would be totally online . Im a city girl.. lol. I am still on the fence waitinf for my aid package!!

[MSW2018??]

Hi Everyone, I noticed that this thread slowed down. Does anyone mind posting what they received for their financial aid package? Please specify per semester. I am in the full-time 2 year online program, and got 9,000 scholarship aid per semester, 18,000 per year. I want to know if this is average or low. Any responses would be helpful. 

[Chebrutta]

So, just got an update after the waitlist, and I’ve been accepted! 

I’m already so deeply involved with NYU that I am most likely going to decline. Columbia would have to offer me a stupidly large amount of financial aid for me to switch gears at this point. 

[doctormelody]

On 5/7/2018 at 4:13 PM, MSW2018?? said:

Hi Everyone, I noticed that this thread slowed down. Does anyone mind posting what they received for their financial aid package? Please specify per semester. I am in the full-time 2 year online program, and got 9,000 scholarship aid per semester, 18,000 per year. I want to know if this is average or low. Any responses would be helpful. 

9,000 per semester (18k per year) is the highest amount that I’ve seen anyone be offered this year. I’d say it’s a very good offer for them but obviously it’s not even half of tuition so you have to decide if Columbia is worth it to you.

[doctormelody]

2 hours ago, Chebrutta said:

So, just got an update after the waitlist, and I’ve been accepted! 

I’m already so deeply involved with NYU that I am most likely going to decline. Columbia would have to offer me a stupidly large amount of financial aid for me to switch gears at this point. 

AHHH, CONGRATS!!! ??? And it’s their loss for taking so long to get back to you, honestly... if NYU is a better financial option, I’d 100% go for it since you’ll have basically the same opportunities as far as networking/field placements, etc. I forget, are you policy or clinical?