University of Pittsburgh MSW

[TooExcited&Nervous]

15 minutes ago, atomizer said:

I think Pitt will probably give an extension if needed.  I hope I won't need to ask for one, but it's possible that I will still be waiting to hear back from one school by then.

I really hope we receive our scholarship info this week!  I hope it's true that it will show up on the Pitt portal, because it will be agonizing to wait an extra week while the letter winds its way through the U.S. mail system...

I definitely agree! I think I will go even if I am not given a scholarship. My top three schools will cost the same unless Pitt gives a really hefty scholarship (which I doubt). But nothing is set in stone.

[atomizer]

I’m in the same boat. Actually, Pitt will be the cheapest no matter what. So the question will be whether it is worth it for me to pay more to go to another program that is better for my interests. That will depend on HOW much cheaper Pitt is...

Also, you definitely should get a scholarship given that you have 3.4+!

[leah371]

I'm a re-admit (long story short, I am taking a gap year), going into my second year of the MSW program at Pitt in fall of 2018. I heard scholarship letters were sent out "yesterday", to quote the lady. 

I'm down to answer any questions about the program. Some stats about me: 

Undergrad GPA: 3.65 from a public university slightly "higher ranked" than Pitt by U.S. News.
Out of State student. Was offered $7,000 per semester, or half of tuition basically.

Did well my first year. 3.94 GPA for Pitt. 
Also had a special circumstance for field placement and had two instead of one my first year.

 

I'd also need a roommate next year for Pitt, if anyone wants to DM me.

[TooExcited&Nervous]

6 hours ago, leah371 said:

I'm a re-admit (long story short, I am taking a gap year), going into my second year of the MSW program at Pitt in fall of 2018. I heard scholarship letters were sent out "yesterday", to quote the lady. 

I'm down to answer any questions about the program. Some stats about me: 

Undergrad GPA: 3.65 from a public university slightly "higher ranked" than Pitt by U.S. News.
Out of State student. Was offered $7,000 per semester, or half of tuition basically.

Did well my first year. 3.94 GPA for Pitt. 
Also had a special circumstance for field placement and had two instead of one my first year.

 

I'd also need a roommate next year for Pitt, if anyone wants to DM me.

How did you like Pitt when you went there? I am from out of state as well and I am curious about the environment. 

[atomizer]

6 hours ago, leah371 said:

I'm a re-admit (long story short, I am taking a gap year), going into my second year of the MSW program at Pitt in fall of 2018. I heard scholarship letters were sent out "yesterday", to quote the lady. 

I'm down to answer any questions about the program. Some stats about me: 

Undergrad GPA: 3.65 from a public university slightly "higher ranked" than Pitt by U.S. News.
Out of State student. Was offered $7,000 per semester, or half of tuition basically.

Did well my first year. 3.94 GPA for Pitt. 
Also had a special circumstance for field placement and had two instead of one my first year.

 

I'd also need a roommate next year for Pitt, if anyone wants to DM me.

Hello Leah! 

That's great to hear re: the scholarship letters.  When you say "yesterday," does that mean Monday or Tuesday?  I ask b/c you posted pretty late at night   And wow, you received an awesome scholarship.

Thanks for offering to answer questions.  How are you liking the program so far?  Have you received much mentorship, whether from faculty, or in your field placements?  And in general, how did you like your first year field placements?  Finally -- how are your classmates?

[o___livia]

1 hour ago, TooExcited&Nervous said:

How did you like Pitt when you went there? I am from out of state as well and I am curious about the environment. 

Hey there ~ I went to a different school in Pittsburgh (Carnegie Mellon) for undergrad that is right next to Pitt if you have any Qs about the burgh! I love it here I also applied to Pitt for an MSW and have been checking every day for scholarship updates... 

[leah371]

4 hours ago, atomizer said:

Hello Leah! 

That's great to hear re: the scholarship letters.  When you say "yesterday," does that mean Monday or Tuesday?  I ask b/c you posted pretty late at night   And wow, you received an awesome scholarship.

Thanks for offering to answer questions.  How are you liking the program so far?  Have you received much mentorship, whether from faculty, or in your field placements?  And in general, how did you like your first year field placements?  Finally -- how are your classmates?

I think she meant “yesterday” as in Monday. So hopefully we hear back soon. I’m expecting my old scholarship to be returned to me. 

I like the program itself. The professors are attentive, knowledgeable, & care about their students for the most part. Some felt too busy for me (to give more individual attention), but I had a good experience with the School of Social Work for Pitt. I enjoyed and learned a lot my first year. 

As for mentorship, I didn’t seek out as much as I could’ve, but the professors were always there. A lot of them wrote letters of rec for me, because for a while I thought I was transferring. They didn’t have to do that so it was nice of them. 

As for placement, I liked it overall. Sometimes it felt like I had nothing to do but I learned about case management and was able to get a job during this gap year because of that field experience. You need to FIGHT for a good fit for yourself because you can be placed in pretty boring ones where you’ll be unhappy. You either learn a lot or a little, from my experience, and the “good” internships like UPMC and Mercy Behavioral goes by fast. So you kind of have to stick up for yourself and guide your advisor too. 

I found my classmates hard to connect with. It’s not like undergrad, you’ll be stuck with people with families and jobs. School is something they come to learn and leave ASAP. I was also from the west coast and didn’t like Pittsburgh as a city, so I had a real hard time connecting with local students. I honestly didn’t make that many friends, which contributed to my gap year/ trying to transfer.

I will say though, for the price and the quality of education you get (& more of how well the school treats you), Pitt is a good choice. I just hated the city of Pittsburgh, coming from the west coast, and had a really hard time fitting in to a smaller, midwestern ish city. I am planning to return to pitt next year unless I get into a local school that I applied out here on the west coast. Then I will transfer. But I’m not transferring because of the quality of education or the friendliness of professors, let’s be clear. I found School of Social Work to be accommodating and wonderful. I just didn’t fit in with the classmates and the city unfortunately. 

 

Sorry this was quite long. Let me know if you want any other advice!

[leah371]

4 hours ago, TooExcited&Nervous said:

How did you like Pitt when you went there? I am from out of state as well and I am curious about the environment. 

I loved the education I received. I found the school to be accommodating, understanding, and wonderful. Professors were competent and knowledgeable. Course work was hard but I thought I was graded fairly. I learned a ton my first year. 

Now for the city of Pittsburgh, I honestly hated it. I hate to talk so bad about Pittsburgh when U Pitt is wonderful, but this is my honest opinion. 

I came from Southern California & then the Pacific Northwest. It’s super liberal and transportation is awesome (at least in PNW). It’s artsy, the weather is fairly nice, and people are as left as they come. It’s mostly just me, because I never lived outside of the coast, but I found the midwestern ish life of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania itself pretty hard to fit in to. I didn’t like the political climate, didn’t like the limited access to ethnic foods as my old cities had, didn’t find the transportation to be reliable enough, and I have a dog and Pittsburgh isn’t as dog friendly. I actually never met a real Trump supporter until I went to Pitt. I was shocked. Life in Pitt was slower and felt more limiting for me. I also had a very hard time connecting with other students because i was from the west coast and didn’t know anyone there beforehand. Making friends in grad school is tough, and I fell through the cracks. My academic life was great, I loved the school itself, but I was miserable socially. That’s why I took a gap year, & I’m hoping to transfer back to PNW. 

But don't let that discourage you. There’s still great things about Pittsburgh that I miss. I miss the snow, I miss the coffee shops I used to go to, I miss some of the parks (point state and frick were my favorite), and the cost of living is really low there. It’s still a city and people vote blue, but from where I was from, it was too big of a change. 

Again, I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciated the school of social work at Pitt. I received a wonderful education there, felt like my professors cared about me, & the school was accommodating. If I could put the school in the west coast, I’d be happy to go back. If you’re used to the midwestern life, you’ll fit in fine. I hope this helped!

[TooExcited&Nervous]

8 minutes ago, leah371 said:

I loved the education I received. I found the school to be accommodating, understanding, and wonderful. Professors were competent and knowledgeable. Course work was hard but I thought I was graded fairly. I learned a ton my first year. 

Now for the city of Pittsburgh, I honestly hated it. I hate to talk so bad about Pittsburgh when U Pitt is wonderful, but this is my honest opinion. 

I came from Southern California & then the Pacific Northwest. It’s super liberal and transportation is awesome (at least in PNW). It’s artsy, the weather is fairly nice, and people are as left as they come. It’s mostly just me, because I never lived outside of the coast, but I found the midwestern ish life of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania itself pretty hard to fit in to. I didn’t like the political climate, didn’t like the limited access to ethnic foods as my old cities had, didn’t find the transportation to be reliable enough, and I have a dog and Pittsburgh isn’t as dog friendly. I actually never met a real Trump supporter until I went to Pitt. I was shocked. Life in Pitt was slower and felt more limiting for me. I also had a very hard time connecting with other students because i was from the west coast and didn’t know anyone there beforehand. Making friends in grad school is tough, and I fell through the cracks. My academic life was great, I loved the school itself, but I was miserable socially. That’s why I took a gap year, & I’m hoping to transfer back to PNW. 

But don't let that discourage you. There’s still great things about Pittsburgh that I miss. I miss the snow, I miss the coffee shops I used to go to, I miss some of the parks (point state and frick were my favorite), and the cost of living is really low there. It’s still a city and people vote blue, but from where I was from, it was too big of a change. 

Again, I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciated the school of social work at Pitt. I received a wonderful education there, felt like my professors cared about me, & the school was accommodating. If I could put the school in the west coast, I’d be happy to go back. If you’re used to the midwestern life, you’ll fit in fine. I hope this helped!

I truly understand what you are saying. Although I am from the Mid-West, so some of that stuff is the norm unfortunately. However, the school sounds great but as a minority, certain things do concern me. I honestly debating between NYU and Pitt. I wish UCLA had advanced standing, it would make my decision much easier. Schools are good for saying a place is diverse and I am not trying to get duped again (my freshman year was terrible before I transferred). I appreciate your honest comment as an outsider. I think most of my comments came from those from Pittsburgh, so they may be a little more biased. If Pitt does not off a decent amount for scholarship, then I may end up at NYU. But I will for sure know once I visit the actual campus in a few weeks. 

[leah371]

17 minutes ago, TooExcited&Nervous said:

I truly understand what you are saying. Although I am from the Mid-West, so some of that stuff is the norm unfortunately. However, the school sounds great but as a minority, certain things do concern me. I honestly debating between NYU and Pitt. I wish UCLA had advanced standing, it would make my decision much easier. Schools are good for saying a place is diverse and I am not trying to get duped again (my freshman year was terrible before I transferred). I appreciate your honest comment as an outsider. I think most of my comments came from those from Pittsburgh, so they may be a little more biased. If Pitt does not off a decent amount for scholarship, then I may end up at NYU. But I will for sure know once I visit the actual campus in a few weeks. 

Yeah, I’m a minority too and it was weird being the ONLY Asian American in my class sometimes. 

Honestly, think about your emotional/mental health in your decision too. Money isn’t everything, you know? I am happy to be home but it bugs me everyday that I had to take a gap year. I’m crossing my fingers for the PNW school so I don’t have to return to Pitt. Love the school. Hated the environment. 

[atomizer]

Thanks so much for the insight, Leah. A lot of that rings true based on my experience in cities like Pittsburgh. And I much prefer the west coast too.

Still no new$ on my end. I even tried calling the school this week but no luck reaching anyone. Hopefully we begin to hear back soon (but I’ve been saying that for weeks).

[heybakerena]

please tell me someone heard about money today!!!

[TooExcited&Nervous]

8 minutes ago, heybakerena said:

please tell me someone heard about money today!!!

I haven't. Hopefully it comes today or tomorrow. 

[atomizer]

Bummer that they won’t send an email or post it online in addition to snail mail.

[kmc118]

2 hours ago, atomizer said:

Bummer that they won’t send an email or post it online in addition to snail mail.

Seriously!! I didn't get it today when my mail came -___-

[mkern2]

I got mine in the mail today! It was weird that they sent it to my permanent address rather than my temporary (which is where I received my acceptance).

The scholarship I received wasn't as much as I had hoped for, and isn't enough for me to be able to attend Pitt with the out-of-state tuition. But I hope the rest of you get your letters soon and receive good news (:

[TooExcited&Nervous]

5 minutes ago, mkern2 said:

I got mine in the mail today! It was weird that they sent it to my permanent address rather than my temporary (which is where I received my acceptance).

The scholarship I received wasn't as much as I had hoped for, and isn't enough for me to be able to attend Pitt with the out-of-state tuition. But I hope the rest of you get your letters soon and receive good news (:

How much did they offer you? 

[atomizer]

Sorry to hear that you didn’t get as much as you were hoping for :-/ Where do you think you’ll go instead?

Well, this marks the first scholarship received. At least we know it’s finally starting...

[mkern2]

@TooExcited&Nervous They offered $5,000/semester for just the 2018-2019 year, which was a little disappointing.

@atomizer I'm probably going to go to Ohio State, it's my current undergrad and I would get in-state, making it cheaper than anywhere else I applied even without a scholarship.

I hope everyone else gets better luck! Is Pitt one of your top choices?

[atomizer]

Disappointing that they only offered a scholarship for one year! That’s weird. 

Pitt isn’t my top choice in terms of program, but it likely will be my most affordable choice. I’m out of state at all the schools I’m applying to, because I’m ready to move.

[o___livia]

I also got the letter today sent to my permanent address. Also 5k per semester. A little bit disappointing but better than nothing !!

[atomizer]

8 minutes ago, o___livia said:

I also got the letter today sent to my permanent address. Also 5k per semester. A little bit disappointing but better than nothing !!

Was it for all four semesters, or only for the first two?

[TooExcited&Nervous]

Finally received my scholarship offer. It isn't much at all. $3,500 per semester, I wonder if I will quality for more the final semester (advanced standing).

[atomizer]

Dang.  Sorry to hear that it was lower than expected.  Based on the few anecdotes in this thread, is seems like Pitt might be giving lower offers than in past years?  If so, that's too bad.

[soontobesocialworker]

I was offered $4000k per semester, but I’m not planning on attending. Do y’all know if sending back the reply form declining the scholarship offer will reject my offer of admission, too? I’ve been trying to figure out how to do that for the past month with no luck.