Fordham vs Hunter MSW

[GoTeamGo]

I have been accepted to the Fordham and Hunter MSW programs. My focus will be community organizing, not clinical (I may start another thread with thoughts/concerns on that later). Has anyone else had to choose between these 2 schools? I didn’t apply to Columbia because my Honors Advisor is also a Columbia Professor and told me he will be paying his loans off until he is 83, and everyone I knew who took the NYU program said they would have gone to Hunter if they could do it again. 

Thanks for any insight. 

[jmal19]

Hi there,

My focus will also be community organizing. I applied to Columbia, Fordham, and Hunter (pending interview), and was accepted to all. I too am in a similar situation, but pretty much have decided to go to Fordham. I currently work in a mental health setting, so I speak to providers who have the LMSW, LCSW, or LMHC degrees quite often. Like you, I took their opinions into consideration when making my decision. I spoke to two clinicians who I worked for who are both licensed in NY, both Columbia grads who indicated that it really comes down to a matter a convenience or preference. I also spoke to an NYU grad who is the clinical director of the agency I work for, she agreed that it really comes down to preference. There is a need for social workers, therefore getting a degree from anywhere and being licensed will get you a job. Generally most clinicians are excited that people are going to further their education since there is an overwhelming need for social workers. Well known schools might be able to get you connections, but the general agreement is that experience is more important than that. Ultimately the advice they gave me was that in regards to education, most if not all programs are very similar. Field placement is where most of our learning actually occurs so look into or ask for a list of locations where they may send students. I considered my commute time (live outside of NYC), cost of commute, and whether or not I will be able to work while in school based on class scheduling hours etc. Hunter is very rigid in their program compared to other schools (5 days per week Monday through Friday only), where as the others seem to be more flexible in class scheduling (Fordham has Saturday classes). With Hunter it seems as though students and faculty are very adamant about students not working while in school, which may be an issue for some (like me). I graduated undergrad debt free, therefore I have some room to acquire some student loans given my current financial situation. Fordham has a location in Westchester which is 10 minutes from my home. They try to place you at least thirty minutes from your home address or work address therefore overall I find that Fordham will make my life easier. I've learned through this process that unlike undergrad, people are pretty much busy trying to advance their lives in all aspects, so flexibility is a definite must for most students. Consider how much debt you have (if any). I would also take campus tours to get a feel for the atmosphere you'll be in. I went to CUNY for undergrad (CCNY), and hated the lack of assistance on admin's end so for grad school I want something different. I attended all information sessions, and found that I felt most comfortable in the Fordham session. While the Hunter session was also appealing, I felt the admissions representative at Fordham was quick to give us what WE wanted out of the information session. I have heard great things about Hunter. If you are from NY or plan to stay in NY, Hunter is a very well known program. I tend to hear that they focus a great deal on advocacy work, grassroots etc. You may have more access to those placements. Also, CUNY prices are very very appealing for most students going into this field given the projected salary is not great.

 

Find the program that is right for YOU. I've read all the forums on here and only found that I was more conflicted. Hope this helps!