Fall 2019 Applications

[CherryDecaf]

Hi y'all

I've been trolling these forums for weeks now and figured I might as well start this thread for everyone applying to Social Work.

I'm personally going for Columbia, NYU, OSU and UMich!

[PsychMed1227]

Good Luck! I officially decided on my schools as well, University of Texas - Austin, Louisville, University of Nevada - Reno, and University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Pretty nervous though, I don't know what to expect. My biggest fear is not getting in anywhere. :/

[nklr25]

Hi! I am currently applying to Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin-Madison, OSU, FSU, UGA, UTK, UNC, and South Carolina (I know quite a bit). Best of luck!

[tjs12220]

I'm applying for UVM, BC, Salem State, UPenn. My wife and I want to stay in the northeast. 

What area of social work is everyone interested in?

[CherryDecaf]

Nice! Yeah it's definitely nerve-wracking for sure. I'm going for mental health and clinical practice. How''s all the applications going?

[nklr25]

I am also applying for mental health and clinical practice! I am hoping to turn in three applications this weekend, which is exciting yet nerve wrecking.

[tjs12220]

I should have all of my apps sent by Thanksgiving. BC is my top choice, looking to go into mental health and clinical practice also!

[nbm1031]

Hi everyone! 

I am applying to NYU, USF, UCF, & FIU. I’m also afraid of not getting into any, so I’ve been thinking of some back up plans. Has anyone submitted their apps? I’m hoping to have mine in by the end of November, just waiting for my LOR’s. 

Good luck to you all! Hope everyone gets into their first choice  

[Worldring199]

I'mg glad to know that I am not the only one. I prefer to stay in the west which is where I am from. My apps are for Washington, Utah, USC, UCLA, Michigan, and Ohio State. I saw someone mention Ohio State earlier, if it helps I hear the acceptance rate is high there. About 70% get in each year. I hope to have all of my apps completed before the end of the semester. 

[ac10]

Applying for UCLA's joint program in Asian American Studies/SW and CSULB's MSW program, both emphasizing child and family wellbeing. I can't wait to be done! So far, with some anxiety involved, hoping to have things by Thanksgiving or so... 

@Worldring199 agreed! I'm from the SF Bay Area and want to stay in-state, but SoCal's looking like a good option.

Edited November 13, 2018 by ac10

[BackNSchool83]

For anyone applying to the UCs and CSUs please join our Facebook group called UC and CSU MSW Applicant Resource and Support Group in addition to posting here. There are a little over 200 of us on there, some are applying now and getting advice and helping each other, some are currently in MSW programs, and some are graduated. I'm a first year at UCLA right now, so any questions please ask, good luck to all of you, knock out a good SOP that shows your writing skills, clean up and polish that resume to reflect your social work experience, and get some good recommenders with some credibility, ideally social workers or people in professional capacity who supervised you besides professors.

[Rsanta7]

I applied in early September to the University of Illinois at Chicago (only school). I was accepted in early November. If anyone else is waiting, I received an email with my decision and I’m in-state if that has any effect. 

[tjs12220]

Submitted my application to BC a few days ago, and got a notification that all my references submitted their letters. BC is #1 for me and UVM is #2. How is everyone else's applications going?

[malliebu]

Working on applications to Columbia, Hunter, Fordham, UPenn, UNC Chapel Hill, UT Knoxville at Nashville, and Tulane. I live in Brooklyn, but I am from the south and ultimately want to practice down there. Obviously each program is different but I’m hoping for the best! 

[18coffees]

I applied to NYU, Columbia, Fordham, Hunter and Temple.  I applied advanced standing to all these with a concentration in mental health & clinical practice! Hope everyones application process is going well & there are positive outcomes! 

[doctormelody]

Hey all! I'm applying to the University of Pittsburgh. This is my second cycle applying. Last year, I was accepted at Columbia, Tulane, Simmons and waitlisted before ultimately being accepted to Boston College. I was also rejected by BU.  I had to decline all of my acceptances due to lack of funding. Really hoping for a better outcome this year. If anyone has any questions about the application process at any of those schools, feel free to PM me (or just ask here) and I will answer to the best of my ability.

[JoeJoe85]

Hi everyone!

I’m in Los Angeles and I’m applying to Cal State LA, CSUN and UCLA. My Cal State LA and CSUN ones are done, just working on the UCLA one now. Don’t really want to go to a private college, those fees are jaw dropping!

My background is a bit unusual. I am originally from Australia where I earnt my Bachelor of Social Work. Graduated with First Class honors and an abridged version of my honors thesis was published in a psych journal. I was offered a PhD scholarship by my university in Australia, but the timing wasn’t right for me as I was keen to start working in the field.

Australia is a different to the US, in that you only need your Bachelors to work anywhere as a social worker. Did two 500-hour placements in my BSW, one in child protection and the other doing student counseling. After graduating, I worked in the field for about two years, doing more child protection work and a senior job in a hospital ER.

Looking to get my masters now, as US is now my new permanent home.

I’m incredibly nervous applying! Australia uses totally different grading and GPA systems to the US, so I just hope they’ll look at my applications holistically. I even went to the trouble of having the CSWE evaluate my Australian degree, which cost upward of $500, and I had to harass my school in Australia to send them exact course syllabi from the semesters I completed each course. But it worked out okay, as they said it was the equivalent of a BSW issued in the US, so I’ve included it with my applications in the hope it will smooth things a bit.

I won’t be eligible for any advanced standing, given it’s been more than five years since I graduated, but that’s okay.

Best of luck everybody!

[MettaSutta]

Just submitted my Columbia app on 12/1!

[loves_kwaito]

Hello all,

I have applied to UCLA, CSULB, CSUN, CSULA and CSUDH.  I would be extremely happy with any of the options.

All the best!

Edited December 4, 2018 by loves_kwaito

[Ayely]

Hello everyone,

I am applying to UCLA, CSULB, CSUN, CSUF, and CSULA (in order of top choice). Had to stay in-state for financial reasons, but if not, I definitely would have applied to Columbia aka my dream school.

Wishing you all the best! (:

[MettaSutta]

Am I competitive? Stats are as follows:

• Sociology and Anthropology major, Spanish minor at an all women's liberal arts college 
• 3.82 undergraduate cumulative GPA (magna cum laude); 3.92 GPA in major
• Dean's List
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Fluent in Spanish and Hindi; Beginner French
• 2.87 law school GPA
• Pro Bono Service with Outstanding Honors
• 2 stints of AmeriCorps
• multiple internships at public defenders offices and nonprofit legal aid orgs assisting population such as inmates, immigrants/refugees, domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, veterans, homeless, etc. 

[doctormelody]

Okay, maybe you guys can help me, because right now I am absolutely freaking out. 

As I mentioned earlier, I am a second cycle applicant. I asked all of my professors from last year if they would mind writing me another recommendation, and they all said it would be no problem. I'm only applying to one school, and I sent out the link to the recommendation form two months ago. Two of my professors completed it relatively promptly. I'm still waiting on the third. The school's website mentioned that the link might get sent to a spam folder, so a couple of weeks ago, I started to worry that my professor had not received the link. Last Friday, I sent her an email politely and apologetically asking if she ever received it. I have not received a response.

The deadline is coming up (December 31st) and I feel like at this point I don't have time to ask anyone else. I'm going to call her office tomorrow and ask for her. I don't want to harass her, but I don't know what else to do. I know it's a busy time of year and maybe she's annoyed with me for not sending that reminder email sooner - or for sending it at all! - but I felt like I had no choice. I'm also extremely concerned that she may have become seriously ill. She had a bout with something serious (probably cancer, but she never specified) a couple years ago and had to take the semester off from teaching. My boyfriend pointed out that if that had happened she would probably have some automated email response notifying people of her absence, but I'm not sure she did last time. I care about her as a person - she was my thesis adviser and she was always very patient and understanding with me - but I'm also terrified that it will be too late to get anyone else to write me a recommendation if she is indeed taking a leave of absence.

If anyone has any words of wisdom to offer, I'd be eternally grateful. I'm making myself sick with worry over this.

[CherryDecaf]

14 hours ago, doctormelody said:

Okay, maybe you guys can help me, because right now I am absolutely freaking out. 

As I mentioned earlier, I am a second cycle applicant. I asked all of my professors from last year if they would mind writing me another recommendation, and they all said it would be no problem. I'm only applying to one school, and I sent out the link to the recommendation form two months ago. Two of my professors completed it relatively promptly. I'm still waiting on the third. The school's website mentioned that the link might get sent to a spam folder, so a couple of weeks ago, I started to worry that my professor had not received the link. Last Friday, I sent her an email politely and apologetically asking if she ever received it. I have not received a response.

The deadline is coming up (December 31st) and I feel like at this point I don't have time to ask anyone else. I'm going to call her office tomorrow and ask for her. I don't want to harass her, but I don't know what else to do. I know it's a busy time of year and maybe she's annoyed with me for not sending that reminder email sooner - or for sending it at all! - but I felt like I had no choice. I'm also extremely concerned that she may have become seriously ill. She had a bout with something serious (probably cancer, but she never specified) a couple years ago and had to take the semester off from teaching. My boyfriend pointed out that if that had happened she would probably have some automated email response notifying people of her absence, but I'm not sure she did last time. I care about her as a person - she was my thesis adviser and she was always very patient and understanding with me - but I'm also terrified that it will be too late to get anyone else to write me a recommendation if she is indeed taking a leave of absence.

If anyone has any words of wisdom to offer, I'd be eternally grateful. I'm making myself sick with worry over this.

Hey! Just wanted to say that I totally get where you're coming from, waiting for letter of recommendations is the worst feeling! The way you describe her I don't believe your thesis adviser would be upset with you trying to get into contact, so definitely give them a call just to ask if she is doing okay and if she is available to speak.

If she has happened to drop the ball, I don't think it's too late at all to ask someone else if you have someone in mind. Most professors/supervisors understand that things happen and sometimes need a backup letter of recommendation. You still have a couple of weeks, and typically most professors don't ask for more than two weeks-a month depending how busy they are. As long as you explain the situation and apologize for not giving them more time, I'm pretty sure they would be happy to do it. Hopefully this helps, if you ever need to freak out feel free to PM me!

[catatap]

2 hours ago, CherryDecaf said:

Hey! Just wanted to say that I totally get where you're coming from, waiting for letter of recommendations is the worst feeling! The way you describe her I don't believe your thesis adviser would be upset with you trying to get into contact, so definitely give them a call just to ask if she is doing okay and if she is available to speak.

If she has happened to drop the ball, I don't think it's too late at all to ask someone else if you have someone in mind. Most professors/supervisors understand that things happen and sometimes need a backup letter of recommendation. You still have a couple of weeks, and typically most professors don't ask for more than two weeks-a month depending how busy they are. As long as you explain the situation and apologize for not giving them more time, I'm pretty sure they would be happy to do it. Hopefully this helps, if you ever need to freak out feel free to PM me!

I agree with all of this. If you ask a new person for a recommendation, it's not like you have to call out your thesis adviser by name. I think it's enough to say you can't get into touch with one of the three recommenders you asked two months ago  and the deadline is fast approaching.

[doctormelody]

@CherryDecaf @catatap Thank you both very much. I just called the office and they directed me straight to her phone line, so I think she is probably just very busy and not taking time off from teaching. I think I'm gonna give her a little more time and then try her office phone again on Monday. I know that would be cutting it really close in terms of asking someone else, but I trust her not to renege on her commitment to me or let it affect her recommendation for me strongly, even if she is annoyed that I sent her the email about the link.