MSW Applications Fall 2020

[Mmgaf]

I know this has been answered somewhere but it's too far back now--anyone gotten an estimate from Berkeley that's before the March 15 date listed on the website? I emailed a couple weeks ago and never got a response

[Shuklaklakla]

I must of not got a letter? I just got a call from the admissions counselor saying a was accepting, a email from her directing me to the student portal and a email to sign my enrollment package.... but letter pertaining any information about financial aid/scholarships. 

[Gelibutter]

4 minutes ago, Mmgaf said:

I know this has been answered somewhere but it's too far back now--anyone gotten an estimate from Berkeley that's before the March 15 date listed on the website? I emailed a couple weeks ago and never got a response

Hi there! I saw somewhere that they might be releasing decisions sooner. Feb 22nd to be exact! 

[MCSW23]

Just now, Shuklaklakla said:

I must of not got a letter? I just got a call from the admissions counselor saying a was accepting, a email from her directing me to the student portal and a email to sign my enrollment package.... but letter pertaining any information about financial aid/scholarships. 

Did you check your application portal? That's where mine was. It said an update was made, and there was a small link on the side of the page that said "view your letter". It's easy to miss on the side. 

[MCSW23]

2 minutes ago, Shuklaklakla said:

I must of not got a letter? I just got a call from the admissions counselor saying a was accepting, a email from her directing me to the student portal and a email to sign my enrollment package.... but letter pertaining any information about financial aid/scholarships. 

 

[Shuklaklakla]

4 minutes ago, madisonc7 said:

 

Mine still just has my application that I can print. Are you doing the on campus program? I am online - I know they have different portals so I wonder if that is the difference. 

[MCSW23]

1 minute ago, Shuklaklakla said:

Mine still just has my application that I can print. Are you doing the on campus program? I am online - I know they have different portals so I wonder if that is the difference. 

Ah, yes. Mine is on campus program. 

sorry about that

Edited February 4, 2020 by madisonc7

[Shuklaklakla]

1 minute ago, madisonc7 said:

Ah, yes. Mine is on campus program. 

sorry about that

Its okay, thank you for trying to help!!! 

[ZoeD]

14 hours ago, NicoleDes said:

Thank you so much, your positivity means a lot to me. I’m so happy for you- from what it sounds like you deserve it!!! 

And you too! I am rooting for you! 

[ZoeD]

On 1/31/2020 at 6:11 PM, Allanaj said:

Do those of you who got into Columbia mind sharing your stats? Or tips! Thanks ❤️

The best advice I can give is to not get too in the weeds about stats and instead really focus on your essays. I graduated from a liberal arts school with an English major/Gov minor, 3.4 GPA. I did AmeriCorps in the South Bronx and now have been working in nonprofits and now advertising for three years. Aside from nannying and camp counseling, AmeriCorps was my only experience so I did a TON of research. Educated myself about evidence-based practices, clinical interventions, and found ones that I was interested in and then connected them to how I would use them in my future practice. I emphasized that I want to work with a specific population doing specific work, and that CSSW was the best place for me to learn how to do this. I also researched centers, professors, groups, etc that I would be interested in. Show them what you can give them but also be yourself. Essay question 3 is a great opportunity to do that. I would try to find the right balance between informed, idea-filled statements while still sharing who you are. 

[amb22]

Those of you who have interviewed with Penn: do you mind please sharing the questions they asked and just how the overall experience was? Also any tips are welcome! Mine’s over video chat next week. Thank you!

[SummerWasting]

Hi everyone, new to the forum but been lurking for a couple months! 
 

Has anyone been accepted to Columbia but received an email about it? I saw last Wednesday on the portal that I had been accepted, but no follow-up email. After a couple days I called and they confirmed that I was in, and said they were sending out an email with more information on Monday the 2nd - still no communication as of today. I’m sort of worried they have the wrong email and I’m missing communications, except I’m still getting other emails from them about fellowships and such. 
 

Anyone else? 

[USCLeonard]

4 hours ago, Shuklaklakla said:

Hi Everyone!

I got accepted into USC Suzanne-Dowark and University of Denver (still waiting on Columbia). A lot of my decision is based on Financial Aid-- However both USC and Denver are saying that I wont get my package until after I enroll in their program. Are you guys hearing the same things? USC also said that they do not give grants. 

I am starting to freak out over the cost! I don't understand how you figure out what school you want to choose when you dont know how much the cost will be- It definitely is a factor! 

Hello @Shuklaklakla,

My name is Leonard and I am an admissions counselor for the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. I work directly with students in the on-campus MSW program. It is important for you to have the information you need to make the most informed decision about graduate school. If you need an extension to make your decision or have any questions about financial aid, please feel free to email me directly at lslutsky@usc.edu. If you send me a message I am also happy to share my direct phone number. 

[USCLeonard]

18 hours ago, sw2020 said:

Anyone who got accepted to USC receive a financial aid letter?

Hello @sw2020,

My name is Leonard and I am an admissions counselor for the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. I work directly with students in the on-campus program. I would be happy to discuss the types of scholarships available from the school and when you can expect to receive information about them. Please feel free to email me at lslutsky@usc.edu. If you would prefer to speak over the phone, please send me a message with a few times that work for you.

[USCLeonard]

On 1/31/2020 at 4:36 PM, RoseLewis said:

Just got accepted into USC! Anyone have info on scholarships? Didn't see any info about it in the letter 

Congratulations @RoseLewis on your acceptance. My name is Leonard and I am one of the admissions counselors for the on-campus MSW program at USC. I'm happy to discuss the types of scholarships that are available and when you can expect to hear back. Please feel free to email me at lslutsky@usc.edu with your name and USC ID number so I can provide you the information you need. 

[USCLeonard]

On 1/30/2020 at 8:19 PM, DMSW20 said:

Hi, I'm new to the forum! I actually just received my acceptance email to USC. I applied on 11/18. The letter reads that I have up until Feb 13 to make decision, but I'm going to call tomorrow and see if I canextend. No changes have been made to my status in the admissions portal. Super excited, but I'm still waiting to hear back from UC schools before deciding!

Hi @DMSW20! Congratulations on your acceptance to USC. My name is Leonard and I am an admissions counselor for the USC on-campus MSW program. Our office typically offers extensions on a case-by-case basis, so if you need additional time please feel free to contact me directly at lslutsky@usc.edu. 

[USCLeonard]

On 1/30/2020 at 9:59 PM, ASMSW20 said:

I'm new too, and got my USC advanced standing acceptance today! Congrats on y'alls acceptances too! I didn't see any scholarship info either, so you're not alone in that. Did you apply for advanced standing or the two/three year program? 

Hello @ASMSW20 and congratulations on your acceptance to USC! My name is Leonard and I am one of the admissions counselors for the on-campus MSW program. If you are still looking for information about scholarships, please feel free to email me directly to discuss options personalized for your specific program. My email is lslutsky@usc.edu. 

[msw2020waiting]

12 hours ago, savannahopes said:

Hi friends!! I got into U Chicago last night!! (At like 7:30pm which was weird?) Excited!!

Congrats!!! Did you apply for the Dec deadline?

[Mmb3]

Has anyone applied to Illinois State or University of Illinois (UIUC) or have any information on admissions to these programs? 
 

thanks!!

[msw2020waiting]

Hi has anyone ever tried requesting interviews from the schools? I'm nervous about my applications because I transferred from a big uni to a smaller college in my senior year, and I had a few terms of medical leave with a lower gpa for the first two years. Those experiences may make me look inconsistent and tardy although I really worked hard& drastically improved my grades in the last two years. I tried my best to explain those situations, but i'm still really anxious. I usually do pretty well in interviews, so I am just having the thoughts of proactively requesting them from some schools. would that be a bad idea considering how busy the admissions can be? 

[MSWHopeful123]

21 hours ago, madisonc7 said:

how do people afford grad school? i'm looking at my scholarships and my FAFSA allotted loans and still have to come up with more money. HOW.

Saw that you got a scholarship to Denver!! Did they already have the financial aid information in the portal or did you have to reach out to them? Nothing is showing for me so I'm just a whole lot of confused at the moment.

[MSWHopeful123]

7 hours ago, ghklig said:

Hi, DU tells you in their admit letter exactly how much in free money (scholarships) they’re offering you over two years. The remainder (minus your expected family contribution) will be mostly in the form of loans and, to a lesser extent, work-study if you are a US citizen (max work study is about $5,000 per year). If USC tells you they’re not offering scholarships/grants, then it’s a sure bet they expect you to finance your cost of attendance (minus EFC) with a combination of subsidized/unsubsidized loans plus work-study. 
 

Let me just share this: I finished undergrad in 2005. Many of my fellow social justice-oriented friends from college went on to get their MSWs. Two went to USC and another two went to Columbia. They have been absolutely miserable over the last 10+ years repaying their student loans because they had counted on the federal public service loan forgiveness only to be conned out of the program by the Dept of Education. Their income-based repayment schedules consume almost all of their monthly discretionary income. 

i am not at all trying to be discouraging; I think your concerns about debt are valid, especially if you know your earning potential as a social worker will not be as much in early stages of your career. That being said, some of the big-name schools with hefty price tags have the kind of name recognition that may matter if you ever decide to move into the private sector or the federal government (i have friends with MSWs who are now GS-12s and GS-13s — that’s a good thing). If you have family wealth or are prepared for the debt burden, don’t think twice. But boy oh boy, I would not take out a mortgage-sized student loan for an MSW. I could never afford to work in the communities that need help the most. 
 

Good luck making your decision! You got into some great schools and already on a path towards success. 

Very strange. There's no financial aid information in my admit letter (neither loans nor scholarships) so I'm not sure if they're still working on it or I just didn't receive anything.

Also, you mention government work. Is this a difficult area to enter out of an MSW? I am hoping to go the VA route.

[simonsays]

AHH I got into Columbia tonight too (accepted to NYU this morning) - big day here in NYC!

[MCSW23]

52 minutes ago, MSWHopeful123 said:

Saw that you got a scholarship to Denver!! Did they already have the financial aid information in the portal or did you have to reach out to them? Nothing is showing for me so I'm just a whole lot of confused at the moment.

Mine was definitely a paragraph in my letter. Did you apply for on-campus or online?

[savannahopes]

13 hours ago, msw2020waiting said:

Congrats!!! Did you apply for the Dec deadline?

Yes, well actually I'm not sure because I originally applied for their Social Sector Leadership program and then on December 18th I had a phone call with admissions to switch concentrations to the traditional program. I had to rewrite my essay and get an additional letter of recommendation, and they said I would still be considered a priority applicant, but I definitely heard later than everyone else.

Edited February 5, 2020 by savannahopes