MSW considering COVID-19

[ayshaface]

Hi everyone! I've been accepted into BC and University of Washington for the upcoming school semester. Part of me is really wondering and considering whether I should instead attend an online school considering the following factors :
 

1. School, regardless of what other measures are taken, are not going to look the same after this epidemic. Will we have to wear face masks when attempting to accrue our internship hours? Be 6ft apart? Part of what I was so against online schools at the onset is because I want the "school" experience; will most of this be removed anyway under the umbrella term of being "preventative measures"?

2. We will be entering the worst job market since the Great Depression, and school is EXPENSIVE. I had estimated taking out approximately 50k in loans as a result of these programs (either), and I already have 37k in debt. Should I just go to a cheaper online school?

3. It's been speculated and confirmed by many doctors that there will be a second wave of this pandemic in the Fall. Are we just going to be switched back over to online schools any way? I don't want to pay a premium to only complete online classes any way, away from my family, away from my friends. If it's going to be transitioned over to this any way (and I've heard the majority of schools will NOT reimburse for the services you're paying for but not receiving, UW included in this list), should I just get ahead of the game?

 

Looking for anyone's thoughts. ❤️

[starting early]

Ha - following!  I just turned down my on-campus offer because we were meant to be moving cities right before the lock-down; now we're virtual workers and are starting to wonder if we could theoretically end up living anywhere. The uncertainty of place and high cost of city living is making me think about attending an online program and living somewhere that's affordable - perhaps rural - that doesn't have a brick-and-mortar, and maybe has a higher need for interns in certain communities. 

However, if you're already admitted and have no plans to move... gosh, I'd probably attend "in-person" at home in the Fall as planned (are any of those schools by your home?) There may be more folk looking into social work in the next application cycle because of and/or after coronavirus; partly to get involved, partly because people are reevaluating their priorities, because people are losing careers in fields that have evaporated overnight...  It might also be nice to have something directly applicable to get started on in a few months, to help build new systems of care. I'm guessing there will be very unique internship opportunities this fall that haven't existed in the past and may never exist again.  With increased testing it might even be more feasible to work directly in impacted communities. Let me know what you decide- I'll be interested to hear.

[Yes hello]

Maybe I'm too much of an optimist, but I fully believe this "new normal" won't last for an entire 2 years. So whatever choice you make, remember that it doesn't just apply to fall semester of your first year, but your entire MSW experience.

[MSWSTRESS]

I'm one of those optimist people as well I guess lol but yes Fall semester is going to be a little different but some schools are even considering just starting the school year in person in January 2021 (so next spring semester) so one semester is going to look a little different than the rest. I was tossing the idea back and forth of just deferring for a year, but I want to get into this field so much and as quickly as possible. In regard to BC, I just spoke with my field advisor last Thursday because of a perspective field placement and I inquired about the Fall semester and she said she is confident classes and internships will resume in the Fall but more information about the format will come out around June/July. And I think another thing we have to remember is that for graduate programs at least, the class sizes are already designed to be relatively small and most colleges don't provide on campus housing and meal plans for grad students, so another scenario I read about in a few articles is that they may allow just in person grad classes on campus for specific programs, so just keep checking your emails from your schools for any updates and hope for the best?stay safe !

[leavesinthefall]

Hey there - I'm sneaking in from the art corner of the forums since people just aren't really mentioning much of this there which is baffling to me. I totally agree with all your points.

Prior to everything shaking down I accepted an offer and now I'm just at a loss. Schools in the same region of my program have already announced online only semesters so it's only a matter of time until my school does too as these are all domino effects - and as you mentioned - there's a possibility of a second wave of this. Who's to say it won't make the whole year online? 

I know for some programs, being online isn't as detrimental, but for art? I won't have a studio, workshop access, materials, gallery and crits. I also have a partner that works at a university and other folks I know in the application cycle right now too and it's a mess. Admissions numbers are plummeting all over (understandably) And schools are still trying to sell the online option like it'd be comparable to the in person experience (which of course it isn't.) Why would I pay all this 'in-person' pricing for Zoom meetings? 

I also don't know how people aren't yelling more about the Visa issues - I'm not an international applicant but (Other admissions rate drops aside) are folks even going to have a full number of fellow students in their class if international applicants can't get their visas? 

I know some other folks that declined this round already because everything is just a mess. I'm going to be calling the school tomorrow and see if I have ANY possibility of deferral and can hold onto my scholarship given these time. I don't want to have possibly an entire half of my grad experience on a webcam. I'm trying to stay optimistic and see what options can play out given how weird everything is, I wish you luck!