Columbia vs. Maryland?

[nighttimemytime]

Hello! I am having trouble deciding between the two schools in the title. I feel pretty set on Columbia but also wonder if it's worth the price tag and debt I'll possibly accumulate (assuming I don't grind for scholarships/fellowships lol) if I'll receive the same kind of education and opportunities at Maryland's School of Social Work. Plus, my therapist actually went to Maryland and she's fantastic to say the least. Additionally, I'm not sure if I want to stay and settle in Maryland since where you'd get your MSW can be indicative of where you'll stay to live and work as a whole. Anyone who's in or been in a similar situation please give me your thoughts! 

[DSWstudentTSSW]

On 5/15/2021 at 12:05 AM, nighttimemytime said:

Hello! I am having trouble deciding between the two schools in the title. I feel pretty set on Columbia but also wonder if it's worth the price tag and debt I'll possibly accumulate (assuming I don't grind for scholarships/fellowships lol) if I'll receive the same kind of education and opportunities at Maryland's School of Social Work. Plus, my therapist actually went to Maryland and she's fantastic to say the least. Additionally, I'm not sure if I want to stay and settle in Maryland since where you'd get your MSW can be indicative of where you'll stay to live and work as a whole. Anyone who's in or been in a similar situation please give me your thoughts! 

Do you get in-state tuition for Maryland? If so, go there. Maryland is a great institution and program. You don’t have to stay in Maryland post-graduation.  Lots of people move around. Maryland is a respected T1 Flagship school and you’ll be fine anywhere. 
If you’re out-of-state for Maryland, I’d look at the total costs. Some public schools can rival private tuition price tags if it’s out-out-of-state... So weigh cost of living, specialties, etc. 

I would choose Columbia over Maryland, if Maryland was out-of-state tuition and I wanted to do DBT in NYC - and I have a good friend willing to rent a room in Hoboken, for example. 
 

Good luck! 

Edited May 16, 2021 by DSWHopeful2021

[IJustWantAMSW]

Hi!
I had this same question, since I live in DC currently and Maryland is obviously the closer choice. But I really wanted to do an online program as it would allow me more flexibility between my career and personal life. 

However, I spent a lot of time looking into each schools research programs, the bios of each professor, where alumni ended up, and then determined based off that which school aligned with my educational and career goals the most. At the end of the day, you will be qualified to be a social worker from either school and both programs are excellent, but try to read up on the professors and determine which ones you would like to study under the most.  You can also look up professor ratings and reviews from students on sites like RateMyProfessors. If you would like to stay in the DMV area and try for a high-pay government social work position, I don't think you can go wrong with either as u-maryland has connections in DC, but so does Columbia and it has that known Ivy League name. If you want to try eventually for a leadership position in any location, you might get more of a foot in the door by having the Columbia name in your resume. Butttt, if you are just a really good social worker and get good references and recognitions from the places you work, you can obviously still have opportunities to land high level positions regardless of the school you went to. 

I hope you are able to figure out your perfect match!