Looking for advice from current MSW students or alums

[amanda lauren]

Hi all I'm looking for some advice from people who have applied to, attended, or graduated from the schools that I'm going to be applying to for my MSW. I'll be starting my senior year this fall, graduating in May '11 with my BA in Sociology from Northeastern University, and starting grad school for my MSW in fall '11. I'm still unsure about whether I should apply to a few schools on my list, but as of right now, I'll be applying to:

UNC - Chapel Hill

UNC - Charlotte

NC State

Virginia Commonwealth

George Mason

Fordham

Hawaii Pacific

WUSTL

I know it's early to be getting my application together, but I'm studying abroad in the fall, and need to have my applications virtually completed before I go. In short, I'm just hoping to weigh my chances of acceptance at these schools to help narrow down my list. My stats are:

GPA: 3.4 (overall), 3.7-3.8 (in major)

GRE: 1330 overall - 620 V, 710 Q (I don't know analytical score yet, I just took the GRE this afternoon!)

I've spent the last 5 months working at a full-time (40 hrs/week) unpaid internship in social work at a non-profit organization.

I've also worked as a camp counselor for 4 years, primarily because I want a career in which I work with children - ie. school social work

Extracurriculars = sigma alpha lambda honors and leadership org., alpha epsilon phi, campus tour guide, resident students' association, peer leaders, ski club, linguistics club, class council

Like I mentioned above, I'm studying abroad in Greece for fall '10, and I'm teaching myself Greek (slowly and painfully....); I also speak (pretty) fluent Spanish.

I know my GPA isn't as stellar as it could be - blame my stupid and impulsive decision to try being a bio major for part of freshman and sophomore year - and it will be going up before I graduate, but unfortunately the grades for fall semester won't be in by the time I send out my transcript with my applications. If any of you have applied to or attended any of the schools that I'm considering, can you give me your insight about my chances of acceptance? I would appreciate it so much!

Amanda

[tem11]

MSW programs tend to weigh volunteer experience more than grades. A lot of people on these forums got into big name schools with lower GPAs than you. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to go where the money is. I got into both of the Hawai'i universities you listed, though I only received $2k in aid from Manoa and $0 from Pacific. Also, Pacific's program is not ranked at all and is only in the beginning stages of becoming accredited, so I would be very wary of applying there. UNC Chapel Hill seems to be one of the more generous colleges and if you can get in-state tuition- even better. Let me know if you have any questions about the application process. Good luck to you and have fun studying abroad!

[jesscg]

Hi Amanda: I will be starting my MSW this fall. From what I've gathered of the admissions process, your grades are solid for any program. At this point you should focus on your extracurricular activities and internships. You'll want to show that you have the experience to back up your desire to devote yourself to bringing about socia justice -- keep up your volunteer work! I recall being explicity told my admissions officers that I needed to demonstrate experience, even if just as a volunteer, and that I needed to go beyond stating that I wanted to help others. With your sociology background, you should have no problem relaying your understanding of the challenges faced by disadvantaged communities. Be sure you can clearly state how you see yourself in the field of social work, what you hope to contribute, and why you think this degree is necessary for you. Good luck!