Applying to MSW programs for Fall 2011

[cdinh007]

Hello,

I am going to apply to MSW programs for the Fall 2011. I have not taken my GRE yet, and I do not know whether I should or not. As of right now, I currently have a GPA of 3.2. I have been in three different research labs for a whole year and I will continue to participate in these labs in my senior year as well. I also work as a peer mentor for college students on campus. I hope that will count as one of my experiences. I am going to apply to these following schools that do not require me to take the GRE, but it is recommended for a person's to take the GRE if his or her GPA is lower than 3.0:

*California State University Los Angeles

*California State University Dominguez Hills

*California State University Long Beach

California State University Northridge

A * next to the school are my top choices. I was also planning to apply to California State University Fullerton, but the school now require a GRE score. I have decided on these schools, because they are close enough to commute from home and to school (not so much for Northridge, but I only added that one since Fullerton might not be an option anymore). I am not applying to any farther colleges, because I have decided to be near the family due to family matters. The reason I am not planning to take the GRE, because I will only need it to apply to Fullerton and I haven't been studying for it either. For that reason, I do not think its worth paying for it. I do not plan on applying to any universities or private colleges (UCLA, USC, Azusa Pacific), because I am unlikely to afford their cost of tuition since they cost more. I originally had Cal Poly as an option to, but I found out today that the school did not have a MSW program. My options seem really limited. I am very concern and in doubt whether applying to only four schools will guaranteed me at least one admission. This thread was created for further discussion and suggestions. Any input, ideas, or suggestions are helpful and appreciated.

Thank you.

[JessieB]

Have you tried calling admissions for those schools and asking whether you're a good candidate? Or if they won't tell you that try to find out their admissions rate and the average GPA of their admitted students. If you fall within their guidelines, then I would just apply to all three and see where you get in. If they tell you your GPA is too low or is below the average, then you might want to take the GRE. But it seems like a lot of state schools aren't too strict as long as your GPA is above 3.0.

Hope this helps! I'm just looking at this process too, so I'm not as experienced as some of the others on this board. My husband has already applied to and gotten into grad school though and these are the methods he used.

[cdinh007]

Have you tried calling admissions for those schools and asking whether you're a good candidate? Or if they won't tell you that try to find out their admissions rate and the average GPA of their admitted students. If you fall within their guidelines, then I would just apply to all three and see where you get in. If they tell you your GPA is too low or is below the average, then you might want to take the GRE. But it seems like a lot of state schools aren't too strict as long as your GPA is above 3.0.

Hope this helps! I'm just looking at this process too, so I'm not as experienced as some of the others on this board. My husband has already applied to and gotten into grad school though and these are the methods he used.

Hello, JessieB. Thank you for replying to the thread. I really appreciate it. No, I haven't tried calling the admissions' office yet. I am not really sure what to ask of them. How do I find out their "admission rate and average GPA of their admitted students" from the most recent year? I am going to apply to all the schools I have listed and I have recently added two more to the list, but they're not commutable. I only added them just in case if anything, my family situation gets better or there are some alternatives.