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MSW Experience Columbia vs NYU


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I have seen countless threads on the discussion of Columbia vs NYU for MSW and, while I am aware that the name of the school in this profession does not matter, I am still finding it very difficult to choose between the two schools based on my wants and needs as student pursuing social work. I hope to work in a school setting as a school clinician while also wanting to work in a private practice / counseling firm as a clinical social worker (once I get my LCSW of course). I have very little interest in macro work, though I understand it is very important to know and reference outside resources that can positively impact an individual. I am about to graduate undergrad as a counseling and human services major which is where my passion for individual counseling and therapy comes from. I have also applied to programs for clinical mental health counseling, however, to my understanding (or at least this is what I have been finding on subreddits and forums such as this one) that social work or LCSWs are more in demand and have more freedoms and abilities than clinical counselors (again, if I am wrong please please please correct me as it could save me from committing to the wrong type of program). When looking at the curriculum guides, the differences on paper between the two programs seems negligible, so I would really appreciate some feedback from former or current students in each program. Thank you!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I dont know if this is helpful at all, but a while ago I got into the MSW at Columbia. I accepted, and attended orientation..and..was immediately turned off. The program, from what I saw, was a total mess. The professors were extremely rude when asked questions at Columbia and from the impression I got, they mostly wanted people who do not have an opinion of their own- people who will blindly follow the status quo. I had a friend I made at orientation who decided to stick with the program, and her experience was pure hell. A lot of the classmates she had were horrible to some of the other students and professors did nothing about it. The entire two years she was in the program she told me about it every few weeks and she was miserable. I'm so glad I did not attend Columbia. I'm sure some students had an amazing experience here, but sadly all I've heard are horror stories. This was a few years ago, so maybe it's changed, but honestly, I've heard amazing things about NYU. I've heard that NYU is a really welcoming community and really prepares you well. At the end of the day, where you went to school does not matter at all (although honestly these are both top programs), and your licensing will depend more on the hours you spend with clients etc etc. I've also heard the real learning truly begins once you graduate and begin working towards licensing. I think...if I were you...Id ask myself what type of environment I want. A welcoming supportive one, or a cut throat one where people arent very kind. Everyone values different things- it just depends on what you value in a program. Good luck! :)

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Oh! And I forgot to mention- I've been at this MSW vs Counseling degree debate for a long time haha (I take my time making big decisions like this) so if you need or want someone to bounce ideas off of, I'm happy to help! I chose the counseling route because like you, I was not interested in Macro work, and I also have a masters in public policy so I found that MSW programs had a lot of overlap for my existing career area/knowledge base. For Counseling programs, I turned down Northwestern (because it's where I did my MPP degree), and am waiting on NYU. If I get into NYU I am 100% all in for their Mental Health Counseling MA this fall (online format). Northwestern's program has a very long three phase application process so if you apply there, be prepared to wait quite a while. They have one faculty member review you and recommend you to interview...then, another faculty member does the group interview...then if they approve you, yet another faculty member approves you. So with the MA in Counseling at Northwestern I think it took almost 3 months for me to hear back, and because they had sent out so many acceptances before me, they told me I was accepted to the next cohort because the one I'd applied to was already full. Ultimately, that was a big reason I also did not attend- just far too many hoops to jump through..and I also have a masters from there already so I wanted a new adventure so to speak. What Counseling programs have you applied to?? :)

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