Columbia MSW or NYU MSW??

[accepted]

I know a previous post had this topic but only one person responded to it so im hoping for a little more help this time.

I have recently been accepted to both Columbia and NYUs 16 month accelerated programs. Frankly, I really dont know which one to attend.

I always considered myself to be more into the clinical side of things (which I know NYU really stresses), but its difficult for me to stomach having the opportunity to go to Columbia (where presumably the overall education might be better) and turning it down (considering they also have a clinical track), something just seems off about that. I was wondering if anyone had a similar dilemma or if anyone is in either one of these schools and could maybe shed some light?

Thank you very much!

[mellowfe]

I know a previous post had this topic but only one person responded to it so im hoping for a little more help this time.

I have recently been accepted to both Columbia and NYUs 16 month accelerated programs. Frankly, I really dont know which one to attend.

I always considered myself to be more into the clinical side of things (which I know NYU really stresses), but its difficult for me to stomach having the opportunity to go to Columbia (where presumably the overall education might be better) and turning it down (considering they also have a clinical track), something just seems off about that. I was wondering if anyone had a similar dilemma or if anyone is in either one of these schools and could maybe shed some light?

Thank you very much!

what did you end up choosing?

[accepted]

what did you end up choosing?

I chose Columbia

Edited January 24, 2011 by accepted

[evilpupil]

do you mind sharing your stats? i applied to UW and Berkeley and I'm just driving myself crazy here. somedays I feel like I have a chance, other days I'm in absolute despair.

SIGHS!

I chose Columbia

[Wishing]

do you mind sharing your stats? i applied to UW and Berkeley and I'm just driving myself crazy here. somedays I feel like I have a chance, other days I'm in absolute despair.

SIGHS!

As a prospective Columbia student I would love to see your stats also!

[accepted]

As a prospective Columbia student I would love to see your stats also!

My undergrad gpa was 3.65 and i had some limited volunteer/work experience. Some in a high school mentor/teaching program, a little as a job coach, and some more as a health aid for the nyc dept of education. All of my volunteer/work experience totaled about 16 months. I didn't necessarily think I was going to get in or not, I didn't think about it too much, I figured whatever happens happens. I started Columbia two weeks ago and so far I am very happy with it.

It was interesting that the other day a representative from the University of Mongolia came to audit one of my classes in order to learn how to put together the social work curriculum for the University of Mongolia. Kind of gave us students the feeling that Columbia's program was pretty good, lol.

In any event, if your gpa is above 3.0 and you put your heart into your essay I think you have as good a chance as anyone.

Best of Luck!

Edited January 28, 2011 by accepted

[cu0123]

can you change from columbia to nyu still? because columbia keeps accepting more and more students (nearly 450 master's students last year) individual attention is extremely hard to come by. if you have any ideas about what you want out of the program, make sure to advocate for yourself because no one else will be willing to help you. if you're clinical track, you're probably fine and there are many good intern opportunities. however, if you are in the policy or social enterprise and admin track, this school is NOT ideal. upenn, uchicago, uw-seattle, nyu etc. are all much better.

[accepted]

can you change from columbia to nyu still? because columbia keeps accepting more and more students (nearly 450 master's students last year) individual attention is extremely hard to come by. if you have any ideas about what you want out of the program, make sure to advocate for yourself because no one else will be willing to help you. if you're clinical track, you're probably fine and there are many good intern opportunities. however, if you are in the policy or social enterprise and admin track, this school is NOT ideal. upenn, uchicago, uw-seattle, nyu etc. are all much better.

thanks for the tip. I have no desire at all to switch to NYU for any reason. I have been in columbia for almost 6 weeks and I have plenty of attention there. I have a different advisor for everything and I have 2 separate advisors for my field placement. It's true that columbia accepts a lot of students, but once your there it is incredibly clear that every single one of them is there for a unique purpose. Don't be afraid that columbia is big, that should not be a deterrent. That being said I am doing the clinical track and the internship opportunities are very very good so perhaps I have a different perspective. But everyone I know there, no matter what their track, seems very happy. Also, it's definitely true that you have to advocate for yourself, but this isn't a bad thing; in a way it's great to have to advocate for yourself, it shows you what you really want. And rest assure that if you do advocate for yourself YOU WILL be heard and they will work with you.

Also, NYU only offers a clinical track, so if anyone is interested in policy, programing, or administration, NYU would probably not be the best choice.

[boston87]

I applied to Columbia MSW 2-year program but I still haven't heard back. Is that bad (the deadline for applications was jan 15)? The website says we should hear back around March 3. For the people that are already attending Columbia Social Work program, do you guys like it? When you guys were accepted did you get a big or small envelope?

[accepted]

I applied to Columbia MSW 2-year program but I still haven't heard back. Is that bad (the deadline for applications was jan 15)? The website says we should hear back around March 3. For the people that are already attending Columbia Social Work program, do you guys like it? When you guys were accepted did you get a big or small envelope?

I wouldn't be too worried if I were you. I know a couple of people that weren't told they were accepted until after the date Columbia told them they would have the answer by. As i stated earlier in this thread, I do like the program. There is something here for everyone and the education really is excellent. However, if you have specific needs in mind that a different school could better meet, I would not choose Columbia just for the name. When I was accepted I received an email from them first that notified me of my acceptance - about 7-10 days later I received a large envelope with all of the information I would need. Best of Luck!

Edited March 9, 2011 by accepted

[MRL]

thanks for the tip. I have no desire at all to switch to NYU for any reason. I have been in columbia for almost 6 weeks and I have plenty of attention there. I have a different advisor for everything and I have 2 separate advisors for my field placement. It's true that columbia accepts a lot of students, but once your there it is incredibly clear that every single one of them is there for a unique purpose. Don't be afraid that columbia is big, that should not be a deterrent. That being said I am doing the clinical track and the internship opportunities are very very good so perhaps I have a different perspective. But everyone I know there, no matter what their track, seems very happy. Also, it's definitely true that you have to advocate for yourself, but this isn't a bad thing; in a way it's great to have to advocate for yourself, it shows you what you really want. And rest assure that if you do advocate for yourself YOU WILL be heard and they will work with you.

Also, NYU only offers a clinical track, so if anyone is interested in policy, programing, or administration, NYU would probably not be the best choice.

I was recently accepted to both NYU and Columbia. I had originally committed to NYU, however, once I was accepted to Columbia and visited the campus my decision changed instantly! I love Columbia so much more than NYU. I have heard that many people don't like Columbia's social work program and that I should stick with NYU instead. I really don't like this advice, I would much rather commit to Columbia because I enjoy it's feel, location, and atmosphere much better!! Can you let me know what you would suggest? I am interested in the clinical track because I want to become a clinical psychotherapist and work with adolescents. Do you think Columbia is an OK fit for that?

[accepted]

I was recently accepted to both NYU and Columbia. I had originally committed to NYU, however, once I was accepted to Columbia and visited the campus my decision changed instantly! I love Columbia so much more than NYU. I have heard that many people don't like Columbia's social work program and that I should stick with NYU instead. I really don't like this advice, I would much rather commit to Columbia because I enjoy it's feel, location, and atmosphere much better!! Can you let me know what you would suggest? I am interested in the clinical track because I want to become a clinical psychotherapist and work with adolescents. Do you think Columbia is an OK fit for that?

Haha, i did the exact same thing. I committed to nyu and then went to visit columbia and changed my mind. I checked out both schools and sat in on classes at both schools and when the dust cleared I was much more impressed with columbia than with nyu. The bottom line is, you have to go with wherever you feel most confident and comfortable. When i had to make my final decision i said to myself "if i turn down columbia and go to nyu, will i always feel like i missed something for not going to columbia?" and the answer to that question was "yes", I would feel that way. Whether that feeling was justified or not is a different issue, but at the end of the day I felt much more confident and comfortable going to columbia and thats really all that matters. I am currently doing the clinical track and it is very good. The main reason why people who want to do clinical work are more inclined to go to nyu is because nyu only has a clinical track so they are more "immersed" in it (whereas columbia has policy and programing tracks). That being said, the fact that nyu has a clinical focus does not mean that columbia has an inferioir clinical program to theirs'. I am currently very happy with columbia though I have spoken with people that are not. There are a lot of students in the school and you are bound to have a handful (and possibly even more) who are not necessarily happy.

The best advice I can give you is to follow your heart and to GO WITH YOUR GUT. A lot of people told me to go to nyu because it was a little cheaper and is clinically focused. However, I followed my own feelings and I am very very happy with Columbia thus far. I am learning a tremendous amount and every week becomes more and more beneficial. To answer your question - is columbia an OK fit for clinical work? It'd more than just OK. I'm sure you know that to become a "real" psychotherapist you need traning beyond your MSW, and that would be true no matter what MSW program you went to. That being said, Columbia takes their program very serious and their clinical track is by far their most popular. They know what they are doing. But again, you have to go with your gut and do what you feel is right and good for you. If that means columbia, then great. If it means NYU, then great. Both schools will help you get to where you want to go, you just need to decide where you feel most confident and comfortable.

If you have any more questions or want more information please let me know!

Best of luck making your final decision!

[hewhzw]

Hi, guys. I also applied to CUSSW and am quite nervous to hear from them. After talking with the students in their MSW program, I was told Columbia is much better known for its clinical track. It seems that most people like clinical social work more. However, I am interested in the Macro ( policy and administration) concentration. Is there any one who could share something about thei policy practice and administration tracks? Any information and comments regarding that would be good! Thanks! Wish all of you good luck.

[htotheizza]

Hi, guys. I also applied to CUSSW and am quite nervous to hear from them. After talking with the students in their MSW program, I was told Columbia is much better known for its clinical track. It seems that most people like clinical social work more. However, I am interested in the Macro ( policy and administration) concentration. Is there any one who could share something about thei policy practice and administration tracks? Any information and comments regarding that would be good! Thanks! Wish all of you good luck.

Listen, I was in your shoes years ago and Columbia was definitely the right choice. I don't know much about Columbia's policy track, except that you are focusing on policy analysis, economic research, and work in think tanks and for the government. The Social Enterprise Administration track is actually very strong at the master's degree level, from what I've observed. We have a CUSSW intern at our agency right now who was in this track and he is getting a really solid overview of all things administrative in a nonprofit setting, from fiscal, to development, to marketing and communications, to program evaluation and policy. I'm also friendly with a bunch of people who graduated from this track and they seemed to have had the coolest jobs upon graduating, mostly in middle management in the private and nonprofit sectors. The two tracks you mentioned are indeed significantly smaller than their clinical track, but that is a good thing. You want the individualized attention at Columbia, a school so large it can be easy to get lost in the crowd.

Edited April 3, 2011 by htotheizza

[htotheizza]

I was recently accepted to both NYU and Columbia. I had originally committed to NYU, however, once I was accepted to Columbia and visited the campus my decision changed instantly! I love Columbia so much more than NYU. I have heard that many people don't like Columbia's social work program and that I should stick with NYU instead. I really don't like this advice, I would much rather commit to Columbia because I enjoy it's feel, location, and atmosphere much better!! Can you let me know what you would suggest? I am interested in the clinical track because I want to become a clinical psychotherapist and work with adolescents. Do you think Columbia is an OK fit for that?

Go with Columbia. It sounds like you've fallen in love with the place isnt that reason enough?

[erinl]

I have a question about licensing. I'm from California and I am quite sure I'll be enrolling at Columbia (I have also been accepted to USC). I plan on returning to California to most likely pursue a PhD -- if that does not work out, I would like to return to California and become a licensed clinical social worker. Am I at a disadvantage, going to school in NY when I plan on returning to California to work? Will it be harder to attain my license here if I go to school out there? Will job prospects be less available to me upon my return, versus if I were to choose to remain in NY? Overall, how much does the location of the program I choose affect the out-of-state choices I have available to me?

[htotheizza]

In social work, where you got your degree does not matter as much in other fields. If anything, you will be at an advantage getting your MS from Columbia when you return to California because it is a highly respected degree. To get a license, it doesnt matter if you got your degree by mail order or from oxford so long as you pass the tests, have taken the coursework, and and have at minimum the required hours of experience. Job prospects will be good for you whether you choose to stay in NY or return to CA --- social work is a field in which there are always jobs.

I have a question about licensing. I'm from California and I am quite sure I'll be enrolling at Columbia (I have also been accepted to USC). I plan on returning to California to most likely pursue a PhD -- if that does not work out, I would like to return to California and become a licensed clinical social worker. Am I at a disadvantage, going to school in NY when I plan on returning to California to work? Will it be harder to attain my license here if I go to school out there? Will job prospects be less available to me upon my return, versus if I were to choose to remain in NY? Overall, how much does the location of the program I choose affect the out-of-state choices I have available to me?

[junestorm]

can you change from columbia to nyu still? because columbia keeps accepting more and more students (nearly 450 master's students last year) individual attention is extremely hard to come by. if you have any ideas about what you want out of the program, make sure to advocate for yourself because no one else will be willing to help you. if you're clinical track, you're probably fine and there are many good intern opportunities. however, if you are in the policy or social enterprise and admin track, this school is NOT ideal. upenn, uchicago, uw-seattle, nyu etc. are all much better.

Hi there,

Could you expand please on why you think the SEA/policy tracks are not ideal? there is conflicting feedback to that in this very thread so I'd just like more detail if you could. What makes NYU better?

As a general point though, if you (and by that I mean anyone) are hoping to go into non-profit advocacy, NGOs or social work and you find it taxing to advocate for attention in your own school which you are paying for, perhaps it might be worth rethinking your overall job expectations...

[jules0606]

I chose Columbia

 You originally posted in 2010, so I'm going to go ahead and assume that you're either done with your program, or very close to done. Now that you're this far along are you still completely happy with your decision? I've been accepted to both as well and have absolutely no idea what to choose! Everyone is telling me to go for Columbia, but I feel like they're all just saying that for the "ivy league status" - not because it's necessarily the best choice... I'm torn. 

[bukowski]

^I'd like to know how the Columbia experience went, as well. Columbia is my first choice, but I'm starting to wonder if I should even go at all. The hefty price tag + the cost of living in NYC is deterring me because I could be looking at $700-14000/a month of loan repayments after the program is finished. This problem is relevant for NYU as well, so if anyone has any insight on their financial plans, please do share.