Not heard from any schools?!?!

[kldfweldsc]

Don't be so sure. You can't seem to comprehend simple conversations. I'm done. I will not respond to you anymore.

You're caked on makeup, and fat face make me laugh. You are one ugly bitch, inside and out.

I sincerely hope that you receive help for your anger issues.

Oh, and...your*.

Edited March 15, 2012 by angelajeanx3

[vmpancucci]

C'mon you guys, this isn't a really good example to set for people who want to be social workers, is it? =/

[kldfweldsc]

C'mon you guys, this isn't a really good example to set for people who want to be social workers, is it? =/

I mean, please let's just take into account that not only was I called unintelligent, but I was called fat, and a bitch.

And I reacted with a sincere hope that they receive help.

I think I did my part here.

[briefinterviews]

http://www.211.org

[Future MSW]

I'm not understanding how you don't understand that you have an elitist (definition: The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.

example: those with the highest GPA deserve automatic and first admission to the university....) disposition.

And you were definitely disrespectful to others, how is referring to someone as a dimwitted student not an attack? Yes, you stated your opinion, which is your right, but your opinion was super insensitive, so I gave you my opinion on your opinion.

[Future MSW]

Don't be so sure. You can't seem to comprehend simple conversations. I'm done. I will not respond to you anymore.

You're caked on makeup, and fat face make me laugh. You are one ugly bitch, inside and out.

not ok.

I mean, please let's just take into account that not only was I called unintelligent, but I was called fat, and a bitch.

And I reacted with a sincere hope that they receive help.

I think I did my part here.

You're GRAND in my book lady!

[ATohCe.24]

My professor in Abnormal Psychology taught us never to argue or attempt to reason with someone delusional...so I just have this story.

A woman hears on the radio that a raging lunatic is going down the freeway in the opposite direction. Concerned, she calls her husband and warns him, "Honey, there's a raging lunatic on the freeway going the wrong way!"

Her husband exclaims, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN ONE??! THERE ARE A BUNCH OF RAGING LUNATICS ALL TRYING TO HIT ME!!!"

Edited March 15, 2012 by ATohCe.24

[ATohCe.24]

Still haven't heard anything from San Jose State

Hey buddy, I met with the admissions director, Professor Goldman-Hall at San Jose State yesterday. He showed me three huge stacks of application files and told me that he's still working on one of them; in addition, this year got a record of 495 completed apps. The stacks were so high I felt bad for him and almost offered to go through a couple of them.

Hope you get a congratulatory phone call from him soon but in the mean time, just picture an accountant during tax season in his tiny little cubicle where the papers are stacked so high you can't see the man behind his desk.

[kldfweldsc]

My professor in Abnormal Psychology taught us never to argue or attempt to reason with someone delusional...so I just have this story.

A woman hears on the radio that a raging lunatic is going down the freeway in the opposite direction. Concerned, she calls her husband and warns him, "Honey, there's a raging lunatic on the freeway going the wrong way!"

Her husband exclaims, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN ONE??! THERE ARE A BUNCH OF RAGING LUNATICS ALL TRYING TO HIT ME!!!"

Hahaha. Yup, about sums it up.

[kldfweldsc]

not ok.

You're GRAND in my book lady!

Haha, Thanks! You're grand, too!

I mean, I even kinda like my face, "fat" with "caked on makeup" and all.

[XXXXXXphd2021]

Well, I think some schools have preferences of high GPA and GRE, some do not. So you have something you value but you don't get in, it just means that this program isn't the best fit for you.

We don't need to get accepted by every program to prove we are good or sth.

If you have a great GPA, job well-done. But as others said, maybe you should value others' strengths as well. We are all unique and we are not just a bunch of numbers.

Also, if you hate social work programs for relying on experiences, maybe you should really think twice. Those programs are professional ones. They choose their students for a reason. They believe their students can become great social workers...Can all the programs be wrong? Hmm...

It may be harsh for you to hear all these and it must be a difficult time. But we are just offer advises.

On the internet we don't know each other, if not just one people, but several, think you have a somewhat inappropriate attitude, maybe you should consider why.

I hope these don't sound rude. I'm an international, so maybe my writing sucks and you feel offended. Then I'm sorry about that.

Haha, Thanks! You're grand, too!

I mean, I even kinda like my face, "fat" with "caked on makeup" and all.

Angela, I think you are hot! (If the word "hot" doesn't go in a wrong way...again I'm an international and I use this word to express that you looks great!) You changed your photos several times and I like each of them =)!!

[allyba]

I never lashed out at anyone specifically. I never singled out ANYONE. I really don't understand the hostility...

I think some people were offended perhaps by the wording in your post such as dimwitted. That´s a word I would probably only direct at my peers when lashing out because something is upseting me. I think people on here know the difference between something that may sound offensive and a person that is offensive. I think you are probably very qualified and deserving of getting into your top choice. People are also very tense right now about apps so that adds to the equation. Plus, it can be hard to understand what someone means online. The way I read your post sounded offensive to me. No biggie.

[kldfweldsc]

Angela, I think you are hot! (If the word "hot" doesn't go in a wrong way...again I'm an international and I use this word to express that you looks great!) You changed your photos several times and I like each of them =)!!

Haha, thanks! This account is linked to my facebook, hence the multiple picture changes.

[mapletree]

Yup. I have a much higher gpa than the people getting accepted at the schools I applied to. I see people getting in with gpas that BARELY make the 3.0 cutoff. I really hate that social work programs are so experience heavy, which sucks, because I think gpa is more important. I have around 850 hours of verified experience, but in order to do well in graduate level coursework, gpa is a better indicator of success. (This is why you often hear that MSW programs are full of dimwitted students because acceptances usually go to experience heavy applicants instead of top students)

I got waitlisted at CSULB, but haven't heard from the other two programs I applied to. This is very aggravating because I contacted admissions at my top program and they said my review is complete but I have yet to receive a letter!!! Ugh. Other people have already heard back from my top choice (SDSU).

.

I just read this whole thread, and... wow. Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents, even though I'm late. I believe that in social work, perhaps more so than any other profession, experience is a lot more important than GPA. I went to UC Berkeley and graduated with an A- average. I had some experience before graduation, but nothing full-time. Let me tell you - those grades did not help me at my first full-time social work-type job. It was the experience I got on the job. How do you really support someone with bi-polar/borderline/anxiety/clinical depression unless you've spent significant time with them? Sure, you can read all about it in the DSM and ask around, but it's not the same. The people you're helping don't give a flying f*** if you graduated with a 4.0 from the best school in the country. They care about whether you're a good social worker. Are you empathetic, a good listener, and genuinely want to help them? Or are you too busy judging their life choices to get through to them? They can tell. People judge them everyday. They don't need to hear it from you too; they need your support.

Those dimwitted students with all that experience who got accepted but have GPAs that aren't as high as yours? They're the ones you're going to learn from in grad school. They're the ones who will have something to contribute in discussion because they've been there. When I reapplied to Berkeley this year after being waitlisted last year, I wrote in my essay that it was a blessing in disguise that I did not get in last year. I really benefited from the extra year of experience. When I first started, I basically didn't know anything about anything (with my A- average from Berkeley! I know, can you believe it?!). I ran into my supervisor's office like 5 times a week with a new dilemma I didn't know how to deal with. A youth getting pregnant by her abusive boyfriend. A youth going AWOL and living on the streets because his family disowned him for being gay. Even a youth telling his teacher to shut up. I did not know what to do, or what the best way to handle each situation was. And now? I'm a lot better. I still have a lot of learning to do, but I'm not checking in with my supervisor all the time because I know what to expect in certain situations. Because I learned from my experiences.

I'm not even going to go into the calling people ugly b****** and everything else. If you can't see how wrong that is, it's kind of a lost cause to try and explain it. Please grow up and develop a sense of self-awareness if you're really going into this field. I already feel sorry for the people who are going to be in your future caseloads if your attitude remains the same.

[allyba]

Thanks for sharing your experience Mapletree. I hope to be as motivated if I have to wait a year to get into an MSW program too. It is a bit of a career change for me and while I do have what feels like 5 lifetimes of working through a family member´s mental illness, a lot of my experience is somewhat social work adjacent. I think your attitude about the extra year you had to take is commendable.

Your reaction was kind of my first reaction to that post as well. But, perhaps the better reaction would have been to ask the poster if they were just venting or really believed these things. Maybe, just saying ,¨hey, you might want to take out that word or something¨ would have been appropriate. I think we can all say stuff we don´t mean to at times but words are powerful and we need to understand the responsibility of the weight they carry. Dimwitted is particularly pointed. I remember as a kid that a lot of people used the word ¨retarded¨ when they thought something was unfair as in ¨ that´s retarded.¨ I remember repeting this phrase in earshot of an unpopular kid with severe mental challenges and I felt so awful afterwards because I knew the person had heard and that it had stung. Although I didn´t mean anything bad of it, it was offensive and hurt someone. Now imagine that many of the clients we serve or will serve hear this type of language often in a very demeaning way. In our position as social workers we certainly are called to be more aware of language. It takes practice and a lot of self-awareness too to always get it right because often society doesn´t use language as responsibily as it should and we can easily pick up unintentionally cruel words or phrases that we hear.

[roxyshoe]

I am really happy that I am becoming a social worker. I know it will be extremely challenging and rough at times, but knowing that I will have people like you all in my courses, etc., will make it all easier and all the more worth it

Mapletree - Everything you said is very poignant. I hope the O.P will read it and begin to understand where everyone is coming from.

O.P - Thanks for your comment. I was nice to you in my post, but the truth is that I felt the same way as others on this thread, but did not choose to point it out. I know these comments have been harsh for you to hear, but I think it would do you well to take them to heart and learn more about ways you can become a better social worker. No one on this forum is perfect, and you just happened to be the one to lash out. It could have happened to any of us in the wrong place/wrong time, so don't feel too targeted. Just please understand where we are coming from, and please don't call ANYONE else a bitch or dimwitted, etc. All of that only exasperates our feelings.

[Future MSW]

Hey buddy, I met with the admissions director, Professor Goldman-Hall at San Jose State yesterday. He showed me three huge stacks of application files and told me that he's still working on one of them; in addition, this year got a record of 495 completed apps. The stacks were so high I felt bad for him and almost offered to go through a couple of them.

Hope you get a congratulatory phone call from him soon but in the mean time, just picture an accountant during tax season in his tiny little cubicle where the papers are stacked so high you can't see the man behind his desk.

OK, That makes me feel a little better. I pray I'm in the accepted stack! lol

[mcvolins]

Well, I didn't get into columbia...I didn't really expect to, it was kind of a reach. I'm still waiting on NYU and would really like to go there, so here's hoping!!

[kldfweldsc]

Well, I didn't get into columbia...I didn't really expect to, it was kind of a reach. I'm still waiting on NYU and would really like to go there, so here's hoping!!

Good luck! Fingers crossed for you.

[mapletree]

Thanks for sharing your experience Mapletree. I hope to be as motivated if I have to wait a year to get into an MSW program too. It is a bit of a career change for me and while I do have what feels like 5 lifetimes of working through a family member´s mental illness, a lot of my experience is somewhat social work adjacent. I think your attitude about the extra year you had to take is commendable.

Your reaction was kind of my first reaction to that post as well. But, perhaps the better reaction would have been to ask the poster if they were just venting or really believed these things. Maybe, just saying ,¨hey, you might want to take out that word or something¨ would have been appropriate. I think we can all say stuff we don´t mean to at times but words are powerful and we need to understand the responsibility of the weight they carry. Dimwitted is particularly pointed. I remember as a kid that a lot of people used the word ¨retarded¨ when they thought something was unfair as in ¨ that´s retarded.¨ I remember repeting this phrase in earshot of an unpopular kid with severe mental challenges and I felt so awful afterwards because I knew the person had heard and that it had stung. Although I didn´t mean anything bad of it, it was offensive and hurt someone. Now imagine that many of the clients we serve or will serve hear this type of language often in a very demeaning way. In our position as social workers we certainly are called to be more aware of language. It takes practice and a lot of self-awareness too to always get it right because often society doesn´t use language as responsibily as it should and we can easily pick up unintentionally cruel words or phrases that we hear.

You're welcome allyba, and I think social work adjacent might be okay. A lot of my experience is in teaching/tutoring underrepresented populations, which is arguably more education based than social work based. Even the most social work-type job I had was in supporting foster youth with their educational goals (case management, no tutoring/teaching), so that was a bit of both. Regarding the dimwitted comment: It wasn't just the use of that word. It was the whole attitude behind it. The example you gave of the word "retarded" is a good one. You said you felt awful and I'm sure you regret using it. You *get it". People make mistakes all the time; it's how you behave after you realize you made a mistake. The other poster does not *get it*. When people started saying (nicely, I might add) that "dimwitted" might be offensive to other people, the poster became very defensive, could not see why anyone would take offense to what he/she said, then spiraled downhill into calling other people names. Not really qualities of a good social worker.

I'm sorry if I'm coming on kind of strong here. I don't have a very high tolerance for this kind of behavior. I thought of this example while typing this: One of the youth I'm working with, who is 15, was acting disrespectful to a teacher. I was there to pick him up and witnessed his behavior. He is usually a good kid, with good grades, and was pissed that she took away his cell phone charger. I said to him I thought he was being disrespectful and that it would be a good idea to apologize if he wanted to stay on good terms with the teacher. I left it at that as not to sound too lecturey. We talked about some other stuff, then he brought up the incident again and again. He wanted to know how he was being disrespectful. Why was it considered disrespectful. He wanted to learn about how his actions led to the consequences, and by the end of the meeting, he was no longer referring to the teacher as "stupid" and a "b****". I'm not sure if he went as far as to apologize, but at least he was thinking it through. Even he was making attempts to *get it* and he's a 15-year-old.

I am really happy that I am becoming a social worker. I know it will be extremely challenging and rough at times, but knowing that I will have people like you all in my courses, etc., will make it all easier and all the more worth it

Mapletree - Everything you said is very poignant. I hope the O.P will read it and begin to understand where everyone is coming from.

O.P - Thanks for your comment. I was nice to you in my post, but the truth is that I felt the same way as others on this thread, but did not choose to point it out. I know these comments have been harsh for you to hear, but I think it would do you well to take them to heart and learn more about ways you can become a better social worker. No one on this forum is perfect, and you just happened to be the one to lash out. It could have happened to any of us in the wrong place/wrong time, so don't feel too targeted. Just please understand where we are coming from, and please don't call ANYONE else a bitch or dimwitted, etc. All of that only exasperates our feelings.

Thanks roxyshoe. I hope he/she reads it too.

[allyba]

Mapletree- Congrats btw on the acceptance this year. I did see that you got into CAL, right? I bet you are incredibly excited!

I certainly hope you are right about the social work experience. It sounds like we may have a lot of similar type experience. I have worked in advising and teaching/tutoring similar populations. Currently I am working abroad where I encounter a little bit of everything it feels like. When you think about how little resources low-income kids have in the U.S., imagine it being much much worse in some areas of the world. Sometimes it can be a shock.

I totally understand not tolerating a particular attitude or language. I think it is awesome that people on this forum made it clear that the post wasn´t okay. I guess I just wanted to give the poster an opportunity to make it constructive and thought maybe they would feel comfortable taking that responsibility if they felt less attacked (not that I think anyone was trying to attack the O.P.) But, it takes a while to develop the ability to not focus on defending yourself when you get called out on something. I am all about providing opportunities for people to make better choices. Even if someone doesn´t take the opportunity, I´d like to keep trying to provide an opening for them to do so.

I don´t know anything about the poster but, the comments made me think of someone that is perhaps a bit younger than myself and feels they are fighting their way through life. Maybe they feel it´s a ¨me¨ vs. ¨them¨ world. A lot of good kids I have worked with abroad feel this way and their culture cues have taught them it is better to deny, defend, deny rather than accept responsibility. It is a lifetime process to learn how to get it right and none of us do it perfectly all the time. I agree the posts were not representative of what a good social worker would say but, we don´t know this person. A lot of great social workers come from tough places and have had to wrestle with a lot to gain every inch in life. Maybe the poster is going through some tough stuff too. Now, that doesn´t mean we should not critique the comments. I think we owe it to what we are trying to dedicate our lives to that we bring to light any type of derogatory language or hurtful attitudes. I want to add I think everyone expressed this very well.

Edited March 16, 2012 by allyba

[Nancita99]

Ha! I know! That email floored me. It seemed so official. I have not heard back from UT yet either - but I know decisions have been going out. I called the school today and they told me my application was being reviewed (which I knew from the website) and that I should know within the next "couple of weeks". The woman I spoke also said that UT doesn't make its waitlist public, so if I haven't heard back in 2 weeks I should call her and ask in person. So that would probably apply to you as well. Fingers crossed!

Ah! The waiting game...I spoke to an advisor today. He said they are still reviewing applications and that the process could go into May! I don't know if I can stay sane UT is the only school I applied to and can go to...Good luck! I'll post back with any news!

[mtdvr]

Sweet Jesus, May? Time to find some hobbies....

[Lisbeth]

I just read this whole thread, and... wow. Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents, even though I'm late. I believe that in social work, perhaps more so than any other profession, experience is a lot more important than GPA. I went to UC Berkeley and graduated with an A- average. I had some experience before graduation, but nothing full-time. Let me tell you - those grades did not help me at my first full-time social work-type job. It was the experience I got on the job. How do you really support someone with bi-polar/borderline/anxiety/clinical depression unless you've spent significant time with them? Sure, you can read all about it in the DSM and ask around, but it's not the same. The people you're helping don't give a flying f*** if you graduated with a 4.0 from the best school in the country. They care about whether you're a good social worker. Are you empathetic, a good listener, and genuinely want to help them? Or are you too busy judging their life choices to get through to them? They can tell. People judge them everyday. They don't need to hear it from you too; they need your support.

Those dimwitted students with all that experience who got accepted but have GPAs that aren't as high as yours? They're the ones you're going to learn from in grad school. They're the ones who will have something to contribute in discussion because they've been there. When I reapplied to Berkeley this year after being waitlisted last year, I wrote in my essay that it was a blessing in disguise that I did not get in last year. I really benefited from the extra year of experience. When I first started, I basically didn't know anything about anything (with my A- average from Berkeley! I know, can you believe it?!). I ran into my supervisor's office like 5 times a week with a new dilemma I didn't know how to deal with. A youth getting pregnant by her abusive boyfriend. A youth going AWOL and living on the streets because his family disowned him for being gay. Even a youth telling his teacher to shut up. I did not know what to do, or what the best way to handle each situation was. And now? I'm a lot better. I still have a lot of learning to do, but I'm not checking in with my supervisor all the time because I know what to expect in certain situations. Because I learned from my experiences.

I'm not even going to go into the calling people ugly b****** and everything else. If you can't see how wrong that is, it's kind of a lost cause to try and explain it. Please grow up and develop a sense of self-awareness if you're really going into this field. I already feel sorry for the people who are going to be in your future caseloads if your attitude remains the same.

I just have to say thank god you did this for me lol. I don't even have all the time to read allllll of the posts, but have read a lot and wow...to say the least. But you summed my feelings up the best here so, thank you! And @ Allyba too, thank you too, good point that this person is most likely going through some things and also will benefit most by simply growing up and learning through living. And yes if it was you too or someone else who pointed out that english definitely has tone and writing is an amazing art and expression form and it should be respected for being able to certainly have tone among other things.

I have to also say a little bit about gpa, not because I think all of you guys don't already get it, but just in case there is another pretty young person on here or I dunno, someone who's been influenced by their peers or others. GPA is a mathematical calculation and by the nature of the calculation, it becomes increasingly harder to up your average after having many units at a certain average. Anyways, I just have to say that a person's undergraduate gpa can vary so much based on so many things other than their intelligence and anyone who does not understand that simple fact really isn't very logical. A gpa is completely just a number and as a whole over a long period of time shows how much effort you've been able to put into something, but still shows nothing about one's intelligence. It is a measure of one's effort and abilities at one time period and in no way has ever been used to show intelligence. My gpa dropped a lot when I studied a specialized biology major for a year and this was because I chose to not put as much effort as I could have, I had a lot going on in my life at the time, and it just wasn't the right time for me to be focusing on biological sciences. Later, when I decided to focus on nursing I went to take a microbiology course and was able to earn an A while working a lot, because I put a TON of time into that class, period. It had nothing to do with anything other than time and effort. There's a reason why children from low income neighborhoods who don't have as much time afforded to them through afterschool programs can have lower gpas than those who are afforded those better opportunities! Hint: It's not because they are not intelligent. If the world was ending and I could either save my life and hoard food/supplies & practice shooting so I could protect my life out in the wild, but risk getting an F in a course from missing a test, the intelligent thing would be to miss that fricken class and learn to survive! There are So many examples other than that silly last one, but gpa simply is not abt. intelligence. My bf went to school for years off and on, and had some ridicuously horrible gpa. At 24 he decided to go back to school and had the time and interest and energy, now he has a 3.8gpa over three years total, which to me is amazing, but it has nothing to do with him being more intelligent than he was before. It has everything to do with his maturity/focus/effort and ability to afford going to school and his interest in doing something further which requires a degree. And lastly, thank goodness social work values the experience we all have and will continue to gain throughout and after our MSW, because man would I hate to have some social worker help me who had straight As in school and hardly any experience! What a horrible thought! There's a reason why all health professions that have a license option require many many many hours of clinical experience before obtaining those licenses!!

Edited March 27, 2012 by Lisbeth