Applications for Fall 2013!

[paige_elizabeth10]

Hey guys,

 

So I got an email last Monday that I didn't get in to UW. To those who did (and are still following this thread), could you share some tips/info about what you think helped you get in? I have 4 part time years of social work/psych experience (4 in dementia, less than 1 in autism) while attending UW and worked on my essay with a staff member in the SW school at UW who used to be on admissions. I also had the average GPA of the last cohort. I thought that given this information, I would at least be on the waiting list. Not that I thought I was the best of the best of the pack- but I was a bit surprised when I got the news.

I understand that this was an incredible application year for the school, so I'm wondering what I should do for next year to better secure a spot next year. I don't want to go anywhere else!

 

I would really appreciate any insight or comments! Thank you!

 

Hey there, so sorry to hear that you didn't get into UW. I'm sure that doesn't feel good. To be honest, I'm still surprised that I got in, I was fully expecting to be waitlisted or receive a rejection email. Compared to a lot of people on the board, I don't have an exceptional amount of SW experience. I work part-time at a youth emergency shelter and have participated in two service learning programs through my University--one of which I was a leader for. What I feel really helped me get in was my research experience. I have worked under two professors and have presented posters at an international conference. I'm currently doing research right now as part of my honor's thesis and I made sure to mention how my experience as a research assistant will help me be effective in clinical and applied settings. Also, I think my letters of recommendation really helped me. One was from my thesis advisor, one was from my supervisor at the shelter (and she has an MSW from UW), and one was from the Associate Dean of the University I'm at. I also spent a ridiculous amount of time working on my statements (around 4 months), so whatever I was lacking in experience I tried to make up for in an awesome essay. Lastly, my cum GPA is a 3.7 but my advanced is a 3.84, so a little higher than last year's cohort. 

[amoryb]

Hey guys,

 

So I got an email last Monday that I didn't get in to UW. To those who did (and are still following this thread), could you share some tips/info about what you think helped you get in? I have 4 part time years of social work/psych experience (4 in dementia, less than 1 in autism) while attending UW and worked on my essay with a staff member in the SW school at UW who used to be on admissions. I also had the average GPA of the last cohort. I thought that given this information, I would at least be on the waiting list. Not that I thought I was the best of the best of the pack- but I was a bit surprised when I got the news.

I understand that this was an incredible application year for the school, so I'm wondering what I should do for next year to better secure a spot next year. I don't want to go anywhere else!

 

I would really appreciate any insight or comments! Thank you!

 

I was accepted into the MSW Day program. I have a little over five years of social services experience, including 4 years of sexual assault and domestic violence victim advocacy, and 1 1/2 years of civil rights work (fair housing testing). I coordinated two programs (one 24/7 rape crisis response program, the other a fair housing testing program) but under the title of "Specialist" rather than "Coordinator". I went to a non-traditional school with narrative evaluations instead of grades. I was a transfer student from a Chicago community college and had a mediocre academic record until my last two years of school. I have about ten years of community organizing experience and around five years of professional and informal community education experience (workshop facilitation, trainings and conferences). I also lived in Venezuela for five months in 2005 following the Festival Mundial and talked a little bit about it in one of my essays. 

 

I have no idea which of these qualifications got me in, but for what it's worth, I have a friend/coworker/co-organizer who attended the same non-traditional school and was accepted to the same program.

 

I hope this is helpful!

Edited April 3, 2013 by amoryb

[bbergstrom]

Thanks!

Tis weird because I did my application in October, so I would assume that I should have heard back by now too? 

I would think so but it always helps to email or call them.. that's how I got my response! I emailed them and the next day they emailed back with my acceptance and received the official copy in the mail.

[azmsw10]

Thanks for your response! I agree that the research was helpful for you- I think I'll try to mention that more in my essay next time. UW is extremely research-oriented, I bet they just ate that up!  I think a lot of it had to do with my essay and what I was led to believe was good to mention or not. Knowing what I know now, I think I'll focus my essay in a different direction. I just want it to work out all for next year! 

Congratulations on your acceptance and I hope you have a wonderful next two years there! 

Hey there, so sorry to hear that you didn't get into UW. I'm sure that doesn't feel good. To be honest, I'm still surprised that I got in, I was fully expecting to be waitlisted or receive a rejection email. Compared to a lot of people on the board, I don't have an exceptional amount of SW experience. I work part-time at a youth emergency shelter and have participated in two service learning programs through my University--one of which I was a leader for. What I feel really helped me get in was my research experience. I have worked under two professors and have presented posters at an international conference. I'm currently doing research right now as part of my honor's thesis and I made sure to mention how my experience as a research assistant will help me be effective in clinical and applied settings. Also, I think my letters of recommendation really helped me. One was from my thesis advisor, one was from my supervisor at the shelter (and she has an MSW from UW), and one was from the Associate Dean of the University I'm at. I also spent a ridiculous amount of time working on my statements (around 4 months), so whatever I was lacking in experience I tried to make up for in an awesome essay. Lastly, my cum GPA is a 3.7 but my advanced is a 3.84, so a little higher than last year's cohort. 

Edited April 6, 2013 by azmsw10

[azmsw10]

Very helpful! Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! Your SW history and life sounds very colorful and diversified- I'm sure UW loved to read about all of that! Congratulations on getting in and I wish you the best of luck! 

I was accepted into the MSW Day program. I have a little over five years of social services experience, including 4 years of sexual assault and domestic violence victim advocacy, and 1 1/2 years of civil rights work (fair housing testing). I coordinated two programs (one 24/7 rape crisis response program, the other a fair housing testing program) but under the title of "Specialist" rather than "Coordinator". I went to a non-traditional school with narrative evaluations instead of grades. I was a transfer student from a Chicago community college and had a mediocre academic record until my last two years of school. I have about ten years of community organizing experience and around five years of professional and informal community education experience (workshop facilitation, trainings and conferences). I also lived in Venezuela for five months in 2005 following the Festival Mundial and talked a little bit about it in one of my essays. 

 

I have no idea which of these qualifications got me in, but for what it's worth, I have a friend/coworker/co-organizer who attended the same non-traditional school and was accepted to the same program.

 

I hope this is helpful!

[baliciapin]

Hey guys! Congrats to everyone on your acceptances. This is such an exciting time! Has anyone heard positive things about Springfield College? Fordham & DePaul are my top choices, but I'm just curious. Thanks!!!

 

Applied: Denver, Fordham, Loyola, DePaul, Springfield College, Michigan

Rejected:

Accepted: Denver, Springfield College 

Attending:

Edited April 7, 2013 by baliciapin

[Sandeep Krishnan]

When does SJSU & SFSU publish their admission decsions traditionally for Fall ? I have applied for their MS program in Computer Science.

 

Thanks!

[Twoone]

When does SJSU & SFSU publish their admission decsions traditionally for Fall ? I have applied for their MS program in Computer Science.

You are in the wrong section. Find applied science & engineering and there will be a computer science forum for you

Thanks!

[mswapplicant621]

Hello everyone. I am trying to decide between Hunter and Fordham, purely based on the programs themselves. Any advice would be amazing

[Persnipity]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to this forum.  Congrats to all you future social workers!         

 

I only applied to three schools: Berkeley, CSU Sacramento, and CSU Chico.  I'm limited by geography; my boyfriend works in Folsom, CA so I needed to stay in Northern Cali.  I just found out on Wednesday that I was accepted to Berkeley (off the waitlist).  I'm shocked and excited.  Best news ever!  I got into CSU Sac too and am still mulling over my final decision... Sac is almost 1/3 of the cost of Berkeley and it's much closer to where I live, BUT Berkeley is Berkeley and Berkeley is awesome, haha.  Anyway, is anyone else out there going to Berkeley this fall?  

[dida]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. Congrats to all you future social workers!

I only applied to three schools: Berkeley, CSU Sacramento, and CSU Chico. I'm limited by geography; my boyfriend works in Folsom, CA so I needed to stay in Northern Cali. I just found out on Wednesday that I was accepted to Berkeley (off the waitlist). I'm shocked and excited. Best news ever! I got into CSU Sac too and am still mulling over my final decision... Sac is almost 1/3 of the cost of Berkeley and it's much closer to where I live, BUT Berkeley is Berkeley and Berkeley is awesome, haha. Anyway, is anyone else out there going to Berkeley this fall?

Hi Persnipity! I'm going to Berkeley in the fall! That's a really tough choice but an awesome one. Making pro/con lists definitely helped me, mostly because I thought two schools were pretty closely tied for top-choice in my head, and then when I wrote everything out I realized Berkeley came out way ahead. Congratulations and good luck making the decision! Are you totally torn or leaning one way?

[Persnipity]

Hi Persnipity! I'm going to Berkeley in the fall! That's a really tough choice but an awesome one. Making pro/con lists definitely helped me, mostly because I thought two schools were pretty closely tied for top-choice in my head, and then when I wrote everything out I realized Berkeley came out way ahead. Congratulations and good luck making the decision! Are you totally torn or leaning one way?

 

Hi dida!  What concentration are you?  I'll probably make a pros/cons list too.  I'm leaning toward Berkeley.  I like the way the program is formatted and the courses are more interesting than those at Sac State.  Plus, Berkeley is tempting just because it's such a phenomenal school.  However, I've had some people tell me it doesn't really matter where you go to school for an MSW as long as you get the degree; prestige doesn't matter for social work...  So, it's all a bit overwhelming  .  I think I'll go make that list now, haha!

[dida]

Hi dida!  What concentration are you?  I'll probably make a pros/cons list too.  I'm leaning toward Berkeley.  I like the way the program is formatted and the courses are more interesting than those at Sac State.  Plus, Berkeley is tempting just because it's such a phenomenal school.  However, I've had some people tell me it doesn't really matter where you go to school for an MSW as long as you get the degree; prestige doesn't matter for social work...  So, it's all a bit overwhelming  .  I think I'll go make that list now, haha!

Well, I'm biased, but I hope you choose Berkeley! I'm in the Title IV-E child welfare program. What's your concentration?

I agree that prestige doesn't really matter in terms of future job prospects, and it's daunting to think about the cost. But having a strong community in a program that's intellectually challenging is important to me, and at Berkeley people seem passionate and supportive in ways I haven't seen at some of the other local schools (I don't know anything about Sac State though). I decided not to apply to Cal State East Bay after a friend of a friend said that all of the papers she wrote were really bad (last-minute, lots of typos, badly written) and she still got all As. I'd also seen it described as a commuter campus, which didn't appeal to me.

I also got a lot of info from the way administrators and students at different schools acted. I know that at Berkeley prospective students can sit in on classes -- maybe you could try this at Sac State? A friend of mine went to an admissions info session (at CSUEB, I think) where the director showed up half an hour late and explained that with budget cuts he's teaching four courses and handling admissions. He was frazzled and stressed, and that doesn't bode well. When I got into San Jose State, I emailed admissions to ask how much time I'd have to make my decision and if they could put me in touch with a current MSW student. I also said I'd like to visit the campus/department. The director responded to tell me when my decision needed to be in, and he ignored everything else in the email; to me that was a red flag. Berkeley has students working in the admissions office who are excited to talk to you about their classes, professors, activities...I just got a much better vibe about that. I want to be really excited about the place I'll be spending the next two years!

That said, there are other important factors (cost, location, boyfriend's location, etc) and I'm not trying to minimize those!

[Persnipity]

Well, I'm biased, but I hope you choose Berkeley! I'm in the Title IV-E child welfare program. What's your concentration?I agree that prestige doesn't really matter in terms of future job prospects, and it's daunting to think about the cost. But having a strong community in a program that's intellectually challenging is important to me, and at Berkeley people seem passionate and supportive in ways I haven't seen at some of the other local schools (I don't know anything about Sac State though). I decided not to apply to Cal State East Bay after a friend of a friend said that all of the papers she wrote were really bad (last-minute, lots of typos, badly written) and she still got all As. I'd also seen it described as a commuter campus, which didn't appeal to me.I also got a lot of info from the way administrators and students at different schools acted. I know that at Berkeley prospective students can sit in on classes -- maybe you could try this at Sac State? A friend of mine went to an admissions info session (at CSUEB, I think) where the director showed up half an hour late and explained that with budget cuts he's teaching four courses and handling admissions. He was frazzled and stressed, and that doesn't bode well. When I got into San Jose State, I emailed admissions to ask how much time I'd have to make my decision and if they could put me in touch with a current MSW student. I also said I'd like to visit the campus/department. The director responded to tell me when my decision needed to be in, and he ignored everything else in the email; to me that was a red flag. Berkeley has students working in the admissions office who are excited to talk to you about their classes, professors, activities...I just got a much better vibe about that. I want to be really excited about the place I'll be spending the next two years!That said, there are other important factors (cost, location, boyfriend's location, etc) and I'm not trying to minimize those!

Thanks dida! Your insights have been very helpful. I'm CMH concentration btw. I also put a lot of weight on the quality of the program and its ability to challenge me. As long as Berekley gives me "resident" status, I'll be going there this fall. They should...fingers crossed! Good luck this fall! Exciting!! :-)

[nxl040904]

Hello,

 

Is anyone going to CSULB's orientation in a couple of weeks?

I cannot attend b/c I'm in NYC. Can anyone give me the gist on what happens?

 

Thanks

[talkinlikeateen]

Hello,

Is anyone going to CSULB's orientation in a couple of weeks?

I cannot attend b/c I'm in NYC. Can anyone give me the gist on what happens?

Thanks

I am. It's just a basic orientation - going over the course sequence for the different models, filling out internship applications. I'm not sure if we're given our classes at that point or if they will be emailed to us.

Edited May 3, 2013 by talkinlikeateen

[peachy83]

No sure who is still checking this, but a few of us who were accepted into UW's Day program are planning to get drinks in Fremont on the evening of May 23. We've been corresponding on the facebook group. Message me if you want to join!

[maemouse882]

Any word from SFSU Social Work program? They are the only school I haven't heard back form, and I applied November 2012 =P I already made my choice to go to University of Michigan, but just want everything to be settled.

 

They are taking a longggg time!

[talkinlikeateen]

Any word from SFSU Social Work program? They are the only school I haven't heard back form, and I applied November 2012 =P I already made my choice to go to University of Michigan, but just want everything to be settled.   They are taking a longggg time!

A few of us got our rejection notices a few weeks back. I think they're still making decisions through this month. Have you checked the gateway?

[nxl040904]

I am. It's just a basic orientation - going over the course sequence for the different models, filling out internship applications. I'm not sure if we're given our classes at that point or if they will be emailed to us.

Hi! How was the orientation? Anything real important that I need to know before registering?

[Ali1989]

Got accepted for fall cohort at MSW@USC!  Not sure I will bite on the steep price tag, but real happy to have some options.

 

Hi,

 

I just finished applying to the August 7th start date for the MSW@USC program. I have heard very little about this program, as I believe that it is fairly new. My GPA is not incredibly high, but I was assured by an admissions counselor that universities are much easier to get into than cal states. So, I was wondering what your GPA was, (if you don't mind disclosing that info), and how soon you heard back after applying.

 

Thanks so much!

 

-Ali

[letsgotograd]

Hello everyone!

Hope your applications are going well. 

I am applying to the following schools :

NYU

BU

BC

Northwestern

WUSTL

 

The only problem is that my gpa has been so hard to maintain and my current accumulative gpa is 3.0 and I was wondering if you guys know any decent social work schools that can be possibly be my "safety" schools. Please recommend me the ones that are in the East Coast. 

 

Thank you!