Fall 2015 Applicants

[studentmamasf]

Hi Everyone :-)

 

So I have been narrowing my schools down and I have decided to apply to Cal State Eastbay, SFSU, SJSU, and Sac State. The application periods haven't opened up yet, but I am working on my personal statements, contacting my LOR people, and compiling my resume. I feel incredibly late in the game..but hopefully I'll get in somewhere..is anyone gearing up for applying to MSW programs?

 

studentmamasf

[mellah430]

Hi!  I am also gearing up to apply for programs. Not too long ago, I finished a summer statistics course and was in dire need of a break. I have decided to begin 9/1 the process of writing SOP's and writing samples. I have abeen out of school for about 8 years but my LOR's will come from 2 psychologists I currently work with as well as a former supervisor.  I hope to have my apps in by the end of November/early December thus giving me a good couple of months to make edits etc.  I am located in NC and will only be applying to 2 schools (NCCU & NCSU). I am incredibly nervous I will not get into either but I am still going to take that leap of faith! Good Luck!

[alexislex]

Hello,

 

I'm a senior in college right now. Women's Studies major.

I'm writing my Statement of Purpose right now (and struggling). I've contacted 3 of my Letters of Rec (I may be contacting 2 or 3 more). I'm excited. I want to have my apps in by early November. I really really want to get my SOP basic draft done this week so that I can start tailoring it to each school. Right now I have a list of 10 schools (UPenn, Bryn Mawr, Temple U, Hunter, Columbia, Howard U, Georgia State, WashU, Rutgers, and U Chicago). I know for a fact that I won't apply to all of these schools, but I'm keeping my option open for right now.

 

I live in Georgia. I am too excited to get these babies sent in!

[paige_elizabeth10]

Hey all, 

 

I will be a second year MSW candidate at the University of Washington starting this fall. I am concentrating in Mental Health Practice and will be interning as a Child and Family Therapist at the Community Psychiatric Clinic in North Seattle for my advanced practicum.

 

I am happy to read personal statements and offer feedback to those who want it. Shoot me a message if you're interested!

[TheCrow]

I'm a college senior. I'm applying to MSW/PhD programs at Boston College, Rutgers, Berkeley, Chicago, Michigan, UPenn, USC, and Wisconsin-Madison. I'm applying to a joint MSW/MPA program at UNC-CH and an MSSA at Case Western. I've gotten my first draft of my SOP back from professors that are working with me and have finalized my team of references. I'm gearing up to receive a lot of rejection letters on pretty letterhead.

[RiemannForBeginners]

Argh, I wish I saw your thread before I started one identical

 

I have sent out all the recommendation emails (all confirmed); pretty much completed my applications except for the SOPs! Working on those now.  NYU and Columbia are my two top choices and am soooooo afraid I won't get in!!! Ack!

[KNik]

Hey Everyone,

 

I'm a first year MSW candidate at UPenn, and having recently gone through this process, I can definitely relate to how you're feeling. If you ever need any advice or help, please feel free to ask. While I chose to attend UPenn, I also got accepted at Columbia, NYU, Wisconsin-Madison, USC, and Pitt. So I can also try and answer questions about those applications should you need help. Good luck!

[RiemannForBeginners]

KNik,

 

That's so nice of you! Congrats on your acceptances. How is UPenn?

 

I wonder if you would take a look at tell me if you think I have a chance at NYU? :/

[KNik]

I've been really enjoying Penn! Everyone's been welcoming and helpful, and I hope to see that continue throughout the year! As far as your credits go, I really don't know. I'm not an admissions expert, and as diverse as social work is, you can never be sure as to what any given school is looking for. I will say this: find the specifics you like about each program. And by that I mean don't simply apply somewhere because you heard it has a good reputation. Find a school that tailors to your specific needs, and go from there. You might be surprised as to where you end up. Social work programs take a great variety of applicants. I will say this about NYU- be patient with them. Their application process is incredibly slow, and even if you submit it early chances are you will not hear back until early march. Best of luck!

[RiemannForBeginners]

Thanks so much for the advice, glad you like UPenn! 

[monochrome]

I'm applying to Fordham, NYU, Hunter, and (maybe) CSU Fullerton. So far, NYU and Hunter are the only two schools whose applications are up. I'm currently working on my Statement of Purpose for NYU.

 

Good luck to everyone!

[mswhopeful2015]

Hi! 

 

I've decided to apply to CSU East Bay, SJSU, and UC Berkeley. I will be applying for the Title IV-E stipend as well. Applications haven't opened just yet but I have my letter of recommendation writers confirmed and I am beginning to write my personal statements and revising my resume.

 

I'm super excited but also really nervous to go through this entire process. 

 

If anyone has any advice to share, please let me know!

 

Good luck! 

[daisydukes]

Hi Everyone :-)

 

So I have been narrowing my schools down and I have decided to apply to Cal State Eastbay, SFSU, SJSU, and Sac State. The application periods haven't opened up yet, but I am working on my personal statements, contacting my LOR people, and compiling my resume. I feel incredibly late in the game..but hopefully I'll get in somewhere..is anyone gearing up for applying to MSW programs?

 

studentmamasf

Hey:)

I am also applying to eastbay, sjsu, & sac state..as well as csu fullerton, long beach, & chico! 

[rosesw]

Just wondering, how many schools is a reasonable number to apply to?

[Lifesaver]

There is no set right amount. It is entirely dependent on your grades/resume/appliction package, budget, needs, wants, etc.

 

If it helps, I applied to 7, was accepted to 6, and received scholarships at 3 of them.

[flintydeer]

I am in the process of apply to University of Utah (Deadline is September 30th!) Just finishing up the critical thinking essay. I get a decision in January. 

I will also apply to University of Denver, Colorado State University, Utah State University, and possibly Washington University in St. Louis.

[cclasp2003]

Hey guys! Im so excited to start the application process and a tad bit nervous! Ive narrowed down to the schools that I will apply too. Since I live in South Florida, I am looking at FAU and Barry U. I  am also looking at FSU, UT Austin, and Berkeley ( just like everyone else ). I am hoping I can get in  one of these schools, specifically the last three. Any pointers? Any one else feeling overwhelmed?

[jujubi]

I'm planning to apply to SFSU and SJSU.  Is anyone out there familiar with the program at SFSU?  I don't know how true this is but I've heard that only 25 applicants get accepted each year out of 400+ so it's the most selective MSW program in the nation.  What I'm wondering is, if only 25 applicants get accepted, and they have 20 slots for Title IV-E stipend, are they going to try and fill all 20 of the 25 spots with IV-E applicants?  That would leave only 5 spots for those who don't want to apply for the stipend.  That's like a 1% chance of getting in! Anyone understand how it works at SF State and if you have a better chance of getting in by applying for IV-E?  Or do they fill less than their allotted slots for IV-E?

Edited September 18, 2014 by jujubi

[ontheswpath]

@jujubi  - I don't believe they had 20 spots for this year's incoming IV-E program. From what I understood it was about half of that (10 - 12 spots). It was probably half IV-E and half non IV-E (assuming there were 20 - 25 spots total for their IFG program). I would suggest calling the department and find out if they will give you that information (if you haven't already). And yes, it is very selective since it's a smaller program. I wouldn't take applying to the IV-E program lightly. Yes, you receive a stipend but you must also work for a CA county child welfare agency for at least 2 years right after you graduate. If you are not interested in Child Welfare and working within foster care system, it may not be right for you (particularly if you are interested in doing therapy right away). On the other hand you would be exposed to working with various providers, populations, etc. Which is great experience, but just be sure you are willing to make that commitment.

Edited September 19, 2014 by ontheswpath

[jujubi]

Yikes!  Congrats to you for getting into such a selective program, though I see you chose UCB instead.  Hope you're enjoying it?  I haven't asked my question to the department directly as I suspect they may not answer. 

[SocialWorkerSA]

I've just sent my application forms in to Columbia for the MSW program. I'm an international applicant from South Africa so have been reading up as much as I can about the program. Does anyone know what the timeline of the process looks like? I'm assuming they'll contact me for a Skype interview but I was hoping to find out if they offer early acceptance...anyone know? If I find out in March 2015 that only gives me 4 months to save, resign and make the move to the States...was kinda hoping to put together a plan earlier - especially because the school itself doesn't offer financial aid to international applicants so I'm going to have to make a plan...all this IF I get in of course

[MSWapplicant7346]

Hello! Glad there's already a forum going!

I have submitted all of my MSW applications for the Fall of 2015. Applying to Loyola University Chicago, Smith College, Washington University in St. Louis, Simmons College, and NYU Silver School. I also applied to a MA/PhD at ICSW in Chicago. So far, I've been accepted to Loyola and ICSW! Dying to hear back from Smith and WashU (my top choices!). Has anyone else heard back/submitted to any of these schools? 
 

[kelseygwynne]

Hi everyone!

 

So far I've applied to UMichigan, UPenn, and UDenver. I feel good about them all, but I keep thinking I need one more school. I'm hoping to do primarily international social work and each school I am doing a dual degree program in except for Michigan, where I am applying for the Peace Corps program. Any suggestions for my last school?

[mswperson]

Here are my stats...anyone can offer me advice?

 

I am pretty poor at this point. I can only afford to apply to one school. my choice is CSULA. They are an urban generalist program with the emphasis I desire to pursue (aging and families)

 

I don't want to want to wait until next application period to apply to graduate school.

 

I have a degree in Studio Art with a 3.2 GPA. I liked art school but I realized it really isn't my passion. No it didn't take me the entire time to figure that out, but most of it and by the time I wanted to change it was too late. I have taken a lot of social science classes, though. I have a C in Stats. I have an A in Abnormal Psych. And a B in Comparative Political Movements.

 

I took an online class at a community college but got a D because I wasn't used to the online format.

 

I currently volunteer as a friendly visitor to seniors in my community. I have done this for four months.

 

I also volunteered for one semester as a mentor for a youth.

 

What are my chances??? Do I have any at all? I feel like I have none.

 

Do you think I should wait until next application period, although...I really do not

 

I put on my application that I plan on retaking the class I got a D in during the summer.

Edited October 8, 2014 by mswperson

[daisydukes]

Here are my stats...anyone can offer me advice?

 

I am pretty poor at this point. I can only afford to apply to one school. my choice is CSULA. They are an urban generalist program with the emphasis I desire to pursue (aging and families)

 

I don't want to want to wait until next application period to apply to graduate school.

 

I have a degree in Studio Art with a 3.2 GPA. I liked art school but I realized it really isn't my passion. No it didn't take me the entire time to figure that out, but most of it and by the time I wanted to change it was too late. I have taken a lot of social science classes, though. I have a C in Stats. I have an A in Abnormal Psych. And a B in Comparative Political Movements.

 

I took an online class at a community college but got a D because I wasn't used to the online format.

 

I currently volunteer as a friendly visitor to seniors in my community. I have done this for four months.

 

I also volunteered for one semester as a mentor for a youth.

 

What are my chances??? Do I have any at all? I feel like I have none.

 

Do you think I should wait until next application period, although...I really do not

 

I put on my application that I plan on retaking the class I got a D in during the summer.

 

I'm not one to tell someone they don't have a chance at anything but I like to be honest. Most MSW programs really do value experience in the field of social work. I don't think you have enough, I think at least a couple years under your belt would be better. Your GPA is pretty good though. They also require some classes, and I know Biology & Stats are some of them; you have stats, but make sure you meet those requirements. I think if you do decide to apply, definitely include in your statement of purpose the reasoning behind switching and what influenced your decision.