MSW Hopeful seeking advice and reassurance

[artsy16]

Hey everyone, 

 

So I am new to this forum but have poured over these pages in the last few weeks; I appreciate all of your advice! I have some questions that I would appreciate your advice on. This will be kind of a long post, please bear with me

 

Today I found out that I did not win a scholarship that would amount to about $40,000 toward my graduate education (I am currently an undergrad). I have been pretty bummed out all day (crying, actually) because that would have been a major help. Now I don't know what to do.

 

1. Is it really true that it's hard to find a job outside of where you went to school? I have a health condition that makes living in a cold climate extremely painful/difficult, but that is where the cheapest school is for me (UConn, my state school). I am willing to suffer for two more years if I can get out ASAP (I am almost done suffering at an Ivy school in a cold climate due to the financial aid they gave me).

 

2. Does anyone have any experience with aid from the following schools:

-UConn

-UIllinois-Chicago

-UTexas-Austin

-UPittsburgh

-WUSTL

-UHouston

-Smith (I heard their aid is terrible and the nature of the program doesn't really allow for you to work to pay living expenses)

I am out of state for all of these except the first one. Numbers-wise these are the cheapest for me, save WUSTL but I heard they give good FA.

 

Part of me just wants to apply to UConn and that's it, because I know it will be cheapest for me. However, I will be applying by Pittsburgh's priority deadline; I will meet the minimum GPA requirement for an auto-acceptance and auto-scholarship. I would like a program with a more psychodynamic approach, but that does not really matter to me. I am interested in clinical social work/casework (I know the specific names vary by program).

 

3. On the above note, does anyone know how much the auto-scholarship is, or does it vary?

 

I have $12,400 in undergraduate loans, so that is something to consider. I do not want to take out more than $30,000 for graduate school, however when adding that to my existing loans, that is more than I am comfortable with.

 

As a first generation college student, this is uncharted territory for me, and I am pretty overwhelmed. All the things people are saying (especially my mom) about the low salary is starting to get to me.

 

Basically, I am looking for advice (on anything, not just the questions I asked) and reassurance that following my heart is the right thing. I can provide some statistics about me (GPA, GRE, major, experience) if anyone needs that to recommend schools with good scholarships or something.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Russophile]

As one first generation college student to another, first, congratulations on being the first to brave this territory. Second, before you worry too much about taking more student loans out, I would look into the terms of your current student loans. If your loans are federal, there should be a forgiveness clause in them for going into public service.  I think with Stafford loans, if you go on Income Based Repayment after you graduate and work full time for a variety of public service organizations you can get whatever you have left on your debt forgiven after 10 years.  I would absolutely recommend looking into any additional funding you might qualify for and braving whichever school offers you the best funding (here's hoping for someplace warm), but there are clauses in your loans that should make someone like you who is going into public service a bit less terrified about taking them if you need them.

[artsy16]

Thank you Russophile! My student loan is through my university, which offered me a better interest rate than federal loans. I did not qualify for subsidized loans, but my school gave me a subsidized loan at 5% interest! Because it's an institutional loan, I think that counts as private, so no special loan forgiveness unfortunately. Good luck to you! I'm not really interested in going into a "public service" career. I want to work at a health facility such as a hospital or community health organization (which might qualify as "public service").

I appreciate any and all advice people can give

[SocialWaiter]

Yes, congratulations on being the first in your family to graduate college.  You should be very proud of yourself.

 

As previously mentioned, some people will recommend the loan forgiveness program.  However, it's not a guarantee for everyone. https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/charts/public-service

 

You're smart & prudent for being careful with how much you want to borrow. I recently read other people's experiences online, and it's sad and heart-breaking - http://studentdebtcrisis.org/read-student-debt-stories

 

Try not to be too disappointed or discouraged. From what I've read, it seems scholarships are pretty limited.  You are not alone.  Thousands of other MSW applicants/students wish there was more "free" financial aid available. But fortunately, it seems this will not deter you from pursuing your goals & dreams.

 

In addition to what you already mentioned about UConn and Pittsburgh, another possibility is if there are other schools you're really interested in...like the ones you listed in Texas.  Another person said s/he was going to move to Texas and work for a year to gain residency.  So if you're not in a rush to start a MSW program, maybe you could find a state (such as Texas or another warm-weather state) and work for a year.  Working will help you pay off your undergrad loans while gaining valuable experience for your application.  And after a year, you will have residency and qualify for in-state tuition, saving you more money.  From what I've seen, out-of-state tuition is pretty expensive for many schools.

 

Regarding getting a job out-of-state.  Based on what I've read...it's not impossible, but it's challenging. 

[hyronomus4]

I can speak to applying for jobs out of state.  I got my MSW in a state I had no desire to live and I never even considered having difficulty finding a job elsewhere.  For the most part it wasn't an issue. I had several job offers in other states.  However, I did find that it was more difficult applying in cities who had large MSW programs of their own.  At one interview they said I was a strong candidate but they had many strong candidates and with all else equal they would likely hire a grad from a program they already knew and trusted.  Outside of university cities I didn't encounter anything like that.  

[SocialWaiter]

Hyronomus4, what you said regarding cities with large MSW programs makes sense.  That probably holds true for popular & desirable cities too.  Just curious, when you got your first job post-MSW, did you have prior social work experience? Or really relevant field work/internship?  

 

OP, in addition to scholarships, some programs/states offer stipends...so that may help reduce the financial costs.

 

Here's some feedback from others that may be helpful:

 

www.reddit.com/r/socialwork/comments/1xo1id/how_much_debt_did_you_have_after_getting_your_msw

 

www.reddit.com/r/socialwork/comments/20w4x6/how_long_did_it_take_you_to_pay_back_your_school

 

www.reddit.com/r/socialwork/comments/2szq2d/msw_postgraduation_advice

 

www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/24gc91/iama_we_are_professional_and_published_resume/ch6yh0x

[hyronomus4]

Hyronomus4, what you said regarding cities with large MSW programs makes sense.  That probably holds true for popular & desirable cities too.  Just curious, when you got your first job post-MSW, did you have prior social work experience? Or really relevant field work/internship?  

 

 

I had a BSW internship and an MSW internship and 4 years of non social work but related work experience when I was hired.  

[artsy16]

Thanks all for the advice! I've heard about IBR and PSLR, but I'm wondering if hospitals or community health organizations count as "public service"? I haven't been able to find anything online.

I've also looked into the national health service corps and definitely plan to apply for that as soon as I get licensure!

[LittleDarlings]

I got accepted to UPitt last year and they have me 26k in aid. Not sure if that's helpful info for you but that's what happened for me.

[artsy16]

LittleDarlings that's amazing! Was it all grants/scholarships? Did you apply by the early auto-admit deadline? Thanks for sharing!! Also, did you end up enrolling? Why/why not (if you don't mind)?

[artsy16]

Can you tell me your stats also?

[hyronomus4]

Thanks all for the advice! I've heard about IBR and PSLR, but I'm wondering if hospitals or community health organizations count as "public service"? I haven't been able to find anything online.

I've also looked into the national health service corps and definitely plan to apply for that as soon as I get licensure!

 

There is a Q&A sheet on this site that outlines employment options..

https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/charts/public-service

 

I would think most hospitals or community health orgs would suffice.

[artsy16]

Yep, I've checked there and it's not very specific. However, I'm sure the kinds of sites that qualify for NHSC would qualify for that as well. I'm kind of not really counting on that (NHSC) because from what I see, you don't really have that many options geographically. 

 

I am really hoping to qualify for instate my second year! On my residency petition forms I'll make sure to mention by health diagnoses as reasons for why I am staying in that (warm) state.

 

 

I think I have calmed down a lot since I wrote the original post Still nervous, just can't wait to apply and be in somewhere! I will probably only apply to Pitt (for safety assurance but I also like their program, it's just not my top choice geographically), Austin, and Houston.