Masters in Social Work - Hunter vs. NYU?

[CH918]

Hey everyone,

 

I originally posted this over on the SW boards, but I thought I might bet some good input over here as well!

 

I have been accepted to my top two programs: NYU and Hunter. I am having a really difficult time deciding on which to attend. Without using cost as a total determining factor, what are people's thoughts on the schools and the programs? I am a NY native, but my husband is Canadian, and I am not sure where we are going to settle down, so I am having concerns on choosing Hunter. However, I am also unsure about attending a rather non-diverse school as many have told me NYU is. I'm not sure my exact path as of yet, but right now I am leaning more towards clinical than a community/social justice type program... but then again, until I actually gain experience in a placement, who knows?! 

 

Are there any current students who can comment on their programs? Anyone who made a similar decision lately?

 

Thanks so much for all of your help    This is such a tough decision and I need all the advice I can get!

[jmorrison780]

I too am having the same dilemna! I was accepted to NYU and i just got my acceptance from Hunter this weekend. I was super excited because they were both my top picks from the grad schools i had applied to. Now for starters cost was ultimately a major factor. NYU is way more expensive than Hunter is. I went to an accepted students mixer at NYU and it was very intimate at the Sarah Lawrence Campus. We were told that class size was 10-11 students at max. This was a plus for me. i like smaller settings, when i went to the HUnter interview i was told class size was 23-25. this was more than i expected but till not bad. I dont want to be in debt paying for the schools name. I am leaning towards HUnter. Please excuse my rambling i was just happy to see someone in a similar situation as myself. 

[thelionking]

I know you don't want to base your decision on cost, but I actually think that's an important consideration to make. Social workers typically do not earn a lot of money. Unless you got a scholarship to NYU to make the tuition costs similar or better, or you are currently in a very strong financial position, then I would absolutely make my decision based on cost. Social work is not a prestige based field and you should be able to find work afterwards no matter which school you attend.