MSW Berkeley VS Univ. of Washington Seattle

[Serena2018]

Hey Guys!

 

I am having a hard time deciding between both of my top choices, any advice would be appreciated. 

 

I am going for my MSW but will be taking the Public Policy and Administration route, so not direct practice. My area of interest is human trafficking. 

 

Univ of Washington- Ranks #3 in the nation for Social Work specifically. Seattle is a great city and I rather live there than in Berkeley, also it is more affordable. However, I may get depressed and die from grey skies lol. 

 

Berkeley- Ranks #5 or #6 for social work BUT is #3 in the nation and has the stellar Berkeley reputation. Rent is ridiculously expensive and though the city of Berkeley is cute, it is not very cosmopolitan. However SF is just across the bridge, 

 

Financially, they kind of even out because I am in-state for Berkeley so the program is way less but cost of living is really high. For Univ of Wash. my program is 20k more with out of state tuition but cost of living is less. 

 

I suppose my main concern is the professional network/contacts after graduating. Also, a lot of people have told me that I need to attend a school in a city I am planning to live in otherwise it is harder to establish yourself after graduating. How true is this? Would this be easier to do with a more prestigious name on your resume like Berkeley? Do both schools have a similar network?

 

Thank you for the input and I do wish everyone luck in 2015!

[Buffalofan4255]

Wow - two fantastic acceptances. Both schools are prestigious, but sure, Berkeley has a certain jenesaisquoi about the name. You seem more inclined to choose UW...so choose UW. Seattle is incredible, the school is amazing, and it's cheaper. 

 

Good luck!  

[sfrie]

I can't speak to the programs, but I did my undergrad at UW and loved my time there. Beautiful campus, beautiful city, tons of outdoorsy activities, etc. I purposely didn't apply there for grad school or I would have been so tempted to go back to Seattle. Let me know if you have any questions about the area/school. I'm happy to help out!

[Nocho]

First of all, congratulations on your acceptances! I'll be heading to UW myself for the MPA program.

 

This is definitely a preference choice for you. I would sit down and try to come up with a detailed outline of how much each program is going to cost you (including cost of living, loans, etc.), then determine whether the cost is worth what opportunities you will have upon graduating. I live in Seattle and plan on remaining here after graduation, so having a network here is extremely important to me.

 

The one thing that confused me was:

Financially, they kind of even out because I am in-state for Berkeley so the program is way less but cost of living is really high. For Univ of Wash. my program is 20k more with out of state tuition but cost of living is less. 

 

The cost of living for me in Seattle is a little over 20k per year here and continually rising. Can it really be that much lower than Berkeley? Do some research into apartments in Seattle and double check the numbers work out the way you think they do.

 

In any case, Seattle is amazing and you'll definitely be happy here if that's what you ultimately choose!

Edited March 27, 2015 by Nocho