Columbia School of Social Work - 2017

[twinklelittle]

11 hours ago, peter8920 said:

no I haven't got the result yet. When did you take your interview? I took mine two days ago.

I did my interview three weeks ago... Did they tell when when they'll send out the admission result? 

[TXGirl]

13 hours ago, Racket said:

I finished my application on February 1, and received an acceptance letter today! I am so excited, but the cost of the school is making me have doubts. Waiting on scholarship information. 

Congratulations! Do you mind sharing your stats? I submitted my application near the deadline too but haven't heard back yet! Which program did you apply for?

[Racket]

2 hours ago, TXGirl said:

Congratulations! Do you mind sharing your stats? I submitted my application near the deadline too but haven't heard back yet! Which program did you apply for?

Sure. I applied to the 2 year program for MSW. My undergrad GPA was 3.0, so I think every other part of my application is what got me in because that definitely isn't a great GPA. 

I worked as a support worker doing behavioral therapy with children with Autism for about a year and a half, volunteer sometimes in a homeless shelter (just doing food prep), and currently work for the Boys and Girls Club. My recommendations were all lead therapists (one with MSW, two with masters in special education) on different cases I worked on when I did behavioral therapy support.  

[peter8920]

13 hours ago, twinklelittle said:

I did my interview three weeks ago... Did they tell when when they'll send out the admission result? 

They told me to wait 2-4 weeks. Hopefully I can get the result in 2 weeks!

[nondogoctet]

Hi everyone!

I discovered this forum while browsing the internet. I just thought I'd provide my own experience with applying to Columbia:

I submitted my application by the very first deadline- it was the priority deadline! I believe it was December 1st. I knew I wanted to get an MSW after undergrad, and I had a friend who attended CSSW. I mainly applied for the heck of it, just to see if I'd get in or not. I was pretty sure I wouldn't get in.

I heard back February 1st that I got in, and needless to say, I was really surprised. Just some background info, I applied for the 2 year traditional MSW program. I double majored in Sociology and Psychology from an average school in NC. I was an RA and a tutor and had a high GPA. 

Pretty much thinking about attending in the fall, but like a lot of people, I am worried about the finances and am waiting on my financial aid packet! If I do decide to attend, I would love to meet some fellow peers in the program. Best of luck to everyone!

[TXGirl]

I was accepted today! Trying to decide if it is worth the money...

[12sliders]

24 minutes ago, TXGirl said:

I was accepted today! Trying to decide if it is worth the money...

Congrats!!!

When were you notified and how? (email, mail, etc)?

[Naseem]

Hi guys! I got my acceptance to Columbia on the 23rd

[adorablepancreas]

2 hours ago, Naseem said:

Hi guys! I got my acceptance to Columbia on the 23rd

Congrats!

[Kdubbub]

This waiting for financial aid information is killing me!!! Anyone else biting their nails in anticipation? ? I really want to go to Columbia but I'm so nervous about not getting enough aid and then having to decline the admissions offer! I just wanna know my fin aid package already! 

[Adelaide9216]

Are they a lot of scholarships and financial support for international students who would like to study at Columbia at the PhD in Social Work?

 

Thank you,

[Adelaide9216]

On 3 mars 2017 at 3:44 PM, Adelaide9216 said:

Are they a lot of scholarships and financial support for international students who would like to study at Columbia at the PhD in Social Work?

 

Thank you,

Because I've been told that Columbia has one of the best social work programs in North America, I would've loved to attend, but I come from a low-income background so I do not believe I can afford it.

[peter8920]

I was accepted yesterday! Btw I'm an international student.

[12sliders]

Just found out I was accepted!!!

[12sliders]

Does anyone know the class size?

[mekane]

I am international from Canada... just got my acceptance last night!! So excited! 

[Sandy47]

Hey everyone, 

I just received my acceptance letter to Columbias MSW 2 year program. I read a lot of previous posts that people weren't satisfied with their field placements (in the first and second year). I'm just also wondering if all this money is worth the program? I know there are some amazing opportunities out there after graduation but how often is that? Does Columbia help you with job placement? A friend of mine had gotten accepted to Harvard a few years back and I know for sure most people are guaranteed a job, even before graduation. I just wonder if Columbia offers the same assistance. Also what specialization are popular? Lastly, if anyone has received their financial aid package please let us know if it was any good!  

Edited March 18, 2017 by Sandy47

[Sandy47]

On 3/2/2017 at 10:48 AM, Kdubbub said:

This waiting for financial aid information is killing me!!! Anyone else biting their nails in anticipation? ? I really want to go to Columbia but I'm so nervous about not getting enough aid and then having to decline the admissions offer! I just wanna know my fin aid package already! 

Its killing me too!! When I asked for an update they said they are anticipating those letters to be sent out by the 15th. Its now the 18th and I still haven't heard anything! Have you?

[tartar23]

Hey guys,

Quick question about financial aid. I received my award package yesterday and it was less than what I was anticipating/hoping for. Were you guys satisfied with your package? Also, I didn't see work study in the package, does that get awarded separately or requested for directly?

[BSS]

Hi! I received my financial aid package yesterday and am kind of disappointed. I've applied for a scholarship that requires voting to help reduce the amount I'll have to take out in loans, and voting ends tomorrow. Please help me out by liking (clicking +1) and sharing (clicking the sideways V) on Google+ here: https://plus.google.com/+LawOfficesofMatthewJQuinlanSanFrancisco/posts/2rUUy6T51gD so that I can start at Columbia this fall!!! THANK YOU!

[lulumanila]

18 hours ago, tartar23 said:

Hey guys,

Quick question about financial aid. I received my award package yesterday and it was less than what I was anticipating/hoping for. Were you guys satisfied with your package? Also, I didn't see work study in the package, does that get awarded separately or requested for directly?

I'm planning on calling later to speak with financial aid offer--it doesn't address work-study. Even with it I'm wondering if it is worth it (debt)

[tartar23]

Oh ok. Please let us know how it goes. I agree, even if there is a possible separate work study amount it's still a massive amount of debt.

[Kdubbub]

At this point, I'm about 90 percent sure I will attend Columbia but I'm curious to know what those who went to admitted students day are thinking. I caught some of the faculty panel on the live stream but would have preferred to hear from financial aid, current students, and alumni. Anyone care to share?

[adorablepancreas]

18 hours ago, Kdubbub said:

At this point, I'm about 90 percent sure I will attend Columbia but I'm curious to know what those who went to admitted students day are thinking. I caught some of the faculty panel on the live stream but would have preferred to hear from financial aid, current students, and alumni. Anyone care to share?

I attended Admitted Students Day and can share! I didn't hear any alumni speak but I spoke with several current students (student ambassadors) who made me fall in love with the program even more. One of them is finishing her second year field placement at the United Nations!! So cool! The students gave me several tips on how to navigate around the city on a budget, and the best housing options. (For me, coming from California, it makes sense to try for campus housing. At least for the first term. West coast students are very likely to get it and it's more spacious than regular NYC apartments. Sometimes it's a little more expensive than a room you can rent off campus but the convenience is worth it. If I want to move off campus at any point I can sublet my campus room.) Additionally, one of the students was telling me that the school has many high profile speakers (Hillary Clinton in the past, as an example) and you can attend those events for free as a student. You also have free admission to a lot of the most famous museums in the city with your CU ID card. The school's program really is unparalleled. The weekend was a bit of a whirlwind but everything the student ambassadors were telling me about their experiences had me lighting up inside with excitement. They did say, as we've all heard, it's important to advocate for yourself in this program. If you need to speak with someone in one of the offices and you don't push for it, they can drag their feet. So you have to be persistent and tell them "I need this to be done." But that's a small negative for me, in the grand scheme of things. And it may help me learn to advocate for my clients better as well, so that's a plus! 

As far as financial aid, there are scholarships, loans, and "alternative eligibility" (more loans.) They do their best to roll over your aid from first year and make it the same the second year, unless there's a drastic change in your income or you get married to someone with money or something. The federal direct unsubsidized loans are one of the main loan types, and the alternative eligibility can mean either graduate PLUS loans (the federal government is the lender) or private bank loans. Both of those are based on your credit so they recommend taking a look at your credit history now to make sure there is no adverse information. If you do have a negative history you may need a cosigner for that loan with good credit. As far as these two options go, the PLUS loan is recommended because the credit restrictions are a little bit less strict. 

If you receive an outside scholarship, you need to let the office of financial aid know so that they can adjust their offered aid package accordingly. 

Columbia used to award work study payments for your field internship (if you're given work study) but they're changing that this year. If you get work study and accept it you'd need to secure a separate job. The school doesn't recommend having a job for at least the first semester because of time management reasons. There are, however, a number of ways to become involved in research projects. One of those ways is a paid research assistantship (limited number of spots but one of the student ambassadors from yesterday had one of these positions) and that helps you network with professors also who can provide recommendations for you, for either a PhD program or a job. 

I think that's most of the financual aid info I have right now! 

[tartar23]

Hi guys,

I was wondering whether anyone was contacted about registration and the loan process. I have been waiting and haven't heard from either. So far I've only completed my registration and field placement forms. After accepting my financial awards I haven't heard back in order to apply for loans. This was all in April. Anybody else in the same boat?