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UChicago SSA Fall 2018 AM Applicants


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I applied! I didn't apply to the advance standing but, I did make it in for early decision. I see from previous years that funding decisions normally come with acceptance letters or very soon after. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
17 hours ago, MSWApplicantFall2018 said:

Congratulations! Were you happy with the scholarship you received?

Thank you and I am! A 15k scholarship makes the school tuition comparable to other schools. I also already live in the area and share an apartment with my partner so I won't have to worry about moving or expensive housing costs!

 

Also if anyone has questions about Hyde Park or Chicago in general I would be happy to answer them!

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17 hours ago, MSWApplicantFall2018 said:

Congratulations! Were you happy with the scholarship you received?

UChicago gave me around $26,000 in scholarship money, which blew my mind! Now I am stuck between UChicago and NYU (I have more familial/peer support in the NY area, and their program is more in line with my interests at the moment). 

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1 hour ago, Shari0418 said:

I went to UChicago from 2011-2013 and received $25,000 each year. I had several friends who negotiated more funding, I would give it a try :)

Did you think that the $25,000 was enough for you to get through the program comfortably? What other opportunities did you have as far funding? Thank you so much!

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I still had to take out about $20,000 a year to cover the rest of the tuition, and I lived at home. I was work-study eligible so the first year I worked at Hillel and the 2nd year I worked at the front desk (which was the best, easiest job.) I also briefly worked at the Upward Bound office on campus although I wouldn't recommend it. There are TONS of work study jobs.

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23 hours ago, Shari0418 said:

I still had to take out about $20,000 a year to cover the rest of the tuition, and I lived at home. I was work-study eligible so the first year I worked at Hillel and the 2nd year I worked at the front desk (which was the best, easiest job.) I also briefly worked at the Upward Bound office on campus although I wouldn't recommend it. There are TONS of work study jobs.

I was wondering how you can find out if you are eligible for work study? 

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On 1/21/2018 at 12:14 PM, HannahRae said:

Thank you and I am! A 15k scholarship makes the school tuition comparable to other schools. I also already live in the area and share an apartment with my partner so I won't have to worry about moving or expensive housing costs!

 

Also if anyone has questions about Hyde Park or Chicago in general I would be happy to answer them!

I was also accepted for this Fall! This was one of my top choices too. I will have some questions for you in the coming months about housing, so I'd love your help!

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9 minutes ago, Plzacceptme said:

I was also accepted for this Fall! This was one of my top choices too. I will have some questions for you in the coming months about housing, so I'd love your help!

I would be happy to help!! I am also having dinner with a good friend who is finishing up her second year at SSA so If anyone wants me to share that information I would be glad to!

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So, having dinner with my friend and another current SSA student, helped me to decide to decline my offer! They both spoke about (and I have heard this from several others) that their classes did not prepare them to take what they were learning and to apply it to practical situations. They also spoke about an unhealthy sense of entitlement and aggressive competition among the students. As someone who lives in Hyde Park and and interacts with UofC students everyday, that last part didn't surprise me. They both confirmed what I had inferred from the information session I attended that many SSA students see themselves as better than other social work students in the city, even though there are two other great programs. They didn't say they regretted attending SSA but that they wish it was less theory based and more clinical. 

They did state that those who are interested in research and theory really enjoyed the program but that for those who are pursuing clinical career and want to live in Chicago should look at Loyola. 

It was a very eye opening dinner and really confirmed what I have heard from co-workers who attended the program and other alumni.   

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2 hours ago, MSWApplicantFall2018 said:

Interesting. Thank you. Did they have anything positive to say about SSA?

They did say that many of their professors have been wonderful and that the really enjoy their second field placements. They also mentioned the many opportunities to make connections. 

 

And speaking from personal experience, Hyde Park is a wonderful neighborhood to live in! The housing is pretty affordable and there are great place to eat! 

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Thanks. I have heard that the first year at SSA is somewhat tedious but that things improve in year two, when the program becomes more specific to your goals. My understanding also is that there can be some frustration with the first year field placement because it is assigned with limited input from the student. So, you potentially have a year-long placement that might be somewhat irrelevant.

One of the things that intrigues me about SSA, however,  is the sheer number of potential placements... more than 700!

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I can see why a clinical student might not feel well-served by SSA. Even though the majority of its students are in the clinical concentration, I get the sense that the "vibe" of the school is very macro... I mean, the words "social administration" are still in the name of the school!

Also, if you look at the bios of the full professors, many of them don't even have a social work background. A surprising number of them have degrees and professional experience in areas outside of social work.

http://www.ssa.uchicago.edu/faculty-pages

In fact, the Dean of SSA has a Ph.D. in psychology and doesn't seem to have any sort of background in social work... definitely not clinical.

Edited by MSWApplicantFall2018
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I'm just waiting on one letter of recommendation, then I'll finally be officially applied.  Does anyone know if that April 1 deadline significantly affects your chances of getting in/getting funding?  I was aiming for January, but no such luck.

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3 hours ago, jr1118 said:

Congratulations!! Did you apply advanced standing? I applied advanced standing on 1/15 and I'm eagerly waiting for a response..

Yes I did!!!!! I applied just before the deadline, too!! Keep me in the loop!

Edited by stheart
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