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hi there, i have been reading this board for the last six or months or so. your posts been so helpful, and i feel i have learned so much! so thank you all for all of your knowledge and insight
basically, i just have a few questions about getting accepted into an MSW program in the NYC area - preferably columbia, fordham, nyu or hunter. in a nutshell, i have been a classical clarinetist for most of my life. i went to college for music performance, and since i graduated in 2001, i have been working as a professional musician in various orchestras around the country. while i feel extremely fortunate for all i have done, i have always questioned my place in the music world, and in the past year or so (for a number of reasons), i have decided that i want to leave the music world and pursue a career in social work.
while i have a very good undergraduate GPA, i have a BM (bachelor of music), and not a BA, and i fear this may not necessarily look great on my applications. so currently, i am taking 2 undergraduate psychology courses after taking intro to psych this summer, and just trying to get beef up my transcripts a bit (i plan on taking at least 3 more next spring as well). i am also just starting to volunteer - sadly this has taken me so much longer than i thought it would (i started filling out volunteer apps back in june!) - but i will be volunteering at 2 pediatric hospitals and at a program for underserved children and their families in the NYC area. as of right now, i think i would eventually work as a social worker in a hospital, preferably in pediatrics or ER.
so here are my questions. do you think that MSW programs will consider someone with my background? while i know they like diversity and life experience, i am worried that my background may be a little "too far" from the norm. also, while i really would love to begin my master's as soon as possible, do you think it is in my best interest to volunteer/gain experience for one more year and apply to MSW programs for the fall of 2010 instead of 2009? i am assuming it is probably best to just apply once, especially since i am such a unique case, and i am afraid of ruining any chances i may have. since most apps are due in january or february, and i will only have been volunteering for 4 months or so, i don't want to take any risks!
if any of you have read this far, i can't tell you how much i appreciate it. any feedback/advice/questions you have would be so helpful. i am really excited about this next step in my life! thanks so much again!
basically, i just have a few questions about getting accepted into an MSW program in the NYC area - preferably columbia, fordham, nyu or hunter. in a nutshell, i have been a classical clarinetist for most of my life. i went to college for music performance, and since i graduated in 2001, i have been working as a professional musician in various orchestras around the country. while i feel extremely fortunate for all i have done, i have always questioned my place in the music world, and in the past year or so (for a number of reasons), i have decided that i want to leave the music world and pursue a career in social work.
while i have a very good undergraduate GPA, i have a BM (bachelor of music), and not a BA, and i fear this may not necessarily look great on my applications. so currently, i am taking 2 undergraduate psychology courses after taking intro to psych this summer, and just trying to get beef up my transcripts a bit (i plan on taking at least 3 more next spring as well). i am also just starting to volunteer - sadly this has taken me so much longer than i thought it would (i started filling out volunteer apps back in june!) - but i will be volunteering at 2 pediatric hospitals and at a program for underserved children and their families in the NYC area. as of right now, i think i would eventually work as a social worker in a hospital, preferably in pediatrics or ER.
so here are my questions. do you think that MSW programs will consider someone with my background? while i know they like diversity and life experience, i am worried that my background may be a little "too far" from the norm. also, while i really would love to begin my master's as soon as possible, do you think it is in my best interest to volunteer/gain experience for one more year and apply to MSW programs for the fall of 2010 instead of 2009? i am assuming it is probably best to just apply once, especially since i am such a unique case, and i am afraid of ruining any chances i may have. since most apps are due in january or february, and i will only have been volunteering for 4 months or so, i don't want to take any risks!
if any of you have read this far, i can't tell you how much i appreciate it. any feedback/advice/questions you have would be so helpful. i am really excited about this next step in my life! thanks so much again!