Is USC's MSW worth $65k more than UCLA's? (or is Columbia worth the extra $40k)

[rubyd]

Hi I am new to this thread and I wanted to get a little advice from anyone who is familiar with USC, UCLA and Columbia's MSW programs.

I have a 3.78 GPA from a top ranked university and 6 years of work experience in non-profits. I have wanted to go back to school for a long time to become a therapist for children in private practice, devoting 25% of my practice to non-paying families that can not afford therapy for their children and 25% of my practice doing group therapy in under served areas. When my job ended due to funding I thought this was the perfect chance to go back and get my MSW - USC and Columbia were still accepting applications so I applied to both but now that the reality of paying $42,0000 a year plus living expenses for USC or relocating to New York and paying $32,000 a year for Columbia plus being able to afford to live in Manhattan is a bit overwhelming after speaking with two students at USC that told me they wish they went to a state school and saved the money (of course others at the program were strong USC supporters and said the program was worth the money)

The two students expressed that while USC has a great clinical program in reality once they have all their hours in the end their field experience is more important and the extra money really was not worth it. I have seen some posts regarding is it worth it to spend the money for an ivy etc - and I understand that UCLA does not have a real clinical program so my experience would really be field experience. UCLA's program is very competitive but I feel with my strong GPA and work history I would have a good chance at getting a spot. I was wondering if anyone could give me their perspective on if it is worth waiting a year and applying to UCLA (as an in state resident I would only pay $10,000 a year)

I would appreciate any information or opinions people could offer as everyone I worked with says - "GO IVY" my friends from California are split between USC and their strong alumni network or saving a huge amount of money and going to UCLA where I would not have as strong of an alumni network. My head is spinning as I am waiting to hear if I get any funding from USC or Columbia and my savings account is dwindling while I search for work.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can offer.

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[Therapist4Chnge]

Save the money.

UCLA is a known school, so there is no sense dropping an extra 45-60k+ to go to another school. Considering the average salaries in the area, that is a significant "upgrade" in cost for probably not a big difference (if at all) in training. Put that money towards your future private practice, etc.

 

[xenobart]

I agree with therapist4change. Unless you can get good funding at USC or Columbia I would go to UCLA. UCLA is a very highly-regarded MSW program, and you can't beat the in-state tuition price. Going heavily into debt for a profession that doesn't pay well just doesn't make sense when you can go to an equally (or perhaps more) well-regarded MSW program for much less money. The clinical placements you'll get as a mental health student at UCLA will help you fill any clinical gaps you feel you have in your training.

As a CA resident you have access to two top-ranked MSW programs for bargain tuition. take advantage of it!

 

[thepsychgeek]

Just adding my voice in to the agreement on saving the money. UCLA has a good name, and the placements are great. Don't go with the USC name and a ton of money- and try doing some networking yourself, if you're worried about that. Save up the money for something else.

 

[Mich07]

Taking money out of the equation, here is what I believe: I'm currently in the second quarter of my first year at UCLA's MSW program, and I can honestly say that having a small class of 100 students (vs. USC's 600+) makes this much more focused and catered to students' interests. Professors who have taught at both schools have stated that the caliber of students is much stronger at UCLA (purely for the fact that it's harder to get in with fewer slots). Your student body or cohort are an extremely important part of the program. They offer a ton of emotional and educational support in and out of the classroom. I think if you have the option, choose UCLA over USC, regardless of tuition costs. But that's just my two cents! Feel free to read my blog, I update it weekly: http://thenudgepatrol.blogspot.com/

 

[modestmousktr]

Sorry if I'm resurrecting an old thread- but for consideration, how competitive is UCLA's MSW program? Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psychology post their admission outcomes data, so I can see what percentage of students they take, but I cannot find this info for MSW programs.

I am asking because although I LOVE research, and have devoted my life to it since age 19 (I have pubs, nearly 20 conference presentations, have a few Ph.D. offers from lower-tier schools even), I am becoming disillusioned with my chances of acceptance to a really fine institution.

I am wondering how competitive UCLA's MSW program is, because I may prefer to apply to their MSW as opposed to Ph.D. program if I reapply to schools next year (as I doubt I will ever be accepted to their Ph.D.). I hope that it is appropriate that I give my statistics here for consideration, as I don't believe there's a WAMC thread in this forum. I'll try not to give too much identifying info away... but I'm essentially describing my entire CV, so it would actually be sort of simple if someone was trying to connect the dots.




Undergrad Institution: Lower tier CSU

Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (also have taken many "hard" science classes due to my minor)

Research Experience: Have researched in four labs- two at UCLA, two at my institution. Have 19 oral/poster presentations, and not just at local conferences- APA, APS, etc. Nothing discipline specific like ABCT though. One publication where I am second author. Two years of independent research in a cognitive psychology lab, where I've carried out my senior thesis which has now won three awards and is in preparation for publishing. Two labs were clinical- both child psych, as that is what I hope to pursue. One I have been in for one year, and I am there 15-20 hours per week. I am an integral part of the clinical trial and attend trainings in therapy, attend therapy, work one-on-one with the PI and study organizers to figure out management systems for data and things like that. In my first lab, I worked on government funded research, and worked directly with minority subjects on topics that would explain minority health disparities. Also... I LOVE IT! 🙂

Clinical Experience: Have volunteered with low-income, minority teens for one year as an emotional mentor and tutor. For two years, volunteered with ASD teens role-playing positive behavior and using ABA to promote positive social interaction. Can also spin my two clinical research labs as clinical experience, as I have a ton of patient interaction. Volunteered at a DMH state psych hospital for six months in the penal compound.

Leadership Experience: Tons of honors societies, tons of clubs. Held officer position in one honor society, held officer position in one club. Volunteered on committee to promote a research event on campus.

Teaching Experience: Have TAed for five courses on my campus- have probably accumulated 30 hours in lecturing over that time. In two of the classes, I ended up briefly being the sole instructor (yes, as an undergrad, as I stated this was very brief... it's very complicated and is not the fault of the school, but the professor slotted to teach the course), and created the syllabus, the research paper instructions/grading rubric, exams, led class, etc.

GRE Score: ABYSMAL! Verbal is 90th percentile, Analytical is 96th percentile, Quant is 30th percentile. I intend on spending every penny from my stipend (I am in a funding program for non-traditional, underrepresented students) on a private tutor to bring up my score.

Would these stats make me a good candidate for UCLA's MSW? I know that even with a higher GRE I could never make it into UCLA's Ph.D., but I am hoping that these stats, plus a raised GRE score would give me a good shot of getting into UCLA, and perhaps some sort of merit scholarship as well (as I would need to take out loans for the program).

Thank you SO much everyone.

Also- I noticed someone said UCLA is not really clinical in their MSW. Is this true? I see they even offer CBT as a course offering... a Ph.D. program I got accepted to does not even offer that.

 

[MBellows]

Also- I noticed someone said UCLA is not really clinical in their MSW. Is this true? I see they even offer CBT as a course offering... a Ph.D. program I got accepted to does not even offer that.

You'll likely find CBT being taught in Theories of ___, ____ techniques, and special topics in___. Specific classes for specific techniques have been referenced as being magnet classes that serve little real purpose.

 

[Slugathor]

UCLA. If you don't get in that, you are far better off going to a quality CSU such as SFSU as they have a great MSW Program.

 

[modestmousktr]

You'll likely find CBT being taught in Theories of ___, ____ techniques, and special topics in___. Specific classes for specific techniques have been referenced as being magnet classes that serve little real purpose.

Thanks!

 

[modestmousktr]

UCLA. If you don't get in that, you are far better off going to a quality CSU such as SFSU as they have a great MSW Program.

I certainly could never, ever afford USC. I think I may have unfortunately hijacked the OP's post and taken it completely off direction. My question is regarding whether myself, with the stats I have, would be considered a top candidate for UCLA's MSW program.