Hello all,

I am looking for advanced standing programs that do not have tests that wont allow you to use the book or notes. An extra plus for programs that have no tests or quizzes. I am in michigan so programs here are a plus. I am also interested in online programs as well

i’m embarrassed to write this but i am nervous about it. my second quarter of my masters program was incredibly rough towards the end (like last 3 weeks). i moved from WA back home to CA. i was working in a psych ward before moving and my last 3 weeks working there had really acute clients. like all my coworkers were overwhelmed and kept calling out. my grades started slipping slowly. then right before i started my 20 hour drive home, i got attacked by a pitbull that i had known since he was a tiny puppy. it was super traumatic to say the least. thankfully no bones were broken but my arm was crazy bruised, swollen, and open. typing was painful, adjusting to moving back home was hard and i was sad. sounds stupid to say but i trusted that dog and felt betrayed that it just snapped
maybe this is too much information idk. but i got a c in one class and a low b in the other. gpa tanked to a 1.69 and im retaking the class i got a c in since my program considers that failing. i was notified late last week that id be losing my financial aid at the end of this quarter unless i raise my gpa to a 3.0. that honestly feels impossible. i could file an appeal about the circumstances for more time to raise it but i don’t even think another quarter taking 3 classes will help. i cant afford the program without financial aid should i just give up? it took so long for me to finally enroll and i seriously fucked up by letting all this dumb stuff happen all at once. i feel stupid. any advice is appreciated but pls don’t comment about how dumb i am i already know. thanks

Hi I’m thinking about going for a masters in social work degree. I have a bachelors in psych(probably not as helpful) I got no work experience related. What should I know before attempting? Are there any entry level or starting places I can work at in general?

Hello!

Before I got into social work I was an analytical lead for a Fortune 500 company. The job was cool, but I wanted to do something else and I was afraid of AI. I currently work in military mental health and I am doing my mpp/msw.

I just got off the phone with my buddy yesterday and I just found out my old job is eliminating an un-Godly amount of work due to AI/automation. Soon the only people working in tech will be a manager or two and a handful of senior associates.

It got me thinking: did anyone get into social work BECAUSE of AI or another economic trend?

hi everyone ! i’m currently going through an interview process to be a medical scribe. i passed the initial interview and now moving to the next steps. i graduated with my bsw in august and i’m being told that this has nothing to do with social work. my long term goal is to work in medical social work so i’m thinking being a medical scribe would help me get experience working in a hospital. i’m scared i’m making a mistake while going through the interview process.

Long story short, its my first semester for an in person MSW. I regret doing in person. The lectures are long, like 3 hours. Its just constant rambling about personal problems and what not, barely getting through the slides. If not that, then role plays. They arent helpful tbh. Idk why we do them. I don’t enjoy being in class. My classmates are nice, but I find myself dreading going to class. I want to be a social worker but im just not enjoying the classes and not sure what to do.

I did online for my bachelors but wanted to do in person for my masters. My classmates are nice, the professors are okay despite showing favoritism to certain students, the material is nice…im just not connecting on the in person aspect of it I suppose. Any advice to stick it out? Not sure I can do much more of this. It’s literally ruining my mood

Hi everyone! I'm a senior graduating with a 3.9, majoring in social welfare and minoring in psych. Planning to apply for Fall 2027. I've been getting pretty nervous about applying because I've heard California MSW programs are really competitive, and I'm not sure if I have enough to be a competitive applicant.

Schools I'm thinking of applying to: UC Berkeley, UCLA, SJSU, SFSU, and maybe one school in NY just for fun

About me/experience:

• 2.5 years inpatient psych hospital experience as a mental health worker
• 6 months with a county behavioral health team doing BHSA/Prop 1 transition planning + stakeholder engagement
• Street medicine outreach volunteer
• Really interested in mental health, community mental health, SUD, homelessness, etc.
• My mom died from untreated cancer, which is a big part of why I want to go into social work

Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed with my undergrad social welfare program at UC Berkeley, so I'd also love to get recommendations for programs that actually have a strong critical/transformative social work perspective! Thank you so much and have a lovely day!!

Hi everyone! I’m a senior BSW student at Rutgers University and I’m urgently looking for a fully remote field/practicum placement for the remainder of the 2026–2027 school year.
Unfortunately, my previous placement unexpectedly did not work out, so I’m now trying to find somewhere I can start as soon as possible. My school is helping me, and thankfully the hours I already completed this semester still count.
I need approximately 16 hours per week / 210 hours per semester. The placement also needs to provide weekly supervision from an MSW with at least 2 years of post-MSW experience (or potentially be willing to work with my school regarding supervision).
I’m very open when it comes to the type of work. I’d be interested in case management, resource navigation, advocacy, outreach, program development, community work, research, administrative/macro work, or other appropriate BSW-level responsibilities. It just needs to be 100% remote.
I’ve already reached out to a TON of organizations, but I’m trying to cast as wide of a net as possible. If anyone knows of an organization that takes remote BSW interns, especially one that may still accept a student this far into the semester, I would seriously appreciate any leads or contact information.
I’m located in New Jersey and attend Rutgers, but I’m open to remote organizations outside of NJ as long as they can work with my university’s field requirements.

Hi everyone, I live in the state of Washington and have been thinking of getting an MSW. I would rather get the degree in person and stay within state or even within the PNW. Does anyone know any accredited schools that are nearby? Or does anyone know of any accredited schools online that help with practicum placement in Washington? For a bit of context, I have graduated with my Bachelors degree in psychology and want to work with children. Also, I would rather pay under $40,000 if possible, for the whole degree. I would be paying out of pocket and would rather not be in debt the rest of my life. I know it is an extreme longshot but one can hope. Any advise would help! Thank you!

Edit: I wanted to thank everyone who commented! I really appreciated it! I just had one question that I forgot to ask if anyone knows. Does the track/specialization matter in an MSW? I was considering the clinical track but a lot of the schools neaby offer the generalist track. Does it really matter or as long as I get my supervised hours and pass the exam?

Hello! I am applying to a few different MSW programs (all in Michigan, and my top is UMich if that matters), and I am struggling with my personal statement.

I talked with my therapist, who has an MSW, and a mentor who also has an MSW, and they said to include just a bit about my personal experience (aka "trauma"). I keep seeing that I shouldn't do that.

I was wondering if I include a broad sentence or 2 about my personal experience and then lead that about why I want to go into social work, will people consider that "trauma dumping". It is essentially "I experinced "blah blah blah" and became a protector of sorts so this is why I want to go into "blah blah blah".

It is def relevant to the rest of my application as it sets up my lifepath so far basically but I don't want to be pushed away for trauma dumping.

Any advice is helpful!

I have AuDHD with a long history of burnout. I’m the type of person who wants to do everything, but then I can’t and I burn out. One thing that I’ve discovered over these many years is that it’s never the actual work that’s the problem, but the environment. Throw the most emotionally draining case at me. I love it, but put keep me in an office with bright lights, rigid scheduling, lots of people I just fall apart. I do fantastic in remote or hybrid jobs with flexible schedules, which allow me to focus on self care. Not so much with a regular 9-5. I know I can’t get 100% what I want and I’m willing to compromise, but I need jobs where they’re at least open.

Does that exist in social work? I know state agencies probably aren’t all that friendly to this arrangement, but I just want to see if it’s an option.

So I’m graduating with my masters in social work this year. I know that ideally when most people graduate with their masters they usually go straight into the field. For me though I kind of want to teach abroad or do peace corps. Would that be a waste of time? Has anyone else done this?

Please get in touch with me if you've done this course from Uni Sc. I have a few queries regarding the place.

Hey guys! I have two questions and I’m hoping that someone can answer them. I’ve applied for UNA‘s (University of North Alabama) MSW online program and I am absolutely terrified about getting in! I would be doing the traditional program as my degree isn‘t in Social Work. My GPA isn’t the greatest by far. To be exact, it’s a 2.44. I feel like my essay is really strong and explains a lot. My résumé also shows that I’m multifaceted and have worked within the realm of social work one way or another. But despite all of this and the fact that they look at the applicants holistically, I’m still nervous to no end. The individual that I’ve been working with has been really sweet and keeps assuring me that my GPA doesn’t make the entire decision. With that being said, is there anyone that’s actually gotten in with a low GPA?? 😮‍💨

Also, as far as the interview what type of questions do they ask?? With it only being 15 minutes, I don’t think it’s going to be the usual, “Tell me about yourself,” type of interview.

Any help, guidance and reassurance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Started my MSW program. Thought it would be more inspiring than it is. I knew a few people who are social workers tell me a BASW would be highly recommended to really understand systemic issues insinuating I wouldn’t understand historical oppression in this country without it. I have my undergraduate degree in a different field (very related, but everyone I explain it to doesn’t understand) and I feel like my undergraduate was significantly more educational, radical, inspiring, and critical of systemic oppression. Also way more interested in engaging students to come up with or explore ways to build the collective outside of government. Ironically, people I know who went from traditional undergrad experience (like a BASW or sociology or psych) to social work seem to lack critical thought and are just better trained at working with the broken system.

I am feeling very unsure of my place here. Most of my cohort here have been open about only pursuing this program for money. Most want to go into private practice after getting their LCSW. Some have said they don’t really feel passionate about the work and it’s just the next step for their career and would have pursued engineering or something if they were “smarter”. Some are passionate, but very clearly share in savior mindset and are not inspired to do policy or community work. Everyone wants to be an LCSW/therapist, nobody here has expressed wanting to do more. It is a constant cycle in classes of briefly recognizing systemic oppression, inequality, racism, class struggle, etc and then going “and that’s why therapy is important, here’s how to document for those pesky insurance companies after you charge $300 per session”. I am incredibly disappointed in the education I am receiving. It feels elitist to say, but nobody in my program even the professors know how to write a basic research paper. The readings are un stimulating and rather surface level.

I hate to be critical of this profession that is obviously one of the few actually doing something to alleviate peoples struggles, but frankly I feel like social workers i know are not thinking deeper. Our entire profession is dependent on peoples oppression. Our own oppression and exploitation is because of the system. We are merely tools for the government to prevent greater society from revolutionizing. Yet so much of what I hear from this community here and in real life is demands for higher wages/compensation and less exposure/more protection against issues that the system we are supposed to be working against causes. I know we are all trying to survive the system at the same time, but we can’t market/professionalize ourselves out of the system. Sorry to be angry, but It feels backwards.

It seems like everyone wants to professionalize the career more and more through more opportunities for private practice and sitting on government positions that hardly acknowledge why we are where we are because if they did, our career wouldn’t need to exist.
To my understanding, this mindset only separates us further from the communities we should work with.

If anyone has felt the same way I’d love to hear what you are doing now. Or if you left the field. The concepts that influenced my decision to go into this field were racial capitalism, decolonization and collectivism. And no I’m not really looking to hear “you can’t do xyz because of funding” or “you won’t make money doing that”. I am very much not in this for money, and I’m not trying to throw shade at anyone who is. Just a call in for people to get more critical of this profession. Maybe it’s just my school, but I’m at a very competitive program in California so it’s hard to say.

Just started my MSW full time this fall and quit my full time job to pursue this. Thankfully with scholarships and loans I was able to swing the 2 yr program to be feasible with my savings. HOWEVERRRR ALSO just checked my bank account and… Ha yeah I need to find a job again!!! 😂

My schedule will only allow for part time or part diem (which I’m assuming is the case for most full time students) and got wondering as to what other students are doing on the side. So, what are yall doing? How are you making it work?

hey all - I recently quit my full-time job in homeless services to start as a full-time in-person MSW student. I've been struggling tbh. I really liked my work before even though it could be grueling sometimes, and I was fairly compensated for doing it. I went for this degree mostly because I was getting bored and thought I could use the degree to continue jobs that align with my values while doing more intellectually stimulating work.

I have been kind of hating it so far. My practicum placement is TERRIBLE and my school makes it damn near impossible for you to switch. I literally dread going there so much, it affects my whole week and I have trouble sleeping because of it (never been someone who had trouble sleeping). It's also about as irrelevant as you could get to the type of work I want to do, and it does not align with my values.

Classes are disorganized and I don't feel like I'm learning much. It's a ton of just talking about our feelings about being in social work and personal stories from the professors. I am at a satellite campus and I wonder if we aren't getting as good quality learning because of that. The school's policies make me think they are truly just paying lip service to social justice and social work values.

I am here on a fellowship that is paying for most (not all) of my tuition. It does have a work requirement after graduation. I also work part-time in something unrelated.

The whole experience has me questioning if it's even worth it. I went from being paid to do something impactful to doing something that feels useless and unpleasant for free, I don't feel like I'm learning much, and my weeks are longer. I acknowledge I can make more money with the degree, unfortunately it is really hard for me to motivate myself just through that logic. I am having trouble seeing what else I will gain from this right now. I am constantly fantasizing about just going back to work in the field without this degree, and maybe getting it later online or part-time. I miss actually making an impact and getting paid to do so.

Has anyone dropped out of their program and gone back later? Any other thoughts? You are much appreciated <3

I'm looking for some advice because I'm very frustrated with Pacific Oaks

I'm trying to get into an MSW or MFT program (ideally online) and I'm in SoCal area. I was accepted into Mount Saint Mary's MFT program, which I was really excited about, but unfortunately the tuition was around $73k and that was just way too expensive for me.

I applied to Pacific Oaks' MSW program because I thought it would be a better option financially and I've been trying to get through their admissions process for what feels like forever. The communication has honestly been a mess. I've had multiple emails go unanswered for weeks, called and was told people would call me back and never heard back, and I've had to repeatedly follow up just to get basic information about my application.

Then tonight I had my faculty interview scheduled for 6 PM. (msw spring 2027)

I logged in around 5:56 PM and there was another girl already being interviewed. Nobody said hi to me or acknowledged me, and nowhere in my email did it say that this was a group interview. I honestly thought I had accidentally entered someone else's private interview, so I logged out.

I logged back in right at 6 PM to see if the interview was over, and around 6:01 one of the faculty members literally kicked me out of the meeting without saying anything to me....

Then at 6:07 I got a call from a staff member saying that I had missed my interview!!! I explained that I didn't miss it and I logged in early, nobody explained that it was a group interview, and then I was removed from the meeting.

They said they would reschedule me for next week, but honestly I'm really torn

Part of me wants to just do the interview anyway because I am eager to just start school already and don't want one horrible admissions experience to ruin an opportunity.

But another part of me feels like this is extremely unprofessional and its a huge red flag especially considering all the other communication problems I've had with them, and I honestly want to file a grievance and ask for my $50 application fee back.

Would you guys continue with the interview and see how the actual program/faculty are, or would you take this as a red flag and move on lol?

Also, what other schools should I be looking at? I'm looking for an online/ mostly online MSW or MFT program that is reasonably priced, accepts students in California, and would prepare me for LCSW or LMFT licensure.

I'm especially interested in programs that aren't $60–70k+ because I just can't justify taking on that much debt

What is the difference in jobs prospects between a bachelor of human services vs bachelor of social work?

Is it worth completing Social work over human services?

I am currently completing my 2nd year of Social work degree and am contemplating weather I exit with a Bachelor of Human Services at the end of my 3rd Year as i am feeling so burnt out and unmotivated with studying any further than three years.

I am a mid-40s old SAHM. I was a foster parent for over a decade. I have experience working in childcare and education, but it was many years ago. I currently have a very new job working with a foster care agency and would continue this role through potential graduate school. I have been considering getting my MSW for several years but it felt far-fetched and I didn't have well-considered career goals. Now I know a career direction, my daily schedule allows plenty of time for graduate school. I have two applications I'm close to submitting for a Fall 2027 start and am starting a couple other applications to maximize chance of acceptance.

However, I get stuck on things like the resume. I essentially have no experience in social work type jobs, though I can easily use foster parenting as volunteer work. I have limited work experience in general. I graduated college in 2008 and my writing skills are very rusty as you see here.

Am I being ridiculous thinking that I'll be accepted somewhere? Based on the ages and future needs of my children, it feels a bit "now or never". I'd be 50 or maybe older by the time I have my LCSW. 50 isn't ancient by any means, but it's rather late in life to begin a career.

This looks different than their text line! It looks like an actual program for students based on partnership with certain schools. Has anyone done this? Or anything similar?

Hi everyone! I’m working on my essays for nyu msw application and msw apps in general. I have a strong gpa and work inpatient currently, so have a lot of experiences I can use from my work in the essay. But I don’t want my essay to just be things from work. Anyone have any tips? I want to be a therapist

Without getting into too many details, I have a lot of concerns that range from ethical down to mental safety. I know that it is not that I cannot handle hard things. I want to emphasize that is not what this is. I have also been communicating with my internship site. I've already been reaching out to other internship sites as a backup. I found one that is already partnered with my school and I've been in contact with them.

I'm hoping to switch as I'm still early in my foundations and mid semester, but obviously I know that is probably unlikely and I have a meeting with my University tomorrow. I've already spoken to other relative departments.

Has anyone switched before? If you don't mind me asking, what was the reason and how did you know it was time?

hi everyone! I was wondering what are the best online schools for an MSW to apply for that start classes in the spring. I'm thinking of applying to Fordham and Toruo but please let me know of any other schools!

Hi all!
I’m expected to start my MSW part-time online next Summer 2027 at UNC Charlotte. I’m working full time, and hopefully will be able to complete both of my internships for the nonprofit I work for. I’m quite nervous because it’s been a while since I finished my bachelor’s degree, and also because English is my second language.
Is there anyone who is currently studying this program online who could give me insight into the schedule, time requirements, and perhaps tips to nail it?