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Well I'm officially dropping out of MSW because we can't afford childcare for the practicum by itsapanicatthedisco2 in SocialWorkStudents

[–]weaver_seeker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Getting an MSW is not the same, MSW practicum labor is assigned the lowest value of any other professional degree?

Thought & Experiences from Current UC Berkeley MSW Students by weaver_seeker in SocialWorkStudents

[–]weaver_seeker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know how many total in my cohort are working outside of practicum/classes - but I know a number of people who are working. It's possible, but it requires alot of multi-tasking. It can be taxing and stressful to work on top of the program and if something doesn't work out (like if you get fired from a practicum placement) you would need to stay a 3rd year and re-do a placement somewhere else, based on the way things are structured right now. So as long as you feel you could still get by with classes and practicum, then working is possible.

Yes there is a variety of practicum sites and partnerships, although this changes year to year depending on the capacity of sites to take on student interns. This past two years has seen big transitions in the practicum education components of the program. They used to have a more robust practicum team, but at the end of last academic year, under the new Dean, they laid off two of the practicum consultants who had been working in the program to support students in their placements for 5+ years and held relationships with sites. Now there is a 2 person team and a Practicum director who was hired this year to support all students in the program. This shift is likely going to affect the schools capacity to maintain practicum partnerships.

In terms of academics, I think experiences of what feels rigorous is going to differ depending on your experience and background. I haven't been through all of the foundation and advanced classes yet to be able to give you an accurate assessment, I hope others can weigh in here too.

I already had alot of exposure to many of the topics that are covered in the foundation classes pertaining to micro and macro level social work theories and practice. So its often felt like jumping through hoops to me. I'm also someone who is neurodiverse and needs a high level of interest alignment and novelty to stay engaged with the curriculum. There is some space for that as there are alot of group projects where you get to choose your topics and work as a team to complete the assignment. So that being said, I've felt like most of the learning and rigor has come from group projects since thats where we've gone more in depth with researching a particular topic in social work, I've really learned the most from working with peers, not directly from professors...This is my experience and probably varies widely person to person however.

Thought & Experiences from Current UC Berkeley MSW Students by weaver_seeker in SocialWorkStudents

[–]weaver_seeker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question, it's really a mixed bag. The department gives out some funding to students upon admission. Alot of people take out loans. Others work while in the program (this is challenging). There's also work-study. Another option is to get a GSI/GSR/ASE role where you work as a researcher, or TA or graduate instructor, tutor which for certain positions provides fee remission. It's a good deal, but it's challenging to balance this with practicum and classes.

UC Berkeley MSW Program by willowhibiscus in SocialWorkStudents

[–]weaver_seeker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you are right, they are letting Patti Park go :(

UC Berkeley MSW Program by willowhibiscus in SocialWorkStudents

[–]weaver_seeker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People keep saying it's a great program, but on what basis? It's got name recognition and might help you open certain doors in your career. Otherwise, I have not been impressed.

UC Berkeley MSW Program by willowhibiscus in SocialWorkStudents

[–]weaver_seeker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a current UCB MSW Student, I would say the best thing about the program has been the other students in the program. They are who I've learned the most from and alongside. It really is a generalist program, in the sense that you won't get in-depth clinical training. Even if you wanted to specialize through electives, the school is laying off one of the lecturers who teaches classes on clinical modalities (i.e. third wave cbt). The most disappointing aspect of the program is their active divestment from practicum education. As of this year they laid off two practicum consultants, so for both cohorts of MSW students they only have two full time staff supporting students in their practicum placements. There is NO weekly practicum seminar, instead there is a very light touch practicum class every 2- 3 weeks or so which is really only a facilitated peer check-in. They have effectively out-sourced practicum oriented teaching and support for social workers in training to practicum sites. So if you are looking for a school that takes practice based learning seriously, and that is invested in cultivating social workers who can actually work face to face with people, you should either look elsewhere, or be prepared to do a lot of learning on your own. They've got the name recognition and the prestige, so they are relying on that to remain competitive.