Master's of Social Work at BYU

I have been surprised with the number of people who didn't know I was going to be applying to BYU.  To fill everyone in a little better, I thought I'd write about how this all came to be.

When I initially started back to school I registered as a Psychology Major.  I had two classes, got perfect grades in both of them, and loved it.  I knew that Psychology would require graduate work to accomplish anything and I was on track to need about three and a half years of full-time schooling to complete that goal.  But graduate school sounded big and scary and I started to think about  another interest I had always had - Computer Science.  I began to waffle in my decision about what direction I wanted to go.  If I switched gears and did Computer Science, it would also be about three full-time years of schooling.  I didn't want to waste my time, so whichever direction I was going to go, I wanted to know right away.  I prayed and prayed  and prayed to know what I should do.  I couldn't get an answer.  When it came time to select my next course load, I made a deal with myself that I could take one semester to try out a computer class.  It was frustrating to be potentially "wasting my time" by taking classes that I ultimately might not need, but I needed to be sure I was getting the right degree.

As it turned out, that semester validated my interest in computers.  But I still didn't feel super confident with either degree.  I started taking it a semester at a time and worked on both degrees.  I decided that I could double major, or get a minor in one and a major in the other.  Depending on the day, the answer would be different as to which degree was the primary focus.

Every semester was prayerfully considered.  After a couple of semesters, my bigger focus was on computers, but for some reason I never did change my status as a psychology major.  I got to the point where I had taken all of the computer classes I could without being in the actual program.  The problem was, I hadn't completed the math requirements to get into the program.  I was going to have to take a year off of computers to finish my math.  I kind of knew from the beginning that I wasn't going to stick with it.  I wanted to, but as much as I enjoyed programming, I was beginning to realize that I didn't have the passion it took.  That was the year I was called to serve as the Relief Society President in my ward.  And my passion emerged.  I had always tried to convince myself that if I had a genuine interest in both (which I did) that I should get the CS degree.  It was a more marketable, more lucrative education.  And I could always "help" people in callings, volunteer work and other hobby type activities.  But when I actually had my calling, I experienced such great hands-on exposure to being able to offer one-on-one assistance to people who really needed it, that my perspective began to change.  I recognized that my calling came with an expiration date.  I started to realize that I wanted to increase my education in the field and make that type of work a staple in my life.

By this point Andrew was a graduate from the U.  I was getting my degree from the U.  We were living in housing at the U.  I knew several people who had graduated from the MSW program at the U.  My plan was to apply and attend at the U.

After a while I started to think that I should keep my options open.  I had a friend who had finished her MSW program at the U, but she had gotten her undergraduate degree in social work at the Y.  After learning a little bit about the program from her, I realized that applying for the Y would be a good idea.  After all, both programs are REALLY competitive, so it just made sense to apply to both.  I started to ask my friend about the differences between the two programs, and I asked her why she had selected the U over the Y.  What I found interesting was that the more she told me about her reasons for choosing the U, the more I realized that the better fit for me was the Y.  I decided to definitely apply to both.

I was excited to mention everything I had learned about BYU's program and why it would be a good fit for me to Andrew when he came home from work that day.  He FREAKED out.  Our home was contingent on me being a student at the U.  We both LOVED living there and didn't have any plans to be moving.  He thought I was completely crazy for even considering the Y.  But after his initial freak out moment, he calmed down and agreed that what I said made a lot of sense.  We agreed that I would apply for both.

As time went on, I felt more and more strongly that the program at the Y was a better fit for me.  I wanted to be able to learn the skills of social work in a gospel context.  Most of my interest in the field stemmed from religious experiences and standards.  While my friend had wanted to be able to go outside of Utah and not be type-cast as a religious social worker, I would be happy to have BYU attached to my professional standing.  While she specifically did not want to work for the church, I would love to work for the church.  While she wanted a program that gave a broader approach, I am interested in the focus on clinical work, which is what the BYU program offers.  It didn't take long before BYU became a definite first-choice on my list.

Then I learned about the financial aspect of this decision.  The program at BYU is about $15,000.  At the U it is closer to $25,000.  At BYU, their students "historically" all get PAID internships.  At the U, the internship opportunities are almost always unpaid.  BYU fully expects you to EARN $11,000 as a part of their $15,000 program.  So it is a likely worst-case scenario that you only end up with $4,000 in tuition costs vs $25,000.  In addition to that, the MSW program at BYU has AWESOME subsidizing in the forms of scholarships.  They only admit 40 people into their program each year so it is extremely hard to get in, but by keeping the group so small, they ensure that almost everyone in the program gets some form of tuition assistance.  When I started to realize that I may actually make money during the program at the Y (something my family desperately needs me to do) or go into huge amounts of debt for the program at the U AND that the program at the Y is the one I really prefer, we decided to just put all of my eggs in one basket.  I decided that if I didn't get into the Y the first year, I would rather wait a year and try again than start the more expensive program at the U.  If that happens, I'll have a year to work which will help me gain more experience and also increase my financial ability for a more expensive program.  During that year, I can also decide if I want to expand my horizons to other schools, other BYU programs (such a marriage and family therapy) or just keep working.

Or maybe I'll just get in the first time.  From what they tell me, I have a 25% chance of being accepted.  Applications are due on Tuesday and after that it's just a waiting game.