can you help me weight pros/cons for MSW program?

newly-wed

Thu, May 23 2013, 2:04 pm

HI,
I'm applying for grad schools of social work. I considered NYU, Hunter, YU, Adelphi,LIU Post and Fordham.
Due to certain reasons, I couldn't apply earlier and the deadlines for Hunter, Fordham and NYU already passed.

I'm left with YU, LIU, Adelphi and Touro. I went to all open houses I could and came to the conclusion that even though I dont think Touro is the "best" of these schools, its the most convenient for me.
HERE IS WHERE I NEED YOUR ADICE...

-I live in Long Island and am expecting a baby in November. Even though I will be doing part-time and so it will not be as crazy as a schedule, I still find it very important to find a school that offers night classes (so I can be home with the baby during the day) and wont be so hard to commute to.
- I like YU and Touro as options above Adelphi and LIU because they have off for all chagim...very important!!
-YU campus in washington heights will take me much longer to get to then Touro (10 min walk from penn or one ride on subway)
-And in the end of the day, Touro is the cheapest.
Estimated Total for the mws programs: YU- 60 grand. LIU-66 grand. Adelphi-60 grand. Touro- 40 grand.

They are all expensive bc theyre private schools but Touro is the cheapest of all. And so I made a decision on that....BUT THEN....someone told me a few days ago that it will be much harder for me to find a job if I go to touro bc they have a bad reputation apparently and are ranked very low compared to the other schools.
Now, what I want to know is if this is true?
Will it be harder to find a job bc I'm not going to a "better" school. I dont really care so much about the name of the esteem or glory for myself. I'm just focusing on
a. convenient location
b. tuition
c. good school/teachers
d. off for chagim

Thats why to me it makes the most sense to just stick with touro.
Can you alll help me weight out these pros/cons??

I need to apply ASAP!!!
Thanks!!

if anyone went to touro for social work and has advice pleasee share!!

amother

Thu, May 23 2013, 2:56 pm

Op- you said that you're basing it on
a. convenient location
b. tuition
c. good school/teachers
d. off for chagim

To be honest, you're losing the forest for the sake of the trees.

Touro does not have a good reputation. Wherever you go will follow you on your resume. You don't want to have to be constantly proving to people that you are legit even though your school has a bad rap.

You do need to think about your job prospects. This is a really really tough market for social works. I graduated a few years ago was really lucky in that I was able to get my dream job-- working with teens at-risk in a full time job that came with benefits and was a frum place to work. When I was looking for a new job due to moving, I had a hard time getting interviews for jobs I was highly qualified for based on my experience and credentials (I'm an LCSW now).

Thank god I found a great job and I am very happy here. But my friends who are looking for new jobs are having a very hard time, and feel they need to stay where they are.