Career Change to Social Work

[slp2msw]

Hi all! I am currently a speech/language pathologist in the process of applying to MSW programs. I have a bachelors and masters degree in communication sciences & disorders and three years of experience as an SLP in the public school setting. In my career I've had the opportunity to work with children and families from low SES backgrounds and wear many "hats" while serving as an SLP. I'm a little worried about my competitiveness as an applicant as I don't have an undergrad background in social work or a traditional liberal arts program. I completed both of my degrees with a 3.5 GPA. I know that no one can give an exact answer, but am I competitive applicant for an MSW? I am trying to avoid programs that require the GRE as my 2010 scores can no longer be reported. I believe that I will be able to obtain strong recommendations from former instructors and current supervisors. I am interested in gaining admission to Columbia, NYU, University of Michigan, UPENN and USC. 

Thanks in advance for the help! I really appreciate it!

[TheCrow]

Do you want to focus on policy or direct practice? It sounds like you're largely aiming for school based on their brand appeal. For direct practice, no one really cares where you went and many of the "top schools" just employ a large cadre of adjuncts to teach their practice classes. For policy-focused students, the name of your school matters more, but you might be better off in a different type of program, especially if you're not offered a lot of funding.

I think you'll find that, in general, you don't have to worry about competitiveness for social work programs. The brand name schools are actually easier to get into than the lower-ranked program. The problems is that many of them (places like NYU, USC, and Columbia in particular) give very little need-based and merit aid, so the bigger struggle is getting into a program that is avoidable. While public service loan forgiveness is available, remember that you will have to still pay a lot toward the loans over that time period.

[slp2msw]

I am interested in pursuing the clinical route and obtaining my LCSW. 

I agree that NYU and Columbia are expensive programs; however, I plan to live in NYC and feel like I'll have a better chance of making connections/obtaining a position if I attend a top school there. It's a tough decision as my state school is a top program and I could likely attend for much cheaper but they require the GRE and my current scores are outdated. I'm currently working full time so I didn't want to prepare for the GRE again as my current Master's degree proves that I am extremely capable of completing a graduate program. I guess in the long run it's a small price to pay for significnatly saving $$ on the cost of attendance. 

[TheCrow]

From other's postings here, students at Columbia and NYU report having the same field placements as students at Hunter. In terms of GRE, basing your decision on where to apply based on who doesn't require the GRE is very short-sighted. Graduate school--particularly at the cost of these programs and the expected earnings afterwards--is a huge life decision. A lot of decisions may seem reasonable because it feels like everyone else is doing it, but a huge number of people are buried in absurd amounts of debt.

[Jolie717]

A bit off topic, but why the change in interest?  Just curious as I will be starting my MS in SLP in two months - thanks!!!

[anothercoffeeplease]

Hi! I am also a career changer and applied for an MSW while working full time during the two busiest quarters of the year. My husband is in a demanding program, so I was running a lot of the household stuff, too. All that to say I was able to prepare for the GRE and do well enough to get into a "top" program, though I will echo that I've been advised many times over that school names don't really matter for most applicants. DO NOT FEAR THE GRE. 

My uGPA was 3.21 (so, not impressive), and I actually dropped out of a different grad program years ago after realizing it wasn't the right fit. So two strikes, right? My GRE math score was around 45th percentile (what is factoring?), and my verbal was somewhere over 90th and writing was a 5, I think (yay words!). I'd really recommend brushing up on some of your vocabulary and math skills using Magoosh and Khan Academy, and then take the practice tests offered through ETS. You have plenty of time to prepare since applications aren't due for several months. I bet you'd be surprised with how well you do after a little practice! 

 Also, I'm not sure what SLP programs are like but the only grad experience I'd had was law school. It was so competitive and toxic (school and the field in general), and it's taken a lot of effort to (constantly) remind myself SW is not law and an MSW program is not law school. Could some of this competitiveness be coming from your experience as an undergrad or SLP student? I'm not trying to say you should not take your education seriously, but I am trying to say that it's a different environment and the strengths needed may be different than those you believe are necessary. Good communication, strong writing skills, compassion, ethics, etc.? Definitely. 99th percentile GRE scores? Nah. 

[HunterGirl]

I would also recommend applying to Hunter, the GRE is not required and it is in NYC and field placements are comparable to NYU/Columbia

[slp2msw]

4 hours ago, anothercoffeeplease said:

Also, I'm not sure what SLP programs are like but the only grad experience I'd had was law school. It was so competitive and toxic (school and the field in general), and it's taken a lot of effort to (constantly) remind myself SW is not law and an MSW program is not law school. Could some of this competitiveness be coming from your experience as an undergrad or SLP student? I'm not trying to say you should not take your education seriously, but I am trying to say that it's a different environment and the strengths needed may be different than those you believe are necessary. Good communication, strong writing skills, compassion, ethics, etc.? Definitely. 99th percentile GRE scores? Nah. 

I went to a competitive program but I definitely don't think I'm a super competitive person!  I'm going to prepare for the GRE as it will allow me to apply to my top choice and I've heard that the scores are more of a formality required by The Graduate School. It's just a little worrying because I haven't taken a math course since statistics in undergrad several years ago! 

My main concern is that I don't really have a traditional social work background, that's what I meant about being a "competitive" applicant. I have a lot of experience in the field of speech pathology and can relate many of my experiences directly to the field of social work in my SOP, I'm just wondering if this will be enough or do I need to complete additional volunteer hours? 

Thanks a lot for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it! 

[futuresocialworker2017]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 2:58 PM, slp2msw said:

I went to a competitive program but I definitely don't think I'm a super competitive person!  I'm going to prepare for the GRE as it will allow me to apply to my top choice and I've heard that the scores are more of a formality required by The Graduate School. It's just a little worrying because I haven't taken a math course since statistics in undergrad several years ago! 

My main concern is that I don't really have a traditional social work background, that's what I meant about being a "competitive" applicant. I have a lot of experience in the field of speech pathology and can relate many of my experiences directly to the field of social work in my SOP, I'm just wondering if this will be enough or do I need to complete additional volunteer hours? 

Thanks a lot for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it! 

I don't think its working against you that you don't have a strong social work background. In my current program many students are coming from unrelated fields and not all had volunteer experience (like me). The SOP is important and you should write about what prompted your idea to switch fields and don't hold back. Show your passion and make sure you have a strong SOP that highlights your strengths and shows the schools that you're a good candidate. I wish you best of luck in your social work journey!