rabid_bibliophile

Hello all, You guys were so helpful when I needed help a few months ago that I thought maybe you had some opinions about the professional resume aspect of applying to graduate school for a MSW program. I am thinking of applying to Edinboro and I meet their requirements except for the professional resume. I don't have one if they mean work within the field of mental health or social work. I graduated with a BA in Psychology this past May, I'm middle aged and have never worked in either field before, and I live in an economically depressed area where jobs in those fields are not plentiful. I applied to a LOT of jobs starting a couple of months before graduation (VA, homeless shelters, women's shelters, etc.) and even ones where I knew I was not qualified because I was desperate to work within the field but I couldn't even get an interview. I finally ended up taking a job with a child care center because my husband and I need for me to have a job. I am looking at volunteer opportunities currently and as soon as I have some volunteer experience under my belt it seems I would be able to use that on my resume, but even then my resume would be short if they are looking for only work within the mental health/social work field. Nothing else I've done even come close to that and I doubt they care about my day care job. Does any one have advice? Is there anyone in a remotely similar situation and if so what did you do for this portion of the application if your school requires this? Thank you in advance for all replies!

Thank you so much! I think I need some volunteer or work experience first since I see a lot of the schools require this. I spoke with USC, but the program is very expensive. I'm considering North Dakota and Edinboro. I will definitely be in touch regarding questions and thank you for offering!

I want to thank you ALL so much for your insightful replies! I spoke with a LCSW about this matter today and he told me that he would not hesitate to hire someone who went to an accredited program, performed well, and was licensed regardless if the instruction was online or in an actual classroom. Your replies, along with his assurance that what I was told was incorrect, have put my mind at ease regarding pursuing online if I go that route. Thank you all again!

Thank you for your reply! It's so good to know that there are those that have found work after going online! I did ask 2 LCSWs and they both said they didn't think it would be a problem but they were sure since they are not in charge of hiring for the places they work. One said that she would ask her supervisors. I finished the last year of my BA online and loved it. It was also an accelerated program at an accredited university so I was able to finish quickly. There were a couple of professors who didn't communicate much online, but in those classes I really didn't feel like I needed the communication (math classes). I absolutely love to read so I already knew most of what was in the textbooks, and it was really just a refresher. In the core classes that were part of my major the professors communicated quite a bit. Thank you for your reply! Yes, the field placements are coordinated based on where you live. If you go to Boston University, and you live in California, your field placements are local.

I am new here so I hope I am posting this question in the correct place. I just graduated with my BA in psychology and my goal is to become a therapist. I have gone back and forth quite a bit in regards to MSW vs. MA and thought I had finally settled on LCSW. That part is a whole other can of worms, but sort of related to what just happened. I was speaking online with some people in the field and discussing that I might attend grad school online for my MSW. I know there are several programs available and I'm still in the process of trying to find volunteer work in my area that I would need before I apply and also trying to find entry level work in the mental health field with just a BA. There is a local university that I could attend, but it has no concentration, which is a consideration for me. Additionally, they do not say what they are looking for in terms of volunteer work in terms of length of service, just they you have to have it. My attempts to get in touch with someone to clarify what I would need have resulted in not being able to meet with a counselor because no one will call me back. Yet another factor that has me considering online is that my husband's job may move us to another part of the country and I do not want to have to withdraw from the local program completely. Online would seem to have more flexibility. So as I spoke online to this group of people already in the field I explained that the programs I'm considering are accredited and are no different than the brick and mortar programs, just that the university offers the classes online. I was told the following and I am wondering if anyone here has any thoughts on what I was told: 1) The supervision will not be as good as if you went brick and mortar because the professors are juggling too many classes. Also was told I would have a hard time finding supervision. 2) You'll be at the bottom of a slush pile in regards to employment opportunities just simply because you went to school online. When I asked how anyone would know if I went to school online or not, since it's not on your diploma, they said that it would come up in supervision and in interviews. 3) Classroom interaction will be inadequate because you aren't face to face. I would appreciate any and all thoughts and advice regarding this subject. I am truly at a loss as to what I want to do pretty much because I can not decide between online and brick and mortar due to the reasons I described above. Edited to add: If I were to apply at the local university and I wasn't accepted I wouldn't want to wait another year to apply. I am 45 years old and would like to go to grad school as soon as I can. I live in an area where there are no other options other than that one school or go online.