CJMSW

I'm in a somewhat similar situation to you. I look forward to hearing from others.

I'm sure most are familiar with the list of online MSW programs which has been posted in this forum from the Council of Social Work Education. While checking out some "in-person" programs I discovered that San Jose State University as well as University of Central Florida both offer online programs which were not listed on CSWE's page. Does anyone know of any additional MSW programs that that page has missed?

I'll review you SOP if you'd like. Send me a private message.

I'm in the middle of writing up my SoPs for a few different MSW programs. The two programs I haven't heard much about that I'm applying to are University of Louisville and University of Tennessee Knoxville. Has anyone else applied to the online programs for either of those schools? Is anyone currently attending either? I'd love to hear how the programs are, what your stats were when applying, really any info at all

For those of you who have been accepted to Widener, how competitive of an application pool do you think it is? My undergrad academic record was far from stellar and I don't want to waste the admission department's time by applying when I don't have a decent shot of getting in there.

I feel like I may be one of the few Spring/Summer semester applicants out there Anyone want to review my SOP? I'm completely open to doing an exchange and review someone's. The SOP has been the most difficult part of the process for me so I would love some feedback.

I've been staring down MSW SOP prompts for nearly two years now and finally got to writing. Nearly all of the schools I'm applying to ask the similar question which is along the lines of what motivated you to pursue a MSW/what personal experiences contributed to your interest in social work. Please review my opening paragraph and provide any feedback you may have. "For as far back as I can remember I wanted to be a Speech Pathologist. The career combined two things that I felt passionately about: helping people get back their voice and serving populations that are often overlooked. In 2007 I found myself impacted by a Traumatic Brain Injury that altered my educational and career goals forever. My dreams of becoming a Speech Pathologist became a thing of the past as I found myself struggling to learn how to communicate again. While this injury caused my life to flip upside-down, it also taught me a great deal about the importance of the field of Social Work. I was fortunate to have a social worker assigned to my rehabilitation team who pushed me to continue pursuing education despite the severe learning disabilities that had become part of my reality. It was through her that I learned how to find my voice again while being a member of a population that is often overlooked. Through my experience I found a new passion: social work. "

I'd love to hear from anyone attending Widener! The fact that Widener has a focus on trauma studies is a huge selling point for me. What have you come up with regarding pros and cons for each?

I don't have any insight but am very interested in hearing what others have to say about this topic. I find myself in a similar situation to you. During my freshman year of college I sustained a TBI which led to awful grades for two years (neurology team flat out told me not to continue on with my schooling, I'm stubborn so I tried anyway...and have 31/2 semesters of failing grades or withdrawals now). Throughout the rest of my undergrad education I came to love the field of social work due to my experiences and want to be able to speak honestly about that when answering the question of what started my interest in pursuing a MSW. To disclose or not to disclose...decisions, decisions...

I think it all depends on what your goals are within the world of social work. Are you interested in clinical, generalist, macro...etc? Is there a specific demographic or setting you picture your career with?

I wish I had some advice to offer. I'm in a similar position to you and have been debating how to handle my SOP. During my first year of college I was in a wreck and sustained a TBI (traumatic brain injury) that all the doctors concluded would end my academic career. Not being one to be told I can't do something, I pressed on with my schooling and hopes of becoming a Speech Pathologist...unfortunately I failed one class after another. It took a lot of hard work and getting some assistance but eventually I was able to graduate with my Bachelors in a whole different subject matter (Criminal Justice). Through the seven years it took me to finally accomplish that, I had the privilege of working with a rehabilitation specialist (social worker) who really was the one that pressed me to not give up on pursuing my education and taught me a great deal of alternate ways to learn new material. It is largely because of her that I've decided to pursue a career in social work with the hopes of working with injured veterans and their families. Obviously having failed many of my classes due to my stubbornness of wanting to get right back to classes following my injuries, I have an awful transcript. I feel that those periods of poor academic performance should be explained in my SOP but I don't know if it is appropriate or if it will end up hurting my chances.

I've been wanting to apply to grad school for almost three years now but keep putting it off. At first it was mostly due to being fresh out of undergraduate and landing an amazing job that I didn't want to leave but now I'm realizing it is more than I'm just intimidated by the application process. I've been staring down the Statement of Purpose for each of the schools for nearly a year now. In all honesty, each time I sit down to write one I just can't seem to start. This must be the longest bout of writer's block ever. Has anyone else run into this? All the prompts seem to require a lot of information but in only a few pages. One of the colleges has eight questions that need to be addressed in only four pages with each question asking an additional two sub-questions. Am I the only one at a complete loss as to where to even begin with the SOPs? I'm also struggling with selecting proper references. As of right now I have the following: -Former supervisor at my current position. He thinks the world of me and constantly wrote recommendations for me internally. -Higher up supervisor (division-level of the non-profit I work for) who has recommended me for promotions and can speak to a great deal of the case management and resiliency programs I supervisor. -Professor from the college I attended. This is the one I feel unsure of. She is a highly regarded professor from the department I was in for undergrad but I never had her as my professor. We worked on a good amount of projects together though and I also assisted her with a study for a grant proposal on reintegration services for veterans. She has read all of my undergrad papers from our department so she can speak to my writing as well as my hands on involvement with advocacy issues. Do I need to reconsider by LOR sources?

I'm trying to figure out how on earth to pay for grad school without getting bogged down with student loans. I fortunately have Chapter 35 funding through the VA which has roughly another 24 months of payments I can use. Is anyone else utilizing Chapter 35? I'm looking at two different schools right now and the funding from the VA is a big deciding factor. School A operates on a typical full-time fall and spring semester schedule. School B is a part-time schedule that is a bit odd. You go to school year round but only take one class at a time with each class lasting seven weeks. Has anyone worked with utilizing that educational benefit from the VA while operating on a part-time schooling schedule?

There seems to be so many different options out there pertaining to counseling. I was initially looking at getting my M.S.W. but the internship hours required during the program just don't match up with my current job. That being said, I started looking into counseling instead. When I started looking at Master degree programs there seemed to be a bunch of different types: M.A. in Marriage & Family Therapy, M.A. in Psychology, M.S. in Counseling/Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and M.S. in Clinical Psychology. Are all of them the same in respects to being about to become a counselor? Are some of the degrees more likely to get hired than others? Are any of them considered a "professional degree" like a MSW is? This is all very new to me so any feedback would be great!

It sounds like you'll be very competitive! I was looking at applying to Norfolk State U as well, so it's exciting to see someone else who is looking at their program as well. Best of luck!!

After spending months looking into MSWs and the astronomical costs of many of the programs, University of North Dakota's online program is starting to look extremely good! My biggest concern is the fact that it doesn't have a clinical track. I want to continue on to be a LCSW. Does going to a MSW program with an advanced generalist focus not line up with my career goals? What can one do with an advanced generalist concentration?

I'm completely feeling sticker shock looking at the cost of all the MSW programs out there! I've been putting off applying for a year now because I'm really unsure about how I'll be able to afford it. As someone who has a disability I was given quite a bit of assistance to obtain my B.A. through a state grant program but I'm pretty it doesn't apply to those of use pursuing a graduate degree. Is anyone aware of any financial assistance in the way of grants or scholarships for grad students with disabilities?

I'm so happy you brought this up Twitchett. I've been struggling with how to address the "challenges you've overcome" and explanation of negative academic record. I don't want to reveal too much in the SOP but the only way for me to explain my academic record and talk about the challenges I overcame is to discuss the TBI I sustained during my 2nd semester of college and the recovery process that went along with it. It's definitely hard to balance answering those questions while not getting into too many details.

Read_books I'm with you on the low GPA. Overall GPA 2.77 Last 60 credits GPA comes out too roughly 3.6 Haven't taken a Biology course so slightly worried about that. My degree was in Criminal Justice/Forensic Psych with a concentration in Gerontology. I also took emphasis coursework in military/veterans issues. Haven't taken the GRE Volunteer Experience: -4 years working with special needs children in an urban school setting.Of those 4 years, 3 were spent shadowing Speech Pathologist and sitting on Child Study Team and 1 year of volunteering with an Occupational Therapist for early intervention. -1 year of serving with Children's Ministry at a rural church. Internships: - Interned for 6 months with a military employment nonprofit that is part of the DOD. Did outreach, briefings, and identified companies appropriate to partner with for employment among Guard & Reserve component. -Interned at my colleges Department of Veteran Affairs. Worked with SVO President to do needs assessment of services in place for incoming military/veterans, reviewed training available for faculty relating to military culture and possible stereotypes, and wrote grant to fund position for LCSW to specifically support service members/veterans on campus. Employment: -Disaster Recovery Case Manager for national non-profit. Worked with clients to develop long term recovery plan, advocated on their behalf with government agencies & insurance companies, evaluated eligibility for financial programs, and referred to mental health staff as needed. 5 months in position -Regional Program Manager for military/veterans/families department of same non-profit. Work with homeless veterans to develop housing plans and refer to additional services. Brief commands, do outreach events for military families, and sit on Deployment Cycle Committee for installation. Oversee case management staff of 7, overall program staff of 22, and supervise 2 BSW interns. Train military children on resiliency, provide military families with deployment support and reintegration skill building opportunities. Serve as Chair of Veterans Education for a county's Veterans Committee and member of local University's Military Advisory Board for their School of Social Work. Sit on Base Commander's strategic services board to spot trends in domestic violence, substance abuses, sexual assaults, and suicide attempts/completions, and develop prevention programs to create positive changes. LORs: I have an offer from a professor from my undergrad department who I didn't take classes with but had worked with. She would write a really strong letter as she's seen my academic progress and has worked with me on hands on projects. Other than that, 1 LOR from my current supervisor, and another from a former supervisor who also is a MSW professor and department head at a hospital. SOP: I have no clue where to even start on these. I'd like to address my less than stellar academic record but I'm not sure if that would be appropriate.

So far I'm looking at applying to University of Louisville, University of Tennessee -Knoxville, Arizona State U, WashU in St. Louis, U of Mississippi, Barry University, and Catholic University of America.

As I'm searching through all these different MSW programs I'm inspired by how many different concentrations and unique specializations there are! I'm looking for a Clinical concentration dealing with either trauma, military/veteran/families, post-traumatic stress, or something related to human trafficking. What are all of the rest of you wanting to pursue?! What drives you to pursue a MSW?

When applying for undergrad programs everyone seemed to have their safety & reach schools. How many of you have those for grad school? Honestly, all schools feel like "reach" schools for me with my less than stellar academic record and rather unimpressive volunteer history. Anyone feeling the same?

I had looked at University of Southern California, University of Washington, and Rutgers U and none of them appear to require biology which was why I was surprised when I saw that UCF and University in Louisville required it. In fact, U of W has it stated that biology is no longer required for new applicants. Based on what you've said though I guess I would be at a disadvantage in not having previous coursework in biology? Also, I see that you attend school in Tennessee. Do you by chance go to University of Tennessee Knoxville? I was looking at their program yesterday as they are now offering an online option.

I'm finally looking at grad schools to apply to. After finding what seemed like 2 ideal programs (University of Louisville and University of Central Florida) I was discouraged to see that both required a biology course. I haven't taken biology since high school which was many moons ago. Throughout my undergrad schooling biology was never required for my program in Criminal Justice and since I'm awful at anything science related, I avoided it like the plague. Was I naive to think that Social Work wouldn't require science courses? Are there any MSW programs out there that don't require a biology course? Panic is beginning to set in just as I was getting excited to apply

I saw that they are (hopefully) going to start an online MSW program. I'd love to hear any experiences people have had with the UCF program in general.