Applying to MSW without much working experience?

[plzgimmeanoffer]

Hi! I'm a sociology undergrad and have applied to several social work programs in the 2020 - 21 cycle. Social work organizations and industries(?) aren't really developed in the country where I come from, so I only learned about this major and discovered that maybe social work was the best choice for me through my studies in sociology. Most of my undergrad years were research focused (graduated with an honor thesis). So my working experience were all about volunteering and research assistants. Could anyone tell me if the lack of working experience in the related fields would seriously hold me back on the admission? I was looking through the forum and found that many people have multiple years of working experience and it kinda freaked me out  

Thank you! 

[HelloHello2]

The lack of working experience in the related field should not hold you back on admission. Research or volunteer experiences that are related to social work are also acceptable. You do not need a paid full/part time job in the social work field to get into the program but it also depends on whether if the program you're applying to is competitive and popular. What was the topic of your research and what kind of volunteer experiences do you have?

[plzgimmeanoffer]

3 minutes ago, HelloHello2 said:

The lack of working experience in the related field should not hold you back on admission. Research or volunteer experiences that are related to social work are also acceptable. You do not need a paid full/part time job in the social work field to get into the program but it also depends on whether if the program you're applying to is competitive and popular. What was the topic of your research and what kind of volunteer experiences do you have?

Thanks so much for the reply!! My honor thesis focused on the suicide among Asian subgroups and I also looked specifically into the topic of social stratification, like issues with eviction in the US and how the social class has been restricting women's access to feminism in East Asia. I volunteered at a poverty alleviation program for about three month, had been a volunteer teach for two month, and had helped to distribute medical equipments during the pandemic. The papers I've written made me want to focus on family and social justice in the grad school, yet the topics of my volunteer experiences are pretty scattered:(

[HelloHello2]

Your honor thesis on suicide among Asian subgroups sounds good for a MSW app. I feel like any kind of experience that involves helping the vulnerable or those at a disadvantage will help with your application. I am sure you did well! Which program did you applied to?