Admissions to Social Work Programs

[Portrait182]

Hello all, 

I am a recent second degree graduate from The City College of New York with a bachelor's degree in History and Jewish Studies; however, I also have a bachelor's in Psychology. I did some clinical research and have worked at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and have also tutored students b/w 6th-12th grade. But I have a major concern: I don't have counseling experience or any experience pertinent to social work; most of my work has been in an administrative capacity, except for my period as a clinical researcher and tutor. Any ideas of where I can find such experience? I have considered volunteering for a suicide hotline, for example. Should I even pursue social work at all because I feel I will require years of experience prior to applying? By the way, my cumulative grade point averages are 3.32 and 3.89 for my first and second degrees, respectively. Thank you for your attention to this matter; I deeply appreciate it!! 

P.S.: I am especially interested in Hunter College's Silberman School of Social Work. What are my chances of acceptance? As I hitherto mentioned, should I even bother with social work? 

[ZippyZup123]

Hey I know you posted this a while ago but I would say your chances are really good. It is a good idea to volunteer and they like admitting a wide array of students so your work and degrees will help you. You will have to do the two year program. Volunteer for the suicide hotline if you think you can manage the stress of it. Suicide is a very sensitive topic. You could volunteer on a more lowkey level like food pantries or other local organizations. Hunter is competitive but if you write a killer essay, quantify your reasons for social work and why Hunter would be a good fit, I don't see it being issue. 

The only thing I will tell you to be aware of is that they are very into white people recognizing their privilege in society and it doesn't really matter about your personal circumstances. You could be a cancer survivor and have lived in poverty but they will still want you to work your privilege and recognizing it into your situation that drives you to applying to Hunter - at least this is for the interview portion. The interview sucks. Anyway good luck!