Feedback about chances / path to social work

[Wishing]

Hi everyone,

I am hoping to get some feedback about my stats / chances of getting into MSW programs. As you can see, I didn't take the most "standard route" to pursuing social work as a career and I'm finding myself plagued by anxiety that I will appear too random, unqualified, or directionless when the admissions committees are reviewing my application. I'm specifically hoping to focus on macro social work/public policy and am particularly interested in the foster care system, child welfare, at-risk youth, educational issues, and queer youth. I plan to apply to MSW programs in the fall of 2013 so I have time to clean up my act if necessary! Any thoughts you have are welcome!

STATS

School: Top 25 ranked liberal arts college

Major: Political Science (honors thesis)

Minor: Gender Studies

GPA: 3.75 overall (magna cum laude)

GPA in major: 3.9

Received major scholarship for leadership and civic engagement.

My undergraduate coursework had a broad theoretical base and was very heavy on social justice issues. My honors thesis focused on the construction of American citizenship through discourses relating to public policy, specifically in education and public assistance.

GRE: Abysmal scores, I plan to apply only to schools that won't need to see it (Taking it again isn't an option... I flunked the SATs too and it wasn't a good predictor of my college success anyways.)

About me: Low-income/working class family background, overcame significant health-related obstacles during college, married lesbian.

Recommendations: Strong academic recommendations from professors I took multiple courses with and who I remain in touch with. Strong employment and volunteer recommendations from past and current positions.

Employment: I worked 2 work-study jobs during college, one as an office assistant for my academic department and another as en event coordinator for student programs.

I graduated in 2009 and have since taken a position with AmeriCorps in California. I serve full time as an elementary level reading and literacy tutor as well as a volunteer coordinator tasked with promoting community involvement in the underserved school with which I work and developing sustainable volunteer relationships to support the school in the future. I do a lot of community organizing, volunteer recruitment and training, working with local government to drum up support for the program, etc. I am also taken on significant leadership within the program itself, serving as the chair of one of our major committees which oversees community outreach and service projects to benefit the community in areas of need such as educational materials for underfunded schools, clothing and materials drives for homeless youth and their families, and collaboration with other local organizations to maximize our effectiveness in these areas. This summer I will max out my allowable time with AmeriCorps and will be looking for other work. No concrete plans yet, but hopefully something human-services related if I can swing it (job market is abysmal here, so we'll see).

Volunteering: In college I was the Treasurer and Vice-President of the American Civil Liberties Union student organization on campus. After graduation I volunteered for a year at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic and am now volunteering with Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children as an advocate for a foster youth in my county. My work with CASA will continue until I apply to graduate school, which is awhile away, probably in the fall of 2013. I will have been doing CASA 4-10 hours/week for almost two years by the time I apply, and longer by the time I start an MSW program. I also have an internship lined up this summer at a local nonprofit which promotes equity in our community along the lines of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. I can add more volunteer work if I need to.

Skills: My most significant work experience is obviously my AmeriCorps position, which has given me exposure to working with diverse populations and working to solve significant educational and social problems in the community in which I work. My tutoring job has developed my case management skills and provided me with experience and knowledge of community resources and how to refer students for services they need both within the school and outside it. As a volunteer coordinator I have gained important community organizing skills and a strengths perspective standpoint from which I am able to assess community needs and work with members of the community to facilitate addressing those needs without running the whole show myself. The work has been very collaborative. My work with CASA is similar in that it involves a lot of advocating for the needs of the "client" (I don't much like clinical terms, but there you go) and working with diverse, interdisciplinary teams of professionals, families, and other individuals who are involved in the child welfare case. On both counts I have supplemented my academic knowledge of policy, law, courts, etc. with practical experience navigating those systems, working to change them from within, and advocating for the needs of children within them. In every position I've demonstrated concrete leadership skills, an ability to follow through and be effective with leadership and dedication to my job. My recommendations will certainly attest to this and will be amazing if my performance reviews are any indication.

Trajectory: Obviously political science is not the typical undergrad major for a future MSW student, but I do feel that my coursework prepares me somewhat for thinking about the kids of macro issues I'm hoping to focus on as a student and practitioner of social work. I am pretty well-rounded academically but don't have a lot of experience with psychology or sociology which seem to be the more traditional majors feeding into social work. I basically decided I wanted to be a social worker after experiencing the amazing feeling of actually making a tangible difference in children's lives with my work in AmeriCorps. Prior to that I thought I would go into law or public policy or academia (socio legal studies) but I find I can't walk away from doing essentially what I am doing now--helping people help themselves. I wish I could say I'd go back and do it again with a different major, but I honestly wouldn't trade my background for the world. My coursework and knowledge from undergrad has had a profound impact on how I view the world and I'm happy I know all of these things. Personally I think it will make me an effective social worker in tune with the realities of the sociopolitical world that generally governs/impacts social workers, and I definitely think it will give me the background I need to be successful as a policymaker (and conversely I think hands-on experience in social welfare will give me the skills I need to be an effective policymaker if that is what I choose to do.) I love that an MSW gives me the flexibility to focus in a micro or macro area but also gain skills in other approaches. I love that I will be trained to DO something rather than just think about or theorize about doing something or what should be done. I like that I will be able to combine practical experience with a theoretical grounding. And most of all, I love the profession's call to social action and commitment to social justice. I also love the flexibility of an MSW in terms of career options, the possibility that I could get a PhD someday and become a professor if I am so inclined, the range of job possibilities... haha, I love it all in case you can't tell! I'm sure I can write a convincing "trajectory" personal statement about my journey to discovering my calling to social work if necessary.

The question is, will the admissions committees see all this the same way I do? Am I just deluding myself here in thinking I may be qualified? Do I need more experience? And if so, what? Am I overthinking this?

I am planning to take some pre-requisite coursework this coming year at a local community college, most of which is in psychology--intro to psych, stats for the behavioral sciences, human development, quantitative research methods, and a whole bunch of Spanish classes (the idea is to become fluent eventually, fingers crossed). Other than that is there something I need to do differently?

Schools I plan to apply to:

Columbia (hands down first choice due to their strong macro program and minor in law)

Boston University

Fordham

Simmons

University of Southern California

Berkeley (Yeah, I know I said no schools that want the GRE, but I'm a resident and the tuition is cheap!)

Bryn Mawr

U.Connecticut or SF State (Do I need a "fallback" school?)

So, after that novel... experts, what do you think? Can I get in?

Edited January 23, 2011 by Wishing

[mellowfe]

you'll get in, msw programs are not medical school is not that hard to get in as long as your show some kind of work/volunteer experience to show you really want to be in the field and your not a academic drop out. Your stats are more that good enough i think. good luck.

[emoleys]

I agree also that you will be a strong candidate. I think you'll get in to all of these programs just fine. For MSW programs, the emphasis is on work experience and your commitment to "the greater good", which you will demonstrate in your SOP.

Don't worry about the GRE scores, they do not actually weight that heavily in the admissions process. However, I'm sure if you have the time, improvement on your scores can only better your profile not just for admissions, but for the already scanty amount of financial aid available (ESPECIALLY if you're considering Columbia or USC).

As a current Columbia MSW student, my caveat is that your experience will be highly shaped by who teaches the courses (as it will be anywhere, but for some reason, it is especially apparent here). There is a very obvious gap in the range of teaching abilities among the faculty. As such, choosing better professors has truly made a vast difference in my educational experience.

As for the law minor program, there is actually a selection process that students must pass through in order to get into the program and actually take classes at the law school. Usually, they select about 10-13 students each year. The first semester, you'll take an additional legal course and depending on your performance there, you might get in. A plus, though, is that even if you don't get in, there is a required course on human behavior that is supposed to be a year long, but as a result of your first semester participation in the law minor program, you only have to take this course for a semester.

I hope this is helpful! I went through similar sentiments during this application process as well, so I can totally relate!

[Wishing]

Thanks so much for the responses! It definitely makes me feel better (silly, I know) to have feedback from other real, breathing people who know something about MSW programs. No one I know personally seems to have much to add or know anything about it, and although I have talked to a bunch of current/past students from some of the schools I am interested in attending (especially Columbia), it's awkward to go on and on about your qualifications/chances for admissions, if you know what I mean. I tend to stick more to questions about the programs, professors, field experience, etc. in those conversations.

If I thought taking the GRE again would make a difference in my performance I definitely would. It's embarrassing to admit, but I took it last time coming fresh out of a Kaplan course which really did help me raise my score a lot. I'm not sure I could do as well again without re-taking the class, nevermind improve my score. If it helps I had a verbal: 600 / quant: 520 / AW: 5

I haven't really looked into how those scores look for MSW programs... for the PhD programs (sociolegal studies, feminist studies/women's studies, and sociology) I'd looked at previously they usually wouldn't even qualify me to APPLY, certainly not to get an acceptance... feel free to weigh in if you think they're not as bad as I think they are (or the opposite--I can take it!) Currently I do not plan to submit GRE scores to any of the schools I'm applying to other than Berkeley, which requires them for all applicants. I get the impression that Columbia and BU, among others, mostly intend for GRE scores to compensate for otherwise weak areas of an application rather than as a factor in and of themselves, and I don't feel like I'll need to compensate for GPA or other "quant" evaluations of my academic abilities.

Whatever the case, the GRE scores obviously not the crowning glory of my application! My SOP will definitely be solid and I can clearly articulate a commitment to "the greater good" which is pretty evident in pretty much everything I do. I'm wiping out my undergrad loans completely with my AmeriCorps grant money, so I'm less concerned about the financial aid. I will ultimately be more concerned about the fit of the program with what I'm looking to do than the cost.

I do know that the Columbia law minor is a competitive program. Sadly, I've read pretty much every shred of information available online about Columbia's program and talked to several former students. Since I have an undergraduate background in law and have taken law classes before taught in the same style prevalent in law schools (actually, one of my law professors got his J.D. at Columbia!) I'm not as worried about that portion of it. I don't want to sound arrogant and perhaps I'm underestimating the process or overestimating my abilities, but I figure I'll get to that part when the time comes. Oddly it's the one thing I'm NOT stressed out about! I guess all the time I spent thinking I'd apply to law school wasn't for nothing after all if it could help me here. At the very least I'll be able to take that one initial course (and, as you noted, not have to spend so much time in Human Behavior!)

Thanks also for the advice about the professors-- I found the same thing in my undergraduate classes and chose my professors very carefully with a lot of older student influence. I had great experiences as a result. I'll definitely make it a priority to do some research before enrolling in courses!

[creativesocialworker]

Thanks so much for the responses! It definitely makes me feel better (silly, I know) to have feedback from other real, breathing people who know something about MSW programs. No one I know personally seems to have much to add or know anything about it, and although I have talked to a bunch of current/past students from some of the schools I am interested in attending (especially Columbia), it's awkward to go on and on about your qualifications/chances for admissions, if you know what I mean. I tend to stick more to questions about the programs, professors, field experience, etc. in those conversations.

If I thought taking the GRE again would make a difference in my performance I definitely would. It's embarrassing to admit, but I took it last time coming fresh out of a Kaplan course which really did help me raise my score a lot. I'm not sure I could do as well again without re-taking the class, nevermind improve my score. If it helps I had a verbal: 600 / quant: 520 / AW: 5

I haven't really looked into how those scores look for MSW programs... for the PhD programs (sociolegal studies, feminist studies/women's studies, and sociology) I'd looked at previously they usually wouldn't even qualify me to APPLY, certainly not to get an acceptance... feel free to weigh in if you think they're not as bad as I think they are (or the opposite--I can take it!) Currently I do not plan to submit GRE scores to any of the schools I'm applying to other than Berkeley, which requires them for all applicants. I get the impression that Columbia and BU, among others, mostly intend for GRE scores to compensate for otherwise weak areas of an application rather than as a factor in and of themselves, and I don't feel like I'll need to compensate for GPA or other "quant" evaluations of my academic abilities.

Whatever the case, the GRE scores obviously not the crowning glory of my application! My SOP will definitely be solid and I can clearly articulate a commitment to "the greater good" which is pretty evident in pretty much everything I do. I'm wiping out my undergrad loans completely with my AmeriCorps grant money, so I'm less concerned about the financial aid. I will ultimately be more concerned about the fit of the program with what I'm looking to do than the cost.

I do know that the Columbia law minor is a competitive program. Sadly, I've read pretty much every shred of information available online about Columbia's program and talked to several former students. Since I have an undergraduate background in law and have taken law classes before taught in the same style prevalent in law schools (actually, one of my law professors got his J.D. at Columbia!) I'm not as worried about that portion of it. I don't want to sound arrogant and perhaps I'm underestimating the process or overestimating my abilities, but I figure I'll get to that part when the time comes. Oddly it's the one thing I'm NOT stressed out about! I guess all the time I spent thinking I'd apply to law school wasn't for nothing after all if it could help me here. At the very least I'll be able to take that one initial course (and, as you noted, not have to spend so much time in Human Behavior!)

Thanks also for the advice about the professors-- I found the same thing in my undergraduate classes and chose my professors very carefully with a lot of older student influence. I had great experiences as a result. I'll definitely make it a priority to do some research before enrolling in courses!

Don't let the GRE limit you! Those scores are good enough for both Berkeley and UCLA. UCLA doesn't weigh it heavily at all or really even care about your quant score. I am horrible at standardized tests and got a 510 verbal and 610 quant. Despite that I was just accepted to UCLA. Also, I am finishing my BA this year and have less experience than you do. Go for it!