Question about majors and micro/macro concentration

[blueled]

Okay so a few days I talked to an admissions person and even though I met all the requirements for the MSW program and had a year of work experience, that person told me, "Well, because you aren't specifically a Sociology, Anthropology, or Social Work major in undergrad, the chances of you getting accepted will be difficult."

For the record, I'm a humanities major (think English, History, Art, etc.)

Is this a joke? That's like saying a pre-med who is a English major won't be admitted to med school because he isn't a Biology major. And we all know there ARE pre-med non-bio majors out there that DO get into med school. I don't know if this person was just pulling my neck or something, but the whole time I was feeling cynical of what the person was saying. It's kinda like when during advertisements or orientation, you'll hear from staff that their program/university is the "best" in the world and that there is no other university like them.

But anyways, I'm a humanities major and I've met all the requirements for admission. Do you think I'll be denied simply because I'm not specifically a Sociology/Psychology/Social Work undergrad major? Seems ridiculous if you ask me.

Also, I wanted to ask, if I wanted to work in a city's department of child/family services and become a Children's Social Worker, does it matter if I choose my concentration for micro or macro? The admission person was basically telling me, "Since you have not taken any psychology classes, I don't see why you would even choose micro as a concentration."

[kldfweldsc]

No offense, but i think that admissions person is full of crap.

I'm a psych/crim major who got into two programs just fine. Plus, I've talked to MANY people who have said that it's not about what you majored in, but more of what you can overall bring to a program.

[briefinterviews]

Whomever you spoke with, to put it ineloquently (and tackily), is whack.

I was an English/Creative Writing major with 2 years full-time work experience at the time of application, and I'm doing just fine in admissions. While I definitely anticipate being in the minority with my major at whatever program I end up at, I don't believe it presents itself as a barrier in any way. Some schools do require certain course requirements that they outline, but they are usually satisfied by a broad liberal arts foundation; most notably, I've seen statistics/research methods and courses with a human biology content specifically singled out.

As far as your career goals are concerned, you would probably want to stick to a micro/clinical track. The advice you were offered by this admissions representative is poppycock

During my program research, I did come across a rogue admissions rep from a Top 5 program who couldn't explain to a prospective student the difference between micro/macro/mezzo social work at a graduate school fair... It happens.

[ladybug3]

It really depends on the program you are applying to and your educational background, beyond your major.

For example, two of the programs I am applying to require a variety of undergrad psychology courses and at least 75%+ in both a Statistics course and a Research Methods course. Being, say, an English major could put you at a disadvantage for these requirements. But say you had a Psychology minor.. then it really wouldn't matter because you would probably have the prerequisites.

I am not saying you will not get in, but I am saying some programs may not consider you on the same realm as social science or BSW applicants. Furthermore, it is possible that you may have a harder time adjusting than some people with an educational background that is more similar to the MSW content. However, if you're doing macro social work and have, say, a political science major, it probably won't matter as much..