Please help....MSW

[patty-O]

Hello everyone! I am so glad I came across this page!!! I am currently looking into applying for a MSW. However, so many things are going through my mind!!!   I am hoping I can get a valuable insight from all of you! A little about me: I am 30, a single mother, and work full time. I earned my BA in Liberal Studies. I feel my degree hasn't taken me anywhere. It has taken 6 years to finally decide what I want to do.

 

 

As am I looking where to apply, I have decided that my choices are Cal State L.A., Long Beach, or Dominguez Hills. I WOULD LOVE to apply to USC but my undergrad gpa is not great AND the price tag is not suitable for me! As I'm looking at the requirements, I am having a hard time to write a personal statement! As I said, it has been 6 years since I have wrote an essay or anything like it! Any ideas on how to get started!?

 

Are there many types of MSW? I am looking in working either with the county or would like to work in a hospital setting. I remember when I had my child, the social worker was such a wonderful person and helped me a lot! (My child was in the NICU). And are any of you going for the LCSW? 

 

How many of you are planning to juggle work and school? I know there are field practices done while working on the MSW and this is a great concern for me! I need my job in order to pay for things and for my child's needs. Any advice on this?

 

Tuition is another great concern. I see a lot of you have received scholarships and loans! How do I get informed on getting scholarships and loans? I know I should go to the Financial Aid department, but when I go I feel I am not being helped at all. And how did many of you get scholarships over $10,000??? Also, I noticed that on the applications, it states if I am interested in CALSWEC and IUC programs? Is it a good thing to apply for these stipends?

 

I do not have any volunteer service. I have been working in one place my whole life....a school setting. And it has finally hit me that I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT MY LIFE!!! ESPECIALLY FOR MY CHILD!! Will this affect my application? 

 

I'm sorry if my questions are irrelevant or dumb! I just feel so new to this school thing! I hope to get some advice from all of you! 

Edited June 26, 2013 by patty-O

[MSW13]

Congratulations on making a very important career decision!  Although unfortunately I cannot speak to many of your questions (because I am not located in the US) but there are some suggestions I would like to make.  Firstly, you will write your personal statement differently than you would an essay. It will sound more conversational than academic. However, don't take this to mean that it shouldn't sound professional. You absolutely have to make sure that your grammar/spelling is correct.  Give yourself a good month or two to work on it. Based on the questions, start jotting down ideas and put it aside if you get writers block. Come back to it in a few days and keep building on what you've written. The worst thing you can do is try to get it done in a week. Although some can manage that well, I would say that most need more time to feel comfortable with what's been written.

 

Secondly, you mentioned that you do not have any volunteer experience and have only worked in one setting.  This is definitely a very important area that you can expand. I would suggest that you start looking at areas to volunteer that reflect your MSW interests. For instance, if you like the idea of working with sick kids, perhaps volunteer at a hospital?  You should have clear career goals or at least be able to articulate your interests well. It isn't enough to say that you want to be a social worker. However, you can say something about how you were inspired to pursue this career after your child was in the NICU. You saw how valuable a social worker can be and aim to offer similar type of support, etc, etc.  

 

You are off to a great start and best of luck!

 

Hello everyone! I am so glad I came across this page!!! I am currently looking into applying for a MSW. However, so many things are going through my mind!!!   I am hoping I can get a valuable insight from all of you! A little about me: I am 30, a single mother, and work full time. I earned my BA in Liberal Studies. I feel my degree hasn't taken me anywhere. It has taken 6 years to finally decide what I want to do.

 

 

As am I looking where to apply, I have decided that my choices are Cal State L.A., Long Beach, or Dominguez Hills. I WOULD LOVE to apply to USC but my undergrad gpa is not great AND the price tag is not suitable for me! As I'm looking at the requirements, I am having a hard time to write a personal statement! As I said, it has been 6 years since I have wrote an essay or anything like it! Any ideas on how to get started!?

 

Are there many types of MSW? I am looking in working either with the county or would like to work in a hospital setting. I remember when I had my child, the social worker was such a wonderful person and helped me a lot! (My child was in the NICU). And are any of you going for the LCSW? 

 

How many of you are planning to juggle work and school? I know there are field practices done while working on the MSW and this is a great concern for me! I need my job in order to pay for things and for my child's needs. Any advice on this?

 

Tuition is another great concern. I see a lot of you have received scholarships and loans! How do I get informed on getting scholarships and loans? I know I should go to the Financial Aid department, but when I go I feel I am not being helped at all. And how did many of you get scholarships over $10,000??? Also, I noticed that on the applications, it states if I am interested in CALSWEC and IUC programs? Is it a good thing to apply for these stipends?

 

I do not have any volunteer service. I have been working in one place my whole life....a school setting. And it has finally hit me that I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT MY LIFE!!! ESPECIALLY FOR MY CHILD!! Will this affect my application? 

 

I'm sorry if my questions are irrelevant or dumb! I just feel so new to this school thing! I hope to get some advice from all of you! 

[nugget]

I think it would be a good idea to visit your local bookstore or library and look for books on writing a personal statement. As well, you should be able to find a good book on what the field of social work is like, the personal attributes needed for a good social worker, the working conditions, different branches of social work, etc... All of this information will come in handy when you write your personal statement.  

 

Whenever you are writing about your abilities and strengths as an applicant, you need to provide evidence for what you say through specific examples. It is not enough to simply state that you are patient, empathetic and a good listener, for instance.

 

You will learn more about this and other things by reading some good books on the subject. You can also find sample personal statements on the internet. You should also try to look at sample personal statements in social work or in a related field, as different programs may place emphasis on different aspects of a candidate's profile.