How Strong of a MSW Candidate am I?

[ntownes]

Any help/suggestions/answers would be much appreciated:

First, let me tell you more about me: I am a 24-year-old Communication and Political Science double major from an accredited CA Liberal Arts private university with a 3.55 GPA. I worked one year in marketing after school and decided that I want to do something more in the realm of therapy/counseling.

Two of my former professors, both have earned their PhD in Psychology, have offered me letters of recommendation, and I have a life-long family friend who has also agreed to recommend me for my third LOR. I have no volunteer hours or paid hours in the field of social work or human services. I am scheduled to take my GRE (though I know some programs do not require it) in mid August.

Because of a military tuition-exemption benefit, I am looking to apply to a CA state school MSW program with the goal to become a LCSW--possibly pursue my PhD after that. Currently, I am interested in Sacramento State, San Diego State, San Jose State, UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State.
 

My questions:

1) Of the CA state MSW programs, which are the best options for me?

2) Am I a competitive for the listed or suggested programs? If not, what do I need to do?

3) If there are any of you who at least have their MSW (preferably their LCSW), can you share your experiences--pros and cons--about the journey to get your degree, what an average day looks like, job opportunities, financial situation, and/or anything else that might shed more light on my decision?

4) Does anyone have tips on how I should go about compiling my Personal Statement?
 

5) Any other educated opinions on anything related to my situation?

Personal experiences, stories, and/or insider tips would be highly appreciated.

Edited July 15, 2014 by ntownes

[esp.msw]

I think your degree and GPA will help you, though your lack of experience in social services may hinder you a bit. I would recommend (if you have time) volunteering. Also, I believe they do not accept personal references, (ie friends/family) at least from what i've been told. Professors and employers/supervisors would weigh more heavily. You have a great start! I would also contact the departments and meet with an advisor if you can. Attend informational meetings and ask them directly any of your concerns. 

[elbimbo]

1) Of the CA state MSW programs, which are the best options for me?

You did not list any concentrations that you are interested in. I suggest looking up each school's forte and then decide which ones you really want to apply to. Application fees are not cheap and they pile up quickly!

2) Am I a competitive for the listed or suggested programs? If not, what do I need to do?

I applied to Cal State Northrdge, Cal State Los Angeles and USC. I was accepted to all of them and I am attending Northridge. This was actually the toughest school for me to get into. They had an interview portion and I was waitlisted. Based on my experience (applied straight from undergrad, 3.2 GPA in Sociology, no paid experience in social services BUT ~3 years volunteer experience as a sexual assault advocate and assistant case manager at a transitional housing facility + 4 years customer service experience that I was able to relate back to social work) , I think experience and your personal statement is a big factor in admission. I highly, highly suggest racking up volunteer experience right now. This is a tough profession that can be really emotionally demanding. The admission committee needs to see that you can handle the stress. I also see that you are applying to more competitive programs such as Berkeley and SFSU. Read up on prior threads about those schools in order to gather just how competitive they are. 

4) Does anyone have tips on how I should go about compiling my Personal Statement?

-Start early and dig deep! Have everyone and their mom critique it. 

 

Good luck!
 

[briefinterviews]

UC Berkeley heavily emphasizes one year of full-time work experience in social services in their admissions, and with no volunteer work I cannot imagine you would be competitive next to other applicants in your concentration. (At Cal, you compete against others in your proposed concentration, not the entire applicant pool.)

[Lifesaver]

The life-long friend can't/shouldn't write your LOR. Since you already have two professors writing on your behalf, your employer/former employer should write your third. When you get to filling out your applications, you will see that schools are very specific about who writes LORs.

 

I can't vouch for anything in California. Didn't apply anywhere there.

 

Definitely start volunteering! Volunteering is HUGE for SW school and the application process.

 

And as far as the personal statement goes, I suggest starting it early and having everyone read it. I re-wrote the first three paragraphs of mine several times. When I finished writing, I proof-read it several more times. Even then, I still missed a few grammar errors that were later caught by my mother's friend who is a self-proclaimed grammar Nazi and ironically, a SW herself. That being said, she was the third person reading for grammar and the two before her (both have PhDs!) missed the majority of the mistakes she caught. So, I mean it, have everyone you know with half a brain read your statement.