Help, I need somebody... anybody

[Maus]

Hello,

I would first like to apologize for my glaring reference to The Beatles in my subject, I could not help it.

However, more importantly I do need the assistance of all your brilliant minds. I am currently a undergraduate senior who seriously wants to pursue a MSW. However, I do not know if my chances of getting accepted to a 'good' graduate school is a possibility. While my GPA is quite solid, a 3.776, my major is History... which is not in the major fields of sociology, human services, or psychology which a significant amount of students attending MSW have. And while I have a minor in Woman/Gender Studies, I am worried that my major will be an disadvantage. Also, I believe I have a lower chance as while I am heavily involved in student organizations which center around social justice (Students for Peace and Justice, Amnesty International, Spectrum, SHARE, etc) I lack a solid example of volunteering due to the lack of having a vehicle. I am worried that my lack of working experience in the social service field as well as my absence of a major in social work/sociology etc. will adversely affect me. I would like to attend such institutions as Rutgers, New York University, Fordham University, Loyola-Chicago University, Boston College, and well etc.

I was hoping you all could either a. soothe my intense worrying or b. be realistic and tell me I have absolutely no chance of going to such grad schools.

I would love any advice you all can provide me.

Thank you,

Best,

Maus

[savannahbee]

here is what i know.

social work education is much less about academics and much more about the whole applicant. at my orientation last week (for university of washington) they said that my cohort has an average GPA of 3.5, and an average of 2.5 years of field experience. certainly some people have better GPAs and some worse, some more experience and some less. as far as not majoring in a 'related field', the guy i sat next to at orientation was a biology major.

my advice to you would be to

a) do some volunteering if there's any possible way you can. not only is it good for applications, it's a pretty important thing to figure out if you actually LIKE the work before you commit to a grad degree. i spent 3 years working in the field and only this year was positive it was the place for me.

get really good letters of rec.

c) write a really really good essay.

[michigan girl]

One of my social work friends has a minor in women's studies. I don't think it is a disadvantage. Make sure you have volunteer experience and write excellent essays.

[Maus]

Thank you all for your helpful advice.

I have another question, if you do not mind.

I noticed my choices for MSW are pretty much ranked as the highest programs in the field. I was wondering if there was a sort of master list of schools which have a MSW. I tried the random thinking of schools and seeing if they had a masters in social work, but it got old... really fast. If not, and this is an idiotic question, I apologize.

Once again,thank you so much for your advice and suggestions. I appreciated it greatly.

[Dreams]

Thank you all for your helpful advice.

I have another question, if you do not mind.

I noticed my choices for MSW are pretty much ranked as the highest programs in the field. I was wondering if there was a sort of master list of schools which have a MSW. I tried the random thinking of schools and seeing if they had a masters in social work, but it got old... really fast. If not, and this is an idiotic question, I apologize.

Once again,thank you so much for your advice and suggestions. I appreciated it greatly.

Instead of wading through the schools, you may want to stop first and ask yourself what you want to do with the degree. Different social work schools have different strength. For example, if you are interested in clinical, then NYU or Loyola will be good bets. Fordham is good for macro practice. Check out the NASW and CSWE websites. They have a list of all accredited BA and MA level programs.

And another note, getting a job will not boil down to having a degree from a higher ranked school in the end. It will will depend on your ability to get licensed.

[shellyeah]

Hello,

I would first like to apologize for my glaring reference to The Beatles in my subject, I could not help it.

However, more importantly I do need the assistance of all your brilliant minds. I am currently a undergraduate senior who seriously wants to pursue a MSW. However, I do not know if my chances of getting accepted to a 'good' graduate school is a possibility. While my GPA is quite solid, a 3.776, my major is History... which is not in the major fields of sociology, human services, or psychology which a significant amount of students attending MSW have. And while I have a minor in Woman/Gender Studies, I am worried that my major will be an disadvantage. Also, I believe I have a lower chance as while I am heavily involved in student organizations which center around social justice (Students for Peace and Justice, Amnesty International, Spectrum, SHARE, etc) I lack a solid example of volunteering due to the lack of having a vehicle. I am worried that my lack of working experience in the social service field as well as my absence of a major in social work/sociology etc. will adversely affect me. I would like to attend such institutions as Rutgers, New York University, Fordham University, Loyola-Chicago University, Boston College, and well etc.

I was hoping you all could either a. soothe my intense worrying or b. be realistic and tell me I have absolutely no chance of going to such grad schools.

I would love any advice you all can provide me.

Thank you,

Best,

Maus

I was an English and Gender Studies major, and so far I'm in at NYU. I would suggest that if you want to solidify your chances, highlight volunteer work. Get some volunteer experience! Majors are way less important than solid experience. You don't need a car to volunteer... there are SO MANY volunteer experiences online (you can even be a rape crisis counselor for RAINN right from your cell phone).