New grad and kind of lost

[gkm4477]

So I just recently received my BA in Psychology and I am extremely STUCK!  I have read millions of forum posts, millions of google articles and self help what-nots.  I am one of those who changed their major a million times and its wasn't until my least few semesters that I really narrowed it down to where I potentially see myself in the future.  Long story short I would like to get my Master's in Social Work to eventually do family therapy.  The word on the street is that your chance for highest income in these positions is to become a LCSW.  Before I make this leap into grad school for Social Work I want to see what others experiences and opinions are.  Also, I have no experience in the field and I considered trying to get experience and/or job with Child Protective Services.  I am currently studying for the GRE and would like to send out applications this fall (to start in fall '16) and I just want to see what others did at this time in their careers.

 

Any input would be so helpful at this point!

[tamburger]

I haven't looked much into family therapy, as I am hoping to do more administrative and maco-level work (i.e. policies or whatnot). However, an MFT degree might be something to look into if you want to specifically pursue that!

 

At this point last year, I had been working at an ABA agency providing services for kids with autism from mostly immigrant and underserved backgrounds. I started mentoring students at a high school that had a high drop out rate.  I also did not have a bachelor's degree in social work, but was finishing my BA. Experience is very important to the MSW program, so if you can get a job at CPS that would only help you. I think a lot of programs ask for the number of hours you've served on your resume, so they surely evaluate that. However, I wouldn't totally be discouraged by it  if you don't have a ton of experience racked up by application time. Know how to spin your prior experiences to reflect how it is "social work related."  GRE does not seem to be super important because some programs make it optional, but again if standardized tests are your thing, it will only help you. I took mine, but did poorly on the quantitative portion, so I chose to omit my score. Yet, I feel like I got into a fairly competitive program in my state and am happy with that!

 

In short, I didn't do a ton of preparing last fall, since I was still a student, but yes, it is possible to get into a program without years upon years of preparation. Use all the resources the schools give you about the programs and research them well to help you do the statement of purpose. If anything, build relationships now with some people in a related field, so you can get some solid letters. Good luck!