Volunteer work & experience needed for SW

[kingslayer]

Hi everyone!

My friend is going to be applying to a social work program next year, and I'm really worried about him. He's really smart and hardworking; he's a psychology major and has a 3.9 GPA. It's just his volunteer work that has me on edge. He has down that he volunteers in his child's classroom doing menial (imho) things such as filing, stuffing folders, ect. He volunteered for an animal rescue 15 years ago, and he did a PSA like 20 years ago. He wants to work with veterans, and I'm trying to get him to begin volunteering now rather than after he graduates in the fall so that way he can add it to his resume.

I was wondering what experience did you all had before applying to your programs? Is volunteering in a classroom enough? I honestly don't think it's relevant enough to social work, but I'm also not in social work. I'm actually more worried about this than he is, which was further amplified when he asked me (who knows nothing about SW and is going into school psychology) what a "generalist program" was rather than Google it and click the first result. The program he's applying to is a generalist program. I told him what it was, and he still doesn't understand. I have no idea how to help.

Edited January 15, 2016 by highborn

[Jax_Nise]

59 minutes ago, highborn said:

Hi everyone!

My friend is going to be applying to a social work program next year, and I'm really worried about him. He's really smart and hardworking; he's a psychology major and has a 3.9 GPA. It's just his volunteer work that has me on edge. He has down that he volunteers in his child's classroom doing menial (imho) things such as filing, stuffing folders, ect. He volunteered for an animal rescue 15 years ago, and he did a PSA like 20 years ago. He wants to work with veterans, and I'm trying to get him to begin volunteering now rather than after he graduates in the fall so that way he can add it to his resume.

I was wondering what experience did you all had before applying to your programs? Is volunteering in a classroom enough? I honestly don't think it's relevant enough to social work, but I'm also not in social work. I'm actually more worried about this than he is, which was further amplified when he asked me (who knows nothing about SW and is going into school psychology) what a "generalist program" was rather than Google it and click the first result. The program he's applying to is a generalist program. I told him what it was, and he still doesn't understand. I have no idea how to help.

I think working within the classroom is relevant, however, expanding his role would be helpful. In general, volunteering or working with specific populations will stand out. For example, working as a mentor to at risk youth, volunteering at a home for the elderly population, or anything that is people oriented. 

As for myself, my experience I detailed on my application includes: community organizer for non-profit civil and human rights organization, undergraduate campus leadership and internship, suicide crisis counselor, and work as a caregiver. (It may be relevant to note that I am only 24). The generalist program is just that, a general approach to social work. Many social work programs have specializations or concentrations such as mental health/integrated health, child, youth, and family, community capacity building, geriatrics, or forensics. 

[Lewi]

Hi,

I just wanted to share my experience, in case it's helpful: I didn't really have any volunteer experience working directly with people when I applied to school and I was accepted into 6 different MSW programs.  I had volunteered for an organization which provided food and basic necessities to families in need, but that did not include any direct contact on my part.  I think my strong GPA, recommendation letters and personal statement were vital to my acceptance.  Of course this will vary with each person and each school, but it does show that relevant volunteer experience is not always crucial.

[emylauren2794]

On January 15, 2016 at 1:05 AM, kingslayer said:

Hi everyone!

My friend is going to be applying to a social work program next year, and I'm really worried about him. He's really smart and hardworking; he's a psychology major and has a 3.9 GPA. It's just his volunteer work that has me on edge. He has down that he volunteers in his child's classroom doing menial (imho) things such as filing, stuffing folders, ect. He volunteered for an animal rescue 15 years ago, and he did a PSA like 20 years ago. He wants to work with veterans, and I'm trying to get him to begin volunteering now rather than after he graduates in the fall so that way he can add it to his resume.

I was wondering what experience did you all had before applying to your programs? Is volunteering in a classroom enough? I honestly don't think it's relevant enough to social work, but I'm also not in social work. I'm actually more worried about this than he is, which was further amplified when he asked me (who knows nothing about SW and is going into school psychology) what a "generalist program" was rather than Google it and click the first result. The program he's applying to is a generalist program. I told him what it was, and he still doesn't understand. I have no idea how to help.

I think volunteering in a classroom is good, however, he does need more experience as that would help him look better. The experience I'm planning on (or at least really hoping for) would be to work at a shelter for foster kids, go into families' homes and help them build specific skills, etc. I'm also trying to work with at risk youth and mental health to gain experience in those areas also. 

His experience is good, however he really should gain some more experience in other areas to gain a better knowledge of the field he's going into, as well as look more impressive on applications to colleges.

[ediblestranger]

Most if not all schools consider experience in the admissions process.  If he has an otherwise strong application (personal statement, letters, GPA, etc.) then a lot of programs will probably accept him, and there are several schools with ridiculously high acceptance rates if this is a concern.  I would be concerned about lack of experience if he is not otherwise a strong applicant.  And as others have mentioned, experience is a pretty important step in deciding to become a social worker, especially a direct practice or clinical social worker.  At my agency, I have seen more entry-level workers come and go than I can keep track of.  It isn't for everyone.

[tudor3x8]

I honestly didn't have the quintessential volunteer experience needed for social work. I did a lot of mentoring in college and after college I did a lot with eating disorder awareness. Looking back, I probably could (and probably should have) done more, but since my interest is with mental health, I think it's worked out. My GPA is also much lower than your friend's- I think his chances are quite good right now.

Of course, the more experience he gets the better, but I think universities can tell when you're padding your resume rather than doing something because you care about it.