Cal State Universities MSW Applicants Thread

[ChicanaMSW2018]

Hi Everyone,

I will be submitting applications to the UCB, CSUEB and SJSU 2018 MSW programs, I am so happy to find TheGradCafe community!  I have been going about this all on my own and feel so intimidated by the process. I am working on my SOP for UCB and will work off that for SJSU and CSUEB, I am in the editing stage and hope to be done by next week. Here are my stats to start off.

Stats

Cumulative Transferrable GPA: 3.40

Cumulative Transferrable GPA last 90 quarter or 60 semester: 3.68

GRE: did you take it? Would you like to share your score? Not taking 

Undergraduate Major(s) and Minor(s): Sociology Major Ethnic Studies Minor

Additional degrees, certifications, awards: AA Social Sciences with Honor

Honors: Deans list 

Clubs/Societies:

Work Experience: (description and how much time) 2+ years social services agency employee working with individuals and families seeking resources and assistance such as food, shelter, DV services, etc. 1yr 8 month at a non-profit working with adults with developmental disabilities helping them become independent in their communities. Providing counseling, advocating at medical appointments, creating and implementing state individual support plans. 

Intern Experience: (description and how much time)  No inter experience.

Volunteer Experience: (description and how much time) 10 + years Unofficial community outreach to the local Latino undocumented population providing translation services, assistance in filling out forms, advocating at important meetings and connecting people to resources.  

Strength of Personal Statement: 1-10 (was it reviewed?) I have been working with a college professor who has been reviewing my drafts. Right now I feel it is at a 6, I need to bump this up soon!

Languages you speak: English and Spanish

Age, Gender, Ethnicity: (sometimes this matters to admissions) 27, Female, Chicana/Native American

Additional:

Your intended area of focus: mental health, child welfare, public policy etc: Children and Family- I will be applying for Title IV-E stipend as well. CSUEB has priority for current social services employees applying for MSW and Title IV-E so i hope this will help some. 

Your story: Anything else you would like to share, or things you feel may be considered about your journey in life by the admissions committee.

I am the daughter of immigrants, I witness first hand structural racism and the barriers created for people of color, specifically undocumented populations. My goal to help eliminate barriers to self sufficiency and access to resources such as health care, housing and employed. 

[a_then_a]

On 4/3/2017 at 6:57 AM, IV-E MSW said:

I am an undergrad at SDSU, I'm in the title  iv-e program here . 

overall gpa 3.2

last 60 units 3.6

the only experience I have is from my internships which will be 500 hours when I graduate , I'm only 21 so I don't have much experience as I've literally been in school my whole life lol

i also did a volunteer trip to Costa Rica where I worked with teens girls in a group home for two weeks (my study abroad graduation requirement)

hope this helps!

Hi! I am actually applying to the title iv-e program this year. I was wondering what the interview process was like. Was it more situational questions or questions about current laws and programs currently in place? 

Any little bit helps!

Thank you!

[a_then_a]

On 4/3/2017 at 6:57 AM, IV-E MSW said:

I am an undergrad at SDSU, I'm in the title  iv-e program here . 

overall gpa 3.2

last 60 units 3.6

the only experience I have is from my internships which will be 500 hours when I graduate , I'm only 21 so I don't have much experience as I've literally been in school my whole life lol

i also did a volunteer trip to Costa Rica where I worked with teens girls in a group home for two weeks (my study abroad graduation requirement)

hope this helps!

Hi! I am actually applying to the title iv-e program this year. I was wondering what the interview process was like. Was it more situational questions or questions about current laws and programs currently in place? 

Any little bit helps!

Thank you!

[ChicanaMSW2018]

On 11/26/2017 at 12:42 PM, a_then_a said:

Hi! I am actually applying to the title iv-e program this year. I was wondering what the interview process was like. Was it more situational questions or questions about current laws and programs currently in place? 

Any little bit helps!

Thank you!

HI, 

  I am also applying for Title IV-E at UCB, CSUEB and SJSU, I had the opportunity to meet with their respective Title IV-E coordinators sometime in 10/2017 and from what I gathered the questions are straight forward : what lead you to social work, what experiences do you have that have prepred you to work with children and families in child welfare system, what would you want to do with a MSW. 

I am sure there is much more information but this is what i can remember, just to clarify i did not have not interviewed for Title IV-E yet. I work for my local county's social service agency and they came to present to employees as we are offered priority.

 

Best of luck to you!! 

[PeaceLoveSowk]

A little late on this thread, but I wanted to ask...if you're from out of state, is there ANY point in applying to any of the Cal state schools? Do they pretty much only accept in-state?

[ChicanaMSW2018]

On 2/8/2018 at 2:10 AM, PeaceLoveSowk said:

A little late on this thread, but I wanted to ask...if you're from out of state, is there ANY point in applying to any of the Cal state schools? Do they pretty much only accept in-state?

I haven’t really seen any trends on this but it’s worth applying.  You would be paying higher out of state tuition so I don’t see why a school would deny a qualified student who will be paying more. That’s my own opinion. 

 

All the best to you. 

[ChicanaMSW2018]

On 11/26/2017 at 12:42 PM, a_then_a said:

Hi! I am actually applying to the title iv-e program this year. I was wondering what the interview process was like. Was it more situational questions or questions about current laws and programs currently in place? 

Any little bit helps!

Thank you!

I applied for the 2018 UCB MSW Title IV-E program and I interviewed on January 31, 2018. The interview itself was pretty straightforward as others have mentioned, it is a panel interview from 2 to 3 people, mine consisted of three people, two previous students and one current administrator I believe.

 They were all really friendly and that put me at ease, it was six questions in total I was in there for about a half hour. Below is a list of the six questions I was asked for the 2018 interview. There was a total of 50 interviewed for the IV-E program and they will accept only 16.

1.  Why do you want to work in child welfare? 

2.  How do you communicate or connect with other people from various backgrounds and cultures?(cultural competency)

3.  How do you get people to open up to you or communicate with you when they’re going through difficult situations?

4.  You are given a paper with a list of tasks  A child welfare worker would encounter and you are to rank them from what is the most important and explain your answers. 

5.  What do you know about child welfare? 

6. What are some of the challenges that you have faced at work ?

[BackNSchool83]

@ChicanaMSW2018 You are so so SO awesome for sharing that information. this is exactly the kind of stuff people need and are looking for, you rock!

[BackNSchool83]

I started a facebook page for anyone interested in the UC or CSU MSW programs. The purpose of the page is to provide another outlet for those of us anxiously awaiting news about admission to talk, and support each other. In addition, this page is for anyone who is interested in these MSW programs at any stage of the process from just being curious about the process or wanting to learn more, to those who have graduated and beyond. The group is open to all, so please join and say hi!

The group is called : UC and CSU MSW Applicant Resource and Support Group

[ChicanaMSW2018]

On 2/10/2018 at 3:43 PM, BackNSchool83 said:

@ChicanaMSW2018 You are so so SO awesome for sharing that information. this is exactly the kind of stuff people need and are looking for, you rock!

Thanks for the kind words! This forum has helped me so much so I was just want to pay it forward.

I am going to look for that FB group now.

[a_then_a]

On 2/10/2018 at 10:44 AM, ChicanaMSW2018 said:

I applied for the 2018 UCB MSW Title IV-E program and I interviewed on January 31, 2018. The interview itself was pretty straightforward as others have mentioned, it is a panel interview from 2 to 3 people, mine consisted of three people, two previous students and one current administrator I believe.

 They were all really friendly and that put me at ease, it was six questions in total I was in there for about a half hour. Below is a list of the six questions I was asked for the 2018 interview. There was a total of 50 interviewed for the IV-E program and they will accept only 16.

1.  Why do you want to work in child welfare? 

2.  How do you communicate or connect with other people from various backgrounds and cultures?(cultural competency)

3.  How do you get people to open up to you or communicate with you when they’re going through difficult situations?

4.  You are given a paper with a list of tasks  A child welfare worker would encounter and you are to rank them from what is the most important and explain your answers. 

5.  What do you know about child welfare? 

6. What are some of the challenges that you have faced at work ?

Thank you so much!! I was really unsure what to expect so this is a huge help! I hope you get it! 

[BackNSchool83]

CSUF sent me an invitation to do an interview today.

[Jjauregui]

Hi fellows,

I have my interview for Title IV-E on April the 12 @ CSUEB; I'm dying, I am nervous...  please help anyone in the Bay Area who has gone through this process 

Thank you,

 

Jose

[ChicanaMSW2018]

On 3/1/2018 at 9:59 PM, a_then_a said:

Thank you so much!! I was really unsure what to expect so this is a huge help! I hope you get it! 

I am so glad it helped!!

I was accepted to CSUEB and CAL!

I am headed to CAL in fall!  

Good luck to everyone out there, don't lose hope.

[minianna1234567]

Thanks for the information you shared