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General Advice

I believe that the statements that truly distinguish themselves are those that demonstrate evidence of the potential to become an independent investigator. As a graduate student, you will be expected to progressively develop research skills that will establish you as an independent scholar. To the extent that it is possible to convey this within the personal statement, you may be able to make your potential to excel as a graduate student very clear to the reader.

• Scientific curiosity - interested in many topics, ideas, and intrinsically rewarded by scientific inquiry
• Critical Thinking - can recognize divergent/contradictory perspectives and challenge viewpoints/ideas
• Good interpersonal skills - encodes, interprets, and responds to social cues in a typical manner
• Analytical thinking - can recognize patterns, trends, summarize broader concepts from specific details, and demonstrates logic-guided thinking
• Problem Solving Skill - can identify problems, generate/recommend a variety of solutions
• Open-minded - is open to new perspectives and ideas
• Independence and self-guided inquiry - pursues additional knowledge, independent educational experiences beyond requirements
• Works well within a team - acknowledges others’ contributions, cooperates, collaborates, assists others
• Takes Initiative - Volunteers to do more, take full advantage of opportunities to expand knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Openness to supervision and personal insight - can reflect upon and review his/her prior learning, solicit feedback, and change behavior

Scratch

i want to be informed about and capable of making decisions around the format of my practice. i want to feel confident and have the authority to decide to break away from traditional approaches in order to employ emerging evidence-based practices. mindfulness, psilocybin, oncology psychology.

my current personal, attitudinal whatever interest is in contributing to rethinking/reshaping death care. americans as especially lacking in cultural rituals, especially for the secular. especially fearful view of death? (look this up). my own experiences with loss?

Dec 1

• Loyola Essays
• Roosevelt Essays
• Denver MSW Essays
• Denver PsyD Essays
• Hartford Essays
• Columbia Essays

Later

Hunter

School of Social Work: (500-1000 words, maximum of 5 pages) Use the following points as a guide to summarize your volunteer and professional background:

• What experiences - professional, educational and organizational - led to or confirmed your interest in social work? If you considered another field before choosing social work, discuss your reason for wanting to make this change.
• What are the reasons for your decision to obtain graduate social work education at this time? What are your expectations of graduate social work education? What area(s) of difficulty do you anticipate? What have you done or are doing to address the difficulties?
• Please discuss a current issue in society related to social work and what you think are possible solutions to resolving the issue.
• What areas of social work interest you particularly?

La Salle

Please provide a personal statement (double-spaced, not to exceed two pages) that describes all of the following: why you want to pursue a Psy.D.; why La Salle’s program is a good fit with your career goals (mention specific faculty expertise if applicable); your experience working with clinical populations; your experience conducting research; and your interest in and experience working with the community and disadvantaged populations (can include but is not limited to low SES, rural populations, ethnic/racial minorities, LGBT populations, immigrant families, individuals with disabilities or chronic illness, service learning).

Midwestern

Tell us about yourself and your background.  Include your interest in Clinical Psychology, and in the Midwestern University, Downers Grove program specifically. This will assist the Clinical Psychology program in better understanding your interests and help to appropriately pair you with our faculty.

NYU

Statement of Purpose

For the Statement of Purpose, you must respond to each question separately with a well-written answer. This Statement of Purpose must be double-spaced, with one-inch margins and a 12-point font. The total length of all responses combined must not exceed a total of six pages.

Question 1: What are your reasons for seeking a professional education in social work at this time? What academic, work, volunteer, or personal experiences have influenced your decision to apply? What are your expectations of being a professional social worker?

Question 2: The six core values of the social work profession are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Please comment and/or provide examples of ways in which you have demonstrated some of these values in interactions with people of different identities based on race and/or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, language, religion, socioeconomic status, geographical area, etc.

Question 3: Identify a current example of injustice or form of systemic discrimination, such as racism, that is of major concern to you. What are some possible ways that you could respond to this injustice? Does your racial and/or ethnic identity play a role in addressing this concern? If so, how?

Question 4: Describe a challenging or stressful interpersonal situation you encountered at an academic or professional setting. What steps or personal resources did you use to solve the problem. What did you learn from this situation?

Question 5 (optional): Is there anything additional you would like us to know about your education or background as we consider your application? If yes, please describe.

Pacific

Recommended answer length: 2-4 paragraphs per essay question

Describe your clinical experiences and interests. *

Describe your research experiences (e.g., as a research assistant, any research paper or poster presentations, honors or master’s thesis, etc.) and your research interests. *

Describe the reasoning behind your emphases preferences. Discus how this relates to your goals upon completion of your PsyD in Clinical Psychology. *

How does the training philosophy and mission of the Pacific University PsyD in Clinical Psychology training program fit with your professional goals and interests?

Palo Alto

Personal Statement

• Formatting: Double spaced, maximum 1,000 words. 
• Provide a brief autobiographical sketch, including what led to your interest in clinical psychology. 
• Address the skills and knowledge gleaned from your academic, research, and/or clinical experience that have prepared you for doctoral training in clinical psychology. 
• Discuss what aspects of the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium will help you reach your specific career goals? For example: “With my interests in trauma, I would be interested in completing practicum at the National Center for PTSD and conducting research with Consortium faculty who conduct PTSD research such as Drs. Kaysen or Gore-Felton.”

OPTIONAL: We know standard application questions may not capture the complexity and richness of one’s identity. If there is anything you wish to share with us about yourself or your identity(s) that you feel has not been captured elsewhere in the application, please do so here.

OPTIONAL: Tell us something about yourself that we might find surprising, funny, sad, enlightening, hilarious, adorable, uncomfortable, compelling or comforting.

Wright Institute

Statement of Purpose (required)

This is a 4-6 page double-spaced, self-reflective essay describing your purpose in pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the Wright Institute. Indicate how your professional goals developed from your past interests and experiences. Be sure to include your scholarly interests and your clinical experience. Please be sure to include your full name at the top of each page of text in your Statement of Purpose. Each page should be numbered.

Supplemental Essay (required)

Please share skills, special interests, areas of expertise, or anything else about yourself that you would like us to know that may not be apparent in your résumé/CV or personal statement, and that may or may not be connected with the field of clinical psychology. This document should be one page (300 words maximum), typed, double-spaced.

Washington

Personal Statement

The required personal statement portion is an important component of your application package. We are interested in learning more about you and your educational goals, how your unique identities, perspectives, and experiences have influenced your decision to attain a Master of Social Work degree, and how you would contribute to the UW School of Social Work learning community. We would like you to share your active commitment to social work values and practice, and demonstrate critical thinking and self-awareness related to professional social work. Feel free to tell your “story” in a reflective, creative, and expressive style.

Format: Statements should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins for standard-sized (8.5” x 11”) documents, using 12-point font (either Times New Roman or Calibri). 

Part 1: Personal Statement

The MSW Program at the University of Washington School of Social Work is grounded in our commitment to racial, economic, gender, and social justice informed by and for those at the social margins of our local, national, and global communities. Reflecting on the UWSSW’s MSW Program Statement of Purpose, in 2 - 3 pages share:

• What you hope to do as an MSW;
• How your unique identities, perspectives, and skills have prepared you to work towards social change across different systems - with individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, and/or at the policy and structural levels - and how this background has influenced your decision to pursue an MSW; and, 
• How you hope an MSW education will support your work towards social justice and development of anti-oppressive practice. 

Part 2: Critical Reflection on Anti-Oppressive Practice

Every day we see manifestations of structural oppression. Given our current reality and historical roots we recognize that centering actions to end white supremacy and racism is necessary to achieve equity and justice for all socially marginalized groups. We are seeking students who want to join us in the SSW learning community as we wrestle with complex social problems, and who understand that we must work together to end oppression in all its forms. As such, please critically reflect on the following questions and respond in no more than two (2) pages:

1. Why does structural oppression exist? How has your understanding of this evolved over time?
2. Why do you think it’s important to employ anti-racist practices and principles in social work? Give an example of a structural, institutional, or societal level change that social workers can advocate for that addresses systemic racism and white supremacy.

Part 3: Advanced Standing Specialization Rationale (ONLY applies to Advanced Standing applicants)

Please restate your first choice specialization and provide reasoning for your selection. How might specializing in this area help you to achieve your social work career goals? If you identified a second choice option, please briefly describe why you might also consider specializing in this area. This section should be less than 1 page.

William James

When composing your essay, please use a traditional font, one-inch margins and double line spacing on a letter-size document. Essay should be 700 words or less.

Tell us why seeking a doctoral degree in clinical psychology – as opposed to or in addition to another degree in a mental health related field (e.g., MA, MSW) – is necessary to achieve your career goals.

When writing your essay please refer to any professional or personal experiences that have contributed to this decision and why William James College is well suited to help you achieve these goals. 

Optional (additional 250 words): Please address any challenges you have faced in the past that may be perceived as weaknesses in your application materials.

Long Beach

PERSONAL STATEMENT GUIDELINES

The Personal Statement provides you the opportunity to share your qualifications and competencies. This Personal Statement will be used to evaluate your critical thinking, self- reflective capacities, creativity, and advanced writing skills, as well as help us determine your appropriateness for the program and the profession. Failure to follow these guidelines or answer all of the questions will impact your overall rating score.

INSTRUCTIONS: Your Personal Statement must meet the following criteria:

• It must be written by you.

• It must be typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, and 4-6 pages in length.

• It must address each of the questions below.

• You have the option to write a narrative/essay or answer each question in order and

  number your responses to match the question you are answering (do not include the

  prompts/questions in your Personal Statement).

• In answering these questions, make sure not to use names or information that might

  violate the confidentiality of the individuals you decide to use in your descriptions.

• The document will be uploaded via Cal State Apply as part of your MSW application to

  the School of Social Work in Quadrant Four.

  QUESTIONS:

1. How did you become interested in social work? What motivated you to choose social work

   as a profession?

2. Describe some traits and abilities that make you particularly suited for the profession of social work.

3. Specify your career objectives as a professional social worker.

4. Describe your professional social work activities. If you do not currently work in the social work field, describe how your work or volunteer experience relates to professional social workactivities. Pleasebeasspecificaspossibleindetailingthesimilaritytosocialwork activities.

5. Describe a situation in which you were confronted with an ethical conflict. How did you

resolve it?

1. Our School of Social Work has a strong critical consciousness emphasis and values diversity, inclusion and self-reflection. Please describe your work and/or lived experience with diverse individuals and/or communities (differences can include age, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, physical or mental abilities, sexual orientation, etc.). Discuss how these experiences have:

   • Shaped your identity and self-awareness

   • Broadened your understanding of the role of social work in society

   • Influenced your understanding of and commitment to social justice

2. Discuss a social justice issue of interest to you. How do you envision a social worker’s role in addressing the issue?

3. Please read the information about our MSW program below and describe your plan to accommodate the class and field education internship requirements and expected demands of our MSW program.

   Our MSW program is rigorous and requires a significant commitment of time and resources from students. In order to answer Question #8, be sure to review the course schedule requirements for the program plan(s) for which you are applying that are posted on our website. In addition to coursework, students complete 16 hours per week in field education internship during weekday, regular agency hours. The exact schedule is determined by the student and the agency at the time of placement. Most students complete two full 8-hour days; however, at the discretion of the agency, some students may be permitted to complete the 16 hours in an alternate schedule of one 8-hour day and two 4-hour days.

4. Is there anything else you would like us to know as we consider your application? Please describe.

San Francisco

Please provide a personal statement that addresses the following areas:

• Educational Objectives – Please describe the educational and career objectives that motivated you to apply to the MSW program.  Relate these objectives to your personal experiences and life goals.
• Professional Motivation – Discuss any personal obstacles or life circumstances that you have had to overcome.  How have your efforts to overcome these obstacles influenced your decision to enter the field of social work? Please describe your personal knowledge, identification, and/or experience with disenfranchised communities as a catalyst in your social justice practices perspective and motivation.
• Work/Volunteer Experience – Discuss any experiences you have had in providing services to, or working with, a specific disenfranchised group or community. Please describe your professional knowledge, identification, and/or experience with that disenfranchised community.

Your personal statement should not be more than 3 typed pages, double spaced, 12-point font and it must include all three areas listed above. One page is about 220-270 words. Upload your Personal Statement to the Document section of this application.

Please upload a writing assessment document (writing sample)

Graduate school and the social work profession require a significant amount of writing. As part of your application for admission to the MSW program at SFSU, you are to write an essay detailed below. This essay will be used to assess your writing skills along with critical and analytical thinking. Please provide citations for all sources used in your essay, including, but not limited to, expert opinion, scholarly articles, and media sources (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc). Your statement must NOT exceed 2 typewritten, 12-point font (Times New Roman), double- spaced pages, one-inch margins). One page is about 220-270 words.

Essay - Analytical Question - Select a social issue/social problem that you are likely to encounter as a social worker in today’s society/world. Discuss the origins and impact of that issue/problem, and develop a social justice response to this problem with the assumption that you have the resources and power to promote change.