up:: Grad School Search tags:: #gradsearch/program url:: https://www.csulb.edu/college-of-health-human-services/school-of-social-work/master-of-social-work-msw-admissions application:: https://www.calstate.edu/apply

Personal Statement

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.

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 work activities. Please be as specific as possible in detailing the similarity to social work activities.
  5. Describe a situation in which you were confronted with an ethical conflict.  How did you resolve it?
  6. 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:
  1. Discuss a social justice issue of interest to you. How do you envision a social worker’s role in addressing the issue?
  2. Please read the information about our MSW program that follows 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.”