Help! What are my chances at getting into a MSW program?

[Selene]

I graduated in May 09 with a B.S in Psychology with a 3.58 GPA and a 3.98 major GPA. I did two years of undergrad research, an honors thesis, and a conference poster presentation. All of the research I've done has been on adolescents with maladaptive behaviors, which remains my primary area of interest. I haven't taken my GRE's yet but I took a course and practice tests and I feel confident predicting it will be somewhere between 1300-1400.

My initial plan was to get a PhD in clinical psych (hence all of the research) and then practice, but due to a number of factors I think a MSW and eventually a LCSW will be better suited to my career goal. I've been unemployed and trying to find a research assistant job for a number of months now. I have a job interview tomorrow for a research assistant position that I scheduled before I decided to pursue a MSW. I've read that to get into a good MSW program you need experience working with a social worker. So, I have three questions for anyone kind enough to give me some advice:

1) What are my chances of getting into a decent/good MSW program based solely on my current qualifications plus a 1300+ gre score?

2) What are my chances of getting in with my current qualifications and a good gre score, plus 8 months of full time psychology research experience? Are they the same as my chances in #1?

3) How much better are my chances of getting into a good program with my qualifications plus 8 months of full time social service work?

I feel like I'm running out of time to get in a solid application this fall for school, as well as to find a job before the next wave of graduates in May. I appreciate whatever advice anyone can give me. Thanks in advance!

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[futureapppsy2]

IMO, continue going for the paid RA position and do some clinical work/volunteering part-time.

 

[Selene]

^^ Can I ask you why you say that? If it's because the RA position won't help me at all, I don't think it makes sense to do it. Money isn't really an issue since I live at home, so I can afford to wait a little longer to get a job that would actually help me get into a MSW program.

 

[pingouin]

I've been out of the field for a little bit now, so I really couldn't say for sure what admissions would be looking for.

That said, if I were in the position to decide who I was going to accept, I would want to know why they're interested in social work. Not why they're interested in mental health work, or "helping people", but why SOCIAL WORK is the philosophy/approach they think fits them the best. I would want to accept people who have experience working in at least one direct client contact setting (individual/family/group/community work) on at least a half-time basis and can tell me about that experience. To me, volunteering implies maybe a few hours a week which would tell me that someone is willing to give back to their community, but not convince me they really had a good understanding of the field (unless we're talking about a full-time AmeriCorps type of position, which would impress me a lot).

I'm trying to keep my license active, so I attended a workshop last week on supervision and management ethics. The recurring theme that came up from EVERY social worker in attendance is their concern about a new trend: their supervisees' (both practicum and licensure) poor problem-solving skills in direct care settings. Think about how one gains those problem-solving skills and how much one would benefit from being in the field and understanding how critical it is to have them.

So, all GPAs and test scores being equal, if it was the Pingouin School of Social Work, and I only had one MSW opening left, it would go to the person with direct service experience AND research experience. If they declined, I'd offer it to the candidate with significant direct care experience and no research. And at the bottom of my list would be the candidate with extensive research experience and no direct care work.

My $.02.

 

[Selene]

So, all GPAs and test scores being equal, if it was the Pingouin School of Social Work, and I only had one MSW opening left, it would go to the person with direct service experience AND research experience. If they declined, I'd offer it to the candidate with significant direct care experience and no research. And at the bottom of my list would be the candidate with extensive research experience and no direct care work.

That was very helpful, thank you!

 

[futureapppsy2]

^^ Can I ask you why you say that? If it's because the RA position won't help me at all, I don't think it makes sense to do it. Money isn't really an issue since I live at home, so I can afford to wait a little longer to get a job that would actually help me get into a MSW program.

If you can afford to wait, it would make sense to try for direct service experience job, though I don't think research experience--in addition to direct service experience--will hurt you, and, like pinguon said, it will probablyy help you somewhat.

 

[ck41885]

I just recently finished applying to MSW programs and I have already been accepted to both USC and Washington University.

Your GPA is higher than mine and if you can get a 1300 on your GRE, your score will be higher than mine as well. With that being said, a lot of MSW programs don't even require GREs anymore, and some will only look at certain sections of it. I would really focus on your writing abilities, as they will at least look at your writing score from the GRE if anything. And also, a strong personal statement is an important part of your application.

Additionally, your references are also an integral piece of the application. I have had roughly 3 years of direct care experience, so I was able to acquire some solid professional recommendations. I would have to agree with apppsy in going to get some direct care experience if you have that luxury. If you don't, I would think about who to get for your recommendations carefully. You want individuals who can speak to your potential to be able to handle difficult interpersonal situations.

Lastly, I wanted to note that I am a young male. From my experience, that puts me in the minority of students who attend MSW programs. Although I cannot say that I am sure, I do believe that helped me at least a tad bit.

BEST OF LUCK

 

[Schooled]

1) What are my chances of getting into a decent/good MSW program based solely on my current qualifications plus a 1300+ gre score?

If we're just looking at numbers, I would say you're more than fine! However, the personal statement and relevant work/volunteer experiences are very, very important to social work admissions. A passion to work with marginalized populations and community service must be evident.

2) What are my chances of getting in with my current qualifications and a good gre score, plus 8 months of full time psychology research experience? Are they the same as my chances in #1?

Research experience is good, but how good depends on the program. At least in my experience, work/volunteer experiences mattered more. MSW programs are more interested in training practioners more than researchers.

I got accepted to all but an MSSW program with no research experience.

3) How much better are my chances of getting into a good program with my qualifications plus 8 months of full time social service work?

That's more like. It'll help more than research in my opinion.

I applied to the lower end of tier 1 schools and got into most of them. I had a lower GPA, lower GRE, and NO research experience. What I had was work and volunteer experience with marginalized populations. I worked as a tutor in an after school program for two school years and I volunteered at an adult day care for two semesters. Nothing really fancy.

Also, the MSW/MSSW programs I applied to had conditional acceptances --you're accepted but on the condition that you make a 3.0 in your first year.

Good luck on your applications. Be confident, you seem like a strong applicant.