M.S.W interview process

[Triken]

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Hi all,

I'm hoping to apply to some M.S.W programs this winter and was just wondering about the interview process. Do all schools require an interview? What if the school is located across the country and difficult to just 'fly out to'?

Also, how did you find the interview process? Did it seem unnecessarily challenging? What sort of questions were asked? And how did you prepare?

Answers to any of these questions would be most appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[counselor2b]

Not every school requires an interview but some will. The school that I currently attend does not require an interview prior to admission. Best of luck in the with the application process.

 

[Triken]

Hi everyone,

I'm bumping this thread. 'Tis the season, and I think a lot of people would really benefit from your feedback about how the interview process went for you. What sort of questions were asked? How did you prepare for it? That kind of thing... Thanks!

 

[Qwerk]

I had a group interview (Hunter), and the questions I was asked mainly fell into three categories: personal preparedness for graduate school, reasons for wanting to be a social worker, and knowledge/common sense about professional conduct. From reading others' accounts of the MSW interview process, it seems to be roughly the same across the board.

The first thing should be easy if you have a good support network and are financially ready for graduate school. The second thing is something for which you'll hopefully already have an answer, and have practiced answering before the interview.

The third thing might be harder if you're coming straight from college and/or haven't worked in social services -- might be a good idea to read up on professional ethics beforehand. The question my group got: "What would you do if you worked at a nursing home with a no-gifts policy and were offered a gift by a resident?" I'd expected this type of question and was able to talk about similar experiences at work. The interviewer was especially intent on finding out whether we had good boundaries, and asked each of us tough follow-up questions each time we answered her. Social work vets seem to have an uncanny ability to weed out people with transference issues. It's definitely not a good idea to hint that you have any type of "savior" personality or a too-personal attitude toward your work.