To disclose or not to disclose

[Bustersmom]

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Hi everyone,

I am applying to an MSW program for next fall which requires a 12 (!) page personal statement that is Q & A style. One of the questions is why I want to go into social work. One of the primary reasons is the fact that I myself am diagnosed with Bipolar II. Is this something I should disclose or should I focus on other reasons, none of which (I feel) are as important?

 

[BlackSkirtTetra]

It depends on where you are in controlling your disease, and also what else you include. If you've been reasonably healthy for 10 years and have all sorts of other accomplishments and happenings in that time, then I'd include it. But if you've been recently hospitalized or through a lot of bad manic episodes, I might not include it, to be honest.

Social workers have a reputation for being soft-hearted, but I don't find that's always the case so you have to tread carefully.

I certainly would not start off on page 1 with "I am Bipolar," either way. 😛

One of my MSW SOPs had to be 10 pages and I thought I'd never be able to fill that much space!

 

[wigflip]

Social workers have a reputation for being soft-hearted, but I don't find that's always the case so you have to tread carefully./QUOTE]

Bingo. +1

More to the point, social workers have a reputation for being concerned with issues of prejudice and discrimination, but from what I've seen, their training doesn't make them immune to the same prejudices found in the population at large. I'd probably err on the side of completely concealing and go with the less-compelling reasons for becoming a social worker, or even make up something interesting that will capture the reader's attention.

I'm flabbergasted to hear folks talk about such long personal statements. I don't think it makes a darned bit of sense--if I were chairing an admissions committee I'd rather see 300-1000 words for a personal statement, and perhaps a 5-8 page writing sample (course paper). My condolences.

 

[futureapppsy2]

FWIW--and in my very limited experience (psych grad student, social work undergrad, worked with some MSW students)--I've always had the impression that social work is relatively more self-disclosure friendly than psychology (which I don't think is, on the whole, very self-disclosure friendly at all--at least not in terms of grad school admissions and beyond). That said, there are still a variety opinions about self-disclosure in social work, and you don't know what type of person will be on the admissions committees. For that reason, I'd either not include it or talk about it non-specifically as "personal experiences" as they relate to social work, but I also hold pretty strict/conservative views about self-disclosure in general.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I think you have far more to lose than gain by disclosing your Dx. It isn't fair, and you'd think that within the field people would be more understanding, but some people aren't. I think if you have other reasons for going into the field you should probably mention those instead. If down the road during your training you feel comfortable disclosing this information to a supervisor, then that is a different discussion.

ps. I have very conservative views about self-disclosure. I have found that self-disclosure in the psychology field can be much more touch and go compared to Social Work, so YMMV.

 

[BlackSkirtTetra]

I'm flabbergasted to hear folks talk about such long personal statements. I don't think it makes a darned bit of sense--if I were chairing an admissions committee I'd rather see 300-1000 words for a personal statement, and perhaps a 5-8 page writing sample (course paper). My condolences.

It's a really stupid idea to have SOPs to be that long. After a page or two, all it does is measure the applicant's ability to write, which, of course, is a needed measurement, but I don't know why they go about it that particular way...

 

[wigflip]

It's a really stupid idea to have SOPs to be that long. After a page or two, all it does is measure the applicant's ability to write, which, of course, is a needed measurement, but I don't know why they go about it that particular way...

Yeah, you know they're probably only spot checking it at best (imagine a committee thoroughly reading hundreds of 12 page essays--unlikely based on the tendencies of profs I've observed). So it's a pretty thoughtless waste of applicants' time. I think my personal statement for my doctoral program was 2 pages.

It's good in a sense though--telegraphs the level of bureaucracy (and lack of common sense) you're likely to face once admitted.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I think you have far more to lose than gain by disclosing your Dx. It isn't fair, and you'd think that within the field people would be more understanding, but some people aren't. I think if you have other reasons for going into the field you should probably mention those instead. If down the road during your training you feel comfortable disclosing this information to a supervisor, then that is a different discussion.

ps. I have very conservative views about self-disclosure. I have found that self-disclosure in the psychology field can be much more touch and go compared to Social Work, so YMMV.

IMO, psychology is actually one of the most stigmatizing fields towards psychopathology (after the military and aviation, probably on level with medicine) within itself. Maybe it's because we spend so much time studying and observing the negative sequalae of mental illness or we feel a need to separate us from our clients, but whatever it is, it's always interested me, as it seems to contradictory on the surface.

 

[LivingOffLoans]

IMO, psychology is actually one of the most stigmatizing fields towards psychopathology (after the military and aviation, probably on level with medicine) within itself. Maybe it's because we spend so much time studying and observing the negative sequalae of mental illness or we feel a need to separate us from our clients, but whatever it is, it's always interested me, as it seems to contradictory on the surface.

I think that many mental health professionals use their education and position as a rationale for exercising their own pathologies on unsuspecting clients and students. Many (but not all) mental health professionals are at least as screwed up as those they serve. It makes you feel a whole lot better when you can pathologize everyone else around you with the 'authority' to do so. I think the field is really screwed up in this way and much progress is needed. Whether it is obtained remains to be seen for many years.

To answer the OP, most people going into this field include something personal like that in their application materials (a mental illness, a family death, etc...). I'm not sure how much exactly you should disclose, or how much space you should devote to that, but certainly don't make it the centerpiece of your writing. You'd be surprised how many people on the higher ed committees look over statements of purpose, and roll their eyes saying "oh look, another life story..." Everyone does it, which is why I think you could, but just don't overdo it.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I think that many mental health professionals use their education and position as a rationale for exercising their own pathologies on unsuspecting clients and students. Many (but not all) mental health professionals are at least as screwed up as those they serve. It makes you feel a whole lot better when you can pathologize everyone else around you with the 'authority' to do so. I think the field is really screwed up in this way and much progress is needed. Whether it is obtained remains to be seen for many years.

Thank you for trashing the majority of the people in the field....🙄

 

[Qwerk]

Twelve pages -- that's one gigantic personal statement. I erred on the side of self-disclosure on my personal statement, but my disclosure wasn't mental health-related (transgender) and it was relevant to my reasons for wanting to enter social work. If you do self-disclose, make sure that you frame it in a way that highlights your personal growth and let them know that you're fully prepared to do grad-level work, are managing your condition, have support networks in place, etc.

That last one seemed really important to the group interviewer at Hunter. We were asked several questions related to our preparation -- e.g. were we financially ready, did we have family support, were we taking on any other projects. Most schools seem to want to know that you're not suddenly going to drop out because of personal issues. I can see an admissions officer getting worried that your condition is going to interfere with your studies, and you'll want to do everything possible to allay that concern.