Avoid these 4 phrases in your Master of Social Work (MSW) personal statement
After several years of helping people with their personal statements, I often see similar phrases over and over again that can come off as weak or controversial. Here are the most common ones:
Phrase #1: “That person’s problem is their fault”
Most of the time, people don’t say this outright, but they do imply it. This is often done by accident, even when applicants are well-intended in what they are saying. Here are some examples of statements I have seen in personal statements:
“People with mental health issues lack the ability to…”
“People who are homeless can’t help themselves... ”
“People in poverty are in that situation because they don’t want to…”
I won’t fill in the blanks! However, notice how these phrases have keywords such as lack, don’t, or can’t. Watch out for these words and types of phrases when writing your personal statement.
As social workers, we know that the problems people face are caused by social justice issues, and systemic barriers at the macro, mezzo, and micro levels. When discussing challenges faced by a certain population, focus on the bigger picture, and how people are impacted at the institutional and societal levels of society.
Phrase #2: “I want to empower or change anyone”
I find the word empower tricky to use in general, even though it’s a MAJOR social work buzzword. The reason it’s tricky is because in certain contexts it can come off wrong.
For example: “I want to empower X to help themselves” can sound like you want to hold their hand and change them. This is the opposite of empowering.
If you say “I know X faces Y challenge, and it’s important that social workers have a role in advocating and acting as an ally…” this aligns more closely with what empowerment is supposed to be.
It might just be semantics, but language is important, and you don’t want the reader to think you aren’t aligned with social work values. Although empower is a social work buzzword, I would avoid using it unless you’re sure you’re using it in the right context, or it truly fits what you are trying to convey.
Phrase #3: “I want to become a social worker because I want to help others”
If I had a nickel for every time I saw this phrase in a personal statement…
Seriously though, that’s everyone’s general answer for pursuing social work, and it’s a really weak statement. Social workers help people in so many different ways, and there are a lot of other professions that would allow you to help others (such as teachers, nurses, doctors, police, psychologists etc.)
Instead of saying you want to help others, try to go a little deeper:
Who do you want to help?
In what way do you want to help them?
Why do you need an MSW to do that? Why not another similar degree?
What is it about social work that would allow you to help others in a way that would be meaningful to you?
Phrase #4: I’m not sure what I want to do as a social worker
I get it, social work is an extremely broad field, and sometimes you may not know exactly what you want to do as a social worker. I was in the same boat when I applied. However, avoid saying that in your personal statement. It comes off as much stronger when you have a clearly defined goal in mind when pursuing your MSW. If you have a few fields you’re interested in, I would suggest picking the one that is most aligned with the social justice issue you discuss.
Free resources for your MSW Personal Statement
Anyone applying to their Master of Social Work should take advantage of these free resources designed to help MSW applicants write a a top notch personal statement for grad school.
You can also work directly with MSW Helper by getting your personal statement edited and critiqued by our team Master of Social Work application specialists. If you’re ready, MSW Helper can help you create a top personal statement for your MSW. Click here to work with us.
Happy writing!
-Michelle
