Formatting tips for your MSW personal statement (APA Style)
The Master of Social Work personal statement is one of the most important aspects of a MSW application. It gives you, as the applicant, a space to discuss your motivations for pursuing social work, and allows you to explain how your experience, aspirations, and goals all intersect to make you a top candidate for the program you are applying to.
Why you should write your personal statement in APA format:
One thing I often see applicants overlook is formatting their personal statement. The personal statement serves as a sample of your academic writing abilities, so properly formatting your MSW personal statement is a simple way to help your application stand out and look more professional.
To format your personal statement I suggest following the formatting style you adhered to while you were in your undergraduate program. The most common formatting style in social work programs (and social sciences in general) is APA formatting, so that’s what I’ll be focusing on here.
What to include in an APA style personal statement:
Here’s what I usually suggest applicants include:
Title page: An APA style title page should include the title of your personal statement, your name, the date, and the school you are applying to. The title page should be centered and double spaced.
Subheadings: There will often be several prompts for answering your MSW personal statement. If there are, they should always be separated with subheadings. This makes is easier for the person reading your statement to read your statement as well, and we always want to make it as easy for the reader as possible. Subheadings should be bolded and oriented to the left side of your paper.
Word formatting and spacing: In APA formatting you should always use 12 pt. Times New Roman font, as well as double spacing.
Page numbers and running head: Add page numbers and a running head to the margins of your paper. If you aren’t sure what a running head I recommend checking out Google for some examples.
References: When writing a MSW personal statement, you should include research to back up the points you are making (check out other posts about this for more information about why this is important). If you can include a reference page, that’s great. If you can’t (due to page limitations) you can include a modified citation (Name, Year, Source). Most applicants don’t include research in their personal statements, so even if your citations aren’t perfect you’ll still stand out! Tip: Use Bibme to help you create APA style references
Use the APA Style template below that is ready made for your personal statement.
The APA style template is a Word Doc that has already been formatted in APA style, and includes tips and resources for adhering to APA format. Simply plug your personal statement into the template to start your APA style personal statement!
Adhere to instructions from the school you are applying to:
Be sure to follow any specific instructions from the school you are applying to, and if any of these contradict those instructions you should always default to what the school wants!
Ready for the next step?
The MSW personal statement template was designed to help you write the rough draft of your social work personal statement. It’s a great starting point for those of you who are starting the process of applying to social work graduate programs.
You can also work me and my team of social work grads who specialize in social work personal statement editing services. We’re here to help you craft a top personal statement for your MSW, and we can help you make sure that your personal statement adheres to APA formatting. Click here to learn more about MSW Helper.
Happy writing!
-Michelle from MSW Helper
