Personal Statements - What Are Schools Really Looking For?
Personal statements are a core, but sometimes daunting, process of the Master of Social Work application process. I have reviewed many personal statements up to now, and there are some common themes I observe. One of the biggest mistakes I see in the personal statement is when the applicant makes their personal statement a reiteration of their resume. Master of Social Work programs always require applicants to submit a copy of their CV or resume, so if you essentially copy and paste your resume to your personal statement, you end up making this important paper a bit redundant. To avoid making this mistake, I have created this blog post to help you make your personal statement as impactful as it can be. In this post, I will review why the personal statement is so important, how to differentiate the personal statement and resume, and ways you can best showcase your voice. So, let’s get started!
The Importance Of The Personal Statement
The personal statement is an opportunity for you to go beyond the bullet points of your resume and really show the admissions committee more about yourself and your MSW goals. As the programs you are applying to will already have access to important factors like your transcripts and references, the personal statement can showcase who you are as a person, your social work goals, and your potential fit for this specific program. Think of it as an opportunity to bring your application to life, where you can highlight the unique aspects of your story and the insights you’ve gained. Essentially, things that a resume couldn’t fully encapsulate.
Okay, so now that we’ve discussed the importance of the personal statement, it’s time to get into the details! So, how exactly can you differentiate between the personal statement and the resume?
Focus on the why, not the what
Your resume should explain to the admissions committee what you have done: what jobs you have held, internships completed, and the number of volunteer hours logged, all very important things! The personal statement, however, should focus more on how these opportunities - and the insights you gained from them - have influenced your desire to pursue an MSW at this specific school. Creating this shift in your personal statement will help you bring out some of the key gaps you observed through your various experiences and will help showcase how you will fill those gaps as a future MSW-level social worker.
Personal Statement Example:
Let’s imagine that you have worked in an emergency homeless shelter for a number of years. Instead of just stating this on your personal statement and moving on, you could emphasize:
How this increased your awareness of the overrepresentation of certain populations within the unhoused population, which has led you to pursue an MSW to support affordable housing on the policy level
How this challenged your perspectives and reinforced your commitment to social justice
How this increased your awareness of the lack of support for frontline workers which has now led you to pursue an MSW to provide counselling support for this population
By focusing more on the reasons behind your experiences and the knowledge you gained from them, you can show the committee more of yourself and your social work goals!
Focus on quality over quantity
One mistake I often see is applicants trying to fit in too many of their experiences into their personal statement. Given the limited word count for personal statements, there often is not enough space to list many experiences while still ensuring you are explaining the why behind the experience. This can also lead to a loss of coherence in the statement, making the paper seem unclear and scattered. Here, I recommend choosing select experiences that highlight different areas of your growth (observations, skills gained) that are relevant to your final social work goal. Remember, each experience should build off of the next, culminating in your reason for pursuing an MSW, and why this particular university will help you meet your goals.
Showcase your values
Social work is a values-driven profession, and so, your statement should clearly communicate these core values. You can choose between values like empathy, social justice, advocacy, or respect for diversity. You can look at your national or provincial social work association website to get some ideas. From here, try to get clear on what values from the social work code of ethics you want to focus on. Having your select values in mind as you write your paper will help you focus on the experiences and situations that solidified these, creating a more in-depth picture of you!
Conclusion
Your personal statement is your moment to move beyond the bullet points and bring your application to life. Rather than repeating your resume, I encourage you to use this space to reflect on the experiences that shaped your desire to pursue a Master of Social Work degree. It’s useful to spend some time really thinking about your social work motivations and why these motivations exist, so that you can speak to experiences that complement these motivations.
Many social workers come from rich and diverse backgrounds, so please remember to do yourself justice and create a personal statement that highlights your growth, values, and voice. A piece of writing that not only explains what you have done, but why you did it, what you learned along the way, and how it has prepared you for graduate-level social work education.
In short: Trust your story. You have more to offer than a list of roles—share the meaning behind them, and you will create a personal statement that truly stands out.
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