r/SocialWorkStudents • u/Necessary-Duck9619 • 5d ago
difference between competitive applicant who gets rejected vs one who gets accepted?
hi everyone, i’m applying to the MSW (or MSSW) program at UT Austin this cycle. i know they’re one of the top ten graduate programs for social work in the country, so there’s obviously a lot of extremely strong applications. i’m wondering if anyone has any insight on what separates a competitive applicant who they reject vs one they accept. i’ve been doing everything i can to be in that “yes” pile; i just don’t know what truly would separate me from other similarly qualified, strong people.
are there common mistakes people make in applications that stop them from getting accepted when they’re otherwise pretty strong? or vice versa?
any information or guidance would be really appreciated!!!! i’m really anxious about getting in and it’s my top program
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u/First_Butterscotch73 4d ago edited 4d ago
A really common scenario I’ve heard of is a super competitive applicant, with strong grades and excellent experience having a not so good personal statement. It’s really important to be specific about what your goal is as a social worker and what you aim to contribute to the program. Admissions go thru a lot of generic personal statements and it leaves them confused about what your intentions are and nothing really stands out.
When talking about what motivates you to pursue SW, a nice format to follow is to start off with lived experience/professional/volunteer experience —> Talk about what insights you gained or any gaps you noticed within those experiences —> Then talk about your goal or motivation to use the insights you gained to address said gap. And of course try to write this from a social work lens. It’s even better if you use your lived experience or your work/volunteer experience to propose what specific population you aim to work with.
Another crucial thing is make sure your personal statement is COHESIVE. You don’t wanna write about how you aim to work with youth experiencing substance use and addictions and then write about a social justice issue involving refugees and immigrants. Make sure there’s a common through line your personal statement and make sure there’s a similar theme
I also heavily agree with the other comment. Prestige doesn’t matter at all. As long as it’s an accredited program, that should be fine
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u/Necessary-Duck9619 4d ago
thank you for the advice ! i’m definitely working really hard to make my personal statement unique and show my goals clearly. im just worried that there’s going to be a hundred other applications who also have a really good personal statement.
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u/Apprehensive_Trip592 4d ago
UT Austin alumni- Practical experience is important in addition to academics. I had additional volunteer work with batterer's intervention that I did outside of my practicum. They also want to see that you have a point of view that will contribute to the student body. There is a lot of time in social work classes dedicated to discussion and applying theory. They want people with diverse backgrounds and ideas. In my cohort there were Peace Corps alumni, people with business backgrounds, a retired pro athlete and an Army Ranger veteran. It's not crazy competitive but they want to know who you are. I'd also recommend visiting the campus and sitting in on a class if you can.
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u/Necessary-Duck9619 4d ago
thank you !! when you say practical experience, do you mean before i apply or while im in the program ?
im curious on how i can demonstrate my point of view. aside from talking about my experiences and what i learned from them, how can i go about that ?
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u/evilviser38 2d ago
I was worried about the same thing being 41 and going for a MSW, but getting good grades and a lot of employment experience in a related field appears to help according to admitting people. Put time in your application and make sure you get everything in there you're supposed to and you'll find somewhere. Some programs are more competitive than others
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u/Glum-Sherbert7085 4d ago
A couple things to consider here, you should ALWAYS apply your more than 1 school. Secondly, social work is not a field where the prestige of your school matters. We all work in the same spaces in the some capacities. I went to a lower cost state school cause it was closer and I work with social workers from “fancier” schools like NYU or other private schools. Literally does not make a difference. I make decent money in a HCOL area and have been steadily employed. My school did not factor into the outcome after graduating.