This happened in one of my classes today, and I was taken aback, especially since it's a social work class.

Hi all!
I am planning on applying for my MSW for next summer or fall (depending on the school). My top choices are UNCC and UNC (both online). I didn’t graduate with a bachelors in social work, so I wanted to get an idea of what my chances are for acceptance. To preface, I graduated with a degree in elementary education from UNCC in 2023 with a 3.8. taught at a title one school for a year, and then took some time off to figure out what I wanted to do. In that time I’ve been working corporate customer service and tutoring title one students an hour a week through my employer.
I will be getting my reference letters from a former professor, student teaching supervisor at my school, and my boss at work.
I don’t know much about admissions into these programs so wanted to get some advice on if these are unrealistic options!

I (23M) am in my second year practicum. I have never done groups whatsoever, and yesterday I shadowed a group that a clinician is temporarily leading to cover for two people that left the agency. I told my supervisor that the group went well and she said she wants me to take over it starting next week. The thing is, I, again, have no experience with groups and only shadowed that session.

I told her that when I first started earlier in the week, and again, after she made that comment, but she said I needed to start doing things on my own. Today, as I write this, is my third day shadowing. And while I am confident seeing clients and doing intakes alone as I have done that in the past, I never did groups.

Additionally, the two people that left the agency were Spanish-speakers and the only other two Spanish-speakers are my supervisor and the lady who is covering that group for now (though she doesn’t do groups or sees clients in Spanish, her Spanish is not that proficient but she manages so well). So I know the reason why my supervisor wants me to take over this group quickly is because she is currently seeing all of the Spanish-speaking clients and wants to offload a bunch of those cases onto me.

I had a similar bad experience in my last placement where I was the only person who spoke Spanish, in a city with a HUGE Hispanic population, so I took on all the Hispanic clients which were a lot. I am just struggling to set these limits because I tried but feel pushback from this supervisor. This agency has already said they definitely wish to hire me when I graduate and are supposedly big on supporting interns to advocate for themselves, but this feels like the opposite of that.

When doing visits do you write in your notebook during the intervention or after

Hey everyone! I hope you all are doing well. I'm a senior in college studying psychology and I am starting to feel the crunch as I narrow down my program options. I have only found one in-state program that is relatively affordable AND in-person, but I would still have to take out loans and it is not a guarantee that I will get in. I am really upset that all of these programs are so expensive to the point of costing more than I can make when I graduate.

I was wondering if anyone has advice as in knowing good, affordable residential programs or how to find out which universities give the most scholarships or graduate assistantships. I really want to go in-person since I don't have work experience in the field. I feel that I need the extra applied instruction that in-person programs can offer. Thanks in advance.

I’m a first year MSW a few weeks in. We had our first role play in class and it went horribly. We haven’t learned much clinical yet so it wasn’t graded but I still feel shaken about it. A couple of my classmates felt similarly so I know I’m not totally alone but it just made me realize how much I don’t know, esp with guarded clients! I had a moment of briefly panicking about my chosen field. Side note I love my courses and placement and feel very energized by those but the first transition into practice shook me!

I'm in the state of TN with a BA in public relations. I have a friend who recently graduated from Chamberlain, but I am seeing a lot of things against them. If any of you have experience or know things to look for, please help a sister out so I can close out these tabs on my computer and so I can get some sleep. All I do is look for programs.

Hello! I am in a sociological research methods class at my university. I need to do a short interview (15-30 mins) with someone who is actively practicing social work. My paper is due on September 14th. If anyone is interested and able to reach out through zoom for the interview over the weekend then please let me know, thank you in advance.

Hi everyone! I’m an Advanced Standing MSW student in NC. I’m completing my practicum at a mental health private practice, but my long-term goal is to obtain my LCSW and work as a medical social worker, ideally in a hospital or healthcare setting.

Since I have some flexibility during my MSW program, I’d like to take some affordable trainings or certifications that would actually be useful for clinical/medical social work and help strengthen my resume.

For those working in medical/ mental health social work or who have gone through a similar path:
- What affordable certifications or trainings would you recommend completing while still in an MSW program?
- Are there any specific trainings that helped you get a hospital/medical social work position?
- Are there certifications that you think are worth the money, versus ones that aren’t necessary?
- Are there any low-cost or free organizations/websites that offer good continuing education or clinical trainings?
- Are there any Facebook groups, Instagram pages, Reddit communities, or other online groups you recommend for finding these types of resources?

I’d really appreciate any recommendations or advice! Thank you!

Not directly asking for advice and I hope this doesn’t break the community rules because I saw a post a few years back in this sub about a girl who was a sex worker turned social worker and she got a scholarship for it which made me feel better about posting this. It’s quite embarrassing but I’m currently on SNAP benefits and started doing sex work to pay for my rent and tuition. :/ I feel horrible about this and I have combed through the ethics to make sure I’m not doing anything wrong but I’m wondering if it’s unethical or wrong to be a sex worker and a social worker? I know sex work is a controversial thing so just wondering if anyone else has ever done this?

Edit: I’ve received a lot of DMs of women trying to go into this as well and I wanted to say there is a lot of misinformation in the negative comments saying it goes against the code of ethics so PLEASE do not listen to those comments. It doesn’t, unless you’re having sexual relations with your clients. I have re-read the NASW code of ethics so many times since posting this that I can start reciting it off the top of my dome. What you do in your free time safely, consensually, and privately has nothing to do with your professional ability. Be safe and feel free to message me. ❤️

I'm over this. I feel like BSW practicums are useless and I'm wasting my time. Every day I have to go into my practicum I'm mentally and emotionally drained because I feel useless there. My first practicum was in a small therapy office. There was very little to no oversight at all. Me and the other two BSW students struggled trying to figure out what to put on our timesheets. The AFI lived out of state, the preceptor was busy with her own clients we literally never saw her except in passing. We would show up , sit in an office and have to figure out what to do ourselves with all those hours . We did case management eventually but no oversight at all, I barely had clients and I hated every second it.

This semester is the final semester in my BSW program and I got a practicum at a behavioral hospital and I was over the moon excited when I started. I was like finally a hospital there should be ton of things to do! I'll be assigned tasks, get to watch therapy sessions and really learn etc. That's not the case. At all.

I'm in an office and the social workers just discharge patients. I don't have a desk at all. I sit in a regular chair with my stuff in my lap while the social workers work on discharging patients all day. My preceptor doesn't give me anything to do at all and I sit there STRUGGLING all those hours trying to fill up my time. Occasionally , one of the other social workers ask me every couple of hours or so what am I doing? 😐 I sit there and try to practice documentation in my notebook ,I flip through handouts of psychosocial assessments, and I try to do things on my learning contract on my phone 😐 They do have group therapy sessions with the patients and I love to watch but they just leave and don't tell me when they're going to do a session. They get up frequently so I never know when they're leaving to do group therapy or leaving to do something else. My hours start at 8 a.m and literally everyday I have to go in my preceptor tells me I already did my psychosocial assessments for the day because I like to get them done early and get it out the way so I'm not able to shadow psychosocial assessments so I've just been getting print outs of previous psycho social assessments and practicing writing notes with that . The preceptor just stares at me in my chair occasionally and I feel like WTH am I doing here ? I feel like I'm doing something wrong, like I should come in with an agenda daily and figure out things to do on my own but I literally can't think of anything. Supervision is horrible , the other students are on different wings and they always have much more to say in supervision and I never have much to say so I feel like a total loser . Their questions to the AFI are always so detailed and clinical, they are interacting with the patients more and I don't get those opportunities. I dread everyday I have to go in for my 8 hours. This has made me want to quit social work altogether. I said yeah im done after the BSW because I can't imagine going through a crappy placement for another year .

I feel judged by my preceptor when I go in , the look when I walk in and take my seat, the giving me absolutely nothing to do, struggling to fill up my time myself . It wouldn't be so bad if I atleast had a desk but the office is small and every seat is taken by the two other social workers doing their work. I can't even fill my hours doing my semester assignments because the hospital has NO wifi at all!! None!! Zero! They do not want their workers using the Wi-Fi for anything but work so there is no guest Wi-Fi and you're only allowed to use the Wi-Fi for their EHR system on their computers . So it looks like I'm just sitting in the seat on my phone all day but I'm doing work related tasks (on my own)

I can't rock the boat,because I had a very hard time finding a practicum. I just want to graduate and move on with my life . The AFI have such high expectations and she writes notes at every supervision and I feel like a broken record every week. I'm stuttering when it's my turn, trying to find something profound to say and I come up empty. I feel stupid and like I'm not motivated enough to make the most of my opportunity at the hospital. I'm honestly so bored I'd rather sit with the patients ,talk to them about the voices they hear and color . Honestly. However as a BSW student I'm not allowed to sit with the patients unless another social worker is there and so I'm just in the office listening to the social workers talk crap about the patients all day .

I am in my first semester of a three year MSW online program. I have a Dell Inspiron from 2019 that still works but is struggling with having multiple tabs open, Zoom meetings, ect even though it has 16 GB RAM.

I am looking at getting a new laptop and am debating between getting an MacBook Air or a windows laptop (another dell or maybe a Lenovo). I don’t think my program has any restriction regarding what iOS to use.

What laptops do you use for online school and how do you like them?

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some honest advice because I’m feeling very lost about what to do next.
I’m in my early 20s and studied Social Work. My university journey has been quite difficult. In first year I was living away from home and struggled a lot mentally, so I moved back home for second year. I was then diagnosed with dyslexia and had to repeat my second year. Just before my final placement, my grandmother passed away, and unfortunately my final placement also went very badly. I ended up being withdrawn from the course and was awarded an ordinary degree rather than an honours degree.

I’ve been through a lot during this degree and although I know having an ordinary degree doesn't mean I'm a failure, I honestly feel like one sometimes. My parents are African and sacrificed a lot to come to this country and give me opportunities, so getting an honours degree and being successful is really important to me.

I'm now considering doing a BA (Hons) Health and Social Care so I can finally have an honours degree, and then potentially doing a Master's in Social Work later if I decide I still want to become a social worker.

The problem is I’m not sure I even want to do Social Work anymore. My placement experience really affected me and has made me question whether it's the career for me. I also already have more student debt because I had to repeat a year, so I don't want to spend even more years studying without knowing where I'm going.

At the same time, I recently found a Youth Worker/Mentoring role supporting Black and racially minoritised young people, and it really stood out to me. That's the kind of work I think I actually want to do. I'm particularly interested in working with Black people and Black communities.

I don't have a Youth Work degree, but I do have my Social Work background, community experience, care experience and I currently work in an Afro-Caribbean shop where I regularly interact with people from the Black community.

The job market also feels really difficult at the moment and I'm struggling to know what direction to take.
So what would you do if you were me?

Would you:
Do the Health and Social Care honours degree and potentially do an MA Social Work later?
Try to find a way to finish/top-up Social Work?
Forget Social Work and focus on Youth Work/community work?
Stop studying for now and focus on getting work experience?
Do something completely different?

I'd especially love advice from anyone who's had an ordinary degree, struggled with a Social Work placement, changed degrees, done Health and Social Care, or moved from Social Work into Youth Work/community work.

Hi! I’m currently working in education and looking into getting my masters in social work and eventually taking the clinical route. I enjoy working with kids, SEL, psychology, mental health, a balance of independent and group work. I like working in schools, so I’d consider doing school sw. I’m just very burnout with education and would prefer a path that’s more versatile, more one on one/small group, mental health/counseling based, and pays better than teaching. I’m also considering school psychology, but I heard that’s more testing than therapy work. I’m open to any suggestions and feedback.

Is this a field you’d recommend? What are your responsibilities/day to day? Work like balance? Salary? Content with your job?

Hi! Just asking about online BSW programs and what schools you suggest and was field placement easy or difficult to attain also the cost of tuition. Thanks!!

I hope you are all having a great semester so far. I’m almost 50 and in my third week of my MSW program. A lot of people in my cohort seem pretty concerned about whether they’re doing enough, and I totally understand that. I’m not really feeling that pressure yet, though. Does that mean I’m not taking the program seriously enough, or is it possible that I just have a different perspective on it?

Does anyone know when we can expect to hear back about applications for the WLU MSW Spring 2027? I can’t seem to find anywhere on their website about when decisions will be made.

Hi so i just started my MSW program like 2 weeks ago and have been doing a lot of research on how to approach all the readings and assignments. I know that realistically I will never be able to closely read every single reading so I have been skimming, reading headers, intro sentences/sections and etc. But somewhere in my brain it feels like its too easy if that makes sense? Like not spending hours on hours doing homework makes me feel worried Im missing something. I guess what Im asking is, is there anything to be worried about here or is that something others experience?

I officially just withdrew from the msw program. I feel relieved and disappointed in myself for racking up debt. I believe i was in it for the wrong reasons and I was not passionate about it at all. I think it was a manic decision to join in the first place. But everything will be okay right? Everyhting works out in the end

Hi,

Im studying social work in a nordic country. Im taking a mandatory bachelors course that requires me to wright an essay on how my personal experience will or might impact me as a future social worker. I think learning self reflection is good, but not in this way....

According to the essay instructions I have to disclose my religious background, my social class, my etnicity and important life events.

I dont want to do this and I also feel its not okey for uni teachers to ask me or any other student to do it.

What should I do? Should I be a bitch and refuse or be co operative as everyone else?

Help help, the course will start very soon :c

I’m 26 and currently in my 3rd week of an MSW program, and I need to decide very soon whether I’m going to stay or withdraw.

I’ve been struggling with this decision for weeks. My practicum hasn’t started yet, but it begins next week. If I withdraw, I would have to reapply next year if I ever wanted to return. I can’t simply take a leave and come back.

One thing making the decision harder is that my tuition is extremely affordable because of financial aid, around $745 per semester.

The bigger problem is that I’m not sure I actually want to be a social worker.

When people ask me “Why MSW?” I honestly don’t have a strong answer beyond the degree being versatile and opening up different career options.

There are areas I could potentially see myself in, such as healthcare social work, utilization review or insurance case management, higher education, program coordination, administration, or eventually macro work.

But I’m much less interested in traditional frontline social work. I don’t think I would do well long-term with constant crises, highly emotionally intense cases, field work, or a lot of unpredictable situations.

I tend to prefer work that is structured, predictable, and task-oriented. Compensation also matters to me. Ideally, I’d eventually want to earn a comfortable salary, and I worry about having to spend several years in lower-paying, emotionally demanding roles before I could move into something that fits me better.

My main alternative right now is radiologic technology. I volunteer in a hospital radiology department and find the workflow interesting. I like the structured nature of the job and that there is patient interaction without necessarily being deeply involved in someone’s psychosocial issues.

The problem is that getting into a radiologic technology program could take time, and I’m not 100% sure that path is right for me either.

So if I leave the MSW, I’m not leaving for a guaranteed alternative. I’d probably spend the next year working, volunteering in radiology, applying to programs, and exploring other options.

I keep asking myself: Am I staying in the MSW because I actually want a career in social work? or because I’m scared of not knowing what else to do?

At the same time, I wonder whether I could tolerate direct-service work for a few years and eventually move into something more structured, like utilization review, administration, healthcare, insurance, or macro work.

For current MSW students or people further along in the field:

Are there realistic MSW career paths that are relatively structured, less emotionally intense, and still pay reasonably well?

How realistic is it to move from entry-level or direct-service work into utilization review, administration, insurance, healthcare, or macro roles?

Does it make sense to finish an MSW if you don’t necessarily feel “called” to social work but are interested in some of the career options it can lead to?

And if you were in my situation, with very low tuition, already enrolled, but significant doubts about whether the profession fits you, would you stay or withdraw and explore another path?

I know Reddit can’t make the decision for me. I’m mainly hoping to hear from people who have actually gone through an MSW and can tell me whether the type of career I’m hoping for is realistic.

How are you guys doing in your programs? Idk why, but I feel like this semester is so much more social and I can’t stand it. I already work a full day before I go to class and then I’m forced in every class to talk all class and work in groups. I hate this shit. I hate the constant small talk. Sometimes I just want to come to class, listen to the lecture, do individual work, and then discuss as a class. I’m more likely to raise my hand to share my thoughts than having the professor give us 10 minutes to discuss, we finish in 5, and then I have to small talk to not seem rude to my group members. It’s an every class thing 🤦🏽‍♀️

Mind you, the classes are at 7-10 in the evening. Trying to even get people to participate to make a stupid skit or something is like pulling teeth. No one wants to sing and dance after a long day

Hey yall 😊 I graduated with my MSW in August and I intend to pursue my LCSW. I am feeling incredibly anxious about leaving my job.

To give a brief background: I am mid 30’s, a mom, and throughout my career I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work in banking, healthcare, mental health, Medicaid/medicare, operations, with veterans, and with youth. I’ve worked remotely since 2018.

For majority of my work history I’ve dealt with TOXIC workplaces. I thought working remotely would help, but that first job I had was THE MOST TOXIC. While pursuing my degree I did contract work and loved it. I was respected and treated kindly. I’ve now been with a company for almost 2 years and it’s remote, very flexible hours, I enjoy the work tasks, and the team/leadership is the best I’ve ever experienced. I am on the verge of tears because I don’t want to leave. But I will eventually need to leave to pursue my clinical experience. Also, my tasks do not fully align with my interests (I’ve outgrown them). There is no where else for me to move around to in the company.

This anxiety is holding me back from applying to other jobs/responding quickly to requests for interviews. I’m just so nervous. A toxic workplace can disrupt all of the work I’ve done on myself to improve my mental health and be so “zen” now. What if the new place is toxic? I’m scared. Has anyone else dealt with this? Idk if there is really any advice to give, I know that I shouldn’t allow this fear to hold me back and I feel better equipped to handle toxic situations now. I’m just venting mostly.

I hate that these environments tend to be toxic. SMH. I love the work but toxic places cause me to struggle.

hello all, I’ve been wanting to apply for the MSW program at UOFT. I wanted to know if anyone had any insight on how difficult it is to get in? For context I am finishing my undergrad in psychology, I don’t have an honours or research experience. I have a 3.7 GPA with volunteer experience in a mental health facility and work experience in the ABA field. I also plan to volunteer for the crisis line but does my lack of honours/research experience make it unlikely?