Social Work Personal Statement Outline

Personal Statement Outline

A personal statement must accompany all applications for a social work major.  The statement must address all of the following points in relation to the student:

1. Articulate your understanding of social work as a profession.
2. Explain your desire and interest in pursuing a career in the social work profession, incorporating experiences from your own background that have affected this decision.
3. Identify and explain your personal qualities, strengths, abilities, or skills that equip you for a career in social work.
4. In light of program goals and objectives (see pages 7-8 of this handbook), note areas that you may have for personal growth that need to be addressed during the course of professional preparation.
5. Describe experiences (paid, volunteer, or extracurricular) that you have had in helping people, especially those with backgrounds or cultures different from your own, and analyze how this made an impact on your choice of social work as a career.
6. Identify any academic considerations that should be taken into account in the Admissions Committee’s review of the application.  These may include such things as outstanding recognition in a particular area, personal or professional weaknesses that you may be aware of, knowledge of or experience with research applications, abilities in proposal writing, or others.

The format of the narrative should adhere strictly to the following guidelines:

1. Statements are to be typed and double spaced, with 1” top, bottom, and side margins.
2. Statements are to be at least two (2) pages in length but are not to exceed four (4) pages.
3. Pages are to be numbered consecutively, with numerals appearing in the footer of each page.
4. The following are to appear in the upper left corner of each page:  student’s full name, Personal Identification Number (PID), current address, telephone number, and e-mail address.