What social work admissions tutors want to see in graduate applications
Siobhan Laird, lecturer in social work and former admissions tutor at the University of Sheffield, points out that applications that don't fulfil basic academic requirements will get rejected straightaway. It's an obvious point, but one still worth saying: fill in the form neatly and accurately and give all the information that is asked for.
It's in the personal statement that you get the chance to stand out from the crowd and be selected for interview. This is where to show why you want to do social work and tie together the life and work experiences that have led you in this direction at this time in your life. In terms of thinking about what to write, Siobhan feels that for someone to show they are motivated and committed enough to go into social work, they need to demonstrate that they've thought about it, looked at the requirements for the course and taken action to ensure they meet them.
Show why you want to do social work and tie together the life and work experiences that have led you in this direction.
On the other hand, an application that suggests that applying for the course is a last minute decision or that a prospective candidate is wavering between different courses is unlikely to be taken as seriously as others. Siobhan explains that the interview, which is mandatory for social work courses, will explore whether prospective students understand two key questions: first, what social work involves and second, what its values and objectives consist of. It is surprising how many candidates are unable to demonstrate this. Siobhan advises spending time speaking to social workers and finding out about their jobs, reading introductory texts on social work, and keeping up with relevant news in the field.
Spend time speaking to social workers and finding out about their jobs, reading introductory texts on social work, and keeping up with relevant news in the field.
An interview may be as short as 20 minutes, so it's important to prepare by articulating some concise answers and key phrases to questions that are likely to come up; this will also help to counter any nerves. Siobhan suggests writing some answers in bullet point form to questions like 'Why do I want to do social work?' and 'What do I know about it?' It's also useful to reflect on your work experience, she says, thinking about what you did, what was important about it, what you learnt and what you would want to convey about it to the interviewers. It is relatively common practice for an interview panel to consist of an academic, a service user and a social work agency representative, Siobhan notes, all of whom will put questions to the interviewee. Other assessment approaches could include a piece of written work or group work; check to find out individual department admissions procedures.