How to Write Your NYU Statement of Purpose (MSW)
New York University (NYU) is a highly respected Master of Social Work (MSW) program that offers various pathways and specializations for people who are interested in pursuing higher education in social work.
The application process is comprehensive and can be overwhelming, so in this guide, we are diving deep into NYU’s application requirements as well as how to complete the Statement of Purpose (SOP).
NYU MSW Application Requirements
NYU’s MSW application consists of the following:
A completed online application plus $60 application fee
Transcripts: NYU requires transcripts from all colleges and universities where you earned 12 credits or more. You will be asked to upload an unofficial electronic copy of your transcripts at the time of application.
Three Letters of Recommendation: Letters of recommendation should consist of supervisors and academic references who can speak to your abilities as a future social worker and should be able to evaluate your potential for graduate school education.
A Résumé or Curriculum Vitae: Check out our guide on writing your social work resume!
Statement of Purpose (SOP): The SOP is one of the most important parts of the application that shows the admissions committee your skills, insights, and potential for the social work field. Below, we will dive into how to respond to NYU’s SOP prompts.
Note: There may be other requirements depending on which MSW pathway you are pursuing. Check out NYU’s website for more information.
NYU’s MSW Application Deadlines:
Deadlines for the MSW program depend on which program you are applying to and whether you are applying for a fall start or a spring start.
Fall Start MSW deadlines:
Two-Year, Two-Year Shanghai, Advanced Standing, Transfer, 32-Month, all Dual Degree pathways have a priority deadline in January and the final deadline is early February
Hybrid MSW, Extended, Extended at Shanghai and NY, Non-Matriculated, ONRAMP programs have rolling admissions
Spring Start MSW deadlines:
16-month MSW pathway: has a deadline in mid-October
Extended, Non-Matriculated, ONRAMP programs have rolling admissions
NYU Statement of Purpose
NYU’s Statement of Purpose consists of 4 prompts. According to their instructions, the SOP must be double-spaced, with one-inch margins and a 12-point font. The total length of all the responses combined must not exceed a total of six pages.
Here are some tips for answering NYU’s Statement of Purpose prompts:
Question 1: What are your reasons for seeking a professional education in social work at this time? What academic, work, volunteer, or personal experiences have influenced your decision to apply? What are your expectations of being a professional social worker?
NYU asks this question because they want to gain an understanding of your experiences and motivations for pursuing a career in social work.
When it comes to answering this prompt, it’s important not to simply regurgitate the skills outlined in your resume, and instead reflect on why your experiences motivated you to pursue an MSW degree.
For example, maybe while working in a women’s shelter you realized women and families face barriers to finding housing due to systemic issues, and your desire to pursue an MSW stems from your desire to address these issues at a macro level.
You may also choose to discuss personal experiences that drove your desire to pursue an MSW degree. Again, it’s important to reflect on your “why” and avoid oversharing.
For example, maybe your personal experience experiencing anxiety as a first-generation student made you realize the lack of culturally-relevant mental health supports in academic settings, and this drove your desire to pursue an MSW so that you can address that gap as a clinical social worker.
When drafting your response, make sure to reflect on your goals as a social worker. Social work is a broad field, so it is not enough to simply say that you want to “help people”. Instead, be specific about your area of interest and how you hope to contribute to the field of social work.
Related resources:
· Free Webinar: How to Write Your Personal Statement
· Can I Talk About Personal Experiences In My Personal Statement?
Question 2: The six core values of the social work profession are service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. Please comment and/or provide examples of ways in which you have demonstrated some of these values in interactions with people of varying identities, groups or communities.
NYU asks about ethics because they want to gain an understanding of your critical thinking skills, understanding of social work ethics and values, and your decision-making capabilities.
To answer this prompt, you want to think about an ethical dilemma you faced and how you addressed it. Here are some questions to get you thinking about your response:
Have you ever disagreed with a company policy or supervisor?
Has there ever been a time when there was conflicting information, goals, or needs between stakeholders, clients, or yourself?
Have you ever felt pressured to do something you felt wasn’t right?
Example: “During a placement experience, I was worried that my client’s goal with me would harm them in the long run. While I wanted to respect their autonomy I also did not want to cause them harm.”
Even if you don’t have social work experience you may have still faced an ethical dilemma.
Example: “During my role as a sales rep I often faced pressure to meet sales targets, and this often meant feeling pressure to make a sale even if it wasn’t the best thing for the client.”
Once you have identified an ethical dilemma, be sure to provide relevant details, discuss what ethical conflict was at play, how you responded, the outcome, and whether you would have done anything differently looking back.
Further reading: How to address ethical dilemmas in your personal statement
Question 3: Identify a current example of injustice in the form of systematic discrimination, such as racism, that is one major concern to you. How have you previously addressed this form of discrimination in your past work, academic, and personal life experiences and what are possible ways that you could leverage an advanced degree in social work to respond to this systematic injustice going forward?
Social work is fundamentally about addressing inequality and advocating for marginalized communities. By asking about systemic injustice, the school gauges whether applicants are aware of and committed to addressing larger societal issues - a core pillar of the profession.
When answering this prompt, it is important to critically reflect on your understanding of topics like discrimination and racism. Here are some approaches to answering this question.
Show understanding of your positionality: Social work requires a deep understanding of how one’s identity, social location, and experiences shape their perspective and interactions with others. By reflecting on positionality, applicants demonstrate their ability to recognize personal bias and privilege, understand power dynamics, and demonstrate humility and growth.
Show growth: Reflect on what you learned from your experiences, emphasizing how they shaped your understanding of systemic discrimination and your motivation to pursue social work.
Discuss advocacy work: Highlight concrete examples from your work, volunteer, academic, or personal life where you have taken steps to address an injustice. This could include organizing events, participating in advocacy, conducting research, or engaging in community work.
Discuss how you will leverage your MSW: Clearly articulate how earning an MSW will equip you to address injustice on a larger scale. Consider mentioning specific areas of social work that align with your goals.
Question 4: Describe a challenging or stressful interpersonal situation you encountered at an academic or professional setting. What steps or personal resources did you use to solve the problem. What did you learn from this situation?
NYU is likely assessing several key qualities and competencies that are essential for success in both graduate school and the social work profession. Here are some examples:
Emotional Intelligence and Self-Awareness: Social work involves navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, often in high-stress environments. Schools want to see that you can recognize and manage your emotions, understand the emotions of others, and respond thoughtfully. Reflecting on how you handled the situation demonstrates your ability to engage in self-assessment and personal growth, both of which are critical for social workers.
Conflict Resolution and Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to address and resolve conflict is essential in social work practice, whether working with clients, teams, or within communities. Schools want to see how you approach difficult situations, the strategies you use, and how you draw on internal or external resources to find solutions. This question highlights your capacity to stay calm, think critically, and navigate interpersonal challenges effectively.
Resilience and Coping Strategies: Social work can be emotionally demanding. Schools are interested in how you handle stress and adversity, as this speaks to your resilience and capacity to manage difficult cases or systemic barriers in the future. Sharing how you used personal or professional resources to cope with and address challenges helps them assess how well you balance self-care with problem-solving.
Alignment with Social Work Values: The response to this question often reflects core social work principles, such as empathy, integrity, and respect for others. Your answer can illustrate how you maintain professionalism, prioritize ethical decision-making, and advocate for fairness in challenging situations.
When drafting a response to this question briefly describe the situation – taking care to provide context but not getting lost in the details. Explain how you handled the situation, why you made the decision you did, and whether you would have done anything differently and/or how this experience will inform your future social work practice.
Need support with writing your NYU Statement of Purpose? Book a call with one of our application advisors or send in your personal statement for editing and critiquing!
