Many schools of social work ask about ethics in the Master of Social Work (MSW) personal statement. I often find that applicants aren’t sure how to answer the question, and end up tossing in a few sentences that can feel clunky and awkward, and stick out like a sore thumb in an otherwise well-written personal statement.

As a social work student you need to know about 1) person-in-environment theory, 2) strengths-based perspective, and 3) client centred theory. 

If you’ve ever had a job interview in the past where you were asked what your areas of weakness are, you might know that the standard answer is to provide a humble-brag, or a weakness that is actually a strength.

“I’m a perfectionist”, “I work too hard”, and “I care too much” are standard answers people often give. People often avoid answering this question because they don’t want to give an answer that might be a dealbreaker for the role.

Schools of social work often ask this question as well, and they are not looking for these types of answers. They are looking for you to demonstrate your critical thinking skills as it pertains to social work practice, which might not be the same as what you would say in a typical job interview.

Over the years, I’ve helped hundreds of applicants apply to their Master of Social Work program. These are the top 5 biggest mistakes I see applicants make when writing a personal statement.

Master of Social Work (MSW) programs have comprehensive application processes; They look at your experiences, your references, your personal statement, and of course, your grades.

It can be worrisome when applying to competitive programs when your grades aren’t what you hoped they would be. However, since the application is so comprehensive this means that if you play your cards right, you can use the personal statement to highlight other areas of strength, or you can even put a positive spin on why your grades are low.

Here is what I recommend when working with MSW applicants:

Over the past few years helping MSW applicants apply to their Master of Social Work, I’ve developed some of my top tips for getting started with writing a personal statement.

The personal statement serves as a sample of your academic writing abilities, so properly formatting your MSW personal statement is a simple way to help your application stand out and look more professional.

If you’re applying to your Master of Social Work, there’s a good chance you’ve come across this section in your personal statement prompts. Many schools of social work ask applicants why they want to pursue social work. This can be a tough question, especially if you already have a BSW (Like hello, I already DID pursue social work!)

So how should you answer this question in a meaningful way?