Applicant and Personal Statement Instructions

As part of your application, you must include an applicant statement. The personal statement is optional.

The Applicant Statement is uploaded to your online application in the “academic statement” section.

Applicant Statement

You are expected to organize your applicant statement into a cohesive essay, rather than a list of discrete answers to the questions posed. In other words, you should use the questions to guide your statement but organize it like an essay or paper. The applicant statement is a critical part of the application: We will assess your ability to address the questions, as well as your writing skills, and fit with our MSW program. Your statement should be double-spaced, 12 pt font, and a maximum of 5 pages long. If you choose to reference scholarly or other sources, be sure to cite appropriately using APA format. A reference page will not count to the 5-page page limit.

The NASW Code of Ethics is a guide for professional social work conduct. The principles outlined in the Code address our ethical responsibility to clients, colleagues, employers, the social work profession, and to society. These include the core values in which our mission is rooted: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence.

After reviewing the Code of Ethics:

  • Discuss a current societal problem that drew you to social work. Choose one of the core values and discuss how it relates to this problem and your goals as a social work professional? What skills and knowledge do you plan to obtain from the MSU MSW program to help you develop this core value and address the problem?
  • Describe how your personal and intellectual qualifications and past human service experience are relevant to furthering social justice and assisting the most economically and social disadvantaged groups in our society as a whole. Discuss a core value that you have demonstrated through these experiences. Please use specific examples.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is an opportunity to share any additional information that you think we should consider as we review your application that does not fit within the applicant statement as outlined above.  Examples may include the circumstances behind a low undergraduate GPA; reasons for a career change if you are new to social work; unique experiences, skills, or perspectives you bring that contribute to the diversity of the program, etc. If you choose to include a personal statement, it should be no more than 1 page and uploaded to the “personal statement” section of the online application.

Prospective Students