The Social Work Graduate School Applicant's Handbook: The Complete Guide to Selecting and Applying to MSW Programs,   ISBN:9781929109142

Customer Rating: 

After reading this book I feel like I know more about the process of getting into a Masters of Social Work (MSW) program and going through it. I'm not so nervous about applying and I really enjoyed the information each school provided at the end of the book concerning their application process, usual mistakes in the application, and what makes each school's program unique. If you are considering going for your MSW then I would highly recommend this book.

Customer Rating: 

I knew that I wanted to get my MSW, but I had no idea how to go about finding a school for it. This book led me through the process better than I ever could have imagined. It answered all of the questions I had about the differences between programs, and helped me figure out the right one for me.

Customer Rating: 

This book was very helpful for me. The best section is toward the end, which tells a little bit about many specific schools. Most importantly, it lists the percentage of applicants accepted into each school. This was SO helpful for me because I had less than impressive undergraduate grades. Thus, I am able to narrow down which schools I want to apply to based on how likely I am to be accepted. I would buy the book simply for that quality alone, since I think it is very difficult to find schools acceptance rates. On the flip side, if you had really good grades, you could be selective in applying to schools that are highly competitive based on the acceptance rates. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is up in the air about where to apply, it helped me narrow down my selections and THEN go research the best schools FOR ME online.

Customer Rating: 

The book is not really the best book to use. And, to be quite frank, no book on MSW programs is a good book to use.

I say this mostly becuase programs change their requirements and their expectations year after year.

Your best bet is to use the book as a guide to help you narrow down your search, and to help you understand what the MSW program amy generally look like. But, really, any MSW progrma book can help you do it. And, you can get the information for free online.

The book may help some, but for many the best bet is to find the program you are interested in and research what that program expects and is interested in.

Also, the section about personal statements is a bit pretentious and biased. A personal statement should come from the student's perspective, and there isn't too much you can do wrong. The "Do's and Don'ts" are pretty common sense, and what you probably learned when writing your essay for undergrad.

Overall, keep your money and do your research online and through the school you're thinking about applying to.

Best of luck to all!!


p.s.--I got into my first choice MSW program without muchhelp from this book!!!

Customer Rating: 

This Book did not help me do anything but get worried about writing my personal statement for Graduate School. I wound up buying another book that made me feel much better and really helped me write my essay.