Transcript:
Official transcripts are required of all applicants. As a part of the online application, you are required to upload official transcripts in PDF format from all post-secondary institutions you attended after high school. Non-English international documents must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Do not mail or email the UW-Madison School of Social Work or Graduate School your official transcripts, as applicants are required to submit all materials to their online application.
Curriculum Vitae:
On the Statements & CV page of your application, you are requested to upload a PDF version of either a resume or CV. The School of Social Work would prefer a resume that highlights your education, professional employment, volunteer experience and any awards or honors you have received. If you choose to upload a CV, include the above items, as well as publications, presentations, and teaching experience.
Personal Statement:
Your statement is very important. The content and writing quality allows reviewers to:
Gain a sense of who you are as an individual, as well as what led you to choose a career in social work;
Determine the extent to which you are prepared and motivated for graduate education in social work;
Understand why you chose to apply to the UW-Madison School of Social Work;
Recognize the challenges you may face in completing your degree and your ability to address them; and,
Assess how your experiences, social work and non social work related, have prepared you for graduate studies in social work.
In your statement, be sure to address fully each of the following questions:
Why do you want to pursue a career in Social Work?
Why are you choosing the UW-Madison MSW Program?
What do you view as barriers to obtaining your MSW degree and what are your plans for overcoming them?
How does your experience with and/or knowledge of diversity issues inform your desire to obtain an MSW degree?
How have your past and current volunteer, internship, fieldwork, employment, and/or other experiences prepared you for graduate studies in social work? Indicate how these experiences have provided you with skills and an understanding of qualities such as leadership, creativity, ethics, and professionalism.
Formatting instructions:
our statement is to be written in 12pt Times New Roman, double-spaced, with one inch margins, and approximately 5 pages. It must be in PDF format.
Write your statement following the standard essay format. Write one statement that addresses all five questions. Do not write five different statements addressing each question separately.
Writing tips:
Write a draft of your statement, take a break, and come back to it later to work on editing and clarifying.
If possible, utilize the writing lab at your campus to obtain feedback on your statement.
Do not rely solely on spelling and grammar checks.
Read your statement aloud for flow and accuracy.
Be sure that your statement expands beyond your desire to help people and beyond your personal background.
Recommendation Letter:
Letters should be from people who can assess your ability to do graduate level work and your potential for advanced professional social work practice. Keep in mind that persons writing letters of recommendation need adequate time to write a recommendation letter and submit it electronically. Late letters mean your application is incomplete and cannot be considered.
The Graduate School requires that you waive your right to view your letters. This requirement means that no method exists for viewing them once they are submitted. We suggest you ask your recommender for a copy of the recommendation letter.
Steps to requesting letters of recommendation:
As soon as possible, ask your recommender if they will serve as a reference. Explain that the letter should be one full page in length and explicitly discuss the qualities that make you a strong candidate for graduate school in social work.
Input your recommender's information into the application.
Return to your application at any time to correct a recommender's email address or send email recommendation reminders.
You need not wait for all three letters to be received before submitting your application.