Good Letter Of Application Personal Statement Example

My interest and passion for social work stems from extensive experience in teaching, research and study. I intend to deepen my understanding of social work through the renowned doctoral program at Adelphi University. In this letter of application I will outline my abilities to undertake doctoral studies and demonstrate how I may continue to make a positive contribution to graduate studies at Adelphi University and advance research and practice in social work more broadly.
Since September I have been enrolled in the Masters of Social Work program at Adelphi University. I was drawn to the University for its reputable graduate programs in Social Work. This included the superior faculty, range of research opportunities, internship placements and preparation of graduates as prospective leaders in the field. Currently I am engaged in an internship at Mineola Community Treatment Center located at North Shore University Hospital. I am working as a therapist and provide support to five adolescent female clients who have engaged in self-harm behavior. I use CBT and motivational interviewing techniques to address their issues and devise strategies to aid them in their recovery. I combine the knowledge I acquire from this work with avid readership on research in the area of self-harm. I balance this knowledge and experience through regular attendance at Adelphi continuing education workshops offered throughout the year. Such opportunities have consolidated my research interests to the areas of self-injury and addiction (I have also done research on gambling addictions among seniors).
The PhD in Social Work at Adelphi University will serve to expand my knowledge on theory, research methods and literature on the topics of self-harm and addiction. I intend to craft a research program that will focus on the study of addiction and self-harm among adolescent girls. Research has shown that ethnographic approaches to engage victims of self-harm to orate or write their personal experiences is an effective method of treatment to cope with personal histories. I intend to further this area of research by proposing a longitudinal and multi-faceted study that will seek to determine the impact of such an approach on adolescent girls. My work to date has revealed that empowerment of adolescent girls I have worked with is rooted to facing past transgressions or emotional conflict through the spoken and written word. This intervention strategy is facilitated by the therapist and may enable a unique pathway to self-healing.
The interdisciplinary approach of writing or narration as a means of healing meshes well with my academic and professional background. Prior to pursuing an MSW, I completed a Master of Education (spec. Early Childhood Education) at Long Island University. While engaged in this program, I worked as Group Leader and Head Teacher at Noar Nursery Camp Program. Working with children who suffered from varying developmental issues enabled me to grasp and employ a range of strategies to aid these young individuals. Later on I worked as a Social Work intern with young adolescents. These individuals came from long income backgrounds and had fallen into patterns of substance abuse. Bridging my knowledge and experience of working with younger children, I applied varying strategies in this entirely new context. I made an important and meaningful impact among these adolescents, and they, in turn, instilled in me a deeper sense of the endemic and multi-faceted emotional issues that are linked to poverty. Such experiences have equipped me with an expansive understanding of social issues as they relate to emotional development in young people. Through my Master of Social Work at Adelphi I have deepened this understanding through exposure to theories that undergird the field. The logical step is for me to engage in original research and to test some of the aforementioned ideas in the doctoral program.
My pedagogical background will also contribute to my involvement in the doctoral program at Adelphi University. Utilizing different pedagogical techniques to facilitate learning about oneself, or to instill in individuals that they themselves are resources of knowledge are important to learning in any context. I hope I may apply this knowledge and pedagogical techniques within the Social Work program as well. I have a passion for teaching and would relish the opportunity to engage with undergraduate and early graduate students in a teaching assistant arrangement.
In terms of career pursuits, I intend to establish my own private practice to treat individuals while keeping a foot in academia. Through the opportunity to research and teach in the Adelphi doctoral program, I hope I may continue to teach at the University level.
I have pursued my MSW as a means of advancement for my own professional goals and for the betterment of the field of study. I have been a member of NASW since 2012 and currently serve as the President of the Social Action Group, Chairperson of the Student Advisory Committee, and a Committee Member of the LGBTQ Group. I have been a Graduate Assistant since 2013 tutoring both BSW and MSW students. I have also started the Honors society for the School of Social Work at Adelphi helping to push students scholastically by aiming to graduate with honors. This also has been a platform to mentor students to consider, or to continue in graduate studies.
I am deeply passionate about social work. I have excelled in the MSW program at Adelphi University and have made a positive impact at my internship. This exposure has solidified my desire to further my graduate studies in the doctoral program. I bring to the School of Social Work extensive experience in teaching, social work, research and study. In academic terms I have demonstrated excellence. Amongst my peers, I have demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills centred on advancing the collegiality and recognition of the social work programs. In combination, I believe I have the academic ability, interpersonal skills, and intellectual drive to excel in the doctoral program of Social Work at Adelphi University. I look forward to making a positive contribution to the School and to the field of Social Work more broadly.
I look forward to the opportunity of becoming a doctoral student in the School of Social Work at Adelphi University in fall, 2015.