We know that our applicants worry about writing their personal statement. As the current Admissions Lead for Social Work at Lancaster University, and the main message of this short blog is to say please don’t worry!

I am lucky as I am the person who reads all of the social work personal statements. So, what am I looking for? I am looking for potential – the potential to be a great social worker. We definitely don’t expect you to know everything about social work. If you did, you wouldn’t need to do a three-year degree!

My main advice is to make sure that your interest in social work comes across in your statement. We all choose to become social workers for different reasons – what is it that makes you excited about joining this profession? Don’t worry about trying to write the most polished piece ever or starting with a quotation. You can simply start with a statement such as: ‘I have chosen to do social work because’ and then tell me your reasons.

We know our applicants also worry about not having relevant work experience. We recognise that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on opportunities and as a result, it isn’t necessary for applicants for entry in 2022 to have gained any work experience. You may have gained experience in other ways such as mentoring younger children in your school or supporting someone in your family. You may have personal experience of social work. If you have worked in a shop or café, you will have developed great communication skills and experience of working as part of a team. You can reflect on any of these in your statement.

You can also reflect on something you have studied in college or school that relates to social work. For example, if you have studied sociology, psychology or health and social care, what particularly stood out for you and how do you think that relates to social work? You can also do some research into an area of social work that interests you and write about that. Good places to find information include the online professional magazine, Community Care, or the website of the British Association of Social Workers. You can search within these websites for a topic of your choice. Alternatively, you could write about a film, podcast or Ted Talk on any topic that relates to social work.

Finally, ask someone to read your statement and tell you if it gives a real sense of you as a person – that your interests and reasons for wanting to study social work shine through. I hope this has helped reassure you and I very much look forward to reading your statement.

Lisa Morriss