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Application Instructions
Admissions | Application | Transfer Students | Curriculumn Information
All students who wish to apply for the BSW Program must complete an admissions application for the Social Work Program office. Please submit all items together in one large envelope and mail to the following:
University of Houston-Downtown
Attn: BSW Program
One Main Street, Suite C.340
Houston, Texas 77002-1014
A completed application packet includes:
Application Form
Completed and signed Social Work Program Application Form
Transcripts
Copy of official transcripts for all colleges/universities ever attended, including UHD. For courses taken at UHD, students may print out a copy of their Grade Report from e-services in lieu of a transcript. Paper copies are required as part of the application packet. Students are responsible for ensuring they meet the GPA requirement and recording this on the application form. The student must have a 2.5 GPA for their most recent 30 hours of college credit hours that have been taken in the past five years (We will not count GPA for courses taken more than five years ago).
Letter of Recommendation
Completed recommendation forms from two references (from past or present employers, teachers/professors, community or church leaders, and/or supervisors of volunteer activities). It is in your interest to have someone who knows you in an academic professional (employment or volunteer services) context so that they can legitimately speak to your professional or academic skills. It is recommended that you do not simply have friends or co-workers as recommenders, although if you cannot locate professors or supervisors, then these are acceptable. Letters from recommenders are not required, but the recommendation forms are. The quality of your recommendations is important. Completed recommendation forms
Essay
The essay should address the following: the reason for selecting the social work major; long-term academic and career goals (does not have to be specific); personal attributes that will contribute to student academic and professional success in social work; and any work, volunteer, or life experience that has shaped the decision to enter the field. The essay should be typed, double-spaced and at least 3 pages in length and should comply with academic standards in writing.
The essay is an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate the strength of their writing. The ability to convey an argument, as well as the ability to write according to academic standards, including but not limited to, essay structure, grammar, spelling, and sentence structure, are all important elements assessed by the review committee. Students should address the reason or reasons for their interest in the field as well as any particular strengths that will make them effective social workers. Students may also consider addressing weakness, if any, in their application. For example, if students had a semester or more of low academic performance in the past, it is appropriate to contextualize this and demonstrate how it served as a learning experience and what has changed so they can now be academically successful. Finally, students are cautioned about self-disclosure and should only do so if it makes a wider argument for entry into the program. Please understand, it is not expected that students will disclose intimate details of their life. If they choose to disclose a personal problem from the past, applicants should make it clear how the issue has been resolved so that they may now succeed in the program. Any such discussion of a problem or trauma should be brief and should focus on how this experience has informed them in ways to be a good social worker. Regardless, applicants should know that it is the quality of their writing that is the focus for evaluation of their application.
Applications to the Social Work Program are accepted throughout the year. There is not a "deadline". However, we recommend that students apply as soon as they are eligible. Applications for Fall that are received by March 15th will receive priority. Applications for Spring that are received by October 15th will receive priority. Students submitting by the priority dates will be notified by the BSW Program office of the status of their application by May 1st for Fall admissions and by December 1st for Spring admissions. Students submitting after the priority dates will be notified within 8 weeks of application.
Last updated or reviewed on 9/20/12
