The role of experience before graduate school

I am still trying to decide among several options, and one is to take a position in a very intriguing social work agency which will very likely lead into a case management position. This, despite my having only a B.A., came about because the head of the agency met me and has an eye for the type of person she wants in the company. The pay isn't very high, and there is some dues paying time in another position, replacing another woman who is moving up, as I would intend to do.

The focus of the work is on proving various types of support and intervention in order to prevent family violence, and, particularly, child abuse. This is very interesting to me, since my main interest throughout my studies has been to find ways to increase an individual's ability to make choices leading to greater health and wellbeing. This level of work would provide an opportunity to observe how such an idea is put into action without abstraction; also, the company is very well organized, which would provide me with the chance to learn about no-nonsense organizing.

My question is: given the tendency of many people to narrowly compartmentalize others' experience and qualifications, almost as if trying to create a world full of limited factory workers at every level, would having commited so much time to a social work agency diminsh my chances of entry into a psych program? DL

Sounds great! This will look good on applications for clinical programs (along with all the other sorts of things you need to consider), but not make much of a difference in applications to research programs. Unless, of course, your expressed research interests match those seen in your job activities (e.g., prevention, family violence, child abuse, etc.). Then your clinical experience could, in fact, be helpful in getting you that research position! Good luck! JMS

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Last modified July 20, 1998