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Social work MA personal statement to include domestic violence story?

6 replies

enidlowrij · 13/01/2019 21:42

I've almost finished my personal statement. Im currently a domestic abuse mentor in a refuge and ive worked as a support worker and in a school so i have plenty of relevant experience working with agencies and arranging meetings and reports and referals ect.... but i was thinking of including a personal story but unsure if itll work for me or against me.
Basicaly i was in an abusive relationship physicaly, mentally, sexualy and financialy... i was in university and we moved in together and it started... hed lock me in the room for hours every day. I was completely aware of the abuse i was not indenial so I'd do tons of research whilst he was gone and watch very positive things and read on mindfulness ect to keep me sane. I felt i couldnt leave because i wasnt financialy able to and even if i was we'd still enter the same building daily and i was in my final year and lastly i was so embarrassed by it all. So i let it continue knowing id leave as soon as i graduate...which is what i did and instantly tried to break it off which is when the blackmail and threats started... it was complicated and hard. I had two jobs and finally social again and enjoying life and got very fit. He was miles away but with the blackmail and threats he kept himself in my life by force. I thought if i just kept telling him i dont want to be with him ect that he'd finally just give up because who wants to be with someone that constantly tells them how much they dont want to be with them? Apparently he did.... so when he came over (we saw eachother once every 3 months) he got me pregnant, he trapped me, he threw my birth control away and took my keys so i wouldnt be able to get emergency contraceptive...(i live in the country side no shops near me) so the following day before work i went to get one by now it had been almost 40 hours it was too late. The thought of having a baby didnt scare me but him in my life forever and him as a father did. My son is now 18 months he hasnt seen him in over 5 months. So im finally free and with an amzing little boy thats also free from him. No amount of blackmail or threats would stop me from protecting my son from him. He was also diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia shortly after my son was born. Should i put this in the personal statement? It shows ive experience with all forms of abuse and mental health. Its a shitty experience but one that will be all too common with many families ill be dealing with. But not sure if will work for me or against me in this case? When applying to be a domestic abuse mentor it definetly did work in my favour but not too sure now...

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BubblesBuddy · 14/01/2019 09:05

I have attached the entry requirements for a Social Work Masters from my local well respected university. As you can see, life experience can be quoted, but there are lots of other aspects to a successful application.

The life experience you quote is too detailed and too lengthy, in my view. I would read the info I have attached and find a way to summarise your experiences so that they support your desire to do this work but are not the sole focus of the application. It would appear other experience have more weight so include as much of that as possible., Hope that helps.

Social work MA personal statement to include domestic violence story?
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Bumblebee39 · 14/01/2019 10:23

I might include it- for instance as a sentence such as "due to experiencing an abusive relationship myself, I was drawn to working in a refuge" or similar (that wasn't worded well sorry, but you get the idea)
I wouldn't get into the details

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Bumblebee39 · 14/01/2019 10:24

It is relevant life experience, so I wouldn't necessarily leave it out completely, but I wouldn't use it as the bulk of your statement. You need to show how it has influenced your application to the MA and work experience etc. But it's not relevant to go into details

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ifonly4 · 14/01/2019 10:47

Certainly mention it, maybe a paragraph on it summing up what you've been through and how you think it'll help you support other people, but not as the main part of your PS.

Unis will be interested in your mentoring and support worker experience as it shows you have a long term interest in supporting others and have gained experience. I'd be looking to add what I've learnt from these positions, how I want to help others.

I don't know if all unis look for long term aims, but one told DD if she had a particular job aim/somewhere in particular she wanted to work it would strenghten her application.

Good luck.

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BubblesBuddy · 14/01/2019 15:02

It is definitely a case of what you have learnt from your variety of experiences, not the experiences in detail, when applying. I'm sure the university you wish to go to will have good advice too, OP. Have you read it?

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icannotremember · 14/01/2019 15:19

Should i put this in the personal statement? It shows ive experience with all forms of abuse and mental health.

I wouldn't go into the level of detail you have here, but it would be appropriate to make some reference to it as expertise through experience is valued in social work education. Focus more on why your experience will help you to be a good social worker than the experience itself.

And good luck!

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