All 6 rejections from Ucas for Social Work :-(

cool_pinkie

Hey!

Sorry to hear you didn't get accepted.

I'm currently doing the course and there are a few people who started when they were 18. I think the best thing to do it you really want to do the course is have a gap year and do some voluntary or paid care work then reapply. I think the Uni's like to see that you can cope with the academic work aswell as having some experience.

Hope that helps!

Oldernotwiser

BusinessStudent wrote: »

Thanks

I understand what you are saying. I could get a job with the council social work related for a year in a office and also help out at this local centre that has social work carers who need help with ICT.

That sounds like a good plan. The more contact you can have with social workers and service users, the better. Good luck with your plans; it'll also give you a chance to get some money behind you.

BusinessStudent

Thanks all.

What is the chances of geting a place during Clearing. I would like to go to Wolverhampton or UCE Birmingham which i both had group interview/test at?

lisa.T_2

Hi,

I started at UCE in September, theres a good selection of age groups. and I think your right that you do have a better chance being male as there are less male applicants.

you do need to have some kind of experience of working with people, but it doesn't really need to be social work related, as long as you can pick out the relevant experience from what you have done in the past - relevant experience of working with people could come from any field.

There are quite a few 18 year olds doing the course, and i think the most important thing, is being able to show you can listen as well as speak in the group interviews, also that you have the right attitude and values.

I don't think there is much chance of getting a place through clearing, but like the others said, its a really good opportunity to spend getting some experience, and reading some relevant books.

Good luck with it xx

Broke_Student

Pick up the phone on Tuesday morning and ring the head of admissions for the department you applied to.

Tell him/her you are really keen on the course and that uni/college in particular. Also tell them that you have started some more work experience at ????? and so you are sure of the course you want to do.

You will be surprised how far showing a little initiative will get you! If they still say no, ask exactly what the weakness in your application is and how you can improve your chances for next year.

Good luck!

Prudent

I am sorry to hear you didn't get in. Have you considered applying to a residential school for work? I work in one and we have a few lads of your age on the care staff. It is good for the boys in particular to have a role model who is not too old. Some of the care staff at my school are doing the qualification whilst working (they get block releases for going to uni and placements) while at the same time earning a decent wage.

DrFluffy

As with all healthcare courses, work experience is usually the key. Such courses look for evidence of insight in to the realities of the job, and if you can't/don't show that you've done your research (on your UCAS form), it is highly unusual to get short listed for interview. Work experience/volunatry activity is usually the easiest way to do this.

My advice wuld be to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, get some experience and reapply. You got two interviews so there must be something there - write to the places that interviewed you for feedback, so that you can build on this year application to make next years even better...

Good luck. If you want it badly enough, you will get there one way or another!

Catseyez

Can I ask why you are choosing to do a social work course? Please don't be offended but there is nothing in your post that tells me you understand what the social work course is all about.

As for being a male, I don't think that will make a difference. There may be less male social workers but males are not one of the minority groups in our society. Applications for the social work course are not considered on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality etc but on commitment, past experience (the GSCC stipulates that social work students need to have at least 6 months experience prior to doing the course) and so on. You also need to have Grace C (or the equivalent) for GSCE maths & english.

I'm not sure if admin-type work in social services is really going to cut it either. To show that you're serious and dedicated, you will need to demonstrate that you've had some sort of experience with service users.

jo_b_2

BusinessStudent wrote: »

I have been rejected for every social work course i had applied to via ucas.

I've had a look on the local council websites and there seem to be alot of jobs going such as admin assistant at the local drug help centre place. Is it worth geting a job related to the course for a year and apply again or what?

I agree with Catseyez that more practical experience working directly with people would be a more practical option than an admin post within the field.

Have you thought about taking a gap year and doing voluntary work through an organisation like CSV? That could make it clear whether Social Work is the right career path for you.

http://www.csv.org.uk/

Edit: Whilst I don't generally like digging up old posts to prove a point, I do remember THIS post that you made a long time ago that makes me suspect that your refusals weren't just around your age and lack of experience. Sorry, I'm not trying to be unpleasant but I do question whether social work is going to be the best career option for you in the long run.

SamMoffatt28

A silly statement on a forum doesnt necessarily make someone a bad person so lets not jump to conclusions. Although if you are serious about becoming a social worker I would think more carefully about what you say in future as the GSCC are VERY strict when it comes to good conduct and for good reason!

I do agree that some practical experience can go a long way to helping you on the road to social work. I did 6 months voluntary work at my local Age Concern office, and some other experience at another local charity which was great for me and even better for the people I helped. I also have more life experience as I am 30 but they dont tend to be that bothered about age (younger or older) at the moment so long as you can prove that you have the qualities and can gain the skills needed. I did an AVCE health and social care course which was the icing on the cake for me and really secured me a place.

Most of all you need to be prepared for the fact that the studying is intense (recommended 20 hours home study per week) and it is extremely time consuming. If you're only in it for the bursary (which I'm not suggesting you are) then dont do it!
If you are really determined that you want to do it then you will find a way by doing whatever you can to get on the course. Good luck xx