Social Work Senior Shanetta Tyre
The focus of my internship has been to prepare for graduate school
by
researching Social Work graduate programs and to understand what the
typical environment of graduate program. I researched schools online,
interviewed current graduate school students, and visited local social
workers. I was surprised how much I learned during this semester. Every
person I interviewed had a unique experience and opinion about graduate
school. This was especially true when I asked interviewees whether
it is
better to go straight into graduate school or take a break. The answers
I
got were mixed, some people I interviewed said that I should go graduate
school and get it over with, and others adamantly argued that graduate
school would be more meaningful if I have experience in the workforce
before going to graduate school. Throughout the semester, I deliberated
the most on this topic of all the questions I had to consider. The
third
pre-graduate internship meeting with the graduate faculty was a
tremendously help in deciding which option was best for me. The biggest
message I took away from that meeting was that most graduate school
look
favorably upon candidates who have work experience. I went away from
that
meeting with my mind made up that I did not want to go straight into
graduate school. The biggest thing I discovered was that graduate students
I interviewed felt that undergraduate work was only slightly different
from graduate work.
After researching several social work schools online, I narrowed the pool of the graduate schools I would be interested in attending down to three choices: University of Houston, Texas State University, and University of Texas at Austin. In my second phrase of the project, I interviewed a graduate student at the University of Texas. From my interview with Monica, I gathered that attending graduate school at the University of Texas social work has the added benefit of allowing students to take classes in other top-rated graduate schools. At Texas State University, I interviewed a graduate student who provided me with a lot of insight into the graduate program at Texas State. I got a good sense of I could expect if I decided to attend this university, and I learned more about the city of San Marcos. I got the sense that if I decide to attend Texas State University I would have the opportunity to make close friends, work with caring faculty, and enjoy the benefits of living in a small city. In order to get a better sense of the school, I took a tour of the campus and spent some time in the city. My visit to San Marcos and Texas State University was beneficial because it allowed me to see the school and the San Marcos community for myself. San Marcos is very different from San Antonio and Austin were I have lived for the majority of my life, but when I spent time in the city I felt like it is a place where I would fit in well. To find out more information about the graduate program at UT, I attended at MSW program information session. I was very encouraged to learn that graduate students who are interested in working with the elderly have the opportunity to apply for a generous stipend.