Assessing Suitability of MSW Applicants through Objective Scoring of Personal Statements

Abstract

In this study a refined instrument for scoring social work school applicants’ personal statements was tested, and its effectiveness measured against field outcomes of admitted students. Inter-rater reliability of the instrument was below .70, the lower bound of recommended reliability, suggesting that it did not promote consistent ratings among paired raters. Field outcomes were not found to be highly correlated with personal statement scores or with undergraduate GPA. Undergraduate GPA was found to be positively related to graduate GPA. Implications for specifying valid and reliable suitability criteria and for using personal statements in admissions decisions are explored.

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Notes on contributors

Margaret Oakes

This article is based on a previous paper presented at the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, New York, February 26-29, 2000.