Assignment task:
Goal Statement: Your name and complete name of the program you are applying for should be at the top of your goal statement. We strongly suggest that you format your goal statement by heading each section from the guidelines. Write your information in paragraph form and do not use bullet format under the section headings. Please make sure you have 3 to 5 complete sentences in each section
School of Counseling
MS Goal Statement Guidelines
We are excited that you have decided to apply to Walden University's School of Counseling. Our counseling programs meet the rigor of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and our faculty is committed to positive social change. We commend you for beginning this personally enriching and professionally fulfilling journey; we are ready to meet you and eager to count you as one of our colleagues in a few years. Need Assignment Help?
Directions: Answer each question concisely with specific details. You are strongly encouraged to proofread, grammar check, and spell checks your responses before submission; your application will be evaluated not only on content but also on the presentation of written skills.
Name: You must provide your full name (first and last) on your goal statement for it to be accepted by admissions.
Degree and specialization: You must clearly indicate to which degree program you are applying as well as any specialization you may wish to pursue within that degree program.
Content: There are five sections described below. Please include the following information when preparing your goal statement. We strongly suggest that you format your goal statement by heading each section with the headings shown below. Write your information in paragraph form and do not use bullet format under the section headings.
Please note that applicants with incomplete goal statements will not be considered for admission.
Counselor Definition:
- In a few sentences, describe what led you to pursue graduate education in the counseling profession and your career goals.
Life Skills:
- Many life experiences and skills developed in your past will serve you as a professional counselor. Consider skills (do not include technology skills) you have obtained from current or past employment, community volunteer services, or extracurricular activity experiences. Summarize two or three skills that will make you a competent professional counselor.
Feedback:
- Training to become a professional counselor requires deliberate growth and development including receiving and applying constructive feedback. As a student, you will receive ongoing and substantial constructive feedback regarding your scholarly performance (i.e., knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors). Share how you have processed, responded to, and applied past constructive feedback that was difficult to hear.
Multiculturalism/Diversity
- Multicultural/Diversity competence is explored extensively in the School of Counseling graduate programs. Considering that having a cultural or implicit bias is a normal experience for all individuals, identify a closely held value or belief that will be the most difficult for you to respect while interacting with others and explain why.
Self-Care:
- Identify three to five activities that you do to manage personal mental health, emotional problems, stress, and/or interpersonal relationships effectively.
Addendum:
Addendum requirement for applicants who have a low GPA, academic dismissal history, leave of absence, and/or transfer from a counseling program at another institution.
Please review to see if any of the items below apply to you. If so, please add this addendum content in your application.
- If your most recently completed Bachelor's degree GPA is 2.49 or below, or Master's degree GPA is 2.99 or below, please add a paragraph explaining the reasons for the low GPA and how you believe you will be able to be successful as a graduate student.
- If you were academically dismissed from Walden and are seeking readmission, please add a paragraph explaining the reasons for your low academic performance and how you will be successful now (i.e., what is different now so you can be successful).
- If you have taken a leave of absence and are returning, please discuss what is different now that allows you to be available to focus on your degree program.
- If you are transferring from another graduate counseling program, please add a paragraph explaining the reasons for your transfer to Walden and how Walden's counseling program will be a better educational fit for you.