Is this ethical or even legal?

Re: Is this ethical or even legal?

• notreallyirish member

  March 2014

  gwapes said:

  I'm sure they're not looking for or will disqualify you in the basis of divorce or drug use within your family, but to see your analysis and perspective if your home life. Seems fitting for social work, I think. But I also have a headache my comprehension might be off.

  I imagine that is what they are looking for, and they want to know what sparked your interest in social/family issues. Still, it just seems like they could ask about something from your personal experience or family rather than specifically your family. Many people would write about their own families, I'm sure. I doubt they would reject anyone for having an excessively dysfunctional or boringly functional family, but it just seems to cross a line.

  
  
  

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• rosesandpetals member

  March 2014

  joirish said:

  I'm sure they're not looking for or will disqualify you in the basis of divorce or drug use within your family, but to see your analysis and perspective if your home life. Seems fitting for social work, I think. But I also have a headache my comprehension might be off.

  I imagine that is what they are looking for, and they want to know what sparked your interest in social/family issues. Still, it just seems like they could ask about something from your personal experience or family rather than specifically your family. Many people would write about their own families, I'm sure. I doubt they would reject anyone for having an excessively dysfunctional or boringly functional family, but it just seems to cross a line.

  What if.you don't have anything like that in your family? that's a really personal thing to require esp since a stranger will be reading it.

  

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• notreallyirish member

  March 2014

  LalaMama81 said:

  
  

  gwapes said:

  
  

  I'm sure they're not looking for or will disqualify you in the basis of divorce or drug use within your family, but to see your analysis and perspective if your home life. Seems fitting for social work, I think. But I also have a headache my comprehension might be off.

  
  

  This is what I am assuming - they want to see how you interpret the events, etc. I haven't heard of this, but I've also never looked into SWK programs. Is it from an otherwise reputable university? I doubt any decent, accredited school would have an application that dealt in shady questions, you know? Especially at the grad level. It would make me feel rather vulnerable, though. 
  
  It is a respected state school. I would imagine they would be particularly attuned to discrimination issues in a social work department, so I guess they don't think it is discriminatory or wouldn't use the information that way. It just makes me uncomfortable. Not that I'm applying anyway...

  
  
  

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• notreallyirish member

  March 2014

  roses&65335678 said:

  
  

  joirish said:

  
  

  gwapes said:

  I'm sure they're not looking for or will disqualify you in the basis of divorce or drug use within your family, but to see your analysis and perspective if your home life. Seems fitting for social work, I think. But I also have a headache my comprehension might be off.

  I imagine that is what they are looking for, and they want to know what sparked your interest in social/family issues. Still, it just seems like they could ask about something from your personal experience or family rather than specifically your family. Many people would write about their own families, I'm sure. I doubt they would reject anyone for having an excessively dysfunctional or boringly functional family, but it just seems to cross a line.

  
  

  What if.you don't have anything like that in your family? that's a really personal thing to require esp since a stranger will be reading it.
  
  Yes! The stranger thing is weird. And then it's also your potential advisors and faculty. You would have an academic relationship with these people and yet they would know a lot of personal information about you.

  
  
  

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• fancefpp member

  March 2014

  What about privacy issues too? Say you have a family member with addiction problems or mental illness that motivated you to enter social work, by using their info isn't that violating their privacy? I guess you can be vague but it might be obvious if you have one brother or sister or you refer to your mother/father. I think it would be better as an optional question.

  

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• notreallyirish member

  March 2014

  LalaMama81 said:

  
  

  roses&65335678 said:

  
  

  
  

  joirish said:

  
  

  gwapes said:

  I'm sure they're not looking for or will disqualify you in the basis of divorce or drug use within your family, but to see your analysis and perspective if your home life. Seems fitting for social work, I think. But I also have a headache my comprehension might be off.

  I imagine that is what they are looking for, and they want to know what sparked your interest in social/family issues. Still, it just seems like they could ask about something from your personal experience or family rather than specifically your family. Many people would write about their own families, I'm sure. I doubt they would reject anyone for having an excessively dysfunctional or boringly functional family, but it just seems to cross a line.

  
  

  What if.you don't have anything like that in your family? that's a really personal thing to require esp since a stranger will be reading it.

  
  

  They didn't ask about specific pathology or dysfunction, just an essay on your family of origin. That could be anything about your family, unless the question was more detailed?
  
  Yeah, it just said an essay about your family of origin. You could just write demographic information I guess, or about one facet that interests you, but it did say 5 pages. That's a lot of space to fill.
  

  
  
  

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• rosesandpetals member

  March 2014

  I'm trying to think of what I would say. It is all too personal or not relevant. I don't know, that would be hard. Or maybe it just seems that way because I'm.not interested in social work. I guess I would.suck.It up and write about something personal.

  

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• notreallyirish member

  March 2014

  5953fpp said:

  What about privacy issues too? Say you have a family member with addiction problems or mental illness that motivated you to enter social work, by using their info isn't that violating their privacy? I guess you can be vague but it might be obvious if you have one brother or sister or you refer to your mother/father. I think it would be better as an optional question.

  I think that is what I feel. The application reviewer could certainly gain valuable insight into your motivations and potential through that sort of essay, but you could write an essay about work, school or volunteer experience too.

  
  
  

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• fancefpp member

  March 2014

  gwapes said:

  5953fpp said:

  What about privacy issues too? Say you have a family member with addiction problems or mental illness that motivated you to enter social work, by using their info isn't that violating their privacy? I guess you can be vague but it might be obvious if you have one brother or sister or you refer to your mother/father. I think it would be better as an optional question.

  If it was someone writing about a problem I have, I might feel like it's an invasion of privacy. Also, I know recovering alcoholics that are very secretive about it - close friends don't know, employers don't know etc. I guess something about it doesn't sit well with me. It's not like an application to college is privileged information. Then again, I'm sure nothing would come of it and its no big deal. But, it's like, oh, here's all my family secrets on paper. I'm sure they are looking for diverse backgrounds and people that are sensitive to certain challenges, like addiction and mental illness, so talking about those family members might help your candidacy. It shows you have experience and compassion.

  

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• notreallyirish member

  March 2014

  nowababy said:

  It's only one of the possible questions you can choose to answer or not answer right? Anyway, affirmative action is legal.
  

  No, it was a required component of the application. There was no other option.

  
  
  

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• chickaboo1974 member

  March 2014

  I think this is about being able to see what your motivations are in entering into this field. And if you are able to step back and realize the issues in your family with a unbiased eye. I wouldn't be concerned about writing this- because every family has issues- but can you look at yours and identify them and use the skills provided to be able to not let them interfere in how you do your job?

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