Err... I think I might be in trouble.

[sisrael]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first time posting. While I have very much enjoyed browsing, I have yet to see anyone present my particular brand of crappy stats, so… here goes. I will be entering my senior year this fall and I am hoping to apply to Higher Education/Student Affairs programs with an emphasis on practical application rather than theory for Fall 2015. That being said, I will most likely have a 2.9+ but not quite 3.0 GPA at the time that I apply. There is certainly an upward trend in my grades and I will definitely graduate with a 3.0 but I am worried my application will be thrown out even though it’s probable that I will graduate with a 3.0. Is this usually how it works?

Also, I do not have any substantial experience in Student Affairs, Campus Involvement, or Leadership. I am currently networking to get a position as a Career Peer in my school’s Career Services Department. Provided I land this job, will it be enough for me to be considered a competitive applicant ( in terms of experience)? Here are the programs I am currently considering:

University of South Florida (M.Ed. in College Student Affairs)
University of Pittsburgh (M.Ed. in Higher Education Management)
Loyola University Chicago (M.Ed. in Higher Education)
Virginia Commonwealth University ( M.Ed. in Counseling: Student Development Concentration )

If anyone had any information about either of these programs or suggestions of other programs that I should look into, it would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, I have some general questions regarding some conflicting information that I have received from my advisers. I was told that some institutions may resend their offer of admissions (assuming I get accepted somewhere) if I graduate in say mid June vs. early May ( I am considering lightening my fall/spring course load by taking 2 classes over the summer), is this true? I was also told that some schools expect you to have a degree in hand when you apply. I  haven’t found any information to support either of these statements but I figured you guys would know for sure.

By the way I am planning to take the MAT (in August) instead of the GRE, according to practice tests I‘ve taken I am projected to do pretty well on the MAT (75th-80th percentile).