JBums1028

Well, as a second timer I'm worried about gathering letter writers again. I feel like some of them might be getting tired of writing for me. I'm also worried about getting time off for interview weekends since my new job is less flexible than my old one. Hopefully I'll at least be able to travel to my out of state ones and skype/phone interview with the in state ones. I'm not super worried about the essays since I've written them before. I can probably just rework what I used this past cycle. I'm also of course worried about not getting a GA offer... again. I'm primarily interested in academic advising. I want to end up there eventually. I'm currently working in admissions, and that's an area that I would consider working in after I complete my master's. I'm also interested in service learning/civic engagement, career services, orientation, etc.

Bumping this to keep the thread alive hopefully

I participated in interview days at UConn this past year. So with programs like UConn and UVM there honestly isn't an exact science to getting in. I honestly think there's an element of luck to it, since pretty much everyone has good experience, good grades, good interview skills, etc. With the interviews it's pretty much a toss up from there. It all depends on what they're looking for out of their GAs. There were some fresh out of undergrad students who got hired, some career changers, some with directly applicable experience. So it is honestly going to be very difficult for anyone to say whether or not you'll get in. The best we can do is say if you're a good candidate to be invited to interview.

So I tend to prefer asking others for their business card. The way I see it, most established professionals probably aren't going to take the time to do follow up contact with anyone they get a business card from. But if you take in their contact info, then you can be in control of follow up contact. Like Maelia8 said, I don't think it's necessary either. But if you really want them, then I'd list teaching or lab assistant.

Well the majority of the programs I'm looking at require at least 2 internships and offer assistantships. So hopefully I'll have 2-3 experiences by the end of the program. I will have my AmeriCorps experience as well as my upcoming year-long internship for post-graduate experience. I'm also hoping to do NODA next summer, but I'm unsure of the likelihood that I'll get a position without any Master's level experience. So I'll have 2-3 positions then post-bachelors. I'm not super worried yet about post-master's (since that's a long ways off at this point, but I appreciate the info). I was mostly wondering what length is appropriate for someone with just a bachelor's applying to MA programs and internships/employment (since that's most relevant for right now). One last thing though, can you elaborate on what you mean by service section? Do you mean volunteer positions?

Thanks for the info! I always assumed that my resume would get longer after grad school but that's helpful info to know for future reference.

I've also decided to try again next fall. I was admitted into three of the four programs I applied to, and was invited to interview at the other. In my field, a huge emphasis is placed on graduate assistantships and I wasn't able to obtain one. Financially speaking, I'm uncertain how I will afford it without a GA as well. Add to that a close relative with who was undergoing cancer treatment learning that his situation can't be improved and getting a new job, I've decided waiting is the best thing for me right now. Next application cycle though I'll probably have a greater sense of urgency, so if I'm unable to get a GA again I will probably just end up enrolling anyway.

I think if you find a cat that's relatively calm and can handle being alone quite a bit that would probably be best for a grad student. I'd recommend going to a shelter to adopt a cat. Usually they have pretty good information from the previous owners and have socialized with the cats enough to get a good sense of what they're personalities are like.

I had at least one or two creep on my linked in immediately after interviewing me. I ended up not getting offers at those locations, which makes me wonder if my linked in had anything to do with it... but I'd say creeping after rejection is a little weird.

That was exactly what I was taugth too! But then when some of the other prospective candidates saw my one page resume, they looked at me kind of funny (it was also the same way when I didn't do handwritten thank you notes- which I started a separate thread on). Which is why I was wondering if more is the norm for higher ed... I do feel like a lot of the people with longer resumes used larger font, weird spacing, had lengthy descriptions for their positions, etc. Mine this time around will probably be close to a page and a half at least since I'll be adding my new job in.

That actually happened to me at a few interview weekends... It gets a lot more exciting once we all start hearing back from programs! I think I might have somewhat of a solid prospective program list to work with. Michigan State Grand Valley State University Michigan Western Michigan UConn South Carolina Florida But for all I know, this will probably change between now and October...

Ah, I was actually in the one page camp this past cycle. Maybe my experience looked lacking compared to others because of that? Not sure... However, with my new position I might be able to extend to two pages. It's just foreign to me since it goes against what I've been taught. Thanks for the input though!

So this was a question I thought of way back in February after my interviews, but forgot about until just now when I was talking about it with a friend. So I was personally always taught that until you've completed a graduate/professional degree or you have been out of school for a significant amount of time, you should always limit your resume to one page. However, when I was at my interview weekends I saw several recent grads or students still in undergrad with multi-page resumes. Does anyone know what the rule of thumb is, in particular for Higher Ed and Student Affairs?

Most of us were suggesting narrowing by location as a strategy for the search process. Of course, if you don't like any of the programs in one particular area, then you shouldn't apply to those programs. But if you're really all over the place and you don't know where to start when it comes to researching, starting with a particular geographic area and working your way out helps make the process less overwhelming and stressful.

I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, but keep in mind you might have to pick between two schools if you get in to both. So for example with my situation, South Carolina has the same interview weekend as UConn. If I get into both I'd have to decide which one to attend at that time (they both require that you travel for their interviews). You might get lucky and some will allow you to interview via Skype or phone. But I'd just bear that in mind.

I really enjoyed UConn. I was invited to interview, but unfortunately wasn't picked for a GA. I think the stats were something like 300+ applicants, narrowed to about 70-80 for preview weekend, narrowed to 20 admitted to the cohort. I really liked the structure of the program and the faculty. The area that the school is in though is a little weird. Very rural. It's a nice area, it's just weird for me coming from a school that had a traditional college town to see such a large school basically in the middle of nowhere. But otherwise I liked it. The main thing I'm running into is as I'm starting to look at other programs, a lot of them have the same interview weekend at UConn. So I'm not sure if reapplying will be worth it. I'd agree with what your mentors are saying, however GPA and academic credentials will still be important for popular programs like MSU and UConn. And that's just because they can afford to be picky due to their large applicant pools. But yes, experience is important especially for interviews! That's ultimately why I decided that postponing my grad school plans for another year wouldn't be a bad idea.

I've heard many good things about all of those programs! The only two I know of for sure at this point are MSU and GVSU since I'm deferred at both of those. I might reapply to UConn this year and I'm looking pretty seriously at South Carolina and Miami-OH per recommendation of an adviser. I've also looked into Utah, University of Rochester, Michigan, and Western Michigan. But I definitely don't have a final list yet. I'm open to suggestions! My preferences are cohort model programs that offer assistantships in academic advising, service learning, admissions, or career services.

No problem! I'm deferring for Fall 2015, so even though I've been through this process once already even I'm struggling with finding additional programs to apply to. So many choices!

It might be a little early to start this... since I've officially deferred I kind of want to see who else on here will be applying to start in Fall 2015. Figured I'd start a thread where we can discuss what which programs we're interested in, give program search advice, etc.

Masters in higher education/ student affairs Stats: 3.8 GPA, GRE wasn't required Background: While in Undergrad- Orientation, ResLife, Alternative Breaks, Admissions; Post-grad- AmeriCorps Campus Compact. Applied: EMU, MSU, GVSU, UConn Admitted: EMU, MSU, GVSU Rejected: UConn Going: Nowhere! Deferring due to lack of GA offers and recently being hired at a local university. Where are my Fall 2015 people at?!?

I wouldn't say that the "big names" are always more theory based. I applied to MSU and they're definitely student affairs focused and they do care about preparing their graduates for the field. I would say that they did emphasize research a little more than the others I looked into, but they still required two practical field experiences and they offer assistantships. I also applied to UConn, and I'd say of the three I interviewed at they had probably the closest to a 50/50 theory to practice balance. My personal recommendation is to utilize the NASPA directory. The info in the directory isn't always 100% up to date, so I used it to look up schools that had programs, then I visited their websites for the accurate info. Also, if you're on facebook join the "Future Student Affairs Grad Students" group. Someone has been working on compiling program info there as well, and it's an easy way to connect to current students who are in programs of interest to you! Other ways to approach it are to think about what areas you want to live in and/or look for work in the future. Think about whether or not you want to take the GRE. What type of culminating experience do you want at the end of a program (a portfolio project, a paper, a comprehensive exam, a thesis, etc). Look at whether or not they offer internships/field experiences/assistantships in the functional areas you are interested in. These questions should help narrow it down

Thaks @tdix09! And I've accepted the reality of deferring. I'm actually excited about how everything is coming together because since the new position will end in mid/late spring next year, I have more options to do programs like NODA/ACUHO-I or look for Master's programs that would allow me to start early. So there's a silver lining

Hello everyone! So as a little update for everyone on my grad school situation, it's looking more and more like I'm going to be deferring my HESA applications once again to Fall 2015. At this point I'm about 95% sure that's what will happen. I've recently received a "contingent offer of employment" at a local university. It's not 100% official, but I'm pretty confident it will work out. Said opportunity ends around May of 2015, which would free me up to do the NODA or ACUHO-I internship processes for the summer before I start school. Does anyone have experience applying for these, in particular applying prior to entering a grad program? Since they are such a popular practicum option for grad students, I'm wondering how likely it would be to get accepted without a grad school affiliation into those programs. If it helps answer the question, I'd prefer NODA over ACUHO-I but will probably try to apply for both. I do have 2 summers of orientation experience, 1 year of ResLife experience, 1 year of experience on the executive board of a service-oriented student org, 2 years as a student employee in an admissions office, as well as AmeriCorps experience under my belt at this point. Any advice is welcome!

So I think there are so many factors and variables that would weigh into this type of a consideration that it's difficult for most people to give a definitive "yes/no" on this answer. If I have to give some type of answer, I'd first say that it would depend on the relationship. If it was someone that I was married to, engaged to, or am very seriously committed to, then I'd consider it. I'd weigh the situation and how it would affect not only my partner, but us as a couple. If the opportunity would benefit both of us considerably, then I'd be willing to compromise. I'm fortunate to be entering a field where I should be able to find work for the most part anywhere. So if "giving up my dreams" meant that I wouldn't be able to work at my dream school or live in the city I always wanted to, I would be willing to compromise on that as long as there would still be opportunities for me in the new location. However, if the person was wanting me to stop working altogether to move with them, then no. And I would never ask that of someone else. When you put someone in that situation, that could lead to resentment and guilt which would create a recipe for disaster. Also on a personal note, if I was with someone who was that controlling, it would take a lot of redeeming qualities for me to want to stay with them...

I agree. I've definitely done this before. I would just make sure that they don't sound exactly the same. I'd also make sure you're tailoring it to the particular position you're applying for (like the person above mentioned).