outgoingintrovert

Well, my dream program is the SHIPS in Education at Stanford with the emphasis in Higher Education. So, I'm definitely looking into more competitive programs. What draws me to SHIPS is the interdisciplinary nature of the program, plus faculty that are already doing research in the areas I am interested in pursuing. Do you know of which master's programs would prime me to be a great candidate for more competitive programs? I'm still mostly in the research phase, so any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm definitely not opposed to getting a Master's first, I just prefer not to go into a great amount of debt because I know that I ultimately want to continue my schooling and get a PhD. I like the idea of being paid to continue my education. However, I do not want to go to a non-selective program.

Hello! I'm also planning on applying for programs this fall. Here's my background: I graduated from a Research One university with an Honors BA in Linguistics and a BA in International Studies, Cum Laude in 2013. The Honors degree involved two semesters of research with a professor that culminated in a presentation at a conference and a publication of my abstract. I will have had two years of work experience as a college access adviser, which involves helping low-income, first generation, and/or students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education decide on their post-secondary plans. I help with ACT prep and registration, college applications, scholarship applications, and FAFSA. My senior year, I also interned in the President's office and got a lot of insight into issues in higher education at the administrative level. I am now interested in continuing my education by pursuing a PhD in Higher Education and studying college access and equity, as well as the transition from high school to college, and how to retain these students and help them succeed once they get there. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but plan to early this summer. I guess my biggest worry is that I won't be accepted into a PhD program without a Masters degree first. Any thoughts on this? Some of the programs I'm looking into specifically state that a Masters degree is not necessary to be admitted to the PhD. I'm mostly looking into schools on the west coast FYI.