Sandmaster

I can not really help much to history and those programs as I am not in the field, but I can give some insight into how my admissions process went. I was in the process of getting my master's when I applied to PhD programs and my UG GPA (all attempts included) was like 2.85 or something substantially low, and my Master's GPA was 3.67 (which is still somewhat low, but much better than UG). My GRE scores were v151, q154, and AW 5.0. For the education field, verbal is typically the one with the most emphasis placed on it so I was basically at the 50th percentile for it. I was applying to second tier schools (public ivies such as UW-Madison, Michigan, and Minnesota). I was interviewed at all but one of the applied schools and was admitted to all but two (the one I didn't even get an interview at and one that I interviewed but it had the weakest research fit to me). I got in at some very high ranked schools despite my mediocre GRE scores and my not amazing GRE scores. I think the reason why is simply because I applied to schools where the research fit was nearly perfect and I spent more time on my writing sample and revising it along with spending months on writing and rewriting my statement of purpose. I had been told by two programs that I was their top pick and first admit (again programs ranked in the top 10). So the point is, GPA and GRE are not everything. I really comes down to your SOP, Diversity Statement, Writing Sample, Recommendations, and how you interview/the passion and confidence you display to the program. I think those are all far more important to a program than how you do on a standardized test. I do recommend at least trying to retake the exam (I know it will suck having to pay more to retake), but a 139q score may catch someone's eye. I think I was able to skate by the GRE requirements because I had 150+ in both sections and while that may not be possible for your quant score, you can at least try to raise it closer to that number. Best of luck to you!

Keep in mind that graduate student loans often are a much higher interest rate than undergraduate student loans. So it may not be worth it depending on the interest rate.

I took four online courses during my master's within a single term. It was not that enjoyable of an experience. I was working a 50% GA appointment as well, so I am not sure what level of time you have, but I know it was not fun. Definitely is doable, but will require a lot of time management skills trying to balance the workload of that many classes. Best of luck!

I think you will be fine. There are tons of people who have lots of different backgrounds in Student Affairs programs. My background was in Physics and I had colleagues from English, Business, Engineering, Math, etc backgrounds when I did my Master's program. I think having your involvement history is crucial as you have already gotten some exposure to student affairs and the step to a professional life in that field is a logical one. In the program you will do a TON of critical analysis of case studies and research articles that focus on ethnographic, quantitative, and qualitative data sets. It will vary greatly on the individual program. Like I said, having a background is crucial as it will help you relate the readings and discussion to your own experience. Lastly, try to work as a student affairs professional part, or full, time while in the program, or secure a on-campus graduate assistantship in a student affairs office. (I recommend something you haven't done yet as it will give you a more holistic experience and make you more marketable to a multitude of different jobs). As an example, I came into my Master's program with experience in housing, university marketing, student involvement, honors college, academic advising, student government, admissions, peer mentorship programs, and greek life. I did my graduate assistantship in financial aid because I felt it was one of the areas of Student Affairs I was lacking the knowledge in. Unfortunately, I chose not to pursue a job in student affairs after my program, but I definitely found the information extremely helpful and I will take it into my academic affairs life after my Ph.D. to be able to better support my students and be able to advise if my institution asks me to. Hope this helps!

I am in a different field so I am not sure how relevant my admissions process is to you, but here is what I did. I included my graduate GPA, research GPA, Honors GPA, and field specific GPA on my "Academic Resume" even though most of it was directly listed on my transcripts. It wasnt a list, just simply added it below the degree to emphasize it. I do not think it mattered in the long run (helping or hurting). I plan to remove them when I create a full on CV after the PhD since it becomes quite irrelevant. I did list all of my professional memberships as well (it was the second to last section in mine). I had no book reviews, so I have no idea on how you include those. I would not include tutoring as teaching experience, but I would still add it as supplemental instruction (such as tutoring) is still important. I included my undergrad theses in mine. I put them under a section called: "Research Experience" and included it was an undergraduate honors capstone thesis. I listed the two titles and the year they were completed. Last note: I only included things that I felt were justifiable to be in there and directly related to my success in the PhD program. It sorta looked like a resume CV hybrid to display research, teaching, and university service. With all of my things included it came out to being three full pages so I am not sure how you can possibly fit everything into one page. Good luck!

I think it hugely depends. If the program there is good (which it is known to be good) then you shouldn't have much of an issue. My undergrad also had a good reputation for their master's program but actually denied me when I applied simply cause I went there for undergraduate. So I ended up in a different university for my master's. I would say at least apply to Ohio State and apply to other places and see which one gives you the best experience and funding (hopefully).

I am focusing mostly on Higher Ed, but may include some research in K-12 (though probably not for the sake of time). My master's was in higher education administration with a cert in teaching and learning in higher ed so that was a nice mix of courses. I took lots of courses in adult and higher education instruction andragogy/practices as it relates to traditional and online learning environments. So I am primarily interested in and focused on studying instruction for higher/adult education. The research I will be starting in a few weeks for the PhD program is focused on adaptive learning environments in STEM programs within higher education. Feel free to message me if you want more details, or want any advice. I am happy to connect and share my experiences and the quest searching for programs to apply to as well.

They definitely exist. They may not necessarily all be degrees though. I just completed a 15 graduate credit certificate on teaching and learning in higher and adult education along side my master's. But just gotta look and it depends on what you wish the program to focus on. Mine was pretty open so I chose online and technology integrated learning as the focus for my certificate.

I won't repeat the same advice you have already been given. However, my GPA was far lower (different field as well) and I got into some top rate programs as well. My advice is this: Reach out to professors and gauge fit before applying. Fit matters so much more than GPA. Also, make sure in your statements that you exude confidence. I would not even draw attention to your GPA because quite honestly it is pretty good. I would focus on why you want to be in that particular program, who you want to work with and why, what you plan to research, what you hope to add to their program, and lastly what the graduate degree means to you and what you hope to accomplish with it. Study hard and take the GRE and do well and don't even bother worrying about the GPA.

One thing to consider is what Rising_Star stated. Typically, (granted it varies by state and even district and school) teachers with an MA often make more. So, having an MA with no experience may work against you simply because the school has to pay you more and why would they want to do that for someone with little, or no experience, when they can hire someone with a BA/BS and pay them a decent salary less. In IL where I did my education program, the difference between an BS to MA was like 6-7k more a year. So it could be a bigger gap in other states possibly. The one downside to doing just a teaching credential cert is that there are often limited financial aid opportunities. You are typically considered a post-bachelors student and not-degree seeking. This results in extremely limited financial aid usually. Completing the MA with the certification would probably result in more financial aid to help pay for the program. Pros and Cons to both sides and something you probably want to consider.

Not in your field either, however, I also applied to places where more than one professor could support and advise me. There was only one of the (twelve professors) that was an exact perfect match, but the rest were fairly close and I felt there was a decent overlap between interests. In most of my cases, it was the same research but pointed at a different question, or was another paradigm of who the research was directed towards. My results were interesting because I got interviewed at all but one institution (two professors), which led to a denied obviously. Another institution (two professors) where I felt the fit was a little bit more of a stretch, I got interviewed and placed on the wait-list and ultimately denied as well. The other four institutions, the fit was very close with the potential advisors and I received acceptances to all four of the great fit schools which varied on ranking (#1 ranked to #67 in my field). Ultimately I choose to go to the school where I felt the research fit was the closest and I felt the department could support my research goals the best. I honestly think the fit is so important that you really apply to work with professor(s), not so much the institution. I got into some insanely competitive and highly ranked/prestigious programs with mediocre credentials because of the fit I think. Fit is also important to you as a potential student too, so applying to places you see yourself getting support is also important. My top choice wasn't the #1 ranked program because I felt the slightly lower ranked program I chose would support me better and have a better environment. I hope my experience helps. I think as long as it is in the same general idea it is good, but the closer the better chance you have. And as Takeruk said, usually apply to places with more than one advisor if possible (though depending on how rare your research interest is, that may not be possible).

The type of program you are looking for depends on if you already have a teaching license from another state. But usually you want to look for a post-bachelor initial teaching license program. Usually you can pair it with a master's degree as well so you earn both a master's and your license with certifications. UW-Madison is good, but almost any other UW-system school is good too. There are some good private schools to check as well. Just depends on which region you are moving to. Let me know if you have any questions as I am currently finishing my master's at a UW-system school.

I heard from Irvine three weeks ago. But, yeah it is pretty department specific on timelines I guess.

I just officially signed my lease. I can not wait to move out to Minneapolis and start classes!

Grats on your acceptance! Still have two programs I am waiting to hear from, but I am pretty sure I already made my decision on where I am going next fall.

Typically yes, your stipend is taxable. If you get a waiver, then usually the school will exclude that from your COA (cost of attendance) and you are only able to get financial aid (scholarships, loans, grants, etc) up to your COA. Your cost of attendance usually includes your living expenses and transportation expenses. It includes books as well. Every school is different in what they include, so talk with your financial aid office to see what their procedures are.

I finally got my rejection email this morning. Oh well.

Thanks for the info everyone. I guess I will just continue to wait and hope to get some nice funding offers in the coming weeks.

@surprise_quiche UWM actually

Hey all, I currently attend a university in Milwaukee, so let me know if you have any other questions

Hi all, I hope everyone is having a great day. I had a quick question about the variance in stipend levels and what variables go into determining the amount of money the university is willing to pay you. At my current university (master's) I am getting a stipend to perform an administrative action for an annual appointment. The system here is that the type of appointment (teaching, research, administrative) all have their own salary floors which are reserved for master's students and Ph.D students within their first two years (typically). Once a student earns their equivalent of a master's in their doctoral program they are bumped up to a new minimum, or if a student enters into their Ph.D with a master's already completed you start at that middle salary floor. Then the last salary floor is for docstoral students in dissertator status. I was wondering how common this is? Some of the schools I have applied to and the few I have been admitted to just advertise a wide range for all types of assistants (one school is around $19,600-$31,200) for an annual 50% appointment. Since I would be entering into a Ph.D program with a master's completed, would it be common to have that move me up in the range a bit starting off? I am just not sure how the determination works on how much a school offers you. I would also like to know what to expect before getting any official offers so I can get a fair wage. Thanks for any advice!

I had very similar stats as you. 3.08 UGRAD and 3.7 Master's and I got into a top 10 program in my field already. I am hoping I will get into the other two top 10 programs I applied to as well. It can happen, you just need to make sure you work hard at the statements and letters of rec

Hey there, I did not apply to NW, but I was at an interview day with someone who said they got an interview offer right before that event (it was a few weeks ago). I do not know if that means all interview offers are out though. They may still be interviewing people. I know at one school I applied to, the professors have a deadline to get interviews done by and everyone is different. So some applicants got interviewed super early and others were later. Hope this helps!

I did not interview with anyone after I submitted my app, only spoke with a professor before hand. My status is still showing being reviewed so I am not really sure what is going on lol.

Has your status changed for you yet? Mine still hasn't but I am suddenly getting emails from the financial aid and scholarship office and now have an UCI student ID? I am still in being reviewed status though... Strange.