holly.romano

HI Iphi, Thanks for responding. I've applied to the MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs program. I've also applied to roughly all of the assistantships/internships they have posted on their website to assist in funding my education. any insight would be very helpful. thanks!

yes - I currently live in Raleigh - so i'm quite familiar with NC State ! when I applied for the FA2011 semester in FA2010, I didn't realize I was applying to the most popular / top tier / in-demand programs ( Penn State, UCONN, MSU, UVM ) either! Hopefully you don't have to venture down the path I had to take and you'll actaully get accepted to a school with an assistantship! good luck!!

Lulubelle, good luck with MSU, UVM and VA Tech - when I applied 2 years ago they got around 200 applications for roughly 18 spots !! So this time around I applied to schools that hopefully I have a better chance of getting into. UConn was my (first choice ) reach school because I know it's up there with Penn State and MSU in popularity. I also applied to NC State, U of Seattle, U of San Fransisco and University of Miami. Originally I had considered UT-Knoxville and University of the Pacific and from where Im standing I regret not applying there - but can't do much about it now. Hopefully something that is the right fit will present itself, for the both of us. I know a little bit about Columbia, SC if you have any questions!

I didn't get an email - so I'm guess thats a done deal.

thanks Lulubelle, hopefully this is good news for both of us (...I should also look into giving in and getting a facebook, if only for college admission updates)

has anyone who applied for UConn HESA FA13 cohort gotten any sort of update?

Hello All. I've applied to University of San Francisco's Student Affairs program, which is taught in a ‘teaching weekends’ format. I’ve done all the research and spoken with the school, so I have a good grasp on what to expect. Is anyone here enrolled in a similar program, as far as the teaching format goes. I’m interested in hearing what the teaching weekends are like from an actual student… Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I greatly appreciate the time that you took to respond to my posting. Honesty is never considered bad-tidings in my book – if I was applying to Law School I would have a plethora of people to help and get advice from, but when it comes to getting a Masters in Student Affairs I have very limited resources – so I appreciate anything, good or bad. I definitely want to focus more on the College Student Development / Student Affairs side and less on Education Policy & Research (not that it isn’t interesting – it’s just not something I would like to focus on…) Previously, I had chosen schools that had a cohort, seemed interesting Geographically – and because I went to a small/medium sized undergraduate university I was seeking a degree at a Larger school. I thought I was choosing more practitioner focused programs. One of the weaknesses that I felt in undergrad was the lack of real world application / availability of internships – so to attend a program where I can have an assistantship or practicum and then be able to apply those experiences in my classes is at the top of my “wish list”. Also, after speaking to Student Affairs professions in my life (previous GA’s / Advisers) I really want to comradery and community that a cohort involves. At this moment in time, I really don’t see myself perusing a PhD – maybe after years of experience – but I’m seeking this Masters to really get my career started – so I don’t know that I would pursue a PhD – it’s somewhat of a non-issue now. I would guess that I’m all over the map because I got blindsided by my last round of applications and I guess I’m grabbing at straws (which I know isn’t good) – but how many times can I apply and be rejected from the same programs? I am re-taking my GRE’s in October and am in the process of a SOP revamp. My experience is 4 years of undergrad and then 2 years of professional work experience within a well-respected university. So I have confidence in their ability to see through my resume that I am passionate about the work. I have a 3.0 from undergrad – do you think they look at my gpa as low and think that because of my resume that I stretch myself to thin? Could that ever be perceived as a negative? It’s not that I’m seeking a non-competitive program – if I was, I would just enroll online at Kaplan. I definitely want to get an education, not just a piece of paper. I’m hoping to gain an experience along with that education, including one that will broaden my horizons and really give me experience to help me land a job when I graduate. Again, I picked the programs I listed because they seem to have an interesting program that sounded appealing to me; I looked at acceptance rate and job placement rate, assistantships and cohort models – also geographic location. Anyway – I guess all I can do is keep trying – and I greatly appreciate the advice.

I was wondering if anyone might have some insight... Last December I applied to a multitude of Student Affairs / HESA / College Student Development Masters Programs (Penn State, Michigan State, VATech, Syracuse, UConn) and was only accepted at three - and I was only accepted to those off the wait-list once they had given all the assistantships away so I was unable to accept their offers (Northeastern, FIU, UMiami). Come to find out - I thought I had done my research, but guess not - that I applied to top tier programs that get about 300 applications for 10 spots - and I'm honest enough with myself to know that I am not a top tier candidate. I did mediocre at best on the GRE Math/Verbal - but got a 5.0 on the writing. I Have a 2.99 (undergrad BFA Art- grading is subjective - I don't want to get into it). I also have TONS of experience with Undergraduate/Post-Graduate work in Student Affairs, even within several different aspect of the field (Programming, Multi-Cultural, Service, Greek, Counseling). I'm hoping that anyone might have some suggestions (or tips of the trade) for me re. my second round of applications to schools that have great/interesting programs that are flying under the radar. I'm not bound geographically to any specific region - I'm just seeking a great opportunity within a great community (with a cohort and opportunity for Assistantships for experience and to help set off the cost of tuition at least a fraction!). Not that these aren't top tier programs- but, I am now considering (haven't made final decisions - still investigating) the following schools for my next round of applications : North Carolina State U, U of Florida, U of Tennessee, Ohio University, University of Arizona, University of Southern California - I'm open to any and all suggestions, tips, advice, etc.