studentaffairsgrad

I had a person in my grad school cohort who found it difficult to make friends. She once told me that her counselor suggested that she do things she likes, but in public places. So instead of just sitting in her apartment and reading, go to a coffee shop and read. Seems simple, but she said it helped her a lot.

I saw this on Buzzfeed yesterday, and wanted to share http://www.buzzfeed.com/doree/books-you-need-to-read-in-your-20s

I went through three successful grade changes during undergrad, but those were all for blatant miscalculation of points. JMU is right - the later it drags on, the more difficult it will be. One of mine took over 3-months for the TA to change, after he admitted he made a mistake, just because of all the red tape it had to go through with different people singing off in the college and whatnot. I don't know if your situation where you think you were graded "a little harsh" would necessarily be successful or worth it. I would say it is your right as a student to question the grade, but be ready to have proof as to why. In these situations the burden of proof is on the student. I went through a nasty grade appeal during grad school, where my professor gave everyone the same grade on the final 85% and lied about it to numerous people. He then sent us e-mails saying we were lucky, because we all should have gotten Fs/Ds. The administration admitted it was unethical, and even though the provost's office got involved, the loser of a Dean refused to throw out the grades - even though she admitted the grades were arbitrary. It was so blatantly ridiculous, and he went on to do a similar thing this year to the new cohort. Even though my grade didn't get changed, I think that the ruckus I caused was enough to ruin his tenure chances. Which is good considering he was doing other unethical things to young females that I won't go into detail. Moral of the story, obviously our scenarios are completely different, but if you think it is warranted, remember that it is your right as a student to question your grade, but you have to prove your point. Think about whether or not a one grade in one class is worth the potential headache. I don't think there is any hurt in asking respectfully about it, but think about if it is worth pursuing if you don't get the answer you want.

Hi Xfigo - if you do decide to continue in your program, or drop-out and come back at some point, I would strongly suggest registering with your university's Office of Disability Services (or whatever the office is called on your campus). Unfortunately the name can stigmatize students from using their services but on my campus, if you have a diagnosed mental illness, you can register with their office. You get your own disability adviser, and they can provide you with additional assistance and make sure that your rights are being protected under the ADA and Section 504. The office is not legally allowed to disclose that you are registered with them to anyone. They aren't even allowed to tell the military if they were to inquire about ROTC students. The only time anyone would know you were registered is if you wanted to self-disclose, or asked the office to intervene with a professor or something to that effect on your behalf. I would really suggest to anyone reading this who may have ADD, ADHD, depression, learning disabilities, bi-polar, etc. that effects their daily functioning sometimes to register. So often folks only think that Disability Services deal with physical disabilities, but they do a lot more than that

Wow - these are great suggestions! My Goodreads to-read list is growing quickly

AwkwardPants - this is amazing! Thanks so much for all of the links too I was really excited to hear about the library - I am really into reading. I was in town during the little 500, and it seemed like a fun tradition! I'm definetly going to hit up the farmer's market, and try the cool retaurants out when I move in July. Do you have any suggestions on coffee shops?

I just graduated, and am moving to Bloomington to work at IU! I've heard the same thing as far as neighborhoods being heavily undergrad populated/Greek around the stadium. Does anyone have some suggestions for must see/dos in Bloomington? I was there for my on-campus interview, but that was only for a couple of days.

Hey Friends! Does anyone have suggestions for good summer reads? Any type - fiction, non-fiction, auto-biography, etc. I just graduated from my program, and my new job doesn't start until July 1, so I've got some time to kill. I'll throw out one book suggestion - World War Z. I wasn't too excited about the whole zombie craze, but it was an amazing book!

Hi Friends! I just graduated with my M.Ed in College Student Personnel (Student Affairs), and am thinking about law school one day in the future. I want at least 2-3 years of full-time experience before I jump back in, but you can never start thinking about it too early. I was wondering if any of you were familiar with the possibilities of working in higher education as a lawyer. I know that most institutions have legal teams, and a lot of the Title 9 compliance officers on campus have their J.D. Other than that, does anyone know any other opportunities for someone to work at an institution of higher education with her or his J.D.? Can you even specialize in that? Any good schools you would recommend? Sorry for my ignorance

Thanks for all the advice, friends!

I'm in a program with a fairly large cohort. The cohorts in my program are always known for having tons of drama. I do my best to avoid it. The majority of my cohort mates have assistantships in a centralized location, and this is where a lot of the drama stems from. I have an assistantship in an office that is elsewhere, and it has enabeled me to stay away from the drama in the past. However, this year a few people from my cohort switched into my department, and I feel like the drama is following them into my sanctuary. I've asked them to keep me out of it, and to please not tell me gossip, but aside from completely isolating myself from everyone and being seen as an anti social jerk, I don't know how to keep my life drama free. When I'm at lunch, their conversation surrounds gossip. When I sit by myself, everyone wants to know what is bothering me. If I go to a bar and avoid the group, people think I don't like them. If I say anything, it gets twisted around. Aside from becomming a mute hermit, I don't know what to do. Anyone have advice?

Going after an assistantship in housing if you have 0 interest would obviously not be a wise decision, and I doubt breaktheshell would do it because some random person on a forum suggested it. The reason I suggested it to breaktheshell, is because she expressed interest in counseling experience, and it seems like some days, that is all I do. Also, when I started thinking about SA as a career choice, I didn't even know what an assistantship was, let alone all of the areas you could get an assistantship in. If you weren't an RA in college, you might not know much about housing, so I was sharing my experience. I'm not going to sit here and talk up career advising if I know nothing about it. I didn't go to one interview weekend where I was only allowed to apply to one assistantship - go with what you feel passionate about, and if housing peeks your interest, maybe apply to it as a backup. If not, that is awesome too. I disagree with ZeChocMoose about being pigeonholed when you work in housing. At the end of this past year, I had numerous colleagues who had been in live-in positions for anywhere from 2-6 years take positions in long distance education, academic advising, career advising and parent relations. Aside from my position as a resident director, I also work out of the office of judiciaries as a hearing officer, academically advise 10 students on academic probation, and serve on numerous divisional committees - I really enjoy all the inter-office work I get to participate in. Our VP, Dean of Students, Assistant Dean of Students, and two of my professors all stared out as hall directors, so it is a great springboard into other areas. I'll shut-up about housing now, but I really don't think offering it as a opportunity to someone who may or may not know anything about it is skin off anyone's nose.

If you would like any other advice from someone who is currently in a program, and has some experience in the area, send me a message

I've only seen three. I would caution against applying to a program based on the amount of letters of rec they ask for. If you need an extra reference, volunteering is always a great way to get a reference. Or if you're still in college, there are ample opportunities to get to know professors, as most programs ask that one of your references is from professor.

I don't really have suggestions as to specific schools for you to apply to - just some general advice. I just finished up my first year in College Student Personnel, and was looking for that same thing you were - don't care as much about the theory, give me the practical experience! I found a program where they emphasize counseling, and where my assistantship is pretty much a full-time job. My school was pretty straight up about the fact that they emphasize the practical experience. I would suggest contacting current students at schools that you are looking at, and ask them whether the program is more theory or practical. I find that schools are pretty honest about this, as they don't want someone who is going to be unhappy in their program. My best peice of advice - nobody should pay a penny for this degree. Get an assistantship that pays for your full tuition, and gives you the experience you want. There are tons of great opportunities for grads in this field. I'll be honest with you - I cared more about the assistantship than the actual classroom experience when choosing programs. I spoke to professionals in the field, and they said that if you are looking to get in the field straight out of grad school, they don't care as much about what classes you took, but more about your assistanships/practicums. The top grad schools in higher ed/student affairs, such as IU and Penn State, as I understand it, tend to focus more on the theory. I would suggest looking at mid-sized or smaller schools - they tend to give their grad students a lot more responsibility in their assistantships. If I would've went to a top school, I would have had great training in theory/research, and it would've greatly prepared me for a PhD, but whereas now I run my own building of 250 as a grad, at many of those schools, I would have been an assistant, taking direction from a full-time pro. I like being my own boss! It sounds like an assistantship in careers/academic advising is something that you are interested in. Know that what I am about to say is completely biased. I would really suggest looking for assistantships in housing. It prepares you for everything! I've gotten so much counseling experience in ways that students in other assistantships in my program have not gotten the opportunity to experience. I've counseled students who were suicidal, had eating disorders, were on academic probation, etc. I was also able to get experience in academic advising through a practicum. I say this b/c soooo many of the entry-level positions in the field are in housing, and I've seen some of the recent grads of my program struggle to get jobs, because they don't have experience in housing, and that is where the majority of jobs are. Just consider it, and if you decide to go with advising/careers, then I'm sure you'll get great experience there too. It is nice to not have to worry about any living expenses, just saying

Also, about the tipping issue - I have friends who usually tip every other drink if the bartender isn't being rude - some of them around here can be. I think that is a good system.

I'm going to grad school at one of the top 5 party schools in the country (at least according to Princeton Review), so the drinking culture here is crazy! I might get one drink and work on it the whole night, while everyone else is my cohort is getting plastered. Nobody really cares. Just as long as you don't sit there and judge the people who are getting plastered, you should be fine. Just go out with people and do what you feel comfortable in doing. Plus, the drunks can be good fun to laugh at

Look at it as if you are interviewing the program to see if it is a good fit for you. Some things I asked... -What makes this program different from others in the same area? -What has been some of the biggest changes in this program in the last decade? -What is this program doing to stay competitive in the field? -Where do you see this program in 10 years? - Ask about job placement and internships/assistantships if applicable -Discuss the areas that you are interested in, and ask about research if you are interested in that too -Ask what kind of characteristics the professor looks for in his/her students

Moose gave good advice, and I think since s/he has been on the admissions committee, can more specifically speak to your qualifications than I can BUT, I really don't think you have to worry about your GPA too much. Things like your personal statement, interviews, etc. are going to be more important. Your success in this field depends a lot on your ability to communicate, motivate, relate to students, etc. Just as long as your GPA is on an upward trend, you should be fine. When my friend applied to grad school in this area, I believe she had to provide transcripts even for a college she only took summer classes at once. I think it was something like, if you've taken at least 15 hours there, you had to provide the transcript. Every school is probably different though. I can't really speak about the GRE, as my program didn't require I take it. Thank God! haha. But to me, you really do sound like a good candidate with all of your experience and planning. Your research experience sounds similar to mine - I took one research methods class, and a stats class. Since you are looking for practical, I wouldn't worry about it. Honestly, when I went in for my faculty interviews, we didn't talk about classes, research etc. more about why I thought the program was a good fit for me, what kind of student I was, why I was different than the other candidates, why I thought I would be good for the program, my goals, etc. I can see why you are leaning more towards the student affairs-related program. However, I do have concerns about it being only one year, for the reasons Moose mentioned. But, I know you are aware and evaluating the benefits. When I was looking at programs and trying to decide which one was the best (b/c wherever you go, they will tell you their program is the best), I was told by people in the field to look at a few things. Google the faculty, and see if they are publishing. Programs with higher credit hours and ones that require more internships are better, but UVA only having one year kind of negates that comparison. See if they require you to do internships as well as the assistantship. Moose mentioned you might want to get different experiences with your assistantship, which makes sense if you only have one year to explore the field. I'm a res life junkie and really wanted to do it for my assistantship, but I also have to do 3 internships, which means I will be able to explore other areas as well. Also, it is good if your program gives you the flexibility to take a good amount of electives, to explore and focus in on what you like. I've also been told that it is good if the program has a PhD program as well, b/c it demonstrates that they are serious about higher ed, and willing to devote resources to the study of it. I don't want to over emphasize the importance of assistantships, but it will be a large part of your experience. If you are able to land a great assistantship at Tech, and not your first choice at UVA, it could very well play a big role in where you decide to go. Since there is so much funding available in this field, if you land a decent assistantship, you won't have to worry about tuition, and should get a decent stipend. Will this allow you to look at some out of state schools?

I agree, it should be fine as long as it has a signature. Wouldn't it require less time and effort to just print of 3 copies, rather than print off one copy, then walk to the copier and make copies?