DrKT

I definitely second the advice to ask for the letter of recommendation in person. It seems like you already have a rapport with this professor, especially if you've been coming in regularly for office hours, have done well in their class, etc. If this is someone who is in the field that you want to go into for grad school, I would start off the convo with talking about your desire to go to grad school, how you're thinking of applying soon, if they had any words of wisdom or advice, and asking if they would write you a LOR. It really is that simple. Nothing to be embarrassed about!

Sounds like you're doing everything right to me! Your stats sounds excellent, especially for making the switch from psychology to Higher Education. I think the biggest challenge will be to package everything together. Get good letters of recommendation from people who can truly speak to your character, experience, aptitude and interests. Ask early and give reminders. Also your personal statement essay will be key to getting in. I would spend a lot of time and effort working on it. Are you only planning on applying to one university? Is it possible to do a campus visit and schedule time to meet with some of the professors in the department you're interested in? Good luck, I think you'll do very well!

Calling the admissions office and asking to speak to someone is a good idea. I've already been through the grad school admissions process.... and finished grad school but the first time I applied (yes, there were multiple attempts) I spoke to someone who took a critical review of my application and told me exactly what I needed to do to strengthen my chances of getting in the next year. Their advice was actually very helpful and steered me on the right path. It is tempting to think that your GRE scores might have kept you out of grad school but that's not *always* the issue - as much more goes into the decision besides objective criteria like GPA and GRE scores. Also look at your personal statement - could you have made any improvements there? Did you ask for letters of recommendation from the strongest candidates who can really speak to your aptitude to do well in grad school? Or were they only able to say something generic like "He/she got an A in my class"?