HESA Advice? (Undergrad vs. Grad institution)

[HannahNS]

Hi All,

This year I'll be applying to Higher Education and Student Affairs programs (I will be a senior this year.) Right now, I'm currently in the process of determining exactly what schools I want to apply to. At one point, I was told by another student that it looks "better" to attend a grad school that is different from your undergraduate institution if you want to work in student affairs. Currently, I attend Ohio State, which has a pretty good HESA program. While I would love to place OSU's program high on my list, I don't want to hinder my future career prospects. In you all's experience, does it really put you at a disadvantage to have attended the same institution for both grad school and undergrad?

[Sandmaster]

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).

Edited May 25, 2018 by Sandmaster

[ZeChocMoose]

4 hours ago, HannahNS said:

In you all's experience, does it really put you at a disadvantage to have attended the same institution for both grad school and undergrad?

In my experience, it doesn't really matter that much.  Your job prospects in student affairs/higher ed are more determined by which assistantships and internships that you hold in grad school and your full-time experience in the field before grad school. 

That being said - I always recommend for people to work in the field for a couple years before getting a master's degree.  You'll get more out of the program since it's a practical degree and your starting salary will be higher.

[HannahNS]

Thanks to both of you! I've heard that OSU is "picky" when evaluating students who went there for undergrad, but at the end of the day there's really no way for me to predict that lol. 

Also, I've heard both sides regarding whether or not to work before getting my master's. I currently plan on applying to programs straight out of undergrad for a variety of reasons, but nothing is set in stone yet and I'm definitely still looking into getting a job beforehand.