MA in Higher Education/College Student Personnel

[studentaffairsgrad]

Here is the deal...

I want to pursue my Master's degree in higher education/college student personnel/college student administration/whatever your program calls it. I eventually want to work in residence life.

I've been accepted to the programs I've applied to, and will be attending assistantship interview weekends soon. I would love to get a position as a hall director in university housing. First, I was curious to see what you all thought would be a good benefit packages. One of the university's I am visiting offers (for hall director assistantships) a free apartment, full tuition waiver, plus an $8,000 stipend. Do you think that is decent? It isn't quite what the grads at my undergrads were offered...I'm just trying to get an idea of what is acceptable, b/c people don't really like talking about money.

Also, if anyone has advice on interview weekends/being a grad in this type of program, I would appreciate it. There isn't a ton of info out there - I've only found a bit in the forums at the chronicle of higher ed. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, and two more things. Do you think there is a stigma attached to res life people at your institution? What is the culture/people like at your institution? It felt like 80% of the professionals (not the grads, they were awesome) at my undergrad were batshit crazy and living in a dream world. Just curious if that is the exception or the norm.

Thanks!

[ZeChocMoose]

One of questions I would ask is what are the fees for the school? Generally, tuition remission does not cover fees. It some places they can be as low as $100/semester and other places they can be as high as $700/semester. The fees (if high) can really cut into the 8K stipend.

Is this a place where there is a high cost of living? If so, covering housing costs could be a good deal with a low stipend vs. a higher stipend (15 - 20K) and no financial assistance for housing.

How about medical coverage? Do they cover this or some of this? If they don't cover this or it is only partially funded, what are the costs associated with it?

I don't have any direct knowledge of working in res life. I just know of several friends who have worked in this area. My impression is that live-in positions can be difficult while you are in graduate school because you are required to be on-call certain week nights or weekends and you might be called to handle an emergency in the dorms at inconvenient hours. I think you really need to know whether you can handle this before accepting a job of this nature. I would also suggest looking at non live-in positions within res life and other assistantship opportunities maybe in academic advising or student activities if you want a lot of student contact.

[studentaffairsgrad]

Thanks for the info ZeChocMoose!

The colleges I have applied to are in Ohio, so the cost of living is fairly low. Surprisingly Res life has the highest stipend by about $1,000! The non-res life assistantships don't even offer housing, and they are around $7,000. And of course, no, they do not cover medical I'm not sure about the fees - good point! I will have to ask about that during the interview weekends. I'm beginning to think this isn't such a good deal after all...

As far as the job duties, I was a resident advisor for two years at a very large university, so I am used to being woken up at random hours to call the cops on stalkers, clean up puke (ok, maybe tell the sober roommates to clean up puke) and a host of other weird reasons. I know that being in grad school will be a lot more challenging that undergrad, but I think I am up for the challenge! I def. want to get a few internships along the way in other areas such as academic advising to diversify.

[rising_star]

Given that I make less than $8000/year after paying rent, it sounds like a good deal to me. Definitely find out how much health insurance and fees will cost you before accepting any offer.

[ZeChocMoose]

Thanks for the info ZeChocMoose!

The colleges I have applied to are in Ohio, so the cost of living is fairly low. Surprisingly Res life has the highest stipend by about $1,000! The non-res life assistantships don't even offer housing, and they are around $7,000. And of course, no, they do not cover medical I'm not sure about the fees - good point! I will have to ask about that during the interview weekends. I'm beginning to think this isn't such a good deal after all...

As far as the job duties, I was a resident advisor for two years at a very large university, so I am used to being woken up at random hours to call the cops on stalkers, clean up puke (ok, maybe tell the sober roommates to clean up puke) and a host of other weird reasons. I know that being in grad school will be a lot more challenging that undergrad, but I think I am up for the challenge! I def. want to get a few internships along the way in other areas such as academic advising to diversify.

I am surprised that the stipends are that low w/o housing! When I was applying for my master's in higher ed, they were all around 12 - 20 K some being more generous due to a high cost of living.

That being said, it is not so much what is the "best" deal when looking for grad programs. I would weigh whether you can reasonable live in Ohio on 8K (including housing) w/o taking out loans. If the answer is yes or if you had to take out a small loan 2-3 K, then I would say that financially this program is probably a go. If you need to take out large loans to cover your living expenses, I would strongly urge you not to do this because as you know entry jobs in higher ed have modest starting salaries (35 - 45 K).

I know we haven't talked about this-- but higher ed/student affairs programs can be very different from each other. Some focus on educating practitioners and some focus on educating researchers/policy makers. I would look at the curriculum and the program requirements (do i need to do a thesis? comprehensive exam? internship?) to make sure that it is going to meet your expectations and fit your needs.

Also feel free to PM if you want to ask more specific questions. Good luck!

[tanglesandwaves]

I'm sorry for jumping into this so late.

My situation is a bit different than yours-- I'm in North Carolina as opposed to Ohio, so I'm not sure what the cost of living is like there... but here are my two cents.

I have applied to a handful of North Carolina Higher Education/Student Affairs programs. The majority of them offered their RD's free apartments, a stipend similar to the one that you were offered, and health insurance, but no tuition waiver. The position that I ended up accepting is providing me these things: health insurance, a furnished apartment with utilities, a stipend just slightly higher than the one you mentioned, full tuition, extra money for food each semester, and professional development funds. It does not cover student fees, a parking pass, etc. All in all, I'd say that I found an amazing deal.

I almost applied to some out of state programs, like the one at GMU, but some of them didn't offer assistantships at all... So I decided not to even apply.

If the cost of living in Ohio is anything like the cost of living here, $8,000 dollars (for most people) should be more than reasonable if you don't have to pay rent or tuition. (I realize you might have student loans or other circumstances that might make your situation different.) If you don't have any significant/pending financial burdens now and you are interested in Higher Ed, I'd say that deal is maybe not as bad as you'd think.

Also, mirroring a comment above, if you want to make the big money, Higher Ed will probably never be the right field. (However, you can always supplement your education with copy of that Millionaire Matchmaker book, and then you're set!)

[studentaffairsgrad]

Just wanted to update everyone...

Took a residence director assistantship that offered full tuition, free room and board, free parking, and a $9,700 stipend. Feel fortunate to have gotten my top choice!

And I know that people don't go into this filed looking to be rich, but I think people sometimes downplay the fact that you can make really good money (once you get into leadership). The director of housing at my undergrad was an incompetent moron and made over $90,000 so there is some hope! This field is all about putting in your time and working up the ranks