Student Affairs grad programs: suggestions? Focus on development, counseling for a future in Career Centers/Advising

[breaktheshell]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and looking for some advice regarding graduate schools. I've read through past posts from other folks pursuing careers in higher education administration and student affairs, and I appreciate the insight.

Since earning a BS in applied math and working in the software industry and non-profit fundraising/management, I have decided to change paths. With the help of a career coach, I realized that I want to work with university students, ideally in the career center or in an advising capacity. I will be applying to grad schools for enrollment in the fall of 2013. That's where I need your help....

I want a strudent affairs graduate program with an emphasis on student development/counseling and practical applications with less focus on theory, research, and administration. I have a very high undergraduate GPA but no directly relevant professional experience (as an aside, I was very active in my univeristy's residence life, sorority, cross-country team, service clubs, and student government). I live in Colorado, and thought the MS from Colorado State in SAHE would be a good fit for me. However, I'm willing to move and am looking to create a list of five schools to which I'll apply. Do you have recomendations for graduate schools with programs that would be a good fit?

I have viewed resources and lists of degree programs, but I'm feeling overwhelmed with the variety of programs and options. Your input/experience is very valued. Thank you.

Warm regards and all the best to you.

[michigan girl]

The first thing you should decide is where do you want to live during graduate school. That will narrow down your choice of programs. Look for specific student affairs/college student personnel programs. Avoid general higher education programs since they will offer a generalist curriculum in academic affairs, students affairs, public policy and organizational development.

Edited July 6, 2012 by michigan girl

[KristiHipp]

NASPA is a fantastic resource for narrowing your search. If you go to http://www.naspa.org...rams/search.cfm you can narrow down your search by size, location, focus, whether you want an assistantship, and TONS of other options. It really helped me when I was searching.

Colorado State is an excellent program, but very competitive. They got over 270 applications this year for about 20-30 spots. Not to discourage you at all, just so you know.

With what you're looking for, I would definitely look for programs that require assistantships. Most of them do, and they're great opportunities to get experience. They also curb the cost (I am getting partial tuition waver/room and board/meal plan/stipend) by quite a bit. Even if you don't get an assistantship, look for some practicum experiences to help. Looks like you had some great undergrad experiences; that will definitely help.

Having just gone through the process, feel free to message me if you have any questions. I'd love to help! I'm starting later this month at Indiana State University.

[studentaffairsgrad]

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

[michigan girl]

I will also provide another perspective. I'm entering a higher education program (this would be my second master's degree). Try to find a school that provides opportunities in various sub-fields across higher education. If you honestly know you're not interested in residential housing, then don't pursue an internship/assistantship in housing. My post-career interest area is admissions, and I was able to successfully secure a placement in graduate admissions for this upcoming fall. When I finish the degree, I can better strategically apply for jobs in admissions and academic advising.

Edited July 20, 2012 by michigan girl

[studentaffairsgrad]

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

[ZeChocMoose]

If you honestly know you're not interested in residential housing, then don't pursue an internship/assistantship in housing.

I agree. Since it sounds like you are not interested in housing, don't pursue this as your assistantship. It can be extremely difficult to get out of housing especially if that is the only experience in higher ed that you have and you find out it is not your cup of tea. Live-in positions (which are a lot of the entry-level housing positions) are not for everyone.

Having worked in academic advising, they do value people who have counseling skills and have worked on the more academic side of the fence. I suggest looking for positions in admissions as well as advising because you'll get comfortable with reading transcripts, offering advice, and meeting with students (and possibly) their families one-on-one. I worked in transfer admissions (as a grad student) so I got to learn a lot about different departments/schools and their requirements. It set me up well for my academic advising position.

Oh and I went to a well-known program for my master's in higher ed. I didn't have the problems like studentaffairsgrad describes. I was treated like a professional, given great experience in the field, and I didn't have a difficulty finding jobs post graduation. You'll want to talk to current students to see what type of experiences that they have and whether it fits what you are interested in.

I won't rule out well-known programs just because they teach you theory and research skills. Those are important skills to have especially since a lot of campus units are now starting to evaluate their programs. If you have those skills and can do the hands-on components, you'll be extremely marketable.

Good luck!

[studentaffairsgrad]

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.

[diciembres]

I guess I'm in a similar position in that I know I want to do a higher ed program but I have no idea where to apply. My GPA is just okay-- I'll probably graduate with a 3.5 (but a 3.97 in my last two years). I have yet to take the GRE, but two of the schools that I'm looking at (Seattle University and University of British Columbia) don't even require it. I guess I'm just kind of clueless because I don't know exactly what to expect when applying to different schools. I never know how competitive a school is or if I even have a shot at getting in.

I have lots of relevant experience, but it's mostly related to retention efforts. I have been an English TA for two developmental courses, and through my current job I have done high school recruitment for my university, I have led student seminars, I work as an assistant to Orientation Course instructors and present weekly on relevant student issues, and I host study groups among many other things. My actual major is in Spanish and I'm a Women & Gender Studies minor, so in an ideal world I'd really like to do work with Latino and Queer students. I do know that I don't want to do research. I'm much more into the idea of getting practical experience out of my program. I also have lots of student loan debt coming out of undergrad, and I'd like to get my school paid for. Any suggestions for me on where I could potentially apply?

Edited August 8, 2012 by diciembres

[JBums1028]

I don't know if the OP is still looking for schools or not (at least this could help someone who has similar interests), I am also looking for Higher Ed/Student Affairs programs with the goal of eventually becoming an academic adviser. I have some additional advice based on what others have mentioned.

• I don't necessarily think a counseling based program is necessary for advising. I think that those programs are designed more for people who want to be counselors on a college campus (like mental health counseling in a counseling center on campus, working with LGBT youth or victims of sexual assault, etc), but correct me if I'm wrong.
• Some good questions to ask programs when you are contacting them for more info: what positions do your graduates are employed in? Have your faculty members previously worked as practioners in the field? If so, what positions have they held in the field? Are there internships available in ________ (insert field of interest)? If not, are students able to seek out internship experiences at other schools nearby that could provide that experience (community colleges, etc)?
• In terms of actual school recommendations for someone interested in advising, I'd suggest University of South Carolina (my undergrad adviser mentioned that they have faculty who focus in and have experience in advising). He has also mentioned a school in Colorado as well (I can't remember the name, but I would assume that it might be Colorado State...)

Hope this helped!