HE/SA Applications, Round Two?

[juniperoo22]

Hi, everyone!

 

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster going into my second round of applications to master's programs in HE/SA. Last year, I applied to only out-of-state programs, and although I got accepted into a few and attended outreach weekends at Indiana and Syracuse, I ultimately wasn't lucky enough to clinch funding/assistantships at any university. I was allowed to defer my admission at IU and Syracuse for a year, and am now applying to some in-state schools in my home state of Virginia that won't break the bank if I don't get an assistantship. I really fell in love with Syracuse last year, but attending without any financial support was completely out of the question.

 

That said, I was curious if anyone else was crazy (or foolish) enough like me to attempt grad school applications a second time around? I feel wiser for the wear, but still have a lot of worries that I may be wasting my time. Any thoughts, suggestions, commiserating would be great.

 

Also, I got to know the admissions process/outreach atmosphere for both Indiana and Syracuse really well last year, so if anyone has any questions about those specific schools, please let me know and I'll be happy to help if I can!

 

Thanks for putting up with my noobness, and good luck to everybody!

 

J

 

[3stars]

Hi juniperoo,

 

I'm a first-time applier, also for HESA Fall '14. Sounds like a good plan, mixing in state and out of state this time around. I applied to one in-state program for that exact reason - funding is important to me. You have some good in-state programs; I considered applying to James Madison. Any feedback you would be able to share about IU - Bloomington would be great.

[michigan girl]

Have you considered George Mason Univ, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Old Dominion Univ for higher education master's programs?

[juniperoo22]

Hi 3stars -- You're smart to put funding high on your list of important criteria. I'm not so sure I did that the first time around, and it really came back to haunt me! I'm hoping this application season I may have some options that are more realistic. 

 

I had a mixed experience with Indiana, to be honest. The campus culture and other students, faculty, prospectives were really friendly and inviting, but the outreach weekend and the admissions/assistantships application process was disorganized. I felt that they didn't do a great job being pro-active at giving prospective students information. Anytime I needed something, I had to constantly initiate contact, and follow up, and hound them about getting back to me. The cohort was also really huge, so it felt pretty impersonal at times. It may have been that I was expecting so much from such a highly ranked school. Their funding packages are also a grab bag -- some didn't even include tuition remission, and many required you to commute to Indianapolis for the assistantship. It still seemed like a solid university, so that's why I kept it on my list this time around.

 

Michigan girl -- I've looked at some of those programs for a while, and am in the process of applying to UVA's program. As far as the others, George Mason I eliminated because of location, which I know may sound a bit absurd. However, I know the area pretty well, and I don't think it would be a good fit for me. Old Dominion's academics weren't quite what I was looking for, as the prospect of a doctoral degree is still something I may be interested in. (I think their entrance undergrad GPA was 2.5, and I'm well above that.) I'm on the fence about Virginia Tech, as I've heard good things but am still waffling a bit on whether or not I want to add another school to my application list.

[3stars]

Juniper -

 

Thanks so much for your insight. I did read that the cohort for their program is quite large. Being able to feel connected to others in my cohort is something that would be really important to me if I attend an out-of-state program.

 

It does say on their website that the assistantship program is "highly decentralized," which could be good if students are encouraged to find an assistantship that genuinely interests them, instead of having to choose from what is available.  That some of these assistantships might come without tuition remission is troubling though. When I check the HESA Outreach Connections list, virtually every student listed on there has an assistantship. Now I wonder what the details of some of these assistantships are.

[juniperoo22]

3stars, you're right in that "decentralized" is definitely a good way to describe the process. I'm not saying that there aren't plenty of assistantships to choose from, because there totally are! Anyone could easily find something in their interest area. It's just that each assistantship does not come with the same base funding package, so it can make it a little more confusing (in a process that's already confusing enough, in my opinion). Not only are you weighing which assistantship fits your interests, you also may end up weighing which fits your financial needs, too.

 

And just a note -- I think that some people could really do well in a bigger cohort size, and it seemed like most prospective students were pretty excited. But I'm definitely an introvert, so I was really overwhelmed. This may be a personality thing, though. If you like big, boisterous groups, Indiana is a good place for that!

[JBums1028]

It's technically my second time around for graduate school applications, but first time around for HESA programs. Last year I was applying to MSW programs, but then decided kind of late that I wanted to take a gap year. Only applied to one program, didn't get accepted. Wasn't too upset about it since I changed my intended field anyway. I'm also applying to a mixture of in state and out of state and looking at probably applying to some other national service programs around that same time to keep my options open.

[meghangg]

I'm in the same boat. I applied last year and didn't get an assistantship. This year I've been doing Americorps actually working on a college campus so I hope that experience will help.

 

Last year I deferred my acceptance to Michigan State, but to be honest I didn't like it very much. I'm not sure if I will even bother interviewing again yet. 

 

Last year I only applied to schools without GRE required but this year I decided to take the test so I could have more options applying. I've applied to NYU, U Penn, University of Vermont, Ohio State and Boston College. 

[JBums1028]

Last year I deferred my acceptance to Michigan State, but to be honest I didn't like it very much. I'm not sure if I will even bother interviewing again yet. 

 

Did you apply to Student Affairs or HALE at MSU? If you applied to Student Affairs, I'm just curious what was it that you didn't like?

 

Also, based on your location I'm wondering why you aren't considering UConn? I know their program is competitive but if you're admitted you're guaranteed funding by virtue of the way they structure their admissions requirements.

 

I'm just wondering these things since those are my top two school choices right now...

[tdix09]

I'm in the same boat. I applied last year and didn't get an assistantship. This year I've been doing Americorps actually working on a college campus so I hope that experience will help.

 

Last year I deferred my acceptance to Michigan State, but to be honest I didn't like it very much. I'm not sure if I will even bother interviewing again yet. 

 

Last year I only applied to schools without GRE required but this year I decided to take the test so I could have more options applying. I've applied to NYU, U Penn, University of Vermont, Ohio State and Boston College. 

I'm intrigued too - what was a turnoff about MSU?

[meghangg]

I did apply for Student Affairs. Both really come down to location. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Lansing and just got a bad vibe (I really can't think of how to describe it) in general. The program seemed great and I appreciated that but in the end I just couldn't picture myself there. I mean I also had a really horrible time with traveling (bus didn't show up making me miss my connection) so I just had a really negative attitude coming out of the trip. It made me want to explore my options more because I felt like I didn't enough last year. 

 

I have no interest in staying in CT so that is why I'm not considering UConn. I actually did a webinar to find out about the program and it seems pretty great honestly, but I just don't want to stay in CT so I cut it off my list. 

Edited December 6, 2013 by meghangg

[JBums1028]

I did apply for Student Affairs. Both really come down to location. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Lansing and just got a bad vibe (I really can't think of how to describe it) in general. The program seemed great and I appreciated that but in the end I just couldn't picture myself there. I mean I also had a really horrible time with traveling (bus didn't show up making me miss my connection) so I just had a really negative attitude coming out of the trip. It made me want to explore my options more because I felt like I didn't enough last year. 

 

I have no interest in staying in CT so that is why I'm not considering UConn. I actually did a webinar to find out about the program and it seems pretty great honestly, but I just don't want to stay in CT so I cut it off my list. 

 

Well MSU is a very big school in a small town so I can see how it's not for everybody. It's my undergraduate alma mater so it personally feels like home to me there. I'd love to be able to go back but I know it's a competitive program so we'll see. I hope everything works out for you though this time around, you look like you've got a pretty good list going!