I'm Sinking! There's So Many Choices!

[CHERRY!]

Hello! I'm having a tough time finding and deciding on what colleges to apply for! I'm looking for a Higher Education/Student Affairs Master Program and it's harder than I imagined. I'm really looking for a school that is more practitioner based, such as hands-on experience (assistantship) versus a theory based program (policy, administration, etc.). So far, I've been impressed by Colorado State University, UConn, and University of Maryland-College Park. I was looking at schools like Michigan State, Penn State, Ball State, etc., but I heard that the "big name" schools are always more theory based and I don't want that. Does anyone know of any quality programs that emphasize on hands-on-experience? 

[JBums1028]

I wouldn't say that the "big names" are always more theory based. I applied to MSU and they're definitely student affairs focused and they do care about preparing their graduates for the field. I would say that they did emphasize research a little more than the others I looked into, but they still required two practical field experiences and they offer assistantships.

 

I also applied to UConn, and I'd say of the three I interviewed at they had probably the closest to a 50/50 theory to practice balance.

 

My personal recommendation is to utilize the NASPA directory. The info in the directory isn't always 100% up to date, so I used it to look up schools that had programs, then I visited their websites for the accurate info. Also, if you're on facebook join the "Future Student Affairs Grad Students" group. Someone has been working on compiling program info there as well, and it's an easy way to connect to current students who are in programs of interest to you!

 

Other ways to approach it are to think about what areas you want to live in and/or look for work in the future. Think about whether or not you want to take the GRE. What type of culminating experience do you want at the end of a program (a portfolio project, a paper, a comprehensive exam, a thesis, etc). Look at whether or not they offer internships/field experiences/assistantships in the functional areas you are interested in. These questions should help narrow it down

[CHERRY!]

I wouldn't say that the "big names" are always more theory based. I applied to MSU and they're definitely student affairs focused and they do care about preparing their graduates for the field. I would say that they did emphasize research a little more than the others I looked into, but they still required two practical field experiences and they offer assistantships.

 

I also applied to UConn, and I'd say of the three I interviewed at they had probably the closest to a 50/50 theory to practice balance.

 

My personal recommendation is to utilize the NASPA directory. The info in the directory isn't always 100% up to date, so I used it to look up schools that had programs, then I visited their websites for the accurate info. Also, if you're on facebook join the "Future Student Affairs Grad Students" group. Someone has been working on compiling program info there as well, and it's an easy way to connect to current students who are in programs of interest to you!

 

Other ways to approach it are to think about what areas you want to live in and/or look for work in the future. Think about whether or not you want to take the GRE. What type of culminating experience do you want at the end of a program (a portfolio project, a paper, a comprehensive exam, a thesis, etc). Look at whether or not they offer internships/field experiences/assistantships in the functional areas you are interested in. These questions should help narrow it down

Thank you so much! I did begin my search on the NASPA directory, but like you said, it's not 100% accurate but it did help narrow down my choices. I took your advice and joined the "Future Student Affairs Grad Students" group on Facebook! I've already spent hours combing the Facebook group looking for helpful documents and reading informational posts from the students in the group. You've given me a lot of great advice! 

[JBums1028]

Thank you so much! I did begin my search on the NASPA directory, but like you said, it's not 100% accurate but it did help narrow down my choices. I took your advice and joined the "Future Student Affairs Grad Students" group on Facebook! I've already spent hours combing the Facebook group looking for helpful documents and reading informational posts from the students in the group. You've given me a lot of great advice! 

 

No problem! I'm deferring for Fall 2015, so even though I've been through this process once already even I'm struggling with finding additional programs to apply to. So many choices!

[hesadork]

I think JBums has given some excellent advice here.  Just one additional thought: think about the region/state where you want to end up.  (That is, if you really want to be in CA or New England or the midwest, think about prioritizing programs in those regions.)  With very few exceptions, most HESA programs place regionally -- institutions do not conduct national searches for early-/mid-level jobs, and most grad students can't afford to be flying all over the place for gigs that pay $40k-$50k.

[tdix09]

JBums gave great advice. While I'm super excited on attending Michigan State, I didn't think too much about locale. I'm willing to give the midwest a go (East coaster through and through) but as of now, I see myself returning east for work (at the very least, an urban environment). If I could apply all over again (which I wouldnt because it's a torturous process), I would've also reconsidered finances - I wasn't honest upfront with myself about taking loans out. In theory, great. When confronted with having to take out loans for schools who do NOT cover tuition via graduate assistantships, I realized I wasn't down for that. I went with my gut from a trusted friend in the field (a few actually) who said "no one should have to pay (much) for a degree in this field - there's enough funding out there." I took enough loans out for UG, not planning on doing it twice.

 

Some other things to consider: one year vs two year, attending fulltime vs parttime, having to take the GRE. It's a miserable exam, and while I did fairly OK, it was a time and money suck to take when I chose a school that didnt even require it. I'm not a bad test taker, I just didn't prepare for it with the enthusiasm I should have.

 

Lastly, take FULL advantage of those Facebook groups. I joined them all around this time last year and them ridiculously forgot about them until after I submitted my applications. Make those groups your best friends, because those people are ultimately your future colleagues, regardless of where you all attend.

 

Good luck!

[3stars]

University of Maryland - College Park is definitely more theory oriented.

 

Bowling Green State University, IUP, Indiana State University, Rutgers and Ohio State are a few practitioner-based/hands-on programs that I can think of off the top of my head.

 

OP - If there's a particular area/region of the country you're interested in studying in, please post. That will help as more people list suggestions.

 

My 2 cents: it's ok to cast somewhat of a wide net, but I think that scattering your search and applying all over the whole country (ie. applying to Oregon State, Florida State, Michigan State and Rutgers) will just make things complicated and expensive when it comes time to visit the programs in February/March.

[CurlyHairStudentAffairs]

There are two helpful (but not necessarily full proof) ways that I found of determining how practitioner based a program was when I was searching. The first was looking at if the program had a required assistantship/how many required practicum experiences there were. Schools that are more loose-y goosey with assistantships are often less focus on practice. The other thing that I looked at was whether or not writing a thesis was required. Programs that require a thesis can often be more theory based. Again these aren't completely 100% true for every program, but when you're wading through dozens of programs, it can be helpful.

 

I'd also disagree a little with some of the previous advice. If the programs in the region you want to be in are a good fit, go for it, but if not don't be afraid to be a bit all over the board. I'm from California, and I hope to work in California after I finish my masters program. I applied to University of Vermont, Bowling Green, Indiana University, University of Denver, and Rutgers. Did interviews get tricky and expensive? Yep, but I'm absolutely 100% happy with my program, and I knew I didn't like not a single program in California. At the end of the day, going to a school that isn't a fit because it's in a region you like, isn't always the smartest decisions

[JBums1028]

Most of us were suggesting narrowing by location as a strategy for the search process. Of course, if you don't like any of the programs in one particular area, then you shouldn't apply to those programs. But if you're really all over the place and you don't know where to start when it comes to researching, starting with a particular geographic area and working your way out helps make the process less overwhelming and stressful. 

Edited April 29, 2014 by JBums1028