Likelihood of Admittance to Masters Higher Ed/Student Affairs Programs

[spanglel]

Hi all, 

 

This is my first post, though I have been active reading on the site for quite some time. I know there are quite a lot of posts asking similar questions, but any insight would be appreciated. I am wondering how likely I would be to gain admittance to mid-top tier programs in higher ed/student affairs. I am looking at master level programs exclusively. I have spent a ton of time perusing student class profiles of various schools, but it is so hard to take all factors into consideration. My primary interest upon graduating would be to work in international ed (with internation students/study abroad office) or possibly in housing. These are my stats: 

 

Undergrad (relatively unimpressive state university): 3.0 GPA 

Graduate (will finish MPA from same school as undergrad in December): 3.9 

 

Undergraduate work/campus life experience: RA for 3 years, housing desk assistant (in living centers) for 2 years, semester abroad (during which time I worked abroad as an English language assistant), volunteer as an international student mentor upon returning from semester abroad, other various involvements in campus clubs 

 

Graduate work/experience: Graduate assistant for first year of program in financial aid office, GA for second year in research-based position unrelated to education, research assistant for two separate faculty research projects 

 

So that's about it. I haven't taken the GRE, but would probably score reasonably well (24 on ACT...though that is hardly relevant anymore). Dream school would be UMich (I am a MI resident), but I feel as though my low undergrad GPA would hold me back. Other schools I have considered are MSU and Indiana University, but am relatively open minded about it. I am ideally looking for programs with mandatory/guaranteed assistantships/practicum experience. 

 

Any insight would be great. Thank you! 

[spanglel]

Thanks for the information. Does anybody else have insight on this? Will having a master's going into a second master's in HESA be a detriment in terms of acceptance? I thought it would be a positive because of the significant increase in GPA, but hopefully the negatives don't outweigh that. Any more info would be wonderful. 

[so_it_goes]

Generally, I agree with MAC. You will need to explain in your personal statement why you are deciding to get a second master's after recently receiving an MPA. With that said, I am doubtful that the degree alone will be seen as a negative to your application, but you may want to address what a master's in higher education will add to the degree you currently have, which, as MAC acknowledged, is in a related discipline. 

 

Another thing to consider is that international education/study abroad is an incredibly tough niche of higher education to get employment. It may be worth considering getting full-time work experience before going back to school, which, with two master's degrees, may result in you being overqualified for some entry-level positions.

 

With that said, if you are set on getting your master's - and please don't think I'm trying to talk you out of it - I'd consider some of the higher education programs that have an international ethos. Two that come to mind are Boston College (houses the Center for International Higher Education) and Loyola University Chicago (offers a program in international higher education).

[spanglel]

Thank you both for your insight, it is much appreciated! These are good things to ruminate over as I figure out what to do with my life.

[ChrisTheAdvisor]

A good number of schools that have guaranteed assistantships (like Bowling Green where I'm at) just use GPA/GRE to get you in the door. I would say that you'd be a reasonably competitive candidate. The big thing is making a good impression at your assistantship interviews. Here, if you don't get a match with an assistantship site, even if you were academically competitive, you don't get a seat in the program. Having a good pitch for your interests and passion goes a long way. Just something to think about.