Americorps or Higher Education?

[Dani3]

Hi, 

I'm currently looking at the University of San Francisco to get my masters in Higher Education. My advisor said it would be a good idea to try Americorps, I had mentioned it before. She said that Americorps would give me a break from school, and also develop skills that other Grads wouldn't have yet. Advice?

[Concordia]

I'm not totally sure what the degree prepares for.  

On the other hand, while some question the value of Americorps to their chosen schools, there's no question the program would give you some valuable experience, in addition to sending a signal that you're very much in demand.  Also, just getting away from being a student for a while may increase your motivation to study.  

Either way, if you do decide to try the degree again in two years, you'll bring a lot more to the party.

[hj2012]

In general, I think any work experience before starting a professional master's degree is a good idea, especially in the field that you want to work in. You'll have the chance to develop "real life" skills and learn more about a career that you might be interested in pursuing in the future. It'll also help when you try to get a job after the master's program, since many higher ed positions want folks with at least some work experience. 

Another thing to keep in mind: if you can get a job at USF post-graduation (working admissions, etc), I have friends who were able to get steep discounts on their master's degrees there. You might consider finding a FT job and working toward the MA on the side.

[ThisGreatFolly]

In addition to experience, AmeriCorps has some pretty decent benefits between the education award, education award matches at certain universities, and application fee waivers at grad schools (I applied to a dozen programs and only paid for 3 applications). It's a trade-off though - your living stipend is very, very low and it can be grueling. I've done VISTA twice, including this year during my gap year while I applied to programs. I'm glad I did it and am proud of my service, but I'm not sure how much it helped my applications, other than making them cheaper. However, national service can be helpful when being considered for certain fellowships/scholarships.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about the program.