Grad school for Higher Education Administration

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi CC members!</p>

<p>Just wondering if anyone on here has any advice on admissions and funding for Higher Ed and Student Affairs Master's Programs.</p>

<p>I'm a 5th year senior (by choice, I could've graduated on time), finishing this spring with a major in Sociology. I am hoping to continue onto graduate school right away to study Higher Education and Student Affairs. I really would like to pursue career or academic advising.</p>

<p>I am concerned with admissions because my GPA is below a 3.0, falling right around 2.8-2.9. My GPA is a general upward trend, but I've had a two Cs and a D+ in the past two semesters. Other than that, I've had a good GPA since my junior year. My GRE scores were good (160V, 150Q, 4 AW) so I hope that it balances out some.</p>

<p>Other than that, I'm nervous that I am not as competitive since my student affairs experience has just begun this year. I have been able to work in our career advising office, I have been a TA this semester, and have a few leadership positions and involvement in student groups.</p>

<p>I am planning on applying to a wide range of schools (University of Virginia, George Washington, NYU, Columbia, Stanford, UCLA, Loyola-Chicago, and I'm researching more lesser-known programs)</p>

<p>Will my GPA or lack of involvement hurt me? I changed majors after sophomore year and didn't really figure out what I wanted to do with my life until my senior year, which is why I stayed an extra year. I haven't held any real jobs and wasn't involved in school until this year since I wasn't interested in anything. Now that I've decided to pursue this field, I really want to get into grad school and continue my education. Any advice? Thank you in advance!</p>

2

<p>I’m a first-year student in Indiana State University’s SAHE program. In my experience, getting into grad school is really about being able to sell your experiences. Be honest, but explain your situation. A lot of students don’t figure out that they want to go into student affairs until late in their college career, since there’s no undergraduate major for student affairs. The fact that you have leadership positions is good. Make sure you have a clear, articulate version of your “story.” What made you want to go into student affairs? Who/what impacted you? What do you hope to give future students? etc. </p>

<p>Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about ISU or SAHE in general.</p>

3

<p>Why don’t you get some work experience first? There are a lot of jobs in student affairs that you can do with a bachelor’s before or while you pursue a masters degree. </p>

<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-Galaxy SIII using CC</p>