So you’ve loved your college experience being involved and you wonder if you could do this professionally. Welcome to student affairs! My masters degree is in higher education student affairs and I hope I can provide some tips on top to pursue the graduate experience and not run yourself into the ground.
1) Don’t apply to 47 graduate programs – pick 3 or so and apply to those. Chances are if you don’t get into any of them, your resume is inadequate in some area. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend doing it where you went to undergrad, but I’ve seen this work for some people.
2) Read for your classes – honestly, it’s a TON of reading but if you don’t even open the textbooks you’re just wasting your time. By the time, I got to the end of grad school, I think I’d gotten to a good place on reading. I at least opened and skimmed every reading, but I really concentrated on the sections that were of interest to me or my career focus. You don’t need to know everything but you do need to know the things that interest you and the things that pertain to your direct path; plus, you need to know something to talk about in class so that you don’t look like a moron.
3) Do take some doctoral level classes – it’s good to push yourself a little bit if the doctorate is available at your chosen school.
4) Don’t waste time on things that don’t interest you – You’re coming back to grad school because you like this field. Don’t waste your time preparing yourself for your job by doing things you don’t like. This makes no sense. If it’s not for you, drop it as soon as possible.
5) Do learn from a professional about what it takes to go where you need to go. What experiences do you need to garner to move on to the next step? Find a mentor, listen and ask tons of questions.
6) Do blog, twitter or youtube your experiences
7) Don’t listen to everyone – some of the advice and wisdom you get will be pointless or applicable to 10 years ago. Not everyone is right and this field (and higher ed in general) are changing quickly.
8) Do learn to make time for balance – develop and keep a hobby, make friends/relationships outside your program (for the love of God, don’t date or become BFF with the students you work with), and get to know the city you’re in. You’ll need that willpower when you are a professional so might as well develop it now.
9) Do eat healthy and exercise
10) Remember, you’re not in undergrad anymore
Always happy to give advice or answer questions.
Jeff,
Great advice, especially on reading. I would add:
- Be brave and propose presentations and present when you can
- Write, write, write
- Don’t waste time on what doesn’t interest you, but be sure you are exploring all of your options! Student affairs is so much more than campus activities and student government.
Thanks Jeff!
JeannetteMarie
@jeannette good stuff! I’ll say from my experience, I knew what I wanted and haven’t changed at all (as have most of my friends) but I’m sure there is some value in looking around. Pursue things that interest you is what’s important.