When I graduated with my Bachelor's degree in 2009, after difficult final semesters and re-taking classes to turn D's into A's and B's, I was ecstatic to be be done with academics for the rest of my life. I obtained my Bachelor's of Science majoring in Child and Family Studies and had planned on working my way through the ladder of Child Care staff to eventually assist in the development of age-appropriate education and programming. I had believed it was a solid plan. In retrospect, I now realize how naive that all sounds.
Forgive me as I skip ahead, the events that are not included deserve to have their own story, and you would probably get bored.
My college experience was a great one for the most part. I had some issues with relationships and a few struggles with my academics, but in the end, I finished with a cap and gown and diploma. I attribute my success to the organization and leadership skills I gained from being involved as a member of a sorority on campus. I was able to hold a few positions within my chapter and also a position on our campus' Panhellenic board who governs the recognized sororities. It was those positive and influential experiences that lead me to seek out a volunteer position. As I began communicating and problem solving with collegiate women, attending, planning and facilitating workshops a light bulb went off. I was truly passionate about what I was doing. I then looked to the women who I looked up to as a leader during my active membership. It was then that I decided I wanted to have a career as a Student Affairs Professional.
After doing some research on current Student Affairs Professionals, and perusing job postings, I found that most minimum requirements for such a position were a Master's degree in Higher Education. I began to hit the internet hard and research schools that had such a program. Luckily I found websites of some organizations who neatly put all of that information together for me. Here are the life lessons I have learned through the grueling application process (I'm assuming that most graduate programs are just as difficult to apply for);
- Application fees and costs are extremely overpriced
I understand that you have to take a good bit of time to read through and process an application, but $80 is just ridiculous. I applied to four colleges in one week and nearly over drafted my checking account. I ate turkey sandwiches for two weeks to recover from that.
- You might have to utilize the post office
I almost gasped when I saw that a LARGE university requested that I send recommendations, essay, writing sample, transcripts, cover letter/resume, program application, assistantship applications and cover letters in a single package through the snail mail. Now I have zero qualms using the good old USPS, but gathering all of these documents together, in a timely fashion, is not easy. When you are relying on someone to give you a letter of recommendation, it's not easy to continue to pester them to turn it in ASAP. Especially if they've recently given birth. This also leads me to my next point:
- Each university, and program has a different process
For everything. Applying to the Graduate school is different from applying to your desired program. Recommendations are sent to the University through filling out an online form, but a one-page letter discussing your relationship, academic ability and experience printed on a company letterhead should be sent to the program admissions department separately and will not be accepted via e-mail. Or perhaps it might? Every little detail in the application process usually varies for each program you apply to. My advice is to communicate with the admissions department frequently and ask any and all questions you may have.
I'm not one who likes to go on and on about all that I have accomplished. Especially being a part of the Greek community, it's not always respected or admired. Writing countless essays explaining how I have made an impact and what skills and qualities I possess that will make me an asset to a program or department becomes quite tiresome. I thought that my first few essays were great, only to realize that I haven't perfected my process until about the 30th. The key is not to brag but prove that your involvement created a positive change. Be specific as to what skills you have will be strengthened and what skills you will gain through the education of the program you are applying.
- Debt, debt, and more debt.
The thought of paying tuition again makes my stomach turn. I watch Sallie Mae drain my bank account every month and shake a fist at the piece of paper on the wall. BEFORE you begin applying, understand your own financial situation and assess your options from there. I knew that saving an extra $15k in a year was not exactly feasible for me. So I only applied to programs that either required or encouraged assistantships for their applicants. Most assistantships that I came across provided 100% tuition reimbursement plus a stipend each semester (pocket change). Some positions even included housing and meal plans. KNOW YOUR OPTIONS! There is no federal funding for Master's programs however you can take out personal loans.
Most of the Student Affairs programs that I came across are cohort programs. This means that students are admitted in the fall semester, usually have the same course sequence, and graduate as a group. Deadlines for programs such as this are between December to February with some programs accepting later applications to fill open spots. This means you apply in the fall/winter, interview in Jan-March, then can wait as long as mid-summer to hear from a program. It's a multi-step process and
painfully slow.
My journey to obtain my Master's degree still has yet to begin. I decided to take 6 credits of 600-level courses to get my feet wet in academia once again. I will put myself through the application process once again for Spring 2015 admission and possibly Fall 2015. As I type that I feel actual anxiety to begin this process all over again, but alas, I know what I want from life and need to do all that I can to become successful. Failure is not an option!
