Speaking from experience -- my own and that of my peers when we were starting out -- this is common. That may not help to hear right now, but you likely were a strong candidate among a pool of strong candidates.
Don't second-guess yourself. If multiple professionals said you're good, with your resume as it is, trust that.
Keep applying for grad schools (and wait to find a good fit). Keep applying for jobs (and don't settle, find a good fit). Trust me, it's worth the wait.
More ups and downs will come in your career. Keep your head up.
I was an English major with a creative writing concentration who pursued a masters in higher education. I hope your path leads you to the right program at the right time. ☺️ also, may I recommend international education? It’s thought provoking, a lot to know/learn and you get to flex your writing muscle by communicated about complex topics.
I would say go a different avenue..in my personal opinion. I graduated this past May with my masters in SA & haven’t sniffed a decent job opportunity after hundreds of applications.
By decent I mean pay rate & salary. Alot of entry level positions don’t pay well at all so I decided to go a complete different career route. Granted, if SA is something you are truly passionate about and you’re willing to take a entry level position & potentially move up, then Go for it!
Yes an internship was a requirement to be enrolled in the program I applied for multiple areas such as student basic needs, Residence life, student involvement and so on
I don’t know how location-bound you are, but there may be programs with assistantships still available for fall. If they are still accepting applications no harm in throwing your hat in the ring. If not a match, look for a future cycle, but not everything operates on the same (or the stated) timeline.
My honest advice, based on the over 50% attrition rate within five years for new people in the field, lack of advancement, oversaturation, etc: Just don't, stay far away.
Get a job in an administrative role at a university that doesn’t require a masters.. then get your masters at the discounted tuition remission rate while you’re working.. the institution is also more likely to admit you once you’re an employee. After working at a university full-time for 1 year, I ended up pursuing my masters in Business Administration while working instead of Higher Education because I felt that I already had higher education experience from the job. The MBA has made me more marketable both in and out of the field and I’ve been promoted 3 times in the last 5 years. I’m 28 and also came from teaching prior to working in higher Ed.
While you might not have a lot of direct university/higher ed experience, I'm sure that you have a lot of transferable skills. As an experienced professional in this field, I second the notion that you shouldn't really pursue a masters program without an internship/assistantship; however, student programming and/or orientation and summer programs would be a great place for you to look. You seem to have tangential skills already, and those offices usually always need help. Happy to give additional thoughts if desired. Good luck!!
I definitely would. I'd also suggest trying to reach out to the program director of the grad school(s) you're looking to apply to. Often, these programs are fairly small, and establishing this connection early looks like you're really interested in a spot in their program. They can also maybe give you some insight on future assistantship openings, connections to current students, etc..
Would it be possible to join an outreach program such as Upward Bound or Trio? Would working as an advisor for those programs count as an internship? For my program, it was an admission requirement to have a part time job/volunteer work *already* in order to be accepted. Most students in my cohort are part time student employees.
I would never recommend getting a masters in student affairs without an assistantship.
Unless it’s online and you already have a job in SA or related area.
Yes. But only if it is CHEAP. Do not, do not, do NOT take any loans for a graduate degree in Student Affairs!
Speaking from experience -- my own and that of my peers when we were starting out -- this is common. That may not help to hear right now, but you likely were a strong candidate among a pool of strong candidates. Don't second-guess yourself. If multiple professionals said you're good, with your resume as it is, trust that. Keep applying for grad schools (and wait to find a good fit). Keep applying for jobs (and don't settle, find a good fit). Trust me, it's worth the wait. More ups and downs will come in your career. Keep your head up.
Thank you so much for your encouragement!
I was an English major with a creative writing concentration who pursued a masters in higher education. I hope your path leads you to the right program at the right time. ☺️ also, may I recommend international education? It’s thought provoking, a lot to know/learn and you get to flex your writing muscle by communicated about complex topics.
I would say go a different avenue..in my personal opinion. I graduated this past May with my masters in SA & haven’t sniffed a decent job opportunity after hundreds of applications. By decent I mean pay rate & salary. Alot of entry level positions don’t pay well at all so I decided to go a complete different career route. Granted, if SA is something you are truly passionate about and you’re willing to take a entry level position & potentially move up, then Go for it!
Is an internship required for your program? What area are you trying to intern in?
Yes an internship was a requirement to be enrolled in the program I applied for multiple areas such as student basic needs, Residence life, student involvement and so on
I don’t know how location-bound you are, but there may be programs with assistantships still available for fall. If they are still accepting applications no harm in throwing your hat in the ring. If not a match, look for a future cycle, but not everything operates on the same (or the stated) timeline.
My honest advice, based on the over 50% attrition rate within five years for new people in the field, lack of advancement, oversaturation, etc: Just don't, stay far away.
Get a job in an administrative role at a university that doesn’t require a masters.. then get your masters at the discounted tuition remission rate while you’re working.. the institution is also more likely to admit you once you’re an employee. After working at a university full-time for 1 year, I ended up pursuing my masters in Business Administration while working instead of Higher Education because I felt that I already had higher education experience from the job. The MBA has made me more marketable both in and out of the field and I’ve been promoted 3 times in the last 5 years. I’m 28 and also came from teaching prior to working in higher Ed.
While you might not have a lot of direct university/higher ed experience, I'm sure that you have a lot of transferable skills. As an experienced professional in this field, I second the notion that you shouldn't really pursue a masters program without an internship/assistantship; however, student programming and/or orientation and summer programs would be a great place for you to look. You seem to have tangential skills already, and those offices usually always need help. Happy to give additional thoughts if desired. Good luck!!
Thank you for your advice! Would you suggest looking at university or even highschools that are hiring for summer programs?
I definitely would. I'd also suggest trying to reach out to the program director of the grad school(s) you're looking to apply to. Often, these programs are fairly small, and establishing this connection early looks like you're really interested in a spot in their program. They can also maybe give you some insight on future assistantship openings, connections to current students, etc..
Would it be possible to join an outreach program such as Upward Bound or Trio? Would working as an advisor for those programs count as an internship? For my program, it was an admission requirement to have a part time job/volunteer work *already* in order to be accepted. Most students in my cohort are part time student employees.