Careers in Student Affairs Month

Did you know that October is National Careers in Student Affairs month?  I've been at some institutions where it is practiced, celebrated, and highly publicized and have been at others where one would have no idea it was happening.

To do my part to I'm getting involved in the following ways:

• OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference - I'll be presenting at an upcoming conference for undergraduates who think they might be interested in pursuing a career in SA
• Blogs - The #SAGrad Blog are planning 5 weeks worth of Blog topics during the month.  I plan to participate alongside them and also blog about the same topics those are: 
• Week of October 1: Why Student Affairs? 
• Week of October 8: Pursuing a masters program as a full-time professional
• Week of October 15: Researching programs
• Week of October 22: Preparing your application
• Week of October 29: What’s next? 

• Day to Day Interactions - I hope to share my experiences within the field of SA with students during my day to day work at Baldwin Wallace as well.  

Stay tuned for the topic of the week (Why Student Affairs?) 

Ways to Save Money on College

It's been awhile.. but I found an article that made me question and  I wanted to share it for others to see.  The article is from US News and World Report (ugh.) and talks about how studying in a foreign county could allow students to save money on college. Here's the link - http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2012/09/18/consider-study-abroad-to-save-money-on-college

The article outlines the ways that one might save money by either opting to study abroad with domestic college or by simply enrolling directly at another institution.  I found issue with the article because it doesn't seem to talk about the importance of finding a place that will allow for your to use that education outside the country.

I'm not sure that American places of employment are quick to accept degrees from places they are unfamilar with if you are applying or certain types of jobs.  Likewise if you attend one of these places will you be eligible for graduate study in the US? taking certification exams?  It's important to think not only about saving money today.. but how that will benefit you in the future as well.

The second question I have when reading the article is exactly how easy is it to simply start taking courses and enroll as a student in another country?  I feel like it's much more work than simply calling the school and saying "I'd like to enroll,"  don't you need a passport, travel documents, visa's, and many other things before you do something like this?

Then lets factor in the issue of being in a country that is miles and miles away from your home.  The travel of going to and from, the housing, the job prospects for a student visa, etc.  I don't know about other countries but when people come to the US to study they are usually restricted to only studying and are not eligible for employment in the US.  While it might be cheaper to study there how exactly do you plan to finance that education?

While this might be a great option for some people I think there is a lot more planning that needs to go into it than the article mentions.

New to You... and Me: Sharing new topic areas.

Today I stumbled across a list of the 25 most popular LGBT themed documentaries as voted by readers of After Elton (an LGBT Television/Entertainment website). I looked through the list and was hit by the number of great, inspiring, and important stories within.

For many LGBT youth one of the few ways they are exposed to people like them is through the media, thankfully we've seen much more works being put out in recent years (however that doesn't mean the classics are any less important).  These documentaries can be great ways for your to educate the students you work with about areas that you might personally not know much about either.

You can view the full list at the following link (http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2012/09/greatest-gay-documentaries)  I've highlighted a few of my favorites below and mentioned why I love them so much!

Transgeneration (http://www.logotv.com/shows/dyn/transgeneration/series.jhtml) - This was a truly inspiring and eye-opening one for me. I'm not the most well versed in gender issues, however this is a great primer and one that will likely encourage you to do more research.

Small Town Gay Bar (http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2007/8/smalltowngaybar)  This was one that hit close to home for a young gay boy growing up in rural Ohio.  This is a great film to help show the importance of community and connecting with those around you.

Paris is Burning (http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2012/06/best-movie-ever-paris-burning) Thanks to the wild popularity of Drag Race, Drag U, and Rupaul in recent years you might have students asking about "Balls, Death Dropping, and Houses"  This is the definitive film on the topic of the 1980's House/Ball circuit in New York City.  This shows the good, the bad, the ugly, the sad, and the uplifting.  You will find positive and negatives in this I'm sure.

Showing documentaries is just one way that you can educate students about a topic if you don't have expertise yourself.. What are others?  How do you connect with students around topics that are new to both of you?

The Importance of Fit

Fit: The particular way in which something, esp. a garment or component, fits around or into something. 

The all important idea of fit.  We've all heard it when we started the search for something in lives.. whether it was our undergraduate institution, our first job, or the city where we settled.  It's important to find a place that "fits" people said. 

I knew it was important.. but I didn't exactly understand what it meant.  I had the joy of finding a college that I loved during my first visit.. so I didn't even bother with other visits.  I applied, got accepted, and attended my school on the feelings I got (I know now that it worked because it fit.. but I didn't know that back then) 

When I started searching for my grad program everyone said you need to find a place that fits... So I looked at the two schools I wanted to attend.. I didn't necessarily look at the "fit" but rather the bits and pieces.  BW offered me an internship that I wanted and the chance to go back to small school.  CSU offered me a fast path to the degree and a much cheaper option... 

As we all know I chose BW (and I'd never look back) but I've recently gotten the chance to take a class at CSU.  In doing so.. I've discovered just how important the fit of BW is to my experience.  At BW I'm on the older end of my cohort.  I've got much more experience in Higher Ed than most of the people I learn with, and I enjoy that.  We also have a cohort which I LOVE because I've gotten to know and learn with the same group in such a dynamic environment over the past year.  

At CSU I found a class that was a mixture of people who'd been working on completing their degree for any number of years.. some who were going full time.. some part time.. and others.. well I'd say part-part-time (only 1 class a semester).  There isn't a sense of community among the people in the program, everyone was new to everyone else (for the most part).  

The differences to these programs were staggering, and by no means am I saying that one is better than the other.  The people who are in the CSU program have specific reasons for why they are in that program.  While going around the room they talked about them: full time work, family obligations, the need for part-time, the focus of the program, the faculty, and the location.  Those are all GREAT reasons to choose that program.. it's just a matter of finding the program that fits for you!  

If you are considering a graduate program I would highly recommend spending some time on campus at the institution you plan to attend, go to lunch with people, attend a class, ask tons of questions, and get to know the place.  After all you'll be there for at least two years and you don't want to be stuck in something ill-fitting for that long! 

Admissions vs Student Affairs

Wow.. it feels like just a few days ago I was posting about the huge differences I'd seen so far between working in a SA office versus the Admissions environment I find myself in now.  Fast forward to yesterday when I discovered that this debate is in fact happening not only within me.. but also on some of the popular tumblr sites in both areas.

Apparently (paraphrasing here) the folks at admissionsproblems.tumblr.com have been getting a good deal of flack from the SA folks who read the posts.. It came to a head when the "AP" folks posted an image of a very poorly written essay for admission... The question of how much is too much when it comes to *poking fun* or telling "war stories."

"AP" then countered back that Admissions isn't Student Affairs.. and that it shouldn't be as concerned about the things that the SA world are..

Thank you realitytvgifs.tumblr.com for this gem. 

cut to me.. sitting in an admissions office.. feeling all of my SA background coming back.. and being horribly offended.

The entire situation is a mess.. do I side with one group or the other.. not really.. but it really did make me think more about the situation I've found myself in.. torn between two worlds and not "fitting" into either one.

Anyone out there make the jump from one side to the other and have some advice for me?  Any insight from people who've moved around into other areas of higher education and found similar situations?  I spend half my days thinking about how I should say something.. but realizing it's not my place.. Here's to hoping it gets easier!

Achievement and Expectations.

As you all know I've started working in admissions for my internship this year.  Part of my position is doing the info sessions for families, another is working with student applications, and finally assisting in the office as needed.  Currently I'm filling in the role of assisting as needed.  We are in the process of reading and cleaning up the files from the past year, which is allowing me to get a peek at the upcoming students. 

Its got me thinking a lot about the way we measure achievement and the expectations that puts in place for our students.  I can't help but feel that we (in some ways) have a broken system.  Take for instance the student I spoke with yesterday who had a GPA in the range of 3.6 but found herself in the lower percentage of her class ranking.  HOW is that possible?

Or take a look at the student who today had a 3.9... but because of weighting that happens the "highest" GPA possible was a 5.0.  The idea that we can exceed the best is well.. quite frankly ridiculous if you stop to think about it for a second. 

I tried to look online for other viewpoints on the topic and found a few situations of colleges looking at possible grade inflation, but didn't see much in terms of high schools examining the issue.  Which is ideally where it needs to be addressed, otherwise we end up with the students who have breakdowns over their first "B" which to me is sad on so many levels. 

One article I found talked about getting rid of grades all together and offering pass or fail. As simple as that- is that the solution?

Another focused on limiting the number of times a specific grade could be given, for instance 1 A, 3 B's, 7 C's, etc.  Do we think that's the solution? (I don't know if I like this because it creates such a competitive environment)

What do you think? Other ideas? How do we talk we students who've never gotten a B and are now finding themselves "average"?

Transitioning to a new role.

Today I started my second year internship with the Admissions office at Baldwin Wallace University (say it again.. University)

I've got one word to describe the experience so far... WOW.  I'm in a completely different office, ballpark, and mindset than I was in previously and even that I was apart of when in Residence Life. The interactions with students are of a totally different type than I'm used to, the heavy parent contact is already testing me, and the terminology in use is something I'll need to adapt to as well.

Just a few highlights that I want to share:

Facebook.  In the land of admissions we do the unthinkable.. encourage the students to add us (albeit on a very well crafted/maintained work page) but still.. add and communicated via Facebook with us.. (as a res lifer.. I die.)  Although this answers the question I've always had of who told someone that Facebook was acceptable for "official" conversations.

The Words.  As a student affairs professional I can't count the number of times I cringed in my first day.  I heard the word Dorm more than I care to count.. and heard from many number of people.. at many different pay grades.  1 of my tasks for the year is to figure out a way to address this issue in a positive manner with the staff.  I can't leave without at least attempting to end the use of that word.

Personal Style.  The admissions office so far more than any other office seems to stress the importance of being yourself.  The connection you make (or don't make) with a student is really based on your personal style of communication and sharing.  I had the chance to sit in on two VERY different styles of interviews today.. and can't wait to see more of them in the future.

What else do I have coming for the week ahead?  Covering phones for the first time tomorrow, followed by more interview watching, and finally ending the week with a Summer Visit day/cookout.  Exciting times ahead.

Any advice for how to approach the topic of "dorms" vs "residence halls"?  Any words of wisdom before I take to the phones for the parents to jump at me?