Tag Archives: graduate school

Finish Strong: Making Your Final Semester as a Graduate Assistant/Intern Count, by Samara Reynolds, 2009 alumna

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As you move towards graduation, a full-time job, or even just the end of your last semester in your current internship or assistantship before starting a new one this summer or fall, it can be all too easy to default to coasting along before fading into the sunset. If you’ve been with the same office since the beginning of the academic year or longer, you likely feel like an expert in your day-to-day responsibilities, and mentally ready to move on to the next challenge. However, it is in your best interest to put some thought into how you want to wrap up your time with that team. In the spirit of fitness goals and challenges that accompany both the new year and increasing days of sunshine in the spring, here are some strategies for “finishing strong:”

Choose a Capstone Project. Though it may be easy to keep going through the motions at the tail-end of your experience, pick one last thing that you’d like to accomplish and put your energy into doing it well. This could be as simple as making a handbook/guide for the next person who does your job, so that they can keep your progress going and not have to recreate the wheel. It can also mean thinking about something that your supervisor or students have talked about wanting to do for a while, but nobody has taken charge of making it happen yet. You may even see an improvement or program you want to add as your legacy. Regardless, this will be an awesome opportunity for you to show you care about your office and quality of work, and one more win to be able to highlight in future interviews and application materials.

Create a Portfolio. One of the most valuable exercises my second-year graduate assistantship supervisor had me complete was putting together a professional portfolio. Even though I had helped start and improve programs at each of my student affairs jobs since undergrad, I hadn’t yet put together evidence of that success in one place. My portfolio is a binder that I still maintain, where I keep examples of my work from various positions – training manuals I created for student leaders, flyers for new events, papers from graduate school that I’m particularly proud of. I would suggest, in whatever format suits you, pulling together items that represent your points of pride (this can be hard-copy or virtual, these days). You can bring this binder to job and informational interviews, if it suits you. If nothing else, it is certainly a great confidence booster to see so many of your accomplishments in one place – flipping through it before an interview may be all you need to remind yourself of your contributions in this job and others.

Add To Your Network. If there are people in your current division or department that you’ve been meaning to connect with or get to know better, this semester is a great time to start or solidify those relationships – while you still have a very legitimate reason to reach out. Think about some of the leaders around you, as well as those you think could be helpful in your future professional development efforts, and see if you can set up coffee, lunch, or a visit to their office for an informational interview/relationship building conversation. You can fill these individuals in on your efforts with your current office thus far, the goals you have set for your “capstone project,” and get both advice and buy-in on your career goals and direction moving forward.

Request an Exit Interview. If your supervisor doesn’t set one up for you, I would suggest requesting an “exit interview” – essentially a final review – during your last week or two in the office. That way, you can acquire some positive feedback and constructive criticism to use moving forward, ideally offer your own suggestions for your supervisor and the next person in your role, and have a chance to say thank you and close things down in a structured, professional manner before the all too quick slide into the end of the semester or graduation.

Ensure Future References. Part of your exit interview can be asking your boss if they would be willing to serve as a good reference for you during your upcoming and future job searches. Two key words here: willing and good. Typically this request will not be a tough or awkward one, if you have a positive relationship with your supervisor, but you don’t want to make any assumptions. This request gives them an out if they don’t feel they can provide that for you (and then you won’t be scrambling or wishing you picked someone else for your list). And if they say yes, this provides a heads up that their name may appear on your reference list, so it’s not a surprise when they get future phone calls or emails about you. Of course, your list of references can and should extend beyond your current supervisor, so use this time to ask coworkers, peer mentors, friends you’ve cultivated in your current department, and even students if they’d be willing to put in a good word for you if needed as you move forward with your career.

Give Proper Thanks. Of all the places I think a handwritten thank you note is a nice touch, at the end of your internship or assistantship experience may be the #1 most appropriate. Unlike some other professional thank you note circumstances, there are no time-sensitive deadlines involved, and expressing your gratitude in writing will likely be easier and longer-lasting than getting it out in person. And a card someone can save or tack on their wall is much sweeter than receiving the same sentiments in an email. Think about who you’d like to write thank you notes to, again considering both who you feel grateful to AND who you want to continue a professional relationship with in the years ahead. You can either hand-deliver these in your final days, or send them in the mail just after your leave.

Update Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile. While the experience is fresh on your mind, be sure to update your resume, including this position and related accomplishment statements as bullet points. Updating your LinkedIn profile to include this position and your contribution there is a smart idea. Additionally, you can select relevant skills based on this position that folks can endorse on your page, upload presentations and other virtual evidence of your success, and/or ask for recommendations from staff and students that will tag on to this position and stay on your profile in the long-term.

Stay In Touch. Lastly, as alluded to throughout this post, in the weeks and months and even years that follow, be sure to stay in touch with key individuals you met through this position. The end of semesters, the start of a new calendar year, their birthday(s), after conferences or other interesting professional experiences, and/or after reading an article they might find interesting…these are all simple and more natural times to check in with colleagues. Let them know what you’ve been up to, ask about them, and depending on the relationship, find a time to meet up for lunch or coffee or have a phone conversation every once in a while. Use a spreadsheet, calendar reminder, or other contact management system to remind you of how and how often you’d like to reach out to individuals in your network.  This will help keep you close, and it’s always neat for past supervisors, colleagues, and students to see you grow and change with each new career move.

I hope this post gives you some concrete ideas of how to make the most of your final weeks in your current job as a graduate assistant or intern. Best of luck in whatever new professional adventure is next on your journey!

Samara Reynolds is a 2009 graduate of the HEA master’s program. She is a career development professional, currently working at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can reach out to Samara with any questions at samara.reynolds@gmail.com. 

“Wait, what’s a visa?” My Summer Internship Abroad, by Benoit D. Sabourin

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Ok, ok, so I know what a visa is, and that I am required to have one to travel to many countries in the world. But there are so many things to think about when traveling and a visa is just a small part. 

The Backstory. In October of my first semester in graduate school I was wondering if I had made the right choice coming back to school. Though I am from Raleigh, I still felt like a stranger in this program. I wasn’t making the connections I thought I would and I certainly didn’t feel like I was advancing towards an exciting career. “Man, is this what life is going to be like after grad school?” So, instead of whining and waiting for things to change I started looking into different options that would get me re-excited (did I just make up this word? maybe) about Higher Education Administration. I started looking into what I could do for a summer internship, and I started applying. And man, did I apply! However, I had a list of requirements:

  • It couldn’t be in NC
  • It would be nice if I got paid…
  • I couldn’t know anyone in the place I was going
  • I had to fly to get there

Once I started looking at the internships that fit these qualifications, I started getting so excited. If I actually got the opportunity to do one, I was going to be ecstatic!

The Applications. I applied to NODA internships at about 12 schools. I applied to ones that were presented to us through our HEA email blasts. This included one at the American University of Kuwait, and one at Franklin University in Switzerland. I also inquired about one at the American University of the Caribbean. Now, after applying to all these, I really wasn’t expecting to hear back from any overseas. I thought those were too good to be true, and that the NODA internships would be more attainable. 

The Response. Then one day in December, I received an e-mail from the coordinator of the American University of Kuwait internship saying I was chosen for the summer 2015 program! I couldn’t believe it. I kind of sat there for 10 minutes looking at my phone in disbelief. Then, of course, I called everyone I knew to tell them. And no one else could believe it either. I was going to spend 2 months in Kuwait! And then it sunk in. “Wait, I know nothing about Kuwait, or the Middle East.” I had some research to do if I was going to be living in this culture for 2 months. 

The Research. I started like every good researcher, and went straight to Wikipedia. Kuwait is a very small, oil-rich country in the Arabian Gulf. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf. It is unbearably hot in the summer (and I thought NC weather was hot), and it is mostly desert. The official language is Arabic. The American University of Kuwait is in Kuwait City, the largest city and capital.

The culture of Kuwait is very different than the one I am used to here in the US and there are many things I will have to keep in mind during my stay. I have included an excerpt taken straight from the resource guide shared with me: “Additionally, it is an Islamic country with local laws, customs, and business practices heavily influenced by the Islamic faith and the Islamic calendar. For instance, many public holidays are based on the Islamic calendar, which is based on the phases of the moon, with holiday dates moving forward approximately 10 days on an annual basis from the Gregorian calendar. It is important to note that the Holy month of Ramadan may occur during your time in Kuwait. This month sees a significant shift in practices and work conditions as often work hours are reduced, and that it is illegal to eat or drink in public during daylight hours.” This custom is one that struck me the most, and though I knew about Ramadan, I never saw it as a holiday that would affect me. Already, I am learning to be more sensitive to other cultures. Here in the US, most of our holidays are based around Christian traditions. It had me wondering how different life would be if they were centered on a different faith. Now that I will be submerging myself into this culture, will I be able to abide by these customs? The answer is: I’ll have to. And I am completely ok with that! I never really feel challenged until I am taken completely out of my comfort zone.

After having learned this much, I kept digging. I wanted to make sure I abided by all the laws and customs that would be different, and I didn’t want to offend anyone upon my arrival. I have since learned that physical displays of affection between the same sexes are very common. This, I was used to, for in France we commonly practice this also with our greetings. However, some men will not shake the hand of a woman and some women will not shake the hand of a man. A man, when greeting a Kuwaiti woman, ought to refrain from extending his hand first. Something that we have been taught here in America to be a polite gesture as soon as you meet someone can be considered too forward and rude in Kuwait. Another custom I am going to have to be careful to abide by.

While many of these differences may scare some people, I am so excited about this opportunity and I am looking forward to all the experiences I will be able to partake in. On top of all that, I am going to be advancing my knowledge in the field I will be working in. Two of my favorite things, international travel and higher education, all in one package! While preparing is exciting, I await with impatience to see what this trip will bring me! Hopefully I will learn more than I could ever have hoped, meet new and interesting people, learn how to break down barriers between two very different cultures, and even get a wicked tan! Wish me luck on my adventure, and until then, Masalama!

Benoit D. Sabourin is a first year student in the Higher Education Administration master’s program. He serves as a Graduate Assistant for Preparing Future Leaders with The Graduate School at NC State University.

Financial Literacy for the Student Affairs Professional, by Jason Lynch, 2011 alumnus

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How many times have you heard a colleague say, “I’m definitely not in this field for the money”? While it’s true that being a new professional in Student Affairs may not be the most lucrative career choice, you can definitely make your paycheck last longer by paying attention to your monthly budget! For this blog, I enlisted the help of 215 colleagues across the country to give one piece of advice to new professionals about managing their finances.  (You can access the full results of the poll by following this link.)  As with all advice columns, your situation may not match up with the advice given.  Take what resonates with you, and leave the rest.

Creating a Budget

The first, and perhaps most important, thing you can do towards better financial security is to create a personal budget.  How much do you normally spend per month?  Be real with yourself.  An easy way to obtain this information is to look at your last debit and/or credit card statement.  Adding up categories such as food, gas, clothes, etc. will help you see where you are spending the most money.  From there you can decide what is essential to get by every month, as well as what can be reduced or modified.

Follow this link to view the budget excel I use every month.

Student Loans

Many new professionals don’t realize that working at a college or university qualifies as a public service job, and therefore qualify to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLFP).  Through this program, qualifying individuals would make 120 of their lowest possible monthly payments.  This is roughly 10 years of payments.  After this period of time, the remaining balance will be forgiven.  So let’s say I have $50,000 in student loans, and my payments are $250 through the income contingent payment plan.  I would end up paying $30,000, with $20,000 forgiven.

Here are some tips if you feel like this may be an option for you:

  • Make sure to fill out a verification form found on the PSLFP website.  This form will need to be submitted to the HR department at your institution.  You have to fill out a new one every time you change institutions.
  • Save a copy of each of your monthly pay stubs.
  • You can defer payments and still remain eligible for the program.  (It will just take longer for you to qualify for forgiveness.)
  • Only government loans qualify
  • Use this website to contact someone regarding PSLFP or find answers to Frequently Asked Questions  

Credit Cards

Many peers will tell you to avoid credit cards, but, this is one area in which I would have to disagree, particularly if you accept a “live-on” position.  Often, new professionals are in a position where they are starting to build credit.  One way to do this is to appropriately manage a credit card.  Other ways to build credit include car payments, rent/mortgage payments, etc.   If you choose to open a line of credit, make sure that you that you are able to pay the credit card off every month.  I would also advise that you get a credit card with a rewards system, such as cash back or flight credits.  For example, I use an Amazon.com Rewards card through Visa.  For every dollar I spent, I receive one point, or more depending on certain purchases, which equates to a penny per point.  At the end of the month, I can use my points to pay towards my credit balance, or redeem them on Amazon.com.  If I spend $1,000 per month, I would receive $120 per year on rewards!  Remember, the trick is to pay off most of  the card each month so that you are not paying interest.

On the other hand, if you have found yourself already in debt via credit cards, it is highly important that you get these cards paid off as soon as possible.  Carrying large balances on your credit cards can hurt your credit, and you end up paying unnecessarily large amounts of interest.  If you’re in this situation, consider calling your credit company to negotiate a lower interest rate.  You can also obtain a free copy of your credit report once per year.

Resources and Tips

Below, I have bullet pointed some resources and tips that may be useful in finding your own way of managing your finances:

  • Consult a Financial Counselor.  Many institutions offer free consultations with a financial counselor.  They are particularly helpful in obtaining advice about retirement, savings, and investments.
  • Are a techie?  Use an app such as ‘Mint’ to help you budget.
  • Reach out to your Human Resources department.  Often, HR will have special employee programs meant to educate about topics such as personal budgeting and retirement
  • Work with your students to put on a program about personal finance.  I learned a great deal of information when one of the RA’s I supervised collaborated with the business department to put on a personal finance workshop.
  • Your employee ID will often grant you the same student discounts at local businesses such as movie theaters, or just hang on to your current student ID!  Institutions also tend to have a list of local venues that offer student discounts.
  • Keep a jar to put spare change, and don’t touch it!  Use it to contribute to your retirement savings or help pay down any debt you owe.  You’d be surprised how much change you accumulate in a year!
  • Because we all love listacles:  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/money/50-quick-easy-ways-save-money.html

Jason Lynch is a first year doctoral student at Old Dominion University focusing on higher education policy and first generation student access and support.  He is an alumnus of the NCSU program, graduating in 2011 and has worked in Residence Life, Fraternity & Sorority Life, and Multicultural Student Affairs.  You can contact him by email at rjl5883@gmail.com. 

Guide to the Local Job Search, by Staci Thornton, 2012 alumna

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Hello second years!!  I wanted to take a second to write about the local job search because I found it to be a lot different than those doing national job searches.  I would like to preface with the fact that I’m no expert but these are some things I did that I think can help you out:

  1. I basically started my job search right when I started my final year. A dream job might open up that may work around your school schedule or not start until much later.  There was a job opening at UNC in October that I REALLY wanted and I assumed they wanted someone to start soon so I didn’t apply.  It turned out those positions were not filled until March so I may have had a chance if I had just applied.
  2. Apply for jobs that may not perfectly fit into what you want to do. Everyone has his or her filters and if yours is you want to stay local, you may have to sacrifice what you really want to do.  I applied for jobs all over the field!  Don’t choose something you will hate but just don’t be uber picky.
  3. When you start looking at job websites, most of them split jobs into EPA or SPA. Most of us will get EPA jobs but I applied for some SPA jobs and again, they may not have been ideal but the salary wasn’t that different and they were still in the realm of what I wanted to do.  Also, I found that private institutions, like Duke, do not always require a Masters Degree for some of their positions but that does not mean you shouldn’t apply.  They are able to be a bit more lenient when it comes to hiring so read the job description and see if it’s something you want to do; don’t just read the job qualifications.
  4. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “it’s all about who you know,” and that’s SO true, especially in student affairs. Everyone knows each other, it’s random and you can use this to your advantage!  I had weekly informational meetings with people from UNC, NC State, and Duke in fields I wanted to work in or with people who knew people I had worked with.  Talk to your supervisor about who they know and then shoot them an e-mail just asking to speak to them about their experiences.  Then wow them and bring a resume so they want to hire you if they have a position open. 🙂 One caveat to this was that sometimes I got some random advice or people telling me how hard it is to get a job in the area so you need to just brush it off and learn from them but not completely rely on them.  The point is to get your name out there.
  5. Reach out to AJ and ask what alumni are in the area and talk with them as well. I currently work with two alumni who knew me and one current student who met me at Recruitment Weekend so they both vouched me after the interview and voila, got the job. 🙂
  6. Go to local conferences. A lot of national organizations have local affiliates with conferences (usually in the fall).  It will be more helpful for you to network at those than the national conferences.  You can also go to functional area local conferences.  I went to NCAIE, the local affiliate of NAFSA, for two years and made some awesome local connections.
  7. Another important thing to realize is that your job search is going to look A LOT different than those with national searches. You may not have as many jobs to apply for so you may not get as many interviews.  Don’t get bogged down by that!  Also, for people doing a functional job search, their cover letters for different jobs might look pretty similar but it may take you a lot longer to tailor each cover letter to a specific job since you are probably applying for a wider array of types of jobs.  So it might seem like you are doing a lot more work but remember that you won’t ever have to get on a plane or sleep in a hotel or wonder if your suit got all wrinkled in the travel because your interviews will be close by.  Also, since you are close by, I found the interviews to be a little less intense, maybe a half-day as opposed to a day and half.  Or they might have you come in for coffee or something more casual.

Also, one thing that I had a hard time with was people telling me that I needed to expand my job search (not people in my cohort or my professors, just other professionals).   This caused me to lose some confidence in my choices but if you really want to stay in the area (which is totally reasonable because the Triangle is rock solid awesome), then do it and trust your choices!  I think the local job search can be a bit more time consuming but stick with it and it’ll all work out!

On one of my informational interviews, someone once told me that they wished someone had told them that there is more than one hiring period for student affairs.  Just because you don’t have a job in March, doesn’t mean you won’t ever have one!  A lot of people hire in July and August so keep truckin’ along!

If y’all have any questions or want to talk about the local job search process more, please let me know!  Again, I’m no expert but these things worked for me and I’m glad I had people to tell me these things. 🙂 Enjoy your last year, it goes by fast!!!

Staci Thornton is a 2012 graduate of the Higher Education Administration master’s program. She currently serves as an Academic Coordinator for Professional Masters Programs with the Master of Engineering Management Program at Duke University.

When the Students Know More Than You, by Lisa Latronica, 2014 alumna

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When I started my first professional position, I expected to feel some imposter syndrome. I expected to feel like coworkers knew more than me and to be a little intimidated and nervous around them. We talked about it at length in Capstone and throughout the job search process.

I did not expect to be terrified of the students I would be supervising.

In Residence Life at Colorado School of Mines, there is an additional student staff position between professional staff and Resident Assistants and Community Assistants. Our Senior Staff – made up of Hall Directors and Community Directors – are upperclassmen or graduate students who have 1-2 years of experience as staff members. The job they do is basically the same as what a graduate student in student affairs would do – they supervise a staff, oversee a building of residents, and even serve as first responders on a duty rotation.

When I first learned all that the Senior Staff did, I was in disbelief. The number of times I said, “We let undergraduate students do that?” is more than I can count. But the closer we got to their arrival on campus and Senior Staff training, the more the skepticism faded, and the stronger the fear, nervousness, and uncertainty began.

These students had been in Mines Res Life for longer than I had been in residence life anywhere. They could do the job that I just left. They knew more about the campus culture, student population, and policies and procedures than my new professional mind could grasp. And that was uncomfortable and terrifying.

Then the 8 Senior Staff arrived. And they were so nice and talented. And that almost made it worse. My mantras all through our training retreat (which in true Colorado fashion, took place on the side of a mountain and with lots of hiking and bouldering), were, “Fake it till you make it,” and “Don’t let them see the fear in your eyes.” I thought that if I showed any hint of not knowing what I was doing, I would lose their respect and trust.  And on top of it, the more I got to know them, the more impressed I was with them, not just as students or staff, but as people. To this day, I would argue that you won’t find people who can balance as much, give as much, or care as much as our Senior Staff.

I felt this huge amount of pressure, but it took me weeks to realize that it wasn’t the students who were putting that pressure on me. I was doing it to myself.

A few weeks into the start of the semester, after all the training and move-in events were over, I had a conversation with one of the Senior Staff members that changed how I viewed our relationship. I was having an overwhelming day, and felt like I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I finally caved and asked them to tell me about how things were done at Mines from their perspective. It was one of the most helpful conversations I had during those first few months. I later shared with them that I had been terrified to seem like I didn’t know what I was doing.

Their reaction? They laughed and said that was ridiculous.

As real as my fear and nervousness was, it was pretty unfounded. Sure, the students knew a lot more about some things, but I forgot to have confidence in my own experiences and education. I think part of my fear was because I wanted to be the best possible person for my students, and I forgot the most important part of that:

Intentions and trying. If you have good intentions, and you try hard to do the best for your students, you can’t go wrong.

It’s easy to forget that students see us a humans, just as we see them as such. They don’t expect us to be perfect, and it’s not fair to us or them to pressure ourselves to seem as such. We screw up. We don’t know answers. We need help. And the more we are ok with showing that side of ourselves, the more our students will be ok with showing us that side of themselves.

These days, I’m much more comfortable asking the Senior Staff for answers (and it happens almost daily). I’ve realized that they’re happy to help, and it’s so much easier than guessing. They know I’m not perfect, and I’m ok with that. And deep down, I know that they feel better asking me questions because of it.

I’m still scared of them some days, but now it’s more likely to be because they’re leaping from rocks on a mountain than because I think they’re judging me. I like this way much better.

Lisa Latronica is a 2014 graduate of the Higher Education Administration master’s program. She currently serves as a Residence Life Coordinator with the Department of Residence Life at the Colorado School of Mines.