What Path Did You Take???

I was on the Programming Board as an undergrad. Decided to get my Master's after I graduated because I wanted to be a programming board advisor. Went to Western Washington U and then did two years of Res Life and then got my first activities position. So my path was Res Life and then straight to activities. Was an Assistant Director and then now I've had two different positions as an Associate Director.

I was a Resident Assistant, Student Ambassador, Orientation Leader, and President of the Programming Board during undergrad.  I went to OPE and interviewed for several graduate assistantship positions, eventually accepting one with a wonderful university!  Unfortunately, I was not accepted into the graduate program, so I had to give up my assistantship.  With it being so late in the year (April/May), my only option was to apply for jobs and hope for the best!  I was given the amazing opportunity to work in Residence Life at UNC Pembroke, and that's where I am!  It is still my goal to get my master's in Student Affairs, so I plan on taking some graduate courses here, and apply to a program elsewhere within the next couple years! My path has been unique so far, but I'm not giving up!!

As an undergrad I was a Resident Assistant and highly active in other Student Affairs/Res Life organizations (Sorority, Hall Council, Student Worker...). I stayed where I was for Grad school and was a GA for Res Life, worked 3 years as a Live-In Pro in PA before moving to VA for another Live-In position. My degrees are BS in Public Relations and MS in Education. It was more the experiences in College (and now as a professional) than the degrees that are getting me places.

In undergrad I was an RA for 3 years, president of two student organization for 2, active in other campus activities.  A few months after graduation I was jobless, and I got an email that the honor society I was president of (Lambda Pi Eta) was seeking a National Coordinator.  I applied and got the job, then packed up and moved across the country. 

I loved the job, but missed being on a college campus.  I applied for my current position (Program Outreach Coordinator in University Housing) and moved back to Wisconsin.  My employer offers tuition reimbursement, so I also applied to an area graduate program.  I worked full-time and attended grad school part-time, getting my degree in 3 years.

My path wasn't traditional, but it worked for me!

As an undergrad, I became a Resident Assistant and immediately got involved in our RHA, NRHH and all things Residence Life at App State.  My Resident Director my sophomore year told me I could actually earn a graduate degree in Student Affairs / CSD and so I started planning!  After being extremely involved in the Res Life department at my undergrad, I wanted to get a new experience and so I started working full-time at a small institution in the area while working on my degree. 

My first position was as an Area Coordinator in the Res Life department for a couple years and I gained some great, eye-opening experience.  While I was there, I ended up getting married, getting a dog and starting building a life outside of Res Life (which can be difficult.)  I then moved along and started working at my current instution as a Residential Life Coordinator at an urban and very unique university.  I finally earned my Master's in College Student Development from App State last year and am planning on staying at my current institution for as long as they will have me :)

I plan on expanding my experience outside of Residence Life someday for multiple reasons and I just realized that the last time I lived "off-campus" was when I was in high school so the time is coming for me to make that move!  My path was certainly not traditional and not easy but it has worked so far and I LOVE what I do.  I suggest getting as involved as you can, network and start looking at grad programs at universities that offer graduate assistant-ships in leadership offices!  Good luck!    

I've had a more traditional route. I was also a typical highly involved student as an undergrad (RA, programming board, clubs, oreintation leader, etc). I started becoming interested in student affairs after going to a NACA conference & attending a session about careers in student affairs. Going into my senior yr, I made up my mid & applied for grad schools.
 
I worked as a RD (great perks & you get exposure to a lot of different things) and did my internships in different areas to diversify my experiences while in grad school studying higher ed. I worked as a FT RD after grad school for 2 yrs & then moved over to campus activities when a job opened up at the same school. I just moved to a new job in July to start up campus activities for a new institution.
 
If you really want to ultimately be in leadership programs, I recommend looking at grad schools that have GA opportunities in that area or internship opportunities. There's also some other areas where you can get tranferrable skills such as res life, greek life, & campus activities. Also, unless you intend to become a professor down the road, I recommend looking at programs that are practice-based & encourge you to get a lot of hands on experience. Your experiences will make you marketable, not your degree.

I was very involved as an undergrad student. I wrote for the student newspaper, was a Resident Assistant, an executive board member in Student Activities Board, and the Student Senate president my senior year.  I went on to get a master's degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education at IUP (a state university in Pennsylvania). During grad school, I worked 1 year as a grad assistant in residence life. I obtained a full-time professional Resident Director position at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (also my undergrad). I worked there for three years and recently moved on to the Assistant Director of Residence Life role at the University of Virginia's College at Wise. And here I am now...

I took a more non-traditional path: I was never an RA!  In undergrad at SUNY Oswego (NY) I was part of a pretty informal leadership group, and was a Hall Orientation Coordinator.  They were good experiences but not enough to get a job in this right out of college - I didn't really know this was a job until after graduating anyway.

I went to Grad School in Louisiana (NSULA) in Student Personnel Services.  During Grad School I was a Grad Advisor in leadership, groups, and programming, and took more Untraditional routes for Interning in Athletics Marketing, Auxiliary Services, and Student Services in New Orleans at Xavier.

I got to take over and teach a year long freshmen leadership class at NSULA and also recommend finding an assistantship within a department like that at Any school you go to.  To become a well rounded professional you need well rounded experiences.  A program with Higher Ed and Counseling skills is a tremendous help too (though you wouldn't have caught me saying that when I started my program). I also recommend not going to grad school where you go to undergrad. Diverse experiences are tremendously important!

I currently work at Binghamton U with the Programming Board and Student Group leadership and look to some day move up in student affairs.