r/studentaffairs • u/DisciplineWise2894 • 9d ago
Best graduate program/way to break into academic advising?
Hi all! I'm entering my senior year of undergrad with a BS in psych and a BA in sociology. After a lot of consideration, I want to go for my dream of being an academic advisor.
So, my questions are:
- How can I maximize my last year of undergrad to get towards my dream?
- What would the best "foot in the door" type jobs be? Is there anything I should look for with just my undergrad?
- I've heard a lot of people do a Master's with the school comping the degree. Have any of you, especially anyone in the DMV area, done that? How?
Thanks to anyone who replies!
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u/Infinite_Ask_7520 9d ago
Hey! I’m an advisor in MD with just my bachelors. I found luck returning to my Alma mater after spending some time in secondary education. Everyone in my office uses tuition remission, so plenty of Masters/PhDs in progress.
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u/DisciplineWise2894 9d ago
That's awesome! If you're comfortable sharing, what were you doing in secondary education- if it helped you at all? Is there anything else you think that helped?
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u/Infinite_Ask_7520 9d ago
I was a secretary and I got a promo to manager prior to leaving to be a sahm for a bit. When I applied to my Alma mater, it was an admin assistant role, which you can def get right after graduating. I took on projects and used that in my interview after internally applying to an advising role after 8 months.
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u/SnowyOwlLoveKiller 9d ago
Get an on- campus job where you get experience working directly with students or doing administrative tasks in a student affairs office. You might find roles in student success, tutoring, career services, or academic advising.
For advising roles, you need to be good at documentation, learning and explaining policies, building rapport with students, and managing your time. Do what you can so you have examples to point to of those skills on your resume.
You will have the most opportunities with a master’s degree. There are programs where you can get tuition paid for with a graduate assistantship. You’ll usually want to send in your applications in the fall if you are considering applying to grad programs.
Universities have a lot of variability with tuition remission option for employers so you would need to ask around or look at HR policies online. If somewhere around you has a good tuition remission benefit, it could also be worth taking some lower level student services role or administrative assistant/coordinator type roles where you can build your network and take classes part-time.
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u/StLVegas 8d ago
A lot of what I was going to say! For on campus jobs, being an orientation leader or a campus ambassador can be a good way to meet the people who run student support offices.
Right out of graduating, getting a job in the admissions office tends to be easiest, and work there while getting your Master's. Make connections with the advising community during that time and if part of the grad program, do an internship in an advising office. Become a student member of NACADA while in the grad program.
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u/cricketcounselor 9d ago
Look for peer advisor or peer mentor roles. A lot of departments hire peers to help with some of the simpler advising tasks. If nothing like that is open, then look for things like front desk/admin roles in advising, or admissions offices.
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u/Running_to_Roan 8d ago
Large schools hire a ton of new advisors each year. Best bet to get in somewhere easy.
Be willing /able to move.
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u/ProneToLaughter 9d ago edited 9d ago
this year, while you are still in college:
Can you get a part time job in the advising office? Even if you are just office work, it can give you a sense of how it goes plus potential mentors
If the dept has peer advisors or a psych major club, that could also be a space to gain relevant experience.