Hi everyone! This might be a silly question, but I am honestly not sure. I recently graduated from SAHE and will be working at my university. I will be working directly with students in an academic advising role. My partner wants to make a shadow box with all of my regalia, which I love because my accomplishment deserves recognition (especially the time and stress put into the degree). I'm sure I will have to attend graduation ceremonies at some point and every university is different. For those with PhDs I know they keep their gown and tam to wear to graduations. Do master's graduates do the same thing if they need to attend graduation ceremonies? Thank you in advance, and apologies if this is a ridiculous question.

I forget how many applications I sent out this year and I've had at least seven interviews this past year (maybe more; plus some second interviews). I feel really dead in my current role ever since my boss took his anger out on me by exploding in front of everyone on my team and HR did nothing as HR does.

Everyone gives such generic advice and I know my work quality and cognitive strength is declining. I make lazy stupid mistakes and I know I shouldn't. I just don't care. I thought about FMLA. Idk. I feel like my job is dumb and my supervisors aren't helping. I know some of my coworkers felt the same but they didnt let the bad get to their mental health like I did.

I recently started working in a financial aid role in May and I think I’m at my breaking point. Initially I was ecstatic to get this job since I had been job searching for months at that point and was reliant on doordashing to stay afloat. I knew going in the reputation finaid had but it was kinda an any port in a storm situation and I felt like I actually really clicked with the leadership during my interview process.

Initially things went well, while I did feel in over my head I also understood that finaid is very complex and takes up to a year to get the hang of things. However at the 4 month mark I honestly feel like I’m behind where I should be, and I get the impression my supervisor is starting to get a bit fed/impatient up with me.

But honestly the big thing is I feel like I’m not built to handle are the types of customers we deal with in Finaid. I’m a fairly conflict avoidant person, and this feels like the absolute worst profession for me to be in. I’ve worked customer service before, but I’ve never had a job where I gotten so regularly cussed, shouted and cried at before. If I know I am going to be scheduled on the phone lines for a day I basically am convulsing with anxiety the evening and morning before. And when I am an anxious like that it becomes a self feeding cycle since I can’t focus when dealing with customers and am more likely to make easily preventable mistakes/blunders which just makes things worse.

I don’t have another job lined up and decided to renew my lease in this small college town when I accepted the job (And I know quitting at 4 months then getting hired somewhere else at the university is unlikely), so I just feel incredibly trapped right now. Part of me is just considering telling my supervisor I am quitting when we have our monthly evaluation on the 15th. Even if it means going back to scraping by financially by doing just DoorDash.

Hello,

I’ve graduated with a bachelors in information and library science, and am in the process of getting a MLIS, though that might change since the field is currently imploding in my region of the country.

I have a fair amount of public facing experience, and have experience working with archival records. How likely is it that I can pivot and break into an academic advising / student affairs career path? Any advice/tips, or am I being delusional?

Thanks!

I have just started a new job at a local liberal arts school as a Communications Specialist and wanted to hear others’ experiences working in Communications in Student Affairs. What worked well for you? How did you find success in connecting with students and engaging with them in a successful way? Places to reach students besides another email in their flooded inbox? Literally anything else you wanna share?

Is anyone else experiencing an increase of aggressive and emotionally unregulated students AND parents?

I have been yelled at and cussed at more times this summer than I ever have in my 8 years of experience.

Most of the time, the phone calls are not even for my department. They called the first number they found on Google associated with the university.

What the heck is going on out there 😭

I'm about to interview for an admissions counselor position at a public university in my state. It's the biggest one--pay is quite lower than my expectations though. However, since reading what this position entails, its sales/marketing aspect and meeting quota makes me think whether you get bonuses or comission for meeting those? Or is it strictly just what you're offered and maybe per diem pay when travelling?

Hi all!

We wanted to share a recent scoping review conducted by Associate Professor Fahad Hanna, a public health researcher at Torrens University Australia. Hanna drew on thirteen studies of international students in Australian universities. Beyond naming the problems (isolation, financial stress, mismatch between institutional expectations and students' prior educational experience), they also flag what helped, e.g. transition programs, peer mentoring, culturally responsive teaching practices.

For those working in student services, what's actually held up in your own programs, versus what just looked good on paper?

The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration (5th Edition), edited by George S. McClellan and Judy Marquez Kiyama

I need to get this book for one of my classes but I only have the 4th edition. I was going to see if anyone had the online edition they’d be willing to part with. I am a graduate assistant and money is still tight. I would be forever indebted to you. Much appreciated

Students: PLEASE stop sending me emails written by Ai! Please, please, please! The information AI is writing for you is wrong, it doesn’t sound right, and the random bolding, underling, italics, etc is just passive aggressive and unnecessary. Just write your email, explain your request, and write your own email! Writing a three sentence email should not be an issue! You are a college student, you do not need ChatGPT to write your email.

So, yesterday, I posted in here that I had a panel interview Monday that I felt went really well. Monday evening, two of my references I had put down on my application told me they had gotten an email from the university to fill out a reference question form. I have been trying to get in touch with my third reference I put on my original application, and have not heard anything from her. Today, the hiring manager replied back to a thank you email I had sent Monday afternoon and she said it was nice meeting me, etc. She also said "Hopefully HR gets into contact with you soon." I am still worried that HR has a strict policy where someone needs three references. I would hope they would reach out to me to ask for an alternative, because I have plenty of back-up references who would be willing to do it.

I had a four panel interview yesterday and I thought it went very well. They said the candidate they select will receive an offer on Wednesday. However, yesterday evening, two of my references I put in my application reached out and said they were contacted. They were emailed a form to fill out. I have not heard anything from the third person I put in my application, despite sending both a LinkedIn message and email. Now I am worried they will go with someone else who was able to get all three solid references on time.

A few years ago there were some leadership changes and my office/department got assigned to be supervised by a new employee who was absolutely not qualified by years of experience or skill or temperament to be in the Dean of Students office at a leadership level. They were unable to take any critical feedback from anyone (at any level) in the university and became unhinged when they were opposed even if they were in the wrong. They were ultimately fired about 6 months into holding the position, for the incompetence, but really mostly because they lost their shit in meetings with the upper administration more than once. Years later we still are cleaning up the messes they made because some of the really terrible decisions couldn’t be undone without making the university more at risk.

During that time I interviewed at another area college for a job that was at a staff level even though I was a supervisor. I interviewed well. There wasn’t a supervisor role open but the DOS shared they thought I’d be great in the supervisor role if/when it opened. Two weeks later was when the bad boss got fired. I let the school I interviewed with know I decided to stay at the current job to repair damage and heal etc etc. They were disappointed but understood and said to keep in touch.

A month ago that DOS reached out to let me know the supervisor job was about to be posted and if interested in applying to reach out. I told her I was interested and she said the job would post that week. She said hiring would move fast. It was. Got the job.

Found out recently that my new DOS really wants to unite all the staff at the college in my area under my leadership at main campus and DOS is working towards that goal actively. My old supervisor, the incompetent hot head?… turns out they are at one of the satellite campuses in a staff role that will very likely be reporting to me in the near future. Irony? Karma? It’s going to be an interesting year.

I made the mistake of checking my email today and it made me anxious. I watched a movie and shook it off, but I keep thinking/worrying about work on the weekends and in the evenings. Does anyone have tips on how to stop & have better boundaries around checking email, etc. on your days off?

I’ve been working in financial aid at a small private college for a little over two years, and I was recently offered a fully remote Financial Aid Advisor position with another university.

My current position is completely in-person and pays is not the best. The new position is full-time remote, with benefits, much much more PTO (after the probationary period), and opportunities to move into different areas within financial aid. It would also be my first time working remotely in higher ed.

I’m pretty excited about the opportunity and have already accepted the offer, but leaving my current institution after being there for a couple of years still feels a little nerve-racking. I’ve built relationships with my coworkers and students, and this is my first major career move within higher education.

On the same token, the tone and atmosphere from upper management at my current institution have changed significantly. Cameras are being installed in our individual offices, there’s increasing pressure to push students toward signing and enrolling, and the overall environment has become much more sales-driven and uncomfortable. My current director has also been increasingly unreceptive to our concerns, and even simple comments or constructive feedback can sometimes be taken as personal criticism. Morale has dropped considerably, and several of my coworkers are also considering leaving. That shift in culture is a major reason I started looking elsewhere in the first place.

For anyone who has made a similar jump from a smaller/in-person institution to a larger remote higher-ed role: How did the transition go? Was remote financial aid significantly different? Anything you wish you knew before making the switch?

Also curious how you handled giving notice, especially if your current employer tried to counteroffer.

Thanks!

Hello, folks!

I’ve worked in higher ed for a few years now, but next week I’m starting a new position as an academic advisor. I’m excited for the new role and, naturally, trying to figure out how to stay organized with my caseload.

For those of you who work in academic advising, what technology tools have you found genuinely helpful? I’ve read about AI notetakers that can create drafts of meeting summaries, so I’m curious what other tools people are using.

Thanks in advance!

Are all College coaches and Athletic Directors awful at carrying some of the responsibility of monitoring their athletes? Athletics loves to blame us when their athlete is not eligible, but refuse to do anything to help us monitor their athletes. How do other college advisors partner with athletics, and not make it feel like we are their personal assistants?

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!

Hello everyone,

I'm torn between taking a graduate academic advising position at a college, or staying in my current role as a HS SPED Teacher. I'd take a 7k or so pay cut to do it. (60k or so down from 67)

Caseload for the advising position is about 70-80 students.

Would it be worth the swap? Would it be less stressful than my current position and dealing with student behaviors and IEP's?

Have not seen too many job postings but no might not be looking correctly. Does anyone have a good feel on what it looks like for a recent graduate?

I am new to this so I’m not sure how promotions or job reclassifications work SO PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE!!!! I know it’s long 😂

I’m in my late 20s and work as a Community Engagement Coordinator at a small private university.

Until recently, my department was under Student Affairs. A few months ago, we moved to Academic Affairs, which came with a new set of leadership. Around the same time, my department director left.
When my director left, the VP I was reporting to asked me to continue handling several things that had previously been part of the director’s responsibilities while the university figured out what it was going to do with the department. I agreed because I understood that we were in a transition and wanted to keep things moving.

Some of the things I was asked to take on included planning our service-learning/alternative break trips, updating the website and marketing materials, meeting with community partners, planning the upcoming year’s calendar, developing work-study student job descriptions, and other day-to-day operational work. Basically making sure everything was planned for AY 26-27

As part of the university updating everyone’s job descriptions, I was asked to rewrite/update mine based on what I actually did. I submitted that, and leadership then revised it further to reflect the new structure and additional responsibilities.

HERE IS WHERE I AM FRUSTRATED!

About a week ago, the university announced that they are essentially combining Community Engagement and 2 other departments under one larger area. Instead of hiring a new director for Community Engagement, they promoted the existing director from 1 department to an Executive Director role overseeing the combined area.

The Executive Director will handle things like the overall budget/financial management and higher-level oversight, but I’m still expected to handle much of the day-to-day work for Community Engagement. I’m also now supervising work-study students, managing/revamping student leadership programming, planning alternative service-break trips, managing community partnerships, programming, etc.

The frustrating part is that my revised job description reflects some of these additional responsibilities, but my position is still a Coordinator position. I was also told in writing that my current salary and job description will remain in place for the duration of the year when the VP emailed me my new job description.

I have a meeting with leadership today, and I’m trying to figure out how to approach it. I don’t want to come across as entitled or as if I’m claiming to do the Executive Director’s job. I just want my title and compensation to reasonably reflect the work I’m actually being asked to do.

TLDR: Started a job outside of higher ed 2.5 months ago, but miss working in student affairs so much. My current job is good, but I can't stop thinking about going back to student affairs. Feel conflicted and would like any advice.

Hey all, I hope this doesn't violate rule #4 (vague posts), because I am not completely sure why I am sharing this. I think it might be because I do not know who else to share it with? Maybe for advice? So here is what's going on....

In March, I was rejected from a GA position in res life. I was highly sought after but was not chosen because they believed the position would stunt my growth. I was an internal candidate, so maybe they heard I was a few rounds deep for full-time res life roles elsewhere.

Few days after the rejection from the GA role, I withdrew all my student affairs applications and accepted a full-time job in another field. I wasn't acting in the heat of the moment, I just truly thought I needed a break from student affairs.

Fast forward, I have started my new job about 2.5 months ago, and I enjoy it! Amazing people, work is enjoyable, great work-life balance, etc. (side note: the work-life balance is almost too good LOL....in addition to pursing my master's part-time, I added on another part-time job because I feel like I have too much time on my hands)

So, the reason for posting. I miss working in student affairs. I know missing something is normal, and will happen throughout life, especially professionally, but this feels different. When I wake up in the morning and go to my admittedly awesome job, the thought about wanting to be working in student affairs pesters me. I do my job well, and get the work done, but I don't have the passion to go above and beyond like I did with student affairs. I have only been in my job for a couple months, and it is a great job....but I want to be back in student affairs.

What do I do?

Academic Advisors, I really need some advice about two competing job offers.

For background: I’ve been working in higher ed at an HBCU for 4 years in a small, constantly busy Registrar’s office. I’ve done everything from enrollment and data reporting to transfer credit articulation and degree conferral. I know curriculum and policy requirements very well, but my advising experience has mostly been limited to impromptu sessions with last-minute admits every semester. I actually really enjoy those interactions, though, which is why I want to transition into advising.

I could see myself being successful in either position, so I’d really appreciate hearing from experienced advisors about which environment you think would be better for someone making this transition.

School 1

Pros:

- It’s another local university, so I wouldn’t have to move.

- It’s part of the same state public university system as my current school, so I’m already familiar with its core curriculum and many of its policies.

- I’d be able to transfer my vacation/sick leave, and it’s part of the same retirement system.

- It’s an R2 that has recently been absorbing smaller colleges and universities around the state, so it seems to be on its way toward R1 status.

- The student population is extremely diverse, with students from all walks of life.

- The IT department is reliable. The student and faculty/staff portals are well developed, and they use Degree Works as their program audit system.

- I really like the city. It has a beautiful, vibrant downtown and access to pretty much every amenity I could want, so life there is pretty cush.

Cons:

- My caseload would be around 300 students, and I might be advising multiple majors.

- School 1 uses the registration PIN system, so I’d be required to meet with all of my underclassmen every semester. I worry that this would make our meetings pretty transactional for the most part.

- Some of the older, non-traditional students might see me more as an obstacle to registration than as a resource.

- The younger students would likely need a lot of developmental advising around things like time management, task prioritization, and navigating college in general.

- Some students would struggle more academically and require a lot of additional support.

- I haven’t had the opportunity to meet any of the other advisors or faculty yet, so I haven’t really gotten a sense of how the team works together. I’d be going in somewhat blind.

School 2

Pros:

- My caseload would be much smaller, between 150-200 students.

- It’s a top-50 public university and an R1. It’s a very big name and very well known. The school spirit is kind of unbelievable.

- The students tend to be young, but they’re also at the top of their respective classes, since admission is extremely competitive.

- Advisors are assigned to specific subject departments, so I’d be able to develop expertise in a particular area.

- Although it’s recommended, students are not required to meet with their advisors.

- Advisors also do not register students for classes, which is very different from the system I’m used to.

- From what I’ve gathered, advising meetings involve course planning but also long-term goal-setting, career planning, and grad school advising.

- The other advisors seem like great people who genuinely like what they do.

Cons:

- It’s out of state and would require a pretty major move.

- The area is beautiful and has four distinct seasons, but it’s relatively isolated. The surrounding cities aren’t very large and don’t have the amenities I currently have.

- For an R1, the IT department is surprisingly lacking. They’re currently experiencing issues with Banner, and they use DARS rather than Degree Works.

- I’d be required to do more than advising. For example, one of the departments I spoke with wants its advisor to regularly travel to recruitment events.

- The vibes from the department heads and higher leadership seem off. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but things seem tense right now, and that makes me a little nervous.

- I have migraines and regularly see a neurologist for medication. I’m not sure how quickly I’d be able to establish care with a specialist in the new area.

So, from your years of experience as an advisor, which position would you choose?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: School 2 is paying 10k more. Cost of living and commute time with both cities are comparable.

hi all! i just got an interview for an academic advising position and was hoping to get some insight on what to prep.

i’m a fresh university grad with experience as an don/RA and other student leadership & admins roles, but obviously none as an academic advisor. luckily enough, i’d be advising the same area of study i just graduated from which i hope gives me a leg up.

any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hello All!

I recently checked my CSU job applications & ive sent over 47 applications in 2.5 years all of which ive never heard back from. I have no connections I recently graduated with my Masters in School Counseling and would love to land a role at any High Education institution even if its Private, CC, trade Etc.

Can someone give me some pointers.

Am I doing something wrong on my resume.

I am in LA area potentially open to soooo many colleges.