Higher Education & Student Affairs: Five Ways You Can Make Being on a College Campus Your Career

You enjoyed your college experience so much that you can’t fathom it ending. Lucky for you, it doesn’t have to.

Leaving college is a difficult transition for many students. Whether your favorite part of your experience was living in the residence halls, leading orientation, joining student government or participating in fraternity & sorority life, you are probably dreading having to give up these activities once you graduate.

There are plenty of ways to get involved in student affairs as a staff member at a college. Sara Connolly, director of Sacred Heart University’s MA in higher education & student affairs program, shared possible career paths that may pique your interest.

Campus Activities

Many student campus leaders find themselves wanting to go into campus activities when they graduate. These students are often student government leaders, student ambassadors or orientation leaders. “Students get to their senior year of college and think, ‘Wait, people do this for a living? This is what I want to do,’” said Connolly.

There are many roles you can fill in campus activities, such as a director of orientation, a director of fraternity or sorority life, a student activities coordinator and so on. Ultimately, it is your responsibility as staff in campus activities to encourage students to join clubs, attend events and be active members of the campus community. Aside from planning events, you work alongside student leaders to help them grow and develop their own activities.

SHU’s higher education & student affairs program is offered fully online, but students often choose to come to campus once or twice a semester to plan their own on-campus activities with fellow students. This is not only an opportunity for them to gain experience in student affairs, but to also connect with their classmates.

Residential Life

This is the most common area of work that people tend to go into in higher education simply because so many hall directors are needed on college campuses. As a hall director, your role would be to develop a supportive environment that fosters learning outside of the classroom and support the academic success and retention of residential students. You would supervise and train student staff, participate in the on-duty coverage rotation and respond to emergency incidents, among other responsibilities. You would also live on campus in the student resident halls.

Since supporting students and understanding the challenges they are facing is a big part of your role as a hall director, SHU’s higher education & student affairs program offers basic counseling courses. “When you live with students, you learn it all. It is crisis management, event planning and dealing with homesickness. It is ultimately a rewarding experience where you learn nearly everything about student affairs,” said Connolly.

Career Development

Getting internships and jobs is very exciting for students. Although it may be daunting for students to create their résumé and interview for positions, their excitement is through the roof when they get job offers. Working in career development is a rewarding experience because you get to help these students along the way.

In career development, you will help students write résumés and cover letters and develop interview and job search skills. You will attend career panel discussions, networking events, employer on-campus interviewing and job fairs. You will also assist students in planning for and researching graduate school options.

Unlike other on-campus positions, those who work in career development have relatively standard hours, except for working special events on some nights and weekends.

Financial Aid

Believe it or not, obtaining a role in financial aid does not require you to have background in finance. You are not performing financial analysis as much as you are helping students and families understand the financial assistance that they receive through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As an employee in a college’s financial aid office, you are essentially responsible for helping students understand how they can afford a college education.

Students in SHU’s higher education & student affairs program take basic classes in finance and governance so they can answer questions from students and families regarding their financial aid packages.

Academic Advising

A common misconception about academic advising is that the role is only for professors. Although true at many colleges, this is becoming old-fashioned. As colleges grow, more employees have been hired as full-time academic advisers. This benefits students because it makes advising more accessible to those who are undeclared in their major, on academic probation or simply need more assistance in figuring out their path.

Your responsibilities as an academic adviser will range depending on the college and students you are advising, but you will often clarify program requirements, policies and procedures; assist students in finding necessary resources; and provide accurate and consistent information. This is a great way to connect with your college major, as you can speak from personal experience to guide students to success.