Hello! I'm a fresh graduate who recently landed a job as an Academic Registrar at a relatively young culinary school (it's been operating for less than nine years), and I'd like to ask for advice from fellow school registrars here, especially those working in small schools.

I'd love to learn from your experiences, particularly when it comes to data processing, student records management, and the preparation and release of academic documents.

Here are some of the things I'd like to ask:

1. What processes or systems have helped you keep your student records organized and easy to manage?
2. Do you use a specific school management system or program to manage student records, grades, class schedules, attendance, and other important academic information? If so, what system do you use, and how did your school implement or acquire it?
3. How do you process grades and prepare documents such as report cards and Transcripts of Records (TORs)? Are these generated automatically through a system, or do you still do some of the work manually?
4. How do you minimize errors when encoding grades and preparing official academic documents?
5. For small schools with limited budgets, are there affordable systems or tools you'd recommend? Would improving our existing Excel or Google Sheets setup be a good starting point, or is it better to invest in a dedicated school management system?

To give you a bit of context, most of our processes are still done manually. For example, I encode students' grades in Excel spreadsheets, and when preparing report cards, I have to transfer the grades manually into each student's document. Imagine doing that for more than 70 students! There's always a possibility of making an error, especially when you're handling a lot of data.

I'm also concerned about preparing Transcripts of Records because these are important academic documents, and I want to make sure the information I release is accurate and reliable.

I experienced a different setup during my internship at another school's registrar's office, where they had their own system for managing student records. Seeing how it worked made me wish we could implement something similar at our school. However, I honestly don't know where to start, what systems are available, or how to go about introducing one to our school.

I'm also wondering if our current setup is fairly standard for small schools or if there are better ways to manage these processes.

For fellow registrars, especially those who started in small schools or helped improve an existing registrar's office, I'd really appreciate your advice!

What systems do you use? What processes have worked best for you? And if you were in my position, what would you recommend I do first?

I'd love to hear your experiences, suggestions, and recommendations. Thank you so much!

I'm currently trapped in the unemployed, job searching/interviewing/rejection hellscape at my local university in a new state. They use workday for the hiring process. I'm applying for any jobs that I'm qualified/overqualified for.

I got an automated email rejection from one position that never reached out to me saying I missed "a scheduled step in the selection process" so I was no longer being considered for the position. I reached out to HR, since I didn't miss any steps in any selection process and was sent this message in error, who opened and closed a ticket saying they have asked hiring team to follow up with me, which is unlikely.

I imagine they just sent me the wrong automated rejection message so getting this position isn't my concern, it's what other folks on the hiring side see when I apply for another position. Somewhere on the backend when I apply for another position at this same institution, will it show to other hiring teams that I was rejected from this position because I wasn't responsive? I don't want this error to be the reason I'm not considered for employment at this institution anymore. Anyone in talent acquisition that can shed any light would be super helpful in quelling my anxiety here.

TL;DR - I think I might enjoy international admissions, but am not sure would fit my current lifestyle. I am also wondering if it would be a good starting point to break into international education (advising/study abroad) eventually. Looking for thoughts and others’ experiences.

Background:

I have experience living and working in education overseas, and domestically in higher ed both in student life and in an administrative role.

I have been trying to get into international education for about 4-5 years now and have had no luck. I had one interview right after graduating college, but did not get the position. Oddly enough, after gaining more experience working abroad and also in higher ed, absolutely zero interviews. I have a BA and feel like everyone I talk to in the field has an MA or higher, but they all tell me I don’t need one to get into the field and not to waste my money.

Questions:

Would I be a good candidate for international admissions?

Is the travel required for recruitment enjoyable? I’m in my 30s and married, so I feel like this would have been my dream job 10 years ago, but am worried I wouldn’t enjoy being away from my partner and pets so much now— though I still love to travel. But, I also feel like now might be the best time to do it, before we start a family or I just get older and have less energy for travel in general (speaking from a place of knowing my own energy levels, not making judgements on anyone else my age or older).

Also, the roles I am looking at are remote and I’m just not sure I’m cut out for remote work, though the flexibility sounds nice. Would love to hear others’ experiences.

Would a position in international admissions recruitment be helpful in eventually breaking into international education (either advising or study abroad)?

As an academic coordinator and advisor I'm so tired of students and faculty taking no self accountability for anything and then acting like youre supposed to solve all of their problems for them and acting like its tour responsibility to facilitate their lack of not doing what THEY need to do. I send emails, automated reminders, calender reminders... all with links dates and instructions barely anyone engages with it... then when shit hits the fan they all come running to me looking for someone to blame OR acting like its my responsibility to now clean up their SELF CREATED MESS... 🙄

I'm in my mid-30s, hold a master's in ed, and am in my third year as an advisor. I've also recently been promoted to "Lead Advisor." Lately, two main issues have made it difficult to see this as a sustainable job.

1. Most hires in my office are recent grads in their early 20s. The office culture clearly treats this role like a temporary starter job, making it really hard to connect with my peers.

2. The salary is...well, crappy. Without my wife's income, this would not be a livable wage. Leadership constantly talks about advising being a "profession," but the amount of investment doesn't really prove it. There isn't any meaningful professional development. Our monthly "PD" meetings are mostly updates like financial aid policy changes.

These two things make the job feel less like a career and more like underpaid churning.

For those who are 30 and above, how are you guys managing this dynamic? Have you found ways to make this sustainable long-term, or did you use it to help you pivot into something new?

Hello!

I am looking for some advice from people who have been in student affairs longer than I have, because I’m having a hard time figuring out what the right move is here.

For some background, I’ve spent the last 2.5 years working in Residence Life at a small private Catholic college. I started in an entry level RD role and was promoted pretty quickly. I had also just received what was essentially our office’s Employee of the Year, so I felt like I was doing well in my career. Then, after some major changes in our office and at the institution, I ended up being let go. It was honestly a really devastating experience, especially because I was really proud of the work I had done.

I originally got into ResLife because I wanted to gain higher ed experience before eventually pursuing law school and working in Title IX. It’s the area I am most passionate about, and I was able to take on a part time Title IX role at my previous institution so I have some real concrete experience. Those are still my long term goals, however I do still enjoy working with students and don’t feel ready for law school at this point.

Since leaving my previous institution, I’ve been living with my partner and his family, so getting back on my feet and having my own place is definitely a factor in this decision.

I received an offer for an entry level ResLife position about 2.5 hrs away from where I’m currently living. There are actually a lot of things about this position that my previous institution didn’t offer, including a larger Pro Staff team, tuition benefits, and paid on-call responsibilities. I’ve also been told taking on an internship with conduct/Title IX would be a possibility after a few months in the role.

My biggest hesitation is that this is essential a return to an entry level ResLife role. I worked really hard to get promoted at my previous institution, and it’s hard not to feel like I’m going backwards in my career, especially after how things ended. I’m 25 and really feel like I should be further ahead than I am right now.

I’m really trying to figure out if I’m putting too much weight on the title and the feeling that I’m starting over, or whether there are legitimate reasons to hesitate. On paper, the job has some benefits that could help me a lot professionally and personally and I know I can’t necessarily be too picky after what happened.

So, if you were in my position, would you take the job? Is it a good opportunity to get back on my feet, gain experience at a different institution, and potentially use their tuition benefits for a HESA masters (or something else)? Or would relocating and taking a step back for a career path I’m not super interested in be detrimental to my long term career goals?

Might be getting close to a job offer and I’m trying to contemplate if the pay cut is worth it. The job is technically a level down from what I’m currently doing, but at a slightly larger university and would come with some new responsibilities that I could build upon in my career. Location is more what I’m looking for and closer to family/friends in nearby cities. I have yet to see the apartment, but it sounds more spacious than my current place. Benefits seem like a wash but for vacation, I’d give the edge to this other place (13 extra days off each year). I pray I would work fewer hours outside of the 40 hours I’m supposed to work lol.

Now the tough part. I’m looking at a 12% cut in salary. Has anyone done something similar and was it worth it? I think the potential is there, but I’d hate to take a cut like this only for the job to not be what I hoped.

I’ve been interviewing for a position in student affairs at a university I’ve never worked at before. For reference, I have a masters and have been working full-time in student affairs for almost a year but have relevant experience as a GA and an intern in the functional area I am applying for and currently work in.

I interviewed for a lateral move to be a coordinator at a different university and had REALLY good interviews. At the end of my final interview, the hiring manager said they would hopefully be making an offer to the selected candidate within the next week. After that they checked my references and I haven’t heard anything since. It’s been over a week at this point and I’m starting to freak out.

Making it to reference checks made me think I was going to get an offer but it’s been radio silence since. Of course they could have offered to another candidate or they could have gotten hung up with something in HR. I’m trying to remain hopeful but idk how to deal at the moment. I felt like a shoo-in given my previous experience and how good my interviews were but now I’m doubting everything.

Any thoughts or similar situations?

UPDATE: I got the job!!! They said the offer got held up with HR over the weekend and got me the info yesterday!

hello! I am a california resident, and what i have noticed is there are not many fully funded, tuition remission, grad assistantship, + stipend programs so i am looking into out of state! I am not looking into “high ranking” or “prestigious” schools, i’m more looking into the hands on experience i will get, an almost guarantee of assistantship, tuition remission + stipend would be amazinggg, and that it will still apply to out of state students.

Any recommendations? I have searched many schools on the NASPA website, but would loveee to hear anyone’s suggestions or recommendations!! Not location bounded (although as a mexican woman, i am a bit hesitant to apply to the south/PWI but i am still open to it!!!)

Apply to:
- UConn
- Salem State
- Syracuse (still thinking i can switch this one out)

Still highly interested in:
- James Madison U
- Clemson
- University of Vermont
- Eastern Michigan State
- University of Iowa
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Illinois State University

* If i have done my research right, these programs offer assistantship, and some type of tuition waiver + stipend

Not necessary context but just wanted to add: This will be my second round applying to grad schools in HESA, last cycle i only applied to two in california, i got accepted into one but needed to pay about 40k a year 😵‍💫 and the other i got waitlisted in, i did apply after priority deadline ! 🫩

thank you!

I put myself in a real conundrum.

I currently work in higher ed and recently applied to a few positions at the same university.

For one role, I went through an initial Zoom interview, then a pretty long in-person second round. I ended up getting an offer for $47,000, which is an 11K increase from what I make now. The role would also give me experience in areas I don’t currently have much exposure to, like broader administrative operations, budgeting/procurement, reporting, and special projects. The team is pretty small, and being able to get into this university in general feels like a good opportunity. The only thing is that it requires me to be fully at the office, like front desk type of thing (answering phone calls, handle all front desk operations which I would honestly avoid if i had to but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make to take a step forward for at least a year).

They gave me until Tuesday to decide. Keep in mind, i haven't received an official offer letter yet.

The issue is that I also interviewed for another position at the same university that I honestly think I want more. It’s more aligned with the direction I want to grow in long term like program coordination, student programming, administrative operations, etc. It’s also hybrid and the salary range is $52K–$62K. They are also even a smaller team, department being 2 years new so it would be a lot of learning and growing with it.

I originally thought the second role was kind of a long shot, and after the first interview I actually felt disappointed in myself because it was only about 20 minutes and I didn’t feel like I had enough time to really show everything I could bring.

But because I now have another offer, I emailed the hiring director to ask about their timeline. They responded and told me I’m actually one of only a few candidates moving forward to an in-person final round. They had originally planned to notify everyone Monday, but gave me advance notice because of my situation.

The problem is that their final interviews won’t happen until after my Tuesday deadline, so there’s no way I’ll know whether I got that job before I have to decide on the first one.

My friends are telling me not to risk “burning a bridge,” especially because both roles are at the same university. I’m also very aware that being a finalist does NOT mean I’ll actually get the second job.

So now I’m stuck between:

• accepting the $47K offer and possibly withdrawing from the other interview process,
• turning down a real offer and gambling on a job I may not get,
• or accepting the first role, continuing with the second interview, and potentially having to back out later if I somehow get the second offer.

I’m grateful to even be in this position, but I’m honestly so torn lol. The second job feels like a better fit for me, especially because it’s hybrid and pays more, but the first one is a real offer and would still be a good step forward. The name of the university itself would still give me a huge advantage in the future either ways.

What would you do in this situation? And how bad would it look to accept one role and then back out shortly afterward for another role at the same university?

Ok so wondering what the hive thinks about how to dress on your final on-campus interview. Whether or not to dress professional "dressed up" for a male a suit, or to go more casual like a sport coat and tie? Let me know your thoughts or experiences.

Retired public school teacher (27 years- I have seen and dealt with some stuff! ) just hired as an AA for our local university. The team has a great vibe as does the Director, so I am thinking my transition will be a good one.

For those of you experienced AA’s, what would you tell your self as a newly hired AA that would help starting off.

Thanks and I am psyched to be hired- it took me a year of applications to get here.

I really want this job, I think my skills would ideally fit the position.

1. I just dont know what to expect or how to prepare for the role. What questions should I be expecting?
2. Should I be expecting Vice President of Divsions to attend?
3. It's a 30 minute interview. What would that even look like as an interview, like 4-5 questions? Should I practice to keep my responses short to allow for me to ask them questions?
4. Also, what should I wear? Something business formal or something more appealing to working with students, like business casual?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

What are the upsides and downsides of an academic advising career in higher ed? What parts make people want to stay and what parts make it harder than it should be?

Hi! I’m interested in working in Student Affairs after I graduate, and I’m currently trying to figure out the best route for grad school. I’ve seen a lot of advice about not “wasting” time or money on a master’s in SAHE, so I’m considering getting an MSW instead.

I’m really interested in Residence Life and would love to have a graduate assistantship in housing while getting my master’s. Has anyone here gotten an MSW while working as a Residence Life GA? Or does anyone know of universities where this is possible and the assistantship has good benefits, like tuition remission, a stipend, housing, etc.?

I’d love to hear about people’s experiences or any schools/programs I should look into. Thanks!

Good morning.

I am not sure if this is the right sub, but I am more comfortable posting it here amongst other professionals rather than a student subreddit. 😓

I work at a community college, and have a student who was on track to transfer to university next year. However, she is worried about transferring her FAFSA due to the current climate in the US.

One of her parents is undocumented, and her family is (understandably) very worried about the implications of submitting her FAFSA. She is too young to file independently and does not have the grounds to apply for emancipation. For reference, we are in Texas.

Is anyone aware of potential resources I could send her way that could help her navigate the process, such as legitimate Texas immigrant rights organizations or good sources of information?

We were so excited for her transfer. I do not want her education to end here.

Question for Student Affairs / campus programming folks about hiring outside event vendors

My partner and I run a small event company on Long Island focused primarily on tabletop gaming and interactive social events. We do things like D&D/RPG programs, large board game events, bingo, miniature painting workshops, and other programs designed to get people actually interacting with each other.

We've done a lot of community programming, and we're looking at expanding further into colleges. Before we start blindly emailing Student Affairs departments, I'd love to understand how this works from your side.

I'm particularly interested in:

• What kind of budget do you typically have for an outside vendor running a 1–3 hour campus event?
• Who usually makes that decision — Student Affairs, Campus Life, student government, individual clubs, etc.?
• Do you generally prefer an all-inclusive flat price, or do things like materials, travel, and attendance get priced separately?
• How far in advance are you booking outside programs?
• What kind of attendance makes an event feel successful?
• What information do you want to see in the initial email/proposal?
• Are there insurance, vendor registration, background check, or other requirements that commonly trip up smaller vendors?
• Do you prefer vendors to come to you with a specific ready-to-book program, or several options at different price points?
• What makes you interested in an outside vendor you've never worked with before?
• What makes you immediately ignore/delete a pitch?

I'm not trying to figure out the maximum colleges are willing to pay. I'm trying to understand the market so we can build programs that make sense for college budgets and actually solve a need for the people responsible for programming them.

One thing we're particularly interested in is programming built around social connection. Tabletop games work surprisingly well as structured social events because students don't have to walk into a room and just "mingle." There's already something to do and a reason to talk to the people around them.

I'd especially love to hear from anyone involved with Student Affairs, Campus Life, Residence Life, student activities, student government, or similar departments.

Even rough numbers and personal experiences would be really helpful. Thanks!

For those that have odd hours but also don't make enough with your full time position, what do you do (if anything) to make some extra money? I'm finding that with how odd my hours are for my student affairs position, its been hard to find something if I can't consistently do evenings/weekends.

In my state, it's a well known reality that the CC system pays very well. The public 4yr institutions are in the middle, and private institutions (even the ones with super expensive tuition) pay staff the worst - I've known people to get their doctorate at a private school and then dip out.

Is this like a rule in this field? Or are other states different?

I'm at a point where I've considered roles at larger universities to grow my skillset and diversity my resume, but they'll post a leadership job that might be levels above my current role on an org chart, but I make more money in my current role than I would in that job.

Even now - the universities around are laying people off and it's a problem. We in the CC system are growing and hiring new positions and constructing new buildings. It's like a strange other world. When I talk to my friends at 4yr schools, many want to jump ship.

I love the CC system and I really believe in open access institutions, so I'd be fine staying in the CC world if it came to it. It's just interesting that there's such a difference in these ways, and that CCs come out on top.

I applied to a job at a large institution and was contacted this week by someone from the hr department to schedule a voice call. This is my first contact about the application, so I guess it’s a screening before my application gets (hopefully) forwarded to the hiring committee.
Does anyone have any insight into what the hr rep is usually looking for in this kind of screening, and/or tips about how to succeed in getting moved onto the next step?
Tyia

I work at a college with roughly 10,000 students, and right now I'm managing our career center, with the help of one advisor. I've come to see how hard it is to build something meaningful with such a small team, even when career readiness is a stated institutional priority.

I've also realized that management may not be the long-term path for me. It isn't the people side. It's that my success is tied to how others perform, and I'm responsible for the reputation of the whole center, which means continually making the case for its value to campus partners, leadership, and the community. Building partnerships has also started to feel more transactional and performative than I'd like. I noticed the higher up you are in this field the more performative you have to be! I was at my best when I was focused on helping people directly, and I miss that.

I'm curious about a few things:

1.) If you've moved out of career services or student affairs, where did you land, and how did you make the transition?

2.) For those who went from higher ed or state government into corporate, was it worth it? I hear a lot of people say they're happier in corporate, but I value the stability and benefits of public-sector work, and I tend to assume corporate is faster paced with less job security.

I'd like to hear what it's really like.

3.) What would you have wanted to know before making the switch?

How are you doing rn?

I find that whenever public outcry interacts with our processes, so many people start making up stories and claims about our systems and efforts and there isn't much room to provide nuance or explain how your work works without people trying to define you as "not caring about victims" especially when discussing student support systems and preponderance of evidence.

How are you handling seeing these claims around the Internet right now and how do they impact your work?

Edit: Title is wrong, should be Title IX

Hi everyone!

I have a question and would really appreciate some advice.

I have a B.S. in Elementary Education, but I do not have any teaching experience or experience working in higher education.
I’m interested in becoming an academic advisor and was wondering: Is it realistic to get hired as an academic advisor without a degree specifically related to higher education or any prior higher-ed experience?

If anyone has made a similar transition, I would love to hear about your experience. Is academic advising a career path worth pursuing with my background, or would I need additional education/experience first?

Thanks in advance!