There are numerous things one can do to prepare for a future career in Student Affairs. A few suggestions are listed below.

Find a mentor- There are many student affairs professionals on each college or university campus. Talk to a few and find someone who is willing to assist you as you discover the field of student affairs administration. A good mentor should be able to assist you in learning more about graduate programs, the various areas of student affairs, going to conferences, and they should role model the life of a student affairs professional.

Read- Go to the library on campus or student affairs resource room and take a look at student affairs publications. The Chronicle of Higher Education is an excellent weekly newspaper where you can read about current events in higher education. Also, check out the Journal of College Student Development and the NASPA Journal which are the publications of ACPA and NASPA respectively. Check out student affairs web sites such as StudentAffairs.com or ResLife.net. The more you know before you being a graduate program or your first student affairs position, the better prepared you'll be.

Take a class- Some institutions will allow undergraduates to take one or two graduate level courses. Find out if you can enroll in a student affairs administration course as an undergrad so you can get a good idea of what your graduate program might be like.

Go to conferences- Attend student and professional conferences. You will be able to meet student affairs professionals who may be able to help you with your discovery of the field.

Start a group- If you know other students who are interested in learning more about student affairs, start a group where you can bring in various student affairs professionals to tell you more about what they do. You can also sponsor resume critiques and practice interviews with a group like this as well.

Attend student affairs lectures- Most institutions will bring student affairs professionals to campus to speak or conduct workshops. Talk with your mentor and find out if there are any you could attend.

Develop your skills- As a student affairs professional you will need a variety of skills to be effective and successful. Take advantage of leadership opportunities you can have where you can develop your communication and organization. These opportunities may lead you toward a field within students affairs that really appeals to you.

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