Student Entry Essay

My passion towards working with students every day has led me to the decision of pursuing a doctoral degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University. I have chosen this program to prepare myself for a future role as a senior level college administrator or a professor. This program will allow me to enhance my understanding of the students’ educational experience and therefore better engage students in active learning.

As a graduate student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, I had the opportunity to enhance my understanding of higher education through my coursework, and involvement with on campus organizations. While a graduate student I also worked in both the student affairs and academic advising department and, I was

This included often advising students in academics and financial aid, and also one year ago I taught Transition to College for the First Year Student. As a teacher, I decided to relate back to when I was a student and thought of the three learning modalities. I remember most of my undergraduate classes having visual and auditory learning, but a little of kinesthetic learning. Because of this I decided to have team activities so kinesthetic learners could experience doing something while they learn. The feedback I received at the end of the semester from the student-athletes in the class was so positive that I knew my teaching techniques had been successful. As I committed to teach the same course for another semester, I decided to incorporate more active learning. For example, I implemented a discussion board so they could bring their life experiences into the learning

As a non-traditional, first-generation student, I’ve needed to adapt to the challenges faced as a student through my years in higher education. Throughout my time pursuing multiple higher education degrees my motivation towards learning has made me excel as a student. In addition, my investment in higher education has made me strongly believe that all high school students should have equal chance to pursue a higher education degree. In addition, I also have interest in research regarding potential implementation of universal access to higher education in United States. As a financial aid professional I have experienced many of the obstacles that prospective students faces, the cost of the education is just one of the barriers students encounter when pursuing a higher education degree. One potential research topic I am pursing is providing awareness of all the barriers that prevent high school students from getting into college. As a leader on campus implementing ways to find solutions to limit these barriers would hopefully make a difference for future generation of students.

The culture of student affairs continues to transform and as I develop as a professional, I know that it is crucial that I to continue to adapt to current trends to be successful in the field. I value the opportunities your degree program may give me to expand my knowledge within higher