Graduate school is an option that many undergraduate students plan for from the beginning of their college career, while others never consider it. Something that students may overlook, though, are opportunities for graduate assistantships.
Southeast Missouri State University offers three types of graduate assistantships: administrative, research and teaching. Within those three options, there are many departments in which students may work.
Andrew Baker is a graduate assistant hall director for Residence Life, Destiny Deaton is a graduate assistant in the Office of Greek Life and Amy Turnbull is the graduate assistant for LGBT programming and services.
“I always tell people, ‘I get paid to go to school’ and I try to encourage students to look into applying for grad assistantships because there are some really good deals at every school,” Baker said. “For example with mine, working in Residence Life, I’m required to live on campus, so my housing is paid for and also I get a meal plan. All of my school is paid for and on top of that I get a weekly stipend, so I literally get paid to go to school, which is definitely a perk.”
Not all Southeast graduate assistants get their housing and meal plan for free, but all receive full tuition coverage and a yearly stipend of $8,348. The positions come with a one-year contract.
“If you’re wanting to go to grad school, I would definitely say look for a graduate assistantship because it’s the best thing you can do,” Deaton said. “There are graduate assistantships in every single department. It’s an amazing option that I’m not sure a lot of people know exist.”
Baker graduated from Southeast in the spring with a degree in corporate communications and is now pursuing a Master of Public Administration.
“Since I just graduated in the spring, I still know some of the students on campus and I get to continue those relationships,” Baker said. “And now I get to know them on a much more personal level because, like resident assistants, I get to serve as their cheerleader when things are going great and a helping hand when someone is struggling.”
Unlike Baker, Deaton and Turnbull received their bachelor's degrees from schools other than Southeast. Deaton attended Columbus State University in Georgia where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art and is now working toward a Master of Art in higher education administration.
“It was a bit of a culture shock coming to Southeast Missouri,” Deaton said. “I come from Atlanta, so there is a lot more diversity in Georgia, especially the area I lived, so that was a big change for me. I’m not ready for the temperature change, I have no clothes for cold weather. But other than that, the campus’s are very similar, my undergrad had a riverfront campus and Southeast has the River Campus. I guess the biggest difference has been Missouri compared to Georgia and not Columbus State University compared to SEMO.”
Turnbull attended Truman State University for her undergraduate studies and received her degree in justice systems.
“The people I work with now have been especially helpful,” Turnbull said of her transition to Southeast. “I moved to Cape literally two days before I started school, and I had never been here before so it was a shock because Truman has maybe 5,000 undergraduate students and here it’s like 14,000 and everyone drives crazy like they’re from New York. But it’s been nice. There is this feeling at Southeast like you belong, and like you’re an equal.”
On top of working 20 hours a week in their various departments, these graduate assistants each take three night classes a week.
“It’s only a challenge because the workload is different, it’s a lot more reading,” Baker said. “It’s nice only having three classes, but those classes are a bit harder than the five I had in undergrad each semester. I learn more from being a GA hall director than I do in the classroom because I get to work with so many people. The experiences and the interactions are extremely valuable to me, both good and bad. It’s not an easy job, but I feel I have really learned how to work with a diversity of people, which is a valuable skill in any profession.”
There is a $30 non-refundable fee to be sent with proof of citizenship and an official undergraduate transcript when applying for a graduate assistantship at Southeast. For more information visit http://www.semo.edu/gradschool.
