What does "fit" really mean during the interview process?

I’m sure that, at some point, you’ve heard someone discuss how they or someone else were or were not a great fit for an opportunity, program, city, experience, or maybe even a pair of jeans (okay this one is different but you get it). But what does fit actually mean? More importantly, what does it mean in the context of a graduate program?

When I was looking at graduate schools, I was considering several very different schools with different programs in different locations. I had worked in admissions as an undergraduate, and had encouraged students to think about fit in every aspect of what their experience might be, and felt like I would be SUPER hypocritical if I didn’t do this during my graduate school search. Had I done this as an undergrad? Absolutely not. But now was my time to try. Graduate school fit broke into four main categories for me: academic fit, assistantship fit, faculty fit, and social/location fit.

From an academic standpoint, I knew that I wanted a challenge, so the CSAA program was already a strong contender for me. I wasn’t sure when I was applying if I wanted a stronger focus on counseling or a stronger focus on higher education, and when I got to Georgia for interviews, it became really obvious to me that Georgia was a really nice blend of those sides of the profession. There’s certainly a strong emphasis on counseling and I’ve found those skills incredibly useful in working with my students, but there’s also themes of higher education and the systems in place that affect our work, so I like that, too. When looking at programs, considering this balance is important as the characteristics of your classes certainly affect what you’re learning and how you might apply it in practice.

In looking at assistantships, I was primarily looking for an opportunity to work in a collaborative, fun, and exciting environment that focused on leadership, broadly. Others were looking for a different environment or a different focus, and sought interviews with departments or offices that focused on those things. I also wanted to have a supervisor who supported and communicated with me regularly, and though it’s tough to tell in an interview if a supervisor will be like that, bringing up what you want or need from a supervisor may help them make a better decision about whether or not you’re a good fit for their office and their personal supervisory style. I was very lucky to be placed in my office, and am extremely happy with the relationship I have with my supervisor. I’m doing the work that I love with students I love and alongside people I love, and it’s made my experience incredible.

The faculty were another important consideration for me when choosing a program. I value an open and relatable faculty who are experts within the field, but who are also excited to answer questions or have dialogue with students regarding course material. Humor is also important to me, and I found that our faculty filled all of these roles and then some. But it’s important to consider what type of relationship you want with your faculty, and to seek programs that provide those things. They can be your best allies in job and internship searches, and are also there to support you through the day-to-day issues that may arise during your graduate school experience.

Finally, from a social and location standpoint, I was tired of Midwestern winters (I left the Midwest after the year when Polar Vortexes became a thing and was approximately 500% over those temperatures), and wanted the challenge of working with different student populations. The Southeast, for me, was an exciting change that offered better weather (okay, it does get cold here, just to be clear) and an exciting new mix of students that were different than those I had worked with previously. Socially, Athens is a really nice and exciting town that has a lot of fun things happening throughout the year. I’m a huge live music fan and Athens has no shortage of shows and performances that happen throughout the year, so this was definitely appealing to me. I think that this factor of social and locational fit is often overlooked, but it’s important to like where you are and to have ways to destress at times by doing the things you love. Is Athens a forever place for me? Probably not, but it’s comfortable and exciting, and I’ve enjoyed my time here so far!

Overall, I believe that you’ll feel it when the overall fit of a total offer (program, assistantship, etc.) is right for you. For some of you, that place will be at UGA and for others, it might not be. It’s a very personal decision and I encourage you to consider as many aspects of all the offers you get before making a decision. I feel like I made the right choice and am very happy with the program and my assistantship, and I hope that however the process works out, you’re happy with where you land, too!

-Andrew

Andrew Brugman (the one next to Beyonce..) is a first year Masters student in the College Student Affairs Administration program at the University of Georgia. He’s originally from Marquette, MI (it’s on the Upper Peninsula and almost everybody forgets that they’re up there) and graduated in 2013 from Northwestern University outside of Chicago. For the year following graduation, he served as a Leadership Consultant for his fraternity, visiting and consulting with existing chapters and helping start a new group at the University of Wisconsin. Outside of work and school, he really likes hiking (he’s on a quest to visit all the National Parks in the US) and any kind of live music.