Frequently Asked Questions
Interview Conference
Now that you have arrived in Aggieland, here are a few thin for you to consider.
- Consider downloading the Texas A&M Mobile App for easy access to campus information.
- Getting to Campus
- Refer to the Aggie Map to navigate to and around campus. The Aggie Map also includes estimated walking time from campus locations.
- Lyft and Uber are rideshare programs offered in College Station.
- If you are staying at the Hilton, you have access to a shuttle. Consider the following if taking the shuttle:
- There are no regularly scheduled times the shuttle leaves the hotel. It is on standby as guests need it. No reservations are taken. The shuttle runs 7 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. and operates only within a 5 mile radius of the hotel. How to use the shuttle:
- Guests need to call the hotel (979-693-7500) from their room or go to the reception desk to request a shuttle service to go to their destination.
- Guests need to call the hotel (979-693-7500) if they are in town and need to return to the hotel.
- Contact the hotel desk at least 15 minutes before needing shuttle service.
- There are no regularly scheduled times the shuttle leaves the hotel. It is on standby as guests need it. No reservations are taken. The shuttle runs 7 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. and operates only within a 5 mile radius of the hotel. How to use the shuttle:
- Parking on Campus
- If you have a vehicle, you will need to refer to paid visitor parking to ensure you are appropriately parked on campus.
- Stallings Blvd Garage (SBG) or the University Center Garage (UCG) are the closest parking options for the SAAHE Interview Conference Activities.
- If you have a vehicle, you will need to refer to paid visitor parking to ensure you are appropriately parked on campus.
Texas A&M is located in College Station, Texas. Helpful travel information is listed below:
Traveling by Airplane
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- College Station is home to Easterwood airport. Easterwood is a regional airport serviced by American Airlines with a series of incoming and outgoing flights. To learn more, visit the Easterwood Airport website.
- Houston and Austin are surrounding cities that have airports with a wider range of flight options.
- Traveling from Houston or Austin requires either ground transportation or a car rental to get to College Station.
- Ground Shuttle services flights to and from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
- If traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport or William P. Hobby Airport, additional travel coordination like renting a car is necessary.
- Hotel Accommodations
- The SAAHE Interview Conference offers a discount rate at the Hilton College Station. Candidates will be responsible for hotel payment. SAAHE may also help facilitate roommate options by sharing a list of individuals who are interested in sharing a room. Candidates will be responsible for coordinating the roommate.
- For information about the Hilton College Station or to book a room at a discounted rate, visit the hotel website. The discount code is 94A (failure to use this code will prevent you from receiving the discounted rate). Reservations must be made by 11:59 p.m. CST on Jan. 29, 2025, to receive the interview conference room rate. If you need further assistance with the hotel booking contact: 979.693.7500 or 800-HILTONS.
- Bryan/College Station Transportation
- You will be responsible for your transportation while you are at the conference. For those staying at the Hilton, the hotel provides a shuttle. Please work directly with the Hilton upon check-in to learn about the shuttle option. Additionally, rideshare options are available in Bryan/College Station. Refer to the FAQ “Getting to Campus” for additional details.
Please contact Melanie McKoin Owens if you can only attend part of the conference. Some accommodations can be made in certain circumstances. However, it is best for you to make every attempt to attend all of the conference activities.
Yes. By requiring attendance at the Interview Conference, we are able to provide you with the most efficient experience possible. All of the faculty, staff and students involved with the SAAHE program (around 65 people) make themselves available during the conference to participate in candidate activities. Coordinating the same people outside of the conference dates would be very difficult and we could not guarantee you access to the same activities or people that are available during the conference.
We recommend business attire (suits, dress pants/skirts, blazers, etc.) for the two required days of the Interview Conference.
During the conference, you will have the opportunity to meet and interact with most everyone who is involved with the SAAHE program including the faculty, professional staff in Student Affairs and the current graduate students.
It depends on your personalized schedule. There will be periods of down-time in most candidates’ schedules. However, that time may only come in 30-45 minute increments. Whatever free time you have in your schedule is yours to spend how you wish.
We make every effort to finalize schedules and send them to you via e-mail several days prior to the conference.
It is possible to change schedules, but it is very difficult. Candidate schedules are coordinated with those of hiring supervisors. That can entail balancing up to 50 individual schedules. A change in one person’s schedule can impact other people’s schedules. If we can change something on your schedule without changing someone else’s, we will gladly do so.
NOTE: If you have specific times you need to block off in your schedule, please let us know as soon as possible. It is easier to incorporate your scheduling needs into the planning process than to change them after all schedules have been set.
Graduate Assistantships
We will accommodate as many assistantships interviews as we can. As we get closer to the conference date, you will be sent a web link and asked to rate your interest level in all of the assistantships. We will then do our best to schedule interviews based on your rankings. The number of interviews we are able to schedule for each candidate is dependent on how many candidates and positions we have. We encourage you to consider as many of the graduate assistantships as possible. Graduate school is a great time to explore new opportunities and learn about different areas within student affairs.
Compensation varies for each assistantship; please visit the assistantship description page for more details. Health insurance is provided with all positions but, in accordance with Texas state law, it does not start until 90 days after you have been employed. Graduate students have access to the on-campus health center which can cover basic medical needs and prescriptions during the waiting period for health insurance.
It varies for each assistantship. Most Residence Life assistantships come with a furnished apartment with cable, telephone, internet and all utilities paid. Other assistantships offer financial support for professional development activities (conference attendance, workshops, etc.). Most assistantships provide private or semi-private offices with computers. In addition, graduate students are provided significant professional opportunities such as advising student organizations, working on division committees and participating in high profile projects such as assisting with national conferences.
We strive to provide tuition payments for as many students as possible. Some assistantships provide tuition as part of the compensation package. In addition, there may be tuition payments available through the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development. Students who do receive tuition are responsible for all additional fees and academic expenses. When students are offered admission to the program they will be provided with detailed information on what financial support will include.
Assistantships are not guaranteed. However, it is essential that our graduate students have opportunities to apply what they are learning in the classroom and we work very hard to match graduate students to assistantships. It is rare that a student joins the program without an assistantship. When that happens, we do everything we can to find other opportunities for the student.
Start dates are negotiated with your supervisor. Some students start early in the summer while others come to campus just before school begins in August. It is up to you to begin that conversation with your supervisor.
Selection Process
When the conference concludes, all of the feedback we receive from your interviews are considered along with your academic qualifications and background. The SAAHE program occasionally interviews candidates through the Oshkosh Placement Exchange (OPE). OPE candidates are only seeking graduate assistantship in Residence Life. The faculty members then determine which candidates would best fit within the SAAHE program.
No. However, we do have resource considerations such as available assistantships and faculty schedules that vary each year and factor into the decision-making process. Over the past few years, our entering class size has been around 10-18 people.
We call all candidates one to two weeks after the conference concludes to let them know about their status with the program.
If you have matched with an assistantship, we will offer you the assistantship at the same time we offer admission.
In accordance with the Council for Graduate School’s Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Trainees and Assistants you will have until April 15 to make a decision. If you have decided prior to this deadline we encourage you to share that with us.