As a BSc Education student at The University of Manchester, part-time work as a Student Ambassador for the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) allows me to take on a diverse and wide range of assignments. These can include social media take-overs, blog-writing and, my personal favourite – on-campus work. On-campus opportunities allow us, ambassadors, to interact face-to-face with other individuals, such as other Student Ambassadors, university staff, prospective students, offer holders or visitors, among many others. Today, I will tell you a bit about the most exciting aspects of my job as a Student Ambassador when choosing to attend on-campus assignments!

Meeting Others Within The University of Manchester

The most common on-campus assignments one gets offered as a Student Ambassador in SEED are Open Days, Offer Holder Events and School Visits. Attending either of these provides you with the opportunity to network with other Student Ambassadors within the school, as well as enthusiastic university members of staff who are partaking in the same activity you are. For instance, lecturers will attend Offer Holder Events as they offer brief sample lectures to offer holders, or Programme Directors will talk to prospective students about the degrees they work in and their areas of specialisation in Open Days. Meeting these academics gives us a wonderful opportunity to gather bits of new knowledge on different fields taught at the university and hear about aspects of work our staff are most passionate about. Further, meeting other Student Ambassadors, both from within and outside of your degree, is fun and enriching, as it is a chance to make new friends and potentially get involved in new societies or activities through them.

Engaging with Visitors

One of my favourite parts of attending on-campus Student Ambassador assignments is interacting with visitors, prospective students, their parents or school staff (in the particular case of School Visits). These are also extremely enriching and rewarding experiences, as these people are usually really excited to be visiting The University of Manchester. This is something you can feel as a Student Ambassador, and it is lovely to welcome them and feed into their enthusiasm during your assignment. It is also really interesting to hear about prospective students’ motivations to attend the university or choose a specific degree and have school teachers talk about prior experiences with students attending field trips or other university visits. Overall, it is always fun to learn about other people’s backgrounds, interests and motivations, and on-campus events are a great place to do this!

Talking About What You Love!

Without a doubt, my favourite part of on-campus Student Ambassador assignments is being able to talk about my student experience at The University of Manchester, ranging from my degree all the way to the city of Manchester itself and travel within and outside of the UK. Particularly at Open Days and Offer Holder Events, you are asked an infinity of questions about what your favourite parts of being at the university are and why studying your degree of choice is worthwhile. Answering these questions provides us with the opportunity to be appreciative of our experiences and remember why we decided to embark on our journeys at The University of Manchester in the first place. It is beautiful and reassuring, and it will only truly happen if you are face-to-face with an enthusiastic prospective student or visitor!

Written by Arianna, current BSc Education student at The University of Manchester

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