Being a Student Ambassador - The Role and What It Involves

To be a Student Ambassador means to represent and promote the University to prospective students and be a point of contact for prospective students. I have been a Student Ambassador for one year now and I feel like I’ve gained a lot from the experience. Being one has made me realise that we’re basically the triple threats of the marketing world- meaning that we dabble in many various aspects of university promotion.

What Was the Application Process Like?

The application process for the job was simple and I was contacted about an interview quite soon after applying for the role. Overall, I’d describe the process as painless. Myself and the other new Student Ambassadors attended a training session and learned on the job from then on, however, there was always a solid support system to fall back on if we were unsure of anything.

Overview of My Role as a Student Ambassador

The role of a Student Ambassador encompasses three different elements - event, academic and digital. It’s optional to get involved in only one, two or all three of these elements if you like. My role involves working at student recruitment events such as Open Days, assisting my academic department with workshops and subject sessions for prospective students, and creating digital content for the University's social media and website.

What Does an Event Student Ambassador Do?

Event Student Ambassadors usually work at the University’s events such as Open Days and Applicant Days. Open Days are an opportunity for prospective students to pop by the University and get an insight into student life here. Students can go on a campus tour, attend an information fair, and acquaint themselves with the courses they are interested in. Subject-specific lecturers and lab technicians are available throughout the day to answer any questions and perform introductions to each course.

Student Ambassadors have many responsibilities on an Open Day. Some are involved in tours of the campus or signposting visitors to different talks or buildings, while others do student-life talks. Campus tours last roughly an hour depending on the number of visitors in the group and require a knowledge of campus facilities.

The aspect of signposting simply includes talking to prospective students and their families, giving them an overview of your experience as a student, or giving them directions to different subject sessions or buildings. Different people have various preferences on how they’d like to live or where. It’s part of our job to show them what the University of Chester has to offer.

Applicant Days consist mainly of a tour of facilities that your chosen course takes place in and a hands-on practical session with lecturers, where you can find out details about module options and assessment methods. These events are exclusively tailored to people who have received an offer for a place at the University.

Apart from events, Student Ambassadors also answer queries online via Unibuddy. This usually involves signposting prospective students to multiple departments within the University or talking about your own personal experiences at the University of Chester.

What Work Does an Academic Student Ambassador Do?

Academic ambassadors are present at Open or Applicant Days, where we mainly do Q&As or tell students about our own personal experiences, both within our course and in Chester itself. Within my department (Biological Sciences) we take part in leading students through experiments on Applicant Days. I usually work in the Biological Sciences department for a couple of hours and then do signposting or campus tours as a regular Student Ambassador afterwards.

What Does a Digital Student Ambassador Do?

Every Student Ambassador is offered the chance to become a Digital Student Ambassador.  I find it’s a good way to vary and develop my skillset in more than one way. As the University of Chester’s social media requires constant attention and updating, myself and many other Ambassadors create TikToks or Instagram Reels, take photos on campus, in the city or in different locations around the country to be posted, and write blogs for the website. This blog is one such example. We are encouraged to be original and to think outside the box to create engaging content for anyone who seeks advice relating to the University.

In Summary

Summing up the role of a Student Ambassador is a tough ask as everyone had the opportunity to pick and choose which parts of the job they wanted to carry out. Involvement in this scheme has made me a more confident person overall and I have much better people skills now than ever before. Why not apply for this job when you’re at university? Who doesn’t fancy gaining extra skills alongside their degree course?

If you're interested in becoming a Student Ambassador please email the Student Ambassador Team.