Ambassadors make first impressions count

You only get one chance to make a first impression, so the adage goes.

AU’s 200-plus student ambassadors not only tell prospective students and their families what it’s like to become a member of the AU community. They also display the attributes they describe. And clearly, these young adults who often represent a prospective student’s first impression of AU are persuasive.

“I visited your campus with my family on June 6th and had the opportunity to take a tour of the university. I absolutely loved it, and our tour guide was extremely helpful . . . Please give my thanks to our tour guide, Hank Webster, for doing such a great job. I am looking forward to applying in the fall . . .” wrote one high school senior.

“My tour guide, Julie Gordon, did an excellent job portraying life on campus. I look forward to applying to American University . . .” wrote another senior visitor.

It’s easy to see the direct influence ambassadors have on the increased number of AU applications and the number of students who choose to attend AU. And providing campus tours is only one of the ways they increase those numbers.

Hosting overnight visits allows perspective students to experience AU life firsthand to see whether AU is a good match for them.

“I visited 12 different East Coast schools,” said one savvy college consumer. Today, Tiffany Hilton ’04 is an AU ambassador and Kogod School of Business student. “My overnight visit at AU convinced me. The people were very friendly, and [AU] had a different feel from the other schools,” she said last week as she prepared for Preview Day.

Most members of the AU community are familiar with that jam-packed, one-day event that brings many facets of AU to the fore so prospective students get the real flavor of AU. The seminar, “Deans’ Overviews and Academic Showcases,” for example, is an occasion that provides deans with the forum to present the qualities of their respective schools.

Last Friday, more than 300 prospective students and their families, took advantage of Preview Day. The autumn ritual planned by Sharon Alston, admissions director, and Michelle Kreeger, on-campus program director, offered presentations and activities from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to allow families and students to gather information about academics and programs, and to experience the atmosphere of AU.

While registration began at 8 a.m., ambassadors, easily spotted in their bright red T-shirts, greeted and mingled with visitors beginning at 7 a.m. They rolled out the red carpet and were on hand to support information sessions on such topics as financial aid, campus life, experiential learning, and housing and meal plans.

The farewell remarks of Alston and Sara Bouchard ’04, the ambassadors coordinator, wrapped up the day’s events. The ambassadors then switched from their social responsibilities and dove into the nitty-gritty as they provided the lion’s share of the muscle needed to clean up after an event that hosted so many guests in so many venues.

Why do students become ambassadors? Not for pay. Ambassadors donate their time and energy because they want to. [Only the coordinator’s position is paid.] The organization is not a club and ambassadors undergo an application process and are selected for their ability to represent AU. A tour guide, for example, must be “positive, punctual, presentable, and responsible,” according to the organization’s Web page.

Each volunteers between five and 10 hours a week guiding tours and helping with special events like Preview Day and Transfer Day, serving as day hosts, or telephoning and e-mailing prospective students to chat and answer questions.

“They know what kind of difference that ambassador made to them, and they want to make that kind of a difference themselves,” said Kreeger.

Sara Bouchard ’04, ambassador coordinator, agreed. “ . . . they want to give that experience to someone else,” she said.

—SB