Why I Became a Student Ambassador

This piece was written by Music BA(Hons) student Sintija about her experiences of becoming a student ambassador at Falmouth.

Starting out

Before stepping into the role of a student ambassador, I was actually finding it pretty tough to blend in at the university. Everything felt unfamiliar – the campus, the people – I just didn't have a grip on it. And to be honest, I wasn't the most confident person, especially when it came to speaking in front of a bunch of people. However, I’ve always been curious to know what goes on behind the scenes of university systems, so knowing that I have three years of study ahead of me, I thought I might as well give this a go and apply. I don’t want to exaggerate, but applying to be a student ambassador has changed so much in my life for the better. 

The first few shifts I had as an ambassador were online applicant interviews. This experience gave me insights into the interview process and the common questions that prospective students have. I was nervous initially, lacking confidence, but with time, I grew more comfortable sharing my student experiences and advice. Later in the months, I started to pick up more shifts that were in-person, which were very different from doing only online shifts. One stand-out aspect of the role of being a student ambassador is embracing uncertainty. It was daunting initially, but it quickly became a highlight of the role. The only advice I have, if this is something you’re scared about, is to keep in mind that you’ll never be forced to do something extremely complicated nor something that is beyond your ability, even if you might think that it is. I now find myself turning up for jobs outside the university, armed with the knowledge that’s it’s okay to not know it all. This attitude has served me well in interviews and in my day to day life as well.

No shift is the same!

As a student ambassador, you’ll get to work in a variety of different roles that are never the same. For example, one week I was doing car park marshalling for the park and ride day and the next I was working in an accommodation and clearing call centre. The various number of skills and adaptability that you learn by taking different opportunities is something that will become very useful for your future employment and even studies at Falmouth, at least in my opinion. Graduation has probably been my favourite event that I have worked on so far. I had the opportunity to work within the halls team this year and learnt so much about event planning & organisation, which is something I didn’t think I was interested in. 

I’ve had such a lovely time being a student ambassador so far and it's such a shame that it's going to be coming to an end at the end of next year. Having said this, I'm also extremely grateful to be part of a team of students and staff that have done such a good job looking after me over the last year. Being part of such a loving team has raised my standards a lot for what I want a normal workplace to feel and look like for me after university. The friendships, contacts and memories I've made so far are something that I'm going to vastly miss about the job when I'm going to leave at the end of next year. I highly urge anyone who might’ve been in the same boat as me to give it a go and apply. I can say with confidence that the experience you’ll get from being an ambassador is going to be very beneficial when you apply for other jobs in future, as the communication and teamwork skills you gain are amazing.