Colgate University’s admission ambassadors play an important role in the college admissions process. Tours can make or break a student’s perception of a university and whether or not they would want to attend or apply to it. The ambassadors themselves are a primary part of that decision, as was the case for senior Aly Bannister, who has been an admission ambassador at Colgate University since the spring of her sophomore year.
“The reason I came to Colgate was because of my tour. I toured after I was accepted, and that’s what really sealed the deal,” Bannister said.
Now in her final year at Colgate, Bannister serves as a senior intern for the application team. Bannister knew she wanted to be an admission ambassador right after she had her own and attributed the highly personal nature of the tours at Colgate University to why they are so impactful on prospective students. One of the main reasons for the personal nature of the tours is the lack of scripts for the ambassadors, something that is rare to find on other college admissions tours.
“We have a set walking path and things to point out, but you get to talk about your own experience with the campus and the buildings you are pointing out,” Bannister said.
Knowing how important tours can be from her own experience, Bannister takes this personal approach to being an admission ambassador to heart. Often, she points out the different dorms she lived in during her first two years on campus. She also talks about her time studying abroad, an experience she felt was deeply impactful to her in her time at Colgate, as she passes the Office of Off-Campus Study in McGregory Hall. Bannister views this aspect of campus tours as being in many ways more important than simply discussing the academics or offerings of a given institution.
“You can get all about the academics online and in the information session, so hearing someone’s personal experience is super helpful,” Bannister said.
Another important characteristic of the campus tours at Colgate is the smaller nature of the tours themselves. Unlike some universities, which assign 20 to 30 people to one tour, Colgate puts one to three families per tour. Having fewer people on each tour allows the ambassador to focus the tour on aspects of the campus that the prospective students would be more interested in and make deeper connections.
“Setting up small connections and also being able to cater the tour to what the students are interested in, whether that be science and focusing on research opportunities or going into Lathrop Hall and going into the Writing and Speaking Center if they are interested in English or literature,” Bannister said.
Bannister recommended the pursuit to anyone interested.
“The Office of Admission is such an amazing space, and it is made up of people from all different parts of campus. I think that’s what’s so valuable about it. You get to meet people who are not just in your grade, or in your social circles or in your classes, but beyond that,” Bannister said.
Ambassadors’ personalized tours, including Bannister’s, are reflective of the Colgate experience itself. There is no one set way to experience Colgate, and every location on campus will bring different memories and experiences to anyone who looks at them.
