Spring Break looks different for every Yale student; some are touring the world with a singing group, some spend a couple weeks relaxing at home, and some (like me) are serving as admissions ambassadors. Admissions ambassadors work for the Yale Admissions Office and visit high schools in their hometown areas. I did this over Winter Break and was excited to continue again over Spring Break. It’s been super interesting and rewarding, so I’m breaking down the experience of being an ambassador.
Step one is to drive to whatever school I’m assigned that day. Where I live in Maine, that’s about a 30-minute drive, but I’ve driven up to 45 minutes before. Then I try (sometimes for quite a long time) to find a parking spot. I head inside to check-in with the guidance office, and head to a room that fills with high school students.
I’ve had as few as two students come to my visits and as many as thirty. I usually open with sharing a bit about what I study at Yale, where I’m from, and what they can expect from the conversation. Then, I turn things over to them to ask me questions about anything related to Yale, life in college, or the college admissions process. This is the best part; it’s super rewarding to feel like I’m being helpful to students by answering their questions, and it’s interesting to hear what high school students are thinking about. In my experience, they usually ask about extracurriculars and student life, academics, financial aid, and the college admissions process.
I’ve done several of these visits now and I can confidently say that it’s been one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences I’ve had since coming to Yale. It’s been really gratifying to show students that Yale is a possibility for them and to let them know about all the wonderful resources and opportunities available here. Visiting a wide variety of high schools has also given me a new perspective on how students in different areas, even within the same state, think about college and education in general. This has given me a lot to think about. As someone who comes from an area where almost no one even applies to schools out-of-state—let alone more competitive private schools like Yale—it has also made me reflect a lot on how I got to Yale and what pushed me to apply.
Visiting high schools as an admissions ambassador was a great way to spend my Spring Break, and I look forward to doing it again. Not only has this experience been super rewarding but it has also given me a new perspective on college admissions, education, and my own journey to Yale.
