by Jay-Ce Heisig
Want to give tours and admissions guidance to prospective bulldawgs? Apply to be an intern in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions!
As an admissions intern myself, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences I’ve gathered and the people I’ve met so far. What does an admissions intern do? A variety of things! You will assist the events team with special programs for prospective students where you may give tours or simply speak to high school students and their families about your college experience. You will present brief information sessions about the admissions process from small to large groups of people. You will have traditional administrative duties, but also more dynamic duties like helping with marketing campaigns or acting as a student ambassador at recruitment events – among other things!
Why should consider applying to this internship? For starters, it’s in Athens! You can take the classes you need while also advancing your professional portfolio. Although you would technically be an intern, UGA policies regarding student workers still apply – meaning you could not work more than 20 hours per week. Your awesome supervisor understands that you’re still a student, and is incredibly flexible when it comes to you being a student first.
This internship will also give or enhance skills that can translate into any industry. Communication is a big one. As an admissions intern, you will receive a myriad of questions regarding both the admissions process and university life itself. You will greatly improve your interpersonal communication skills by providing those answers to high school students and their parents alike. You will also do a fair amount of public speaking; if that scares you, it shouldn’t! Learning to speak well in front of an audience can improve everything from personal confidence to idiosyncratic speech patterns that you’ve been trying to improve on. Having the experience of giving a large amount of information to a crowd is one that many employers will likely find distinct. If you can do this well, you will be valued, and this internship provides you with enough practice that you will be bound to do it well.
You will also have the opportunity to take on a sort of ‘specialty’ in the office. For example, a couple of my fellow interns have worked closely with the special events team and play a larger role in planning and executing those events than I do. Another works on an advisory council within the office that is dedicated to providing high school counselors with the knowledge and resources to best assist their students in the admissions process. I wanted to get more experience using microsoft excel and working with big data, something I haven’t done much, if at all, being an IA major with a minor in communications and certificate in writing. If something sparks your interest in the office that doesn’t fall under your general duties, you can likely tag along with a staff member who will show you the ropes and include you in their projects.
On a more familiar level, speaking with high school students who are in the same spot you were only a few years ago is genuinely rewarding. I didn’t have any close friends or family who went to a university like UGA, so I threw myself into it all without any guidance before I started. Although there isn’t anything quite like immersing yourself in the unfamiliar, there are a few smaller things I wish I had known when I was younger.
As an admissions intern, you will constantly share your experiences with prospective students and offer them advice that you might wish you had when you started. The mere spirit or energy you possess can encourage them to pursue things they might be scared of or that they didn’t consider before. The possibilities are truly endless. I always emphasize to students how important it is to get involved outside of the classroom, whether it be through student organizations or off-campus volunteer work – and I don’t do this because it’s part of my job either! Our office seeks students with diverse experiences and significant campus involvement so they can share their stories and guidance with prospective students. I toss many nuggets of wisdom to these students and hope they take it seriously, and if they don’t, their parents usually do so it comes back around!
If you want an internship on campus that will be both professionally rewarding and personally enjoyable, apply! If nothing else sells you, know that you can get free lunch on special event days and even on random office days. (Now the fish is on the hook.) The deadline to apply on Handshake is February 4th! You can also find further details and a point of contact about the internship there. I hope to see some SPIA applicants! Go Dawgs!
