Hi, I’m Charlotte and I’m a second year Student Ambassador at Liverpool Hope University.

I became a Student Ambassador in first year, and whilst this massively pushed me out of my comfort zone (I’m a major introvert); every shift leaves me with a sense of accomplishment knowing that I’ve been the equivalent to a tour guide, a leader in a school trip, or helping to organise events.

I tend to work Open Days and on-campus school trips the most, and in first year especially, I preferred these as they were always on site. Not only did this mean that I wouldn’t have to get up ridiculously early for a 9am start, but I also felt really comfortable at work by knowing where I was and that I was so close to my new uni room.

I’ve ALWAYS hated travelling but now I successfully cycle to-and-from uni every day! It’s benefited me in a couple of ways actually; I don’t have to depend on buses, it costs me loads less money, it wakes me up, and it keeps me fit!

I have to say, even though Open Days are probably the most hectic (purely because of the number of visitors to organise), they’re also the most interesting shifts. Instead of just serving customers like I do at my job at home, I get to have full blown conversations to future-students about my experience in education and uni… and I get paid for it! Sometimes I really can’t believe it! Even better, because I enjoy this aspect of my job so much, I’ll often give presentations in school visits where I talk all about my experiences and what advice I would give people.

Luckily, the shifts are never truly tiring so I still find it quite easy to maintain a job-and-coursework balance, especially in first year as that was my main worry. If anyone asks me a question about my course content/curriculum, I often use this as a form of revision – I convince myself that it is anyway!

But either way, it’s an amazing job (no I’m not being sponsored by student ambassadors, I genuinely just love the job); it continues to surprise me by introducing me to new people, new events and new experiences.

The only tips that I’ve discovered so far is to always have a MASSIVE breakfast before a shift, always have a good night’s sleep before an early shift, and never panic about feeling lost/not knowing something. I always used to panic that I would have no one to talk to but it’s such a sociable environment, no matter what and no matter who, there’s always someone there to help.

As simple as they may seem, learning these hacks has helped me so much in my life as a student ambassador and I can’t wait for what 2^nd year will bring.