The Office of Admissions and Scholarships is currently looking for orientation leaders for its summer 2009 sessions. Orientation leader applications are available on the second floor of Montgomery Hall and online at admissions.msstate.edu/orientation.
Assistant director of the office of Admissions and Scholarships orientation Lindsey Storey said she is looking for students who are excited about the university and willing to work hard and sacrifice a portion of their summer to present MSU in a favorable light.
“We want people who are outgoing and who are in love with Mississippi State University,” Storey said. “We want people who will work hard and who are selfless in taking care of prospective students and their parents while at orientation.”
Students must turn in their application, along with a $5 application fee, to the second floor of Montgomery Hall by Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. Applicants must then attend a mandatory informational meeting on Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in Taylor Auditorium in McCool Hall. At this meeting, applicants will sign up for the first round of group interviews being held on Oct. 17.
“The first round of interviews are about 15 minutes each and will be conducted in groups,” Storey said. “The interviews are really quick and we will have a couple of former orientation leaders sit in during the interviews to ask questions to the applicants.”
Applicants will then receive a letter informing them if they have advanced to the second round of interviews. The second round includes a personal sit-down portion with Storey applicants will also be asked to fill out a questionnaire and write a short essay.
Those who are selected to become orientation leaders will have to attend a class during the spring semester informing them about MSU and the university’s past and present day characteristics. They will also meet two times a week for staff development activities and must maintain a 2.5 grade point average.
Adding to these qualifications, Storey said orientation leaders must live in a residence hall, provided by the program throughout June, as well as not work for any other employer during May and June.
Selected students will also attend the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop being held in the middle of March.
The SROW conference originated at MSU when now executive director of alumni activities Jimmy Abraham created it to help orientation leaders from other Southeastern universities bond and learn about the process. Abraham said being an orientation leader is rewarding and a unique experience for MSU students.
“I would think that many orientation leaders would tell you that they received far more from being on this team than they gave,” he said. “This is a once in a lifetime experience to serve a university that has given them so much and to help our new students as they begin a very significant event in their lives.”
For numerous incoming freshmen and transfer students, the first person they meet on campus is their orientation leader.
Freshman animal and dairy science major Constance Parker said her experience with orientation was positive and it helped her prepare for college.
“I feel like the orientation process is important because it is a way to meet people in your major, familiar yourself with the campus and get a glimpse of what your future at Mississippi State will be like,”Parker said. I felt like my orientation leader did a great job showing me around and answering my questions.”
Although orientations can be grueling and preparations for such events start months in advance, past orientation leaders recall the process in a positive manner. Former orientation leader Brooke Collins is no different.
“Being an orientation leader was by far the best experience of my life,” Collins said. “That program allowed me to meet and interact with people, staff members and faculty that I would have never come in contact with otherwise.”
The selection process is open to all MSU undergraduate students who are classified as sophomore or above. Storey said she is looking for students from all walks of life.
“We want to have the option of picking students of every gender or ethnic group,” Storey said. “We want them [orientation leaders] representing the entire student body at State representing all organizations and personalities.”
For more information about the orientation leader selection process, contact Storey at 325-1507 or [email protected].