Applications for orientation leaders are due today.
Students can pick up applications in the Office of Enrollment Services in Montgomery Hall. Applicants must also attend a meeting Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. in the Colvard Union small auditorium.
“After we’ve been through the applications, we spend two weeks going from group interview phase to individual interview phase,” said Bryan Nesbit, associate director of Enrollment Services.
The process is highly competitive with only 18 of 60 to 80 applicants being selected, Nesbit said.
The orientation leaders welcome students to campus and provide orientation programs for students during fall orientation.” Nesbit said.
About 1,700 freshman and 1,400 transfer students came through orientation this past fall, Nesbit said. Transfer and freshman students have separate orientations.
“The orientation leaders are responsible for leading small group sessions that educate students about everything they need to know to be a successful student at MSU,” Nesbit said.
Orientation leaders must take a class on counselor education for three hours of credit in the spring semester. Also every spring, the orientation leaders participate in Southern Regional Orientation Workshop. Nesbit said that about 50 universities across the Southeast come to SROW.
“At SROW, the orientation leaders participate in a competition where they perform skits/songs about their university and learn about orientation.” Nesbit said, adding SROW will be held at Clemson University this year.
Rebecca Chick, a 2004 orientation leader, said she enjoyed her work as an orientation leader and her time at SROW.
“I got to meet many people from different universities and see how they do things at their universities,” she said.
Chick said that her favorite part of being an orientation leader was during the summer when students came up for weekends and having to be on the Drill Field with the other orientation leaders at 4:30 a.m. to play games.
Junior Caroline Lambert, a 2004 MSU orientation leader, said that she enjoyed being an orientation leader because it allowed her to interact with staff members, students and their parents.
“Being an orientation leader is hard work and you must be committed to it, but it’s definitely worthwhile,” Lambert said.
Nesbit encourages students to consider becoming orientation leaders because it teaches team work, leadership skills, and new things about themselves as individuals.
“We are looking for a wide variety of students who come from different places and have different majors and participate in different organizations to serve MSU as orientation leaders,” Nesbit added.