Occasionally you may be asked to conduct a high school visit for our office.  These visits differ from a high school fair in that you will most likely be the only college representative there, whereas there are many colleges represented at high school fairs.  Generally the secretary from the counseling center of each high school would be the contact person for setting up a visit.  If you are interested in visiting a high school in your area, please contact Alicia Williams, Alumni Ambassador Coordinator .

General Information about High School Visits:

• Usually a counselor will be assigned to you, and he/she may have questions for you about Missouri S&T.  The visit should last approximately 30-40 minutes, no longer than one class period.  Just a note: sometimes you may have multiple students to meet with, whereas other times you may not have any students at all.  You may also just have the opportunity to visit with a counselor.  Be prepared for anything!
• Introduce yourself to the students; ask if they have any questions.  Hand out the information cards and pens.  Have them fill out the card.
• Talk general facts with the students.  This would be somewhat like a campus visit speech, modified, of course.
• Where Missouri S&T is located: population of Rolla, MO: 20,000; population of S&T: 7,600; 5,800 undergraduates and 1,800 graduates.  Discuss competitiveness of Missouri S&T.  
• Discuss different majors – Ask students what they may be interested in majoring in, and give information specific to the student’s majors. S&T offers 65 degree programs in total.  This includes 15 accredited undergraduate engineering programs, which is more than MIT, Purdue, Illinois or Michigan, and three times the average number found at U.S. universities.
• High school students are interested in housing requirements, cars on campus as a freshman, sports, on-campus involvement, student organizations, fraternities and sororities, what to do on weekends, etc.  So please be prepared for any of those questions.  Please refer to your Alumni Ambassador Handbook or your College Fair Manual for information on how to answer these questions.

A College Fair is a time when a large number of colleges are invited to provide information to high school students, usually at a high school or community college.  These usually take place in the fall (September & October) or the spring (March & April).  A fair may take place during the day or evening and typically lasts an hour and a half to three hours.

To be invited, Missouri S&T must be placed on the invitation list.  You may initiate this by contacting your local high school counselor and asking that Missouri S&T be invited to their next fair.  The Alumni Ambassador Coordinator compiles the college fair invitations each fall and spring and sends requests to alumni ambassadors in each alumni section to try and find coverage for the various events.  Fair materials and fair confirmation details are then sent to the respective alumni ambassadors who will be attending each event. 

Alumni Ambassadors can view and print the College Fair Manual before attending their college fair. This manual will serve as a general guide to college fairs and what to expect when attending these events.  It also addresses many of the FAQ's students and parents regularly ask at college fairs. 

Making contacts with key people who may recommend Missouri S&T to prospective students is an effective way to promote the University.  High school counselors are, indeed, key people.  While some high schools limit official school visits to professional staff, various alumni ambassadors have found great success using the informal route.  Consider these possibilities:

• Initial contact:  During September, call your area high school counselor(s) to let them know that you are a Missouri S&T (UMR/MSM) graduate.  Tell them you would be very happy to meet any students who express interest in Missouri S&T.  Your call is simply to let the counselor know you are in the area if assistance is needed.  If you are also willing to attend high school fairs, this is a great opportunity to request that Missouri S&T be added to their invitation list. 

• Second contact:  At some time during the first semester, attach your name and number to a viewbook, take it to the high school, and deliver it to the counselor asking him/her to update the information kept on file for Missouri S&T.  Again, you are not asking for an appointment, just another contact.

• Other contacts:  If a counselor does refer a student to you, always follow up with a thank you note or call to the counselor.  You also have the opportunity for contact with the teachers of local high schools.  Let these people know you are a good source of information for prospective students.  Remember the Code of Conduct - none of these contacts should be "hard sell."  Use a helping approach instead.

Please note that all Missouri high schools and many in the Midwest are visited by the Missouri S&T Admissions Staff. If you are interested in assisting at a Missouri high school, please contact the Missouri S&T Admissions Counselor responsible for the high school.

Writing letters to admitted students is another important project in which Admissions Alumni Ambassadors participate.  Throughout the year, Ambassadors may write admitted students to congratulate them on being admitted to Missouri S&T.  The objective of the letter is to relate your experience, as a S&T/UMR/MSM alumni or parent (or perhaps as both), and to encourage students to contact you or an admissions counselor with any questions.

For those Ambassadors agreeing to write letters to students, a list of students and addresses will be provided.  We can also provide sample letters that have been used in the past (as a reference).