How can I tell whether student ambassadors are giving genuine answers or only promotional ones?
Treat a student ambassador’s response as a useful personal account, but allow for a promotional element. Ask for specific examples and compare the answer with other sources. Ask not only about advantages, but also about difficulties, conditions related to classes, costs, or support, and who might not find the program suitable. Check whether each statement is the student’s own experience or official information, compare it with university or faculty materials and, if possible, several students’ views, and reconfirm important details using current information.
Key points
- Ask for specific examples, including difficulties, limitations, conditions, and who may not be a good fit.
- Distinguish personal experience from information officially confirmed by the university.
- Compare several students’ accounts and official materials, and verify important details as current.
Things to check
- The role and scope of what student ambassadors can answer may vary by university, faculty, and academic year.