Preview team recruits students

Prospective students considering IU have many questions. They want to know what the atmosphere is on campus, they want to know if they have the grades to be admitted and they want know what opportunities are available.\nIt is the job of members of the IU Preview Night Team, a group of admission officers and student team members who travel around the midwest holding informational programs, to answer any question a prospective IU student could possibly ask.\nThe team consists of 15 to 20 students of various ages and backgrounds, said Jane Gantz, senior associate director for the Office of Admissions and the coordinator for the IU Preview Night Team. Members of the team apply for the job during the spring of the year before they wish to join. Typically, between 30 and 40 students will apply for positions on the team. Students that are selected take part in two to four programs per semester. The team is diverse in terms of age and situation at IU, Gantz said. Some members live on campus, and some don't. Some members are involved in the greek system, and some are not. The distribution between males and females is roughly equal. \nMore than 37,000 undergraduate students attend IU, according to the IU Office of Admissions Web site. The Preview Team tries to recruit as many people as possible by showing the University can be a perfect fit for almost anyone.\n"The IU Preview Team basically takes IU on the road," Gantz said. \nThe team tries to positively influence prospective students to enroll by giving them a taste of what IU has to offer.\nMost previews, which occur in-state, take place at neutral sites such as community centers or hotels. However, the team does travel as far as Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit. Travel expenses of team members are paid for by the Office of Admissions. In addition to in-state programs and programs in other Midwestern states, Gantz said members of the Admissions office also take trips to the east and west coasts to promote IU -- although they're not accompanied by students. \nThere is more than one reason to join the Preview Team. It is an honor to be selected to represent this University, said Ben Thorp, a senior.\n"What I like best about the Preview Team is that we get the opportunity to talk about all of the great things Indiana University has to offer to people all over the country," Thorp said.\nA typical Preview Night program consists of a Power Point presentation with various slides of the campus shown to prospective students, Gantz said. The prospective students are able to see what the campus looks like and pose questions to current students. The students, in turn, are able to provide the prospective students with information about different opportunities available on campus and answer whatever questions are posed to them.\nAdmissions standards and scholarship opportunities are also addressed. The overriding theme of the program is the promotion of the University.\nThe team is responsible for spreading IU's good name to thousands of students, said Thorp.\n"I absolutely would recommend other people try to get involved with this," Thorp said. "The rewards are great and you make some fantastic connections with many great students and faculty at this school."\nBeing on the team is also an opportunity to really improve on your public speaking and interpersonal skills, he said.\nSome former members of the Preview Night Team enjoyed their experience so much they pursued careers in the field of recruiting. Gantz said one student accepted a job at the New York University's Admissions Office and one student accepted a job in the IU Admissions Office after being involved with the program.