At this point, what has the COVID-19 pandemic not affected?
Let me be the next person to remind you that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives whatsoever. Here at Bradley University, we have had a front-row seat towards how a pandemic affects one of the many college campuses across the nation.
We, as students, see vast restrictions everywhere we go, classes are clearly not the same, and limited activity in what we can do socially. But there are plenty of aspects that we cannot thoroughly see on how the pandemic is affecting it, such as college admissions.
In our case, the Bradley STAR’s are student ambassadors who work as admission guides for prospective students interested in Bradley University. Of course, college admissions will drastically be affected by the pandemic, as they are in a position to try to “sell Bradley” in the middle of unforeseen circumstances.
In her first year as a STAR, Junior Music Business student Claire Peters is well aware of the many challenges she has had to face with her new job. Peters stated, “Our campus looks a lot more empty than usual, simply because students have created new schedules to keep themselves safe, but there are also a fair amount of students who are exclusively online as well.”
The emptiness of campus has been felt throughout the entire university. STAR’s are frequently found giving tours to prospective students and their families, but the appeal across campus has certainly not been the same as life pre-COVID. In other words, prospective students have unfortunately not witnessed what typical college life is like within the past year.
As with seemingly anything else this past year, the pandemic forced the Bradley STAR’s to adapt to the new environment and find ways to work through it. Jackson Smart, a Senior Health Science student, is in his second year as a STAR and is currently interning with Bradley’s Admissions Office. He, among others, understands the environment they are in and emphasizes the importance of college admissions. Smart stated, “We have had to think outside the box in basically everything that we do. Admissions is a vital role for any university, so in order to best serve future Bradley Braves, we have committed to continuing our history of devotion in the recruitment of future classes.”
Right now, there is no denying the fact that the challenges of selling a mid-size school, such as Bradley University, are present daily. However, while the campus has undoubtedly changed, the knowledge, passion, and spirit of the Bradley STAR’s are still as present as ever. People such as Claire and Jackson understand what they are working with, but they still carry that passion and devotion as if there was not a pandemic in the first place.
To find out more about the STAR’s program, click here: https://www.bradley.edu/sites/stars/
To check the admission’s Instagram page, click here: https://www.instagram.com/bradleyadmission/?hl=en
Thanks for reading!