In an age when many dental schools offer limited tours to prospective students — and some that don’t offer tours at all — Marquette University School of Dentistry is making its clinics and classrooms more accessible to future dentists.
A new student ambassador program launched this year by the school’s Office of Admissions offers visiting students and families tours led by current students during the school’s operating hours, an experience Director of Admissions Cassie Stewart says may not exist at any other dental school in the country.
“A lot of dental schools are not even open for prospective students coming in and visiting or meeting with their director of admissions or with students,” Stewart says. “What I think sets Marquette apart is that we are inviting prospective students and their families to come and visit us, and I think that really helps students see what life would be like as a dental student here at Marquette.”
The school has long offered tours, but they were primarily led by the admissions staff. That was until two summers ago when, during a transitional period for the Office of Admissions, Maham Jabeen offered to help with the busy visit schedule. Then a first-year student, Jabeen volunteered to help show visitors around the school during her free time.
“During my breaks, during my lunch hour, all the time that I didn’t have to be in clinic or classes, I was helping Cassie out,” Jabeen says. “Then I started doing more and more.”
But Jabeen, now a D3, realized an uptick in required clinic time heading into her D2 year meant she would have less time to give tours. So, she worked with Stewart and Admissions Counselor Tzivi Stern to create a program to get more students involved.
“Visiting students were just raving about the tours Maham was leading, and I saw what they were getting from those tours because they truly got the student experience,” Stewart says. “Our students live in the clinics and classrooms and in the sim lab every day. So, a student talking about being in those areas is a lot different than a staff member, and I felt that it was such a beneficial addition to the admissions office. Students can still come and meet with me or Tzivi, but they can come Monday through Friday and get a student-led tour so they can see the student experience as well.”
The office received dozens of applications to join the program, and the inaugural group of student ambassadors is about 40 students who, like Jabeen in the beginning, volunteer their free time throughout the day. With between 400 and 500 prospective visitors throughout the year, every tour is led by two students — typically a D2 and a D3 — to offer personal insights on their dental school journeys. And no two tours are the same because ambassadors have the freedom to make the tours their own, Jabeen says.
“People love the fact that students are giving these tours because it’s down to earth and honest from our perspective,” Jabeen says. “Real students are telling you what they did and how their life changed because of it.”
Jabeen also says that she and the other student ambassadors view the tours they give as an opportunity to reflect on their time at Marquette.
“It’s a walking journal,” she says. “As you’re talking about it, you’re thinking: ‘I was sitting here, I did this, I made something happen in that chair.’ You’re talking about everything that you did and how you’ve changed from a D1 to a D3. I felt like that made me appreciate the school more.”
Prospective students interested in visiting Marquette University School of Dentistry should contact Tzivi Stern.
