AdvoCat Retreat

The AdvoCat Retreat was held this year on Friday, September 11th - Saturday, September 12th. We had a ton of fun! Here are some of the best pictures from our overnight adventure!
































Stay tuned for more photos from the retreat and video clips are also on their way!

Fall 2009 Kicks off another AdvoCat Year

I am so excited for this year's group of AdvoCats. The Admissions Office was fortunate enough to find more than fifty fantastic student volunteers who are very passionate about MSU. Our first two classes have already happened and the AdvoCats are starting to give their own tours this week. Training tours last week went really well, and they now have all sorts of information to share with their tour groups.

Several changes have happened this year (of course!) including a new nametag board. Every AdvoCat will have a magnetic nametag (hopefully by next week) and they will be on the door to the conference room next to a photo of the tour guides. Below are some of the photos I have taken so far!

The AdvoCat Retreat is tomorrow night and promises to be filled with plenty of sugar and good times!

2009-2010 AdvoCats

Thursday, April 30th the Admissions Office hosted our first event with the 2009-2010 AdvoCats - An Ice Cream Social! The event was located in the basement of Johnstone Hall (Johnston Academic Center) and was a huge success. I think many of you got a chance to know some of the fellow AdvoCats through the fun games we played. First we awarded AdvoCat of the Year to Joe Dunn! Congratulations Joe for a job well done over the last two years as an AdvoCat. Joe will have the chance to travel with an Admissions Representative to help recruit at a busy college fair in the fall.

Another award handed out at the Ice Cream Social was AdvoCat of the Year Runner-Up. The runner-up is eligible to go on the recruiting trip *if the AdvoCat of the Year is unable to fulfill his or her duties. This year AdvoCat of the Year went to Kate Snapp! As a freshman this year, Kate has taken the lead on many projects with the Admissions Office and had been an outstanding tour guide, always very personable with the visiting families!

After all of the awards were given out, the fun began. We had over 40 of the 51 new AdvoCats attending this event, and we started off with introductions then moved to AdvoCat Speed Dating. "Speed Dating" was a great way to get to know a little more about your fellow AdvoCats and it looked like everyone had a pretty good time! Of course we ended the night with delicious ice cream and all the toppings one could hope for!

I am really looking forward to getting to know all of you next year!

End of the Year Party!

Thank you 2008-2009 AdvoCats! This has been a wonderful year with great campus tour guides. This was the Office of Admissions first year in our new location and it definitely made a difference! We saw much more traffic from scheduled visitors and just walk on visitors who could actually find our office! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to recruiting new students and sharing your experiences as a student here with our visitors. Many times throughout the year we heard from visitors that our tour guides were some of the most knowledgeable and prepared guides they have gone on a tour with!


I am sad to see some of you leaving, but thankfully many of you will be returning next year! We had our End of the Year party at Colombos after our final to celebrate the ending of the semester. Over 25 AdvoCats attended and enjoyed free pizza and a fantastic cake! Have a great summer break and I hope to see you all around on campus next year!

Steam Tunnel Tours Next Week

Hey Advos!

Remember next week is the class you all have been waiting for...MSU's underground steam tunnel system tour! We will meet outside of the heating plant (across from EPS) at 4:10 on Wednesday.



We will also be voting on AdvoCat of the Year. Start thinking about which AdvoCats have stood out as a leader in our group and who has volunteered the most this year! The AdvoCat of the Year does have to be a student who returns to AdvoCats next year and they are eligible for a recruiting trip with an Admissions Representative in the fall!




Also, mark your calendars for the AdvoCat end of the Year Party on Wednesday April 29th after the final. Details for the party are still being arranged, but keep the evening open for a night of fun with fellow Advos and a slideshow of pictures from the year including the retreat. (trust me, you will want to see those!) Have a great weekend!

2009-2010 AdvoCat Applications Deadline Approaching

Hi Advos,
If you know of any fellow MSU students who would be good ambassadors for Montana State University encourage them to apply. Applications for next year are due Friday, April 17th at 5pm to the Office of Admissions (SUB 201). We are looking forward to a great pool of applicants!

Museum of the Rockies Tour

Today we had an awesome class! We went on a tour with Jack Horner of the Museum of the Rockies. Jack Horner's newest book, How to Build a Dinosaur: Extinction Doesn't Have to Be Forever was just released. He was showing us around the Museum and giving us a little insider information. Now you can tell visiting families that MSU's Mueseum of the Rockies is home to the largest T-Rex skull.

Almost Here!!!

It's getting to be that time of year again. Spring is in the air at Montana State University and that means one thing....AdvoCat Recruitment for 2009-2010 academic year! At the begining of April the Office of Admissions will launch our campus wide recruitment effort looking for the best and brightest student ambassadors...the ADVOCATS. Here is a preview of my favorite poster.

If you are interested you can download an application and apply by April 17th at 5pm.

AdvoCat Class 3/11

AdvoCat class last week was busy as usual! We had presentations from the University Honors Program and Residence Life. Both programs are really important to highlight while on tours with prospective students. In the spring we recevie tons of questions about living on campus. Remember that the students and familes visiting campus always want to know more about your experiences living in the halls!

Also, we spent some time at the end of class taking photos for our next publication, the AdvoCat Newsletter. This newsletter will be sent around campus promoting our program to Deans, Directors and Department Heads.

Derrick and Sadie also recruited current AdvoCats to return to the program next year. So far 13 students have signed up for returner interviews. That is awesome! If any current AdvoCats are interested in returning who have not signed up, contact Ren for scheduling an interview March 25th or 26th.

Finally, there were a few reminders for our next class. We will be meeting outside of Admissions in the SUB. You can leave your bags in Ren's office before we walk over to the Museum of the Rockies with Jack Horner for our tour. Should be really exciting!

Enjoy your spring break!

Retreat Photos

Here are a few photos from our retreat. This is just a quick preview before our end of the year party!

MSU AdvoCats - New Blog Site

Welcome to the MSU AdvoCat Blog!

You can check this site for up-to-date information about class and tours or just to check out photos of yourself from the retreat. We will see where it goes! Feel free to share your photos and post your own blogs to this site!