The ambassadors, who are chosen by their departments to lead college tours and host distinguished alumni, have launched a blog. The blog provides a peek into all aspects of student life -- one that potential students can't get through recruitment literature or even a campus visit.

The ambassadors and their adviser, Dale Masel, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, hope the blog takes some trepidation out of not just adjusting to college life, but of entering a challenging academic field.

"High school students who are thinking about engineering or technology as a major might have the idea that entering students don't do anything but study and work on the computer 20 hours a day," Masel said. "We wanted to give a more well-rounded picture of what student life is like here at Ohio University and in the Russ College especially."

The blog, at www.ohio.edu/engineering/ambassadors/blog/, features posts by the ambassadors about their daily lives, from classes to extracurricular activities to personal commentary. Ambassador Marissa Page, a senior industrial technology major, said she hopes prospective students and others will appreciate getting a picture of Ohio University and the Russ College from a peer.

"This gives them the opportunity to look and see that engineering students have a life outside of school," Page said. "This blog gives them more than what professors are going to tell you."

Students visiting a college campus are often inundated and overwhelmed by academic requirements and program information from school officials, so Masel's goal is to share authentic student voices telling about ongoing experiences.

The blog will also be a valuable resource for prospective students who want to stay in touch with ambassadors they may have met on a campus visit.

"Most of our activities occur when somebody shows up here at Stocker Center and we talk with them, meet with them, give them a tour," Masel said. "But a lot of our prospective students aren't visiting here on campus or they're only on the campus for a short time, so they don't get a chance to see what a student's life is really like."