Honestly, I don’t remember most students I’ve met. I remember them if for some reason they are unusual. They might be unusually well organised, unusually needy, unpleasant or just plain odd. I’m the one who will be advising both new and existing students on everything from admissions to registration to visas. Most of them blend into a blur of fairly polite young people whom I meet once or twice and never again. For that reason I don’t think about them outside of work either.
I like it that in my job I see different people. I see students who have firsts and I see academic failures. I see students living the dream of going to university and those pushed into it by their parents. I meet academics who are world leaders but incapable of making a cup of tea. Above all, I see a lot of students and some staff who seem to have forgotten there is anywhere outside the university.
What I resent most are students and other university staff who treat non-academic staff as their personal servants. I especially resent those who tell me that, as an admin person, my job must be really boring and my life must be full of red tape.
The reality is, most of us have to do paperwork in life. I chose this as a career, and I take pride in what I do. Strange as it sounds, I enjoy helping you on your university journey.
If you’re polite to me, I may let you bring me your application five minutes after the office officially closed. If you’re not, I probably won’t. That is a life lesson that doesn’t come in the lecture hall. Please don’t treat administrative staff as if we are less clever than you. I have a PhD, too.
