Kolos Kantor

In 2018 Kolos Kantor was an alumni ambassador for the School of Informatics at the Post-Offer Visit Day.

Post-Offer Visit Days are aimed at applicants who received the offer of admission and they are an opportunity for prospective students to meet teaching staff and current students. Here, Kolos shares his experience of the day and talking to new students.

Name	Kolos Kantor
Programme	BSc (Hons) Artificial Intelligence and Psycology
Graduated	2012

Why did you sign up to be an Alumni Ambassador?

I have so much to thank the University for, in particular the Informatics Department. Signing up to be an Alumni Ambassador is just one of the many ways one can give back in my opinion. I feel it is my duty as a graduate to ensure the University is represented in the best possible light to future and prospective students. I also think it is a great honour to be chosen as one of the Alumni Ambassadors from a pool of literally hundreds of other graduates.

What did you enjoy on the day?

I really liked seeing how the Department has progressed over the years and the improvements that have been instigated since my departure. I couldn't help but feel nostalgic listening to my old lecturers deliver the same material to prospective students that I once heard. It was great for me to see what has changed in the past years and what aspects of the Department remain the same having stood the test of time.

What did you gain from the experience?

I got to see how students change over the years as well. Future students have different priorities these days than we had 10 years ago. I got to see how prepared and driven people are these days at such an early age because that is the only way to remain competitive in our changing world. Students who want to attend Edinburgh University to study Informatics are amongst the brightest in the country and further afield and thus are the best representations of what youth looks like these days. It is always great to keep an eye on how society changes and what better place to start than university applicants.

Why do you think it’s important that prospective/current students speak to Alumni?

I think Alumni are a bit more removed from daily life in academia in the sense that their experiences are genuine human stories that lecturers will not be able to convey at a presentation. In my mind there is no better way for current students to prepare for the future than speak to people who are already there. In a way they are talking to a version of themselves several years into the future since we all walk similar paths in our lives guided by our choices, such as studying Informatics at the University of Edinburgh.

This article was first published in 2018. For updates on what Kolos is doing now, find his LinkedIn below.