Important steps toward college

Even the ivy on some of the walls at Georgetown University starts to wilt when the humidity of a Washington summer begins to set in. The bricks behind the ivy can get so hot that a casual stroll through campus can cause beads of sweat to form above one’s brow.

Some would say the heat is unbearable, but summertime means free time for rising high school seniors, and it gives them and their families the opportunity to crisscross the nation in search of the perfect college fit.

But with the heat comes an additional challenge. Student tour guides, like Amanda Tomney at Georgetown, realize this and must sustain their beaming personalities and school pride to keep visitors from wandering off from the tour in search of shelter and air conditioning.

“We’re the first face most people see of Georgetown,” Miss Tomney says. “I love the university, and I want people to see that while I’m giving a tour.”

She walks backward throughout the tour to talk and interact with the group of about 30. Fortunately, her black shoes are flat, so walking backward is not too dangerous.

“If you see me about to run into a pole or a door, please let me know,” she begins.

As she walks, she tells the group the histories of the various buildings and includes some personal anecdotes along the way.

James Colman, an associate director of undergraduate admissions at Georgetown University, says student tour guides are an indispensable part of the college admissions puzzle.

“What the tour guides do is provide the students and parents with an inside scoop of the school,” he says. “Having them can be helpful because they can reinforce what the admissions officers say during information sessions.”

Most importantly, tour guides allow for a more comfortable interaction between potential applicants and the school, Mr. Colman says.

“Often parents dominate conversations with admissions officers because they feel they are talking with another adult and their concerns are different than the student’s,” he says. “With the tour guides, they often feel more comfortable with their sons and daughters asking other types of questions.”

But before sending the tour guides out on their first tour, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions puts them through a rigorous interview and training process, which eventually leads to membership in the prestigious tour guide group Blue and Gray.

As part of Blue and Gray, Miss Tomney knows how to handle the tough questions and the most irate parents.

On one tour, a mother hit her son on the back of the head and told him to pay attention, Miss Tomney says.

“When people come to visit campus, I think that for the parents, speaking to an admissions officer is most important,” Mr. Colman says. “For the students, I’d say for more than half of them, it’s the tour guide that makes or breaks their impression of the school.”

Story Continues →