It’s easy to be skeptical of tour guides. As a prospective student, some of them seemed delusional about their universities. One tour guide smiled for two hours straight, as if every waking moment on campus was collegiate bliss.
Once I got to Northwestern, I immediately signed up to be a tour guide. I figured it would be an easy job, since I already rambled endlessly about NU to my friends. All I had to do was ramble on while walking backwards, right? I quickly realized that the job requires much more than a pretty smile and obscure facts.
On one of my first tours, I attempted to walk backwards. This is a highly coveted skill in tour guide circles, necessary if you’re doing a walk-and-talk tour. I immediately learned that streetlights, trees, buildings and even an occasional car present serious hazards to your health.
Before you even get to talk to prospies, you’re expected to memorize practically every date, building and statistic about NU. After all that memorization, you also discover that you have to tiptoe around some topics, like Greek life. One time, I simply said, “We’re passing the national headquarters for,” and this man, who was built like Popeye, interrupted, “Hey, I was in that frat at another college. Be careful of what you say.” I wasn’t planning on saying much, but his glaring look and brawny arms suggested to me that I shut up immediately and move on to less divisive issues, like the flower beds near Harris Hall.
They also tell you in the tour guide manual to open up and share stories – that doesn’t mean coming out to a tour. I expected that revealing my sexual orientation would show diversity, but all the parents looked stunned, as if I had stabbed a nun. Of course, I’m proud of being gay and I still mention diversity groups along with the list of activities available, but some parents obviously can’t handle an openly gay tour guide. They’re probably afraid that I’m giving them the gay tour, filled with gay buildings, gay students and the gay Arch.
So my tours gradually became better that first year, and I even started to field suggestions from some of my friends. A sophomore once suggested that I should include a private chat with the prospies so they could ask the “tough” questions away from their parents. I tried this in the middle of a tour by saying, “I’ll take questions over here from any prospies that want to ask about drugs, alcohol or sex on campus.” The parents shot “Don’t you dare” stares to their children. We all stood silently for a few seconds, looking at the ground. Then I squeaked, “Okay! Let’s move on. Quickly now!”
On my way to building a better tour, I’ve found ways to wind around Greek life, drugs, gays, and most importantly, moving vehicles. And I’ve realized that tour guides aren’t the rosy cheerleaders that I initially made them out to be. We also complain about a rushed quarter system, frigid weather that makes us scared to leave the dorm, and a dating scene so non-existent it makes us cry. What keeps us going? When a prospie falls in love with NU the same way all of us did.
If you’d like to become a tour guide and you’re a sophomore or older, contact the Student Admissions Council at [email protected].
