I think we can all admit to having a dream at one point or another in our lives, or at least something we want to do really badly. For me, ever since I began the college touring process I’ve wanted to be a tour guide. Something about the idea of introducing myself to a stranger and showing them why my school is such a great place to go. Today I took my first real steps towards making that dream come true when I shadowed a current tour guide and learned the ropes.
In the Office of Admissions, there are three different stages of what they call “ambassadoring,” which is just another term for being a representative of the college, and you get to do different jobs at different stages. Currently I’m an unpaid green, which is the bottom tier. I mostly just performs small jobs around admissions. From 5-8 today I made phone calls on behalf of admission, informing prospective students that they had not fully submitted their applications. This and other jobs of this nature are examples of unpaid green jobs. The next level is paid green which is just an intermediate step to becoming gold which is my goal.
Earlier this morning, I shadowed my friend and tour guide Kelsey as she gave a tour to a nice family from Potomac, Maryland. I got to see what a tour route looks like, as well as get a feel for what information touring families expect to hear. It was insanely different from the other side, and it’s hard to believe that only two years ago I was doing the same thing. What was also an excellent experience for me was finding out that the father of the prospective student on the tour was a member of Alpha Sig from the Gamma Beta chapter.
For me today has really confirmed my dream to go gold and be a tour guide. It’s a chance to meet people, to network, to spend some time outside on a beautiful day like today, and talk about myself…all of which I enjoy. I also encourage all prospective students to take a college tour. Not just at McDaniel but any school you’re interested in. You really learn a lot. I’ve been at McDaniel a year and I had no idea that Campus Safety offered rides to classes if it’s cold out and you don’t feel like walking across campus. Just goes to show, never too late to learn something new!
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