NDNU students trained to teach about university
Caitlin Brown
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: News
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College tours are an important part of every college visit. Sometimes they can be overwhelming or boring and people end up following around the guide like lost, tired puppies dragging their tired feet.
Sometimes, though, the experience is the exact opposite and can give such insight into a college that an incoming student can hardly wait for their first day of school.
The NDNU admissions department is currently working towards making all of their tours like this second experience.
Originally a program supported by volunteering students, NDNU is now hoping to organize their admissions department by hiring student workers to be tour guides.
"There will now be a training requirement for the students," said Johanna Riffel, undergraduate admissions counselor. "There will be more of a standard. We want to make sure we get everyone to that same level of comfort."
According to Riffel, there are currently four to five student workers who are being trained as tour guides. The students are presented with a manual and then have to shadow other tours to get a feel for what is going on. Finally, before being let out on their own, they go on mock tours for practice and experience.
"We were given a tour and told the most important things to mention, like certain buildings and vocabulary," said Melanie Massey, an NDNU junior and one of the new tour guides, "For example, we are told not to say 'dorms' but 'residence halls'."
The students who used to volunteer as tour guides worked on a point-based system. The students gained points when they worked and were able to build up their points to get prizes like movie tickets and t-shirts. Now, though, they are considered part of the work-study program and are paid for the hours they work.
Also, the volunteers and their points were kept track by other students. Now, they will be placed under someone on the admissions staff.
"It's better because you are keeping track of your own hours," said Victoria Chavez, an NDNU junior and tour guide, "It's not someone else keeping track of your 'points'."
At the moment, NDNU has tours every weekday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. However, many of the new tour guides are still a little nervous.
"The tours are stressful, but they're still fun to give," said Massey, "I'm just afraid that they'll ask me random questions that I won't know how to answer."
The main concern that Massey has, though, is that the new training will cause the tours to lose their informal, one-on-one appeal.
"I think the more informal the better," said Massey, "They come here to get the real thing. You can get formal from the website."
Massey still thinks that the training is necessary for new student tour guides.
"There's a difference between informal and disorganized, and this isn't disorganized," said Massey, "People need training, if not for anything else but the confidence that it gives."
Sometimes, though, the experience is the exact opposite and can give such insight into a college that an incoming student can hardly wait for their first day of school.
The NDNU admissions department is currently working towards making all of their tours like this second experience.
Originally a program supported by volunteering students, NDNU is now hoping to organize their admissions department by hiring student workers to be tour guides.
"There will now be a training requirement for the students," said Johanna Riffel, undergraduate admissions counselor. "There will be more of a standard. We want to make sure we get everyone to that same level of comfort."
According to Riffel, there are currently four to five student workers who are being trained as tour guides. The students are presented with a manual and then have to shadow other tours to get a feel for what is going on. Finally, before being let out on their own, they go on mock tours for practice and experience.
"We were given a tour and told the most important things to mention, like certain buildings and vocabulary," said Melanie Massey, an NDNU junior and one of the new tour guides, "For example, we are told not to say 'dorms' but 'residence halls'."
The students who used to volunteer as tour guides worked on a point-based system. The students gained points when they worked and were able to build up their points to get prizes like movie tickets and t-shirts. Now, though, they are considered part of the work-study program and are paid for the hours they work.
Also, the volunteers and their points were kept track by other students. Now, they will be placed under someone on the admissions staff.
"It's better because you are keeping track of your own hours," said Victoria Chavez, an NDNU junior and tour guide, "It's not someone else keeping track of your 'points'."
At the moment, NDNU has tours every weekday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. However, many of the new tour guides are still a little nervous.
"The tours are stressful, but they're still fun to give," said Massey, "I'm just afraid that they'll ask me random questions that I won't know how to answer."
The main concern that Massey has, though, is that the new training will cause the tours to lose their informal, one-on-one appeal.
"I think the more informal the better," said Massey, "They come here to get the real thing. You can get formal from the website."
Massey still thinks that the training is necessary for new student tour guides.
"There's a difference between informal and disorganized, and this isn't disorganized," said Massey, "People need training, if not for anything else but the confidence that it gives."
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