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What's in a Guide?

I didn't need to be at the University long before I realized that what my high school Italian teacher and University alumna Jaclyn Bevacqua told me was true: Every activity the University calls an honor is something that other schools would have to beg of their students. Nonetheless, the entire student population vies to be a part of any group that is labeled an honor. And finally, Mrs. Bevacqua told me that if you are chosen for half the positions you try out for at the University, you're doing pretty well.

Having been a student here for a little over a year, I can see where Mrs. Bevacqua was coming from. Just think of the whole Lawn room situation: no AC and no bathrooms. Yet every year, hundreds of third years apply for these coveted rooms. While at the University, most of us understand why living with Mr. Jefferson's Lawn as your front yard is such an honor, outsiders would probably be confused.

Mrs. Bevacqua never lived on the Lawn herself, but she was a part of another highly reputable and extremely selective organization on Grounds -- the University Guide Service. I'm sure most everyone remembers the first time they visited the University, which was most likely on a guided tour of Grounds.

The University Guide Service is one of the most competitive groups at the University. Of the 232 students who gave trial tours this semester, 62 were selected for interviews and 24 were chosen as new guides, said Allison Murphy, chair of the University Guide Service. Murphy said the organization would love to accept more but can only effectively train a number of students around that size.

"Because we do historical and admission tours and because we are a student-run organization, it's so important that tours are of the highest quality we can make them, and that requires a lot of training," Murphy said.

While such a large number of students who try out for the Guide Service are not selected, other institutions often pay their students to give guided tours. Murphy said this desire for students to compete to be a volunteer guide says a lot about how much students love the school.

"I think people are drawn to the fact that it's a volunteer organization," Murphy said. "They see it as a great way for them to give back to the University and share their love for this school."

The social aspect of the Guide Service is also a significant draw for the numerous students who try out.

"People are drawn to the tour aspect but also to the idea of being in a really close-knit organization," Murphy said. "That closeness is appealing."

Coming to the University, I always saw myself trying out to be a tour guide, especially when I'd see the groups of prospective students on tours. I really did want to share my love for the school, and being a tour guide seemed like a great way to do that. So, I finally decided to try out this semester.

I started by going with a bunch of my friends to the information session, where current guides spoke about the organization. They then told us trial tours would be starting the following week, which really turned up the pressure.

I soon began preparing my trial tour, which was supposed to incorporate any of the information from a double-sided historical fact sheet of the University into a tour no longer than 15 minutes. To prepare, I acted as a tourist on three guided tours of the Lawn, where I picked up some tips for how a tour should flow and some stories I could tell along the way.

I wanted to start with my welcome and introduction on the top of the Rotunda stairs. Then, I'd move to Pavilion I, followed by Pavilion III. Before concluding in the middle of the Lawn, my last stop would be Pavilion VII, the cornerstone of the University.

The first time I tried to give my tour, I wound up using practically half of my time on my introduction. When you're forced to stick to a time limit, you grasp the issue of timing pretty quickly. Still, there's so much history you can talk about. A 15-minute trial tour meant being really selective about what I was going to say.

The second time I gave my tour, I gave it to my mom over the phone. Beyond the fact that I looked incredibly strange giving a tour with a phone in hand, it's really hard to get the same feel for the tour when you don't have actual tourists.

As the day of my trial tour approached, two of my friends and I started practicing together late at night when the Lawn was quiet. We all started feeling much more comfortable with our tours after each run through.

During one of our multiple late nights at the Lawn, as soon as my friend started giving his tour, fireworks went off toward the North side of the Rotunda. We were all so surprised, and, even though it seems corny, the fireworks really made this place seem more magical than we had thought.

But I had to get back to business because my trial tour was only a few days away. I practiced consistently every night until the day of my tour. It was supposed to downpour that day, but thankfully, there was a hint of sun. I gave my tour to two guides posing as tourists, one of whom was supposed to be a prospective student and a tourist with architectural interests.

Overall, no disasters occurred during my tour. I didn't get flustered, I didn't go over the time limit, I didn't mess up any dates or names and, thankfully, I didn't fall. I felt good about my tour afterwards -- I had so much energy after it was done. Now all I had to do was wait for the list of people advancing to the interview process to be announced.

I wound up not making the cut, but it was really fun just trying out. So many people try out for this organization, and so many of them try out multiple times. By nature, the University is a competitive place, and so many of the organizations people strive to be a part of are just as competitive.

"I think it goes back to the student makeup here," Murphy said. "It's a good sign that our student body is so motivated."

What's unique about University students is that this motivation normally doesn't end when the competition proves too steep.

Surely, it was disappointing to not make the cut. But like any other motivated student at the University, I'll just give it another shot next semester.

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