It’s tour group season! The admitted students have once again coincidentally brought the warm weather back to Amherst and the campus is once again uplifted. Of course, as we play frisbee on the crowd in dresses and salmon pink shorts, we can’t help but notice that for five to twenty-five people we are a living brochure. As I am sure they notice what types of people are Amherst students, we also pick up on what type of people you find on the tour.The Lingering Dad
My roommate and I talked about this a few days ago. There is always that one dad who stands behind the rest of the group. He expressionlessly crosses his arms over his chest as he turns his head from side to side, trying to get a feel for the “real” campus. When they go to a specific location, like the library or one of the campus museums, he’s usually the one wanders the farthest. The Question Mom
The Questioning Mom can be the tour guides best friend or worse nightmare. They come in two forms: The “bubbly, let’s keep the conversation going” Mom and the my child will get into this school and you will tell me how” Mom. The first Mom is the one that everyone adores because she fills the awkward silences with giggles from the other members of the group. The second Mom, brings out the competitive spirit. SATs, APs, ACTs and other letter combinations most college students didn’t plan on talking about for awhileThe Extremely Disinterested Kid
They clearly could not care less about this school. Perhaps, it is on their list, but this pseudo-vacation has gone off the deep end. Mom’s asking questions, Dad’s nowhere to be found and honestly the kids here look kinda depressed. Chances are, they will apply because of their parents’ wishes but not attend as rebellion
The “My Dream School” Kid
Usually standing not too far from Extremely Disinterested Kid because life sucks, the “My Dream School Kid” is falling head over heels with the school. It could be because of the attractive tour guide, the remarkable book selection at the museum or the state of the art gym facilities. What attracts this kid is unique to each one, but everyone knows that this is the place they want to go.
The Picture Takers
This is their vacation, or at least, it feels that way. They take pictures of the students, the buildings, the grass…everything is being documented. Honestly, they are probably the only people not taking this seriously. They will chat with students, wandering off to do so. They help remind us of the beauty that is our college by making us excited too.
The “What Kinda Place Is This” Family
They are not fans of the college and it shows. They probably came on a rainy or snowy day. Perhaps their car broke down beforehand. Or they could just see through the magic dust sprinkled on to the tour to make them fall in love with it. Whatever their reasoning, you best believe their kid will not be coming here.
The Alum
They know the campus, they love their campus and they just want their family to see it too. You often hear them echoing the tour guide’s explanation of each destination but with an added personal anecdote. Depending on the alum, it can be really annoying or really entertaining. Fifty/fifty, could go either way but we sure hope it’s the latter. All in all, I’m sure we all love tours. Know any types of people you see on tours that we left out, comment and let us know, we would love to hear it!