Wednesday, February 20, 2008
New additions besides birds and flowers arrive on campus with warmer weather: tour groups.
The student ambassadors point out unusual facts and show visiting and parents students why they should attend the University of Kansas, and spring is the most common time for high school students to tour campus.
Stephanie Filardo, Owensville, Mo., senior and a student ambassador, said there were usually 60 to 80 ambassadors at any one time because students quit and join throughout the semester.
The ambassador program is a part of the office of admissions. Each ambassador goes through about six hours of training as well as six “shadow” tours, where they tag along with an experienced ambassador.
Stephanie Brooks, a KU Ambassador and Mendota Heights, Minn., sophomore, escorts a group through a tour of the University campus Monday afternoon for Junior Day.
The two main tour routes, called the traditional forward and backward routes, go by the main buildings on central campus.
Ambassadors have also made up routes that go farther south on campus and loop around Summerfield Hall. Another tour, named the “green” route, goes through Marvin’s Grove, the wooded area behind Strong Hall.
An larger number of bus tours have in running because of the unpredictable cold weather, Filardo said.
“We didn’t want to make anyone sick,” Filardo said.
Each walking tour lasts an hour or more, depending on the route.
Because bus tours take less time, they also drive by the residence halls. Usually, prospective students need to take a separate housing tour, which is given by ambassadors and staff from the housing department.
Monday was Junior Day because high school students were off school for Presidents Day. Students said they liked the tours, despite the cold weather.
Maddie Scheve, a high school junior from Overland Park, said the tour was resourceful and featured a lot of things she didn’t know about campus. She enjoyed the personal facts that the ambassadors provided.
“I’m going here,” Scheve said.
Braxton Tanner, a high school junior from Memphis, Tenn., said the University was in his top two schools that he was considering.
Tanner said he thought the tour was very informative, and the campus was beautiful. The tour also improved his opinion of the University overall.
Jennifer Hout, the visit coordinator for daily campus visits, said Junior Day wasn’t the only thing the University did to try to appeal to prospective students. The office of admissions also hosts transfer days, senior days, multicultural days, scholar days and admitted senior days, among others.
The University also puts on Hawk Talks, which are get-to-know you sessions in Kansas towns.
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
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