The Face of University of Iowa

Tour Guides Offer Visitors a Deeper Connection to Campus

by Maggie McKinney

Nina Osborne begins with her “tour guide intro”. “Hi everyone! My name is Nina. I am a third-year double majoring in geography on the GIS track and environmental policy and planning on the planning track. I am from Bloomington-Normal Illinois”. All tour guides have their intro down, and many have each other's memorized. Osborne then takes the families on some variation of the following route; T. Anne Cleary walkway, the Pentacrest, the engineering building, the Campus Wellness and Recreation Center, the main library, and the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU). The families experience many aspects of undergraduate life while also having the opportunity to have their questions answered by a current student.

Tour guides have monthly meetings to learn more about the University and to get tips on giving effective tours. One meeting that stood out to Osborne was when a professor from the theatre department gave advice on good storytelling.

“Nobody cares how many feet tall this building is, but they care that you worked with a professor there that got you an internship,” Osborne said. Shifting the focus from basic facts about campus to student experience and stories allows visitors to get a deeper connection to campus. Osborne recalled one particular tour where there was a tornado warning, forcing her to take shelter with a group of families. “It was really fun, and I just continued doing my tour in the basement of our Campus Recreation and Wellness Center asking random students around me for their thoughts.” 

Along with being a tour guide, Osborne also serves as tour guide coordinator, presidential scholar, honors peer mentor, and teaching assistant. The biggest piece of advice Osborne gives to honors students is the importance of being involved. 

“Find something that you really want to invest in. You’re going to get so much out of it. You learn how to network and work well with others. It also feels good to give back to something that has strengthened you,” said Osborne. Through the monthly meetings, time before shifts, and other social events, there is a strong sense of community among the tour guides. Fellow honors student Solenn Vincent also reflected on the benefits of being a tour guide. "It has helped me become much better at public speaking and kind of coming up with answers or solutions on the spot. It's also helped me become better at pitching and doing sales pitches.” Vincent’s tour guide intro is, “Hi everyone, my name is Solenn. I'm a senior studying English and creative writing on the publishing track with minors in French and media management. I am from Chandler, Arizona."

Visiting the school is an important aspect of college admission as students experience the places they are applying to in real life. For many, as in the case of Vincent, this can be a significant factor in their decision. Vincent wanted to be a tour guide since going on her own college visits. “I love the idea of talking to prospective students about how much I love Iowa.” Undergraduate tour guides play an essential role in recruiting future Hawkeyes. This fun and unique campus job is a great way for students to develop professional skills and to help prospective students see their future at the University of Iowa.