By Abigail Gan | Staff Writer
Tour guides are some of the first faces that prospective students see on Baylor’s campus, being some of the frontlines of admissions. With the move from the Wiethorn Admissions Center to the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, some aspects of their job look different now.
Plano sophomore Meredith Wolfe has been a tour guide for two semesters. Wolfe said moving to the new Welcome Center makes her feel like they are more relevant now.
“Before we were in this tiny building, the conference room was the size of our office in the back,” Wolfe said. “Before … Dr. Livingstone is not taking a day trip to the Wiethorn Undergraduate Admissions Center. Dr. Livingstone could very well pop in here today.”
Wolfe said that through the Welcome Center and working shifts for events, she has been able to make other connections with prominent Baylor figures such as Mitch Thompson, Scott Drew and more.
Being in the bigger space allows tour guides to have more roles and positions to direct people to the right place and add visibility, Wolfe said.
“We’re sort of drowned in this large space, which is a beautiful space, but it’s very overwhelming for people sometimes, especially prospective students,” Wolfe said. “But then you get to go in these columns before your tour … And now this building, as the face of Baylor, entertains you.”
Seattle junior Reagan Christensen has also been a tour guide for two semesters. Christensen said the transition to the Hurd leaves a higher standard to maintain. She said having the ability to sway someone’s opinion about where they want to attend and show them what a university is like is life-altering.
“Where you end up going can change the life trajectory of your career and stuff,” Christensen said. “There’s almost 200 of us [tour guides], and everyone’s different, but collectively we all have that same love for Baylor.”
Wolfe said there are many other resources and opportunities available in the tour guide office outside of the traditional tours. Wolfe said one of those opportunities is that prospective students can meet with departments.
“There’s a massive spreadsheet that tells us exactly when everyone’s available to try and set that up for you,” Wolfe said. “You can have lunch with a current student, you can do financial aid presentations, and housing tours and housing presentations. There’s just so much that goes into the job that I never even took advantage of that more and more people are hearing about.”
There are many different majors represented in the office, Wolfe said, and it’s cool to connect prospective students with people studying the same things. Wolfe said there was a student from France who toured, and Wolfe, who speaks fluent French, was able to interact with them.
“It’s like, what are the odds that the guys were touring at the same time as me [working]? So we had a brief conversation, which is just so cool,” Wolfe said.
Christensen said that, being from out of state, she had no idea about Baylor until she visited for her tour.
“I just adored my tour guide. And throughout my tour, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, like, I could see myself doing this.’ From there, I … [knew I was] going to do it at some point,” Christensen said.
The tour guide’s office has provided her with connections that she wouldn’t have found otherwise, Christensen said.
“Truly, I would never have met them unless I got the job here. And I think that’s kind of cool that you can be so different but have one connection and become such great friends,” Christensen said.
