For students who enjoy walking backwards and are enthusiastic about Duke, the admissions office needs some assistance.
On the eve of one of the busiest times of the year for visitors, especially potential students, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is facing a shortage of current undergraduates willing to give tours. With Blue Devil Days--the University's annual series of events for accepted students--less than a week away, officials are searching for enough guides to adequately showcase Duke's best features.
In recent weeks, when some high schoolers were visiting during their spring breaks, admissions tour groups swelled to over 100 people, said tour guide and senior Kelly Atkinson.
"Anytime you have 150 people in a tour, you're not going to be heard in the back," Atkinson said. "What we're really worried about is a decreasing quality of a tour."
Atkinson--also the outgoing co-chair of the tour coordinating committee--said the office currently has about 55 guides. She said a shortage occurs every few years, and that ideally the number would be closer to 70. A combination of academic work, study abroad and students finalizing summer plans usually translates to fewer spring guides, she said.
Stephen Wilkins, assistant director of the admissions office, selects new tour guides and directs Blue Devil Days. He said the quality of tours can often heavily influence a student's college choice and, ultimately, a college's admissions yield.
Blue Devil Days--which runs April 9, 15, 16, 19 and 22--is when Duke usually tries its hardest to raise that yield, he said. The admissions office holds additional information sessions and other campus groups organize special events, but Wilkins said the tours are a central component of Blue Devil Days, when they begin every half hour.
"When people come to campus, they have certain expectations. They want to know what it's like to be here, what it's like to study here," Wilkins said. "What we can do is reflect the environment in a way that reflects where the campus is today."
The tour guide program faces a challenge, Wilkins said, because the guides are volunteers. He said the lack of pay often attracts students who are the most enthusiastic about Duke, but that it can also dissuade others who need to earn money. In addition, freshmen are usually not allowed to be guides, Wilkins said.
"We try and go with students who are familiar with the campus and have a more mature outlook on campus activities, students who are a little more knowledgeable," he said.
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