What It’s Like Being a Tour Guide!

By: Kristen Adams ‘25

Having been a high school senior only one year ago, I vividly remember the stress associated with the college admissions process. From writing supplemental essays, to completing my Common App, to touring college campuses, there is a lot that goes into creating a college list. I toured a handful of colleges myself (unfortunately not including USC) before making the important decision on May 1. Now, as a freshman at USC, I am in the process of becoming a USC Student Ambassador – in other words, I’m soon going to be a tour guide, walking around the USC campus with a mic and a large group of anxious high school students and their families. Here is a little bit about my experience thus far!

Why I Applied

One day, during my first semester at USC, I received an email about an application to become a Student Ambassador on campus. Having been a tour guide at my high school, I was immediately excited to apply. The application had a few essays to complete, so I crafted statements on why I wanted to be a USC tour guide, and how I would be a good fit. I definitely consider myself a people person, and wanted a job on campus that had opportunities for social interaction and leadership. After the application process came the interview process, and after a month or so, I was ecstatic to find out that I was accepted! 

After my acceptance, the Admission Center (AC, for short) put together a fun event to meet other new Student Ambassadors, who were just as passionate about sharing their USC stories and experiences as me. I was particularly excited to share my unique USC story as a Business Cinematic Arts major who had a very, very tough decision on May 1. The fact that I could have the potential to sway a student’s decision on whether they want to come to USC or not is a very powerful feeling, and it is a main motivator for why I am excited to take on the role of a USC tour guide. 

Background

Being a Student Ambassador is definitely a time commitment, and it is a job; we get paid $15 an hour for training sessions, shadowing tours, writing scripts, and giving actual tours. It is a great source of income, but it requires a lot of time set aside in our schedule. As a new hire, I am required to attend three office hour shifts and one training session per week. Office hour shifts are two hours each, and training sessions are typically three hours each. In total, nine hours of work as a Student Ambassador each week are common. If you are not entirely committed to putting aside nine or so hours of your schedule towards this rigorous but rewarding job, then another position may be a better fit. 

My Journey

I have yet to give my first tour as an official tour guide at USC, but I have felt incredibly supported by the AC community, even when I am feeling overwhelmed by all the work we have to do (as well as the work that has yet to come). Becoming a Student Ambassador is a great way to make new friends, practice communication skills, and take on a leadership role that is incredibly impactful. As a soon-to-be tour guide, I feel a tremendous amount of excitement but also pressure knowing that I will become the face of USC, even for just 50 minutes, to any group that joins my tour. I look forward to adding my own personality throughout my walking tours, just as the tour guides I met at various universities when I was a high schooler did with theirs. Most importantly, I am excited to be the one that gets to introduce USC to a group of prospective students, revealing what I love most about this school, while also staying honest and true to how I’ve felt along the way. 

Other Experiences

“Being a tour guide has been one of the best decisions I’ve made at USC! I love getting to share what excites me about this school, like interdisciplinary studies and the Trojan Family. It’s also helped me appreciate my time here so much more by seeing all the prospective students who want to come here!” - Amy, senior at USC

Being a tour guide is a great way to tell heartfelt and funny stories, connect with prospective students and their families, and meet new friends in the Admission Center. I enjoy greeting everyone at the AC when I walk in each morning, excited to shadow a tour or attend a Zoom to do scriptwriting. Being a tour guide is just one of many, many ways at USC to find a supportive community, meet new friends, and make an impact on a prospective student’s life.

Summary

Being a Student Ambassador at USC has its pros and its cons. It is a time-consuming position that will most likely place the importance of classes first, Student Ambassador work second, and everything else third. It requires a lot of scriptwriting, memorizing, walking backwards, and in my case, early morning shifts. But at the same time, it is a rewarding position that allows me to develop important skills that can be applied to internships and other professional opportunities in the future, including communication, professionalism, and responsibility. You may lose Friday afternoons for the first 14 weeks to training sessions, but as long as you keep an open mind and a positive mindset, it will be a job that is very interactive and fast-paced.

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