The tour began a few minutes after noon yesterday. After introducing themselves - name, home state, likely major - the prospective students and their parents began walking behind their guide, Lily Becker, a rising senior. I was there too - Peter, California, journalism. We got about twenty feet before Lily's right flip-flop fell off, which, along with her use of the adjective "really," would be a recurring feature of our 70-minute stroll through Northwestern's Evanston campus.
First, we walked from the admissions office across Sheridan Rd. for a tour of CRC - residential colleges, a focus of the tour and, in my experience, the last place most people want to live, are great, Lily said. Upperclassmen who live in them pick their rooms instead of being subjected to a housing lottery, she told us. Which is a neat trick, because that really means if you don't live in a residential college NU won't guarantee you can live in the same dorm two years running.
Inside CRC, everyone walked through a room that Lily assured us was much smaller than most rooms on campus. This is true in the way that 3,000 is smaller than 3,001. Rooms in Allison, Bobb and Elder, the three dorms that house the most freshmen, are at most two feet longer and at most three inches wider than the room we saw in CRC, according to housing's Web site.
When Lily asked, there were not a lot of questions. In the back of the pack, a woman in a salmon blouse quietly upbraided her daughter for typing on a cherry-trim BlackBerry. "They're going to know you're not paying attention," she whispered. We walked to The Rock.
The girl put her BlackBerry away once Lily started breezing through Greek life, hitting the university talking points: we defer rush, our organizations are (mostly) national. Lily looked relieved when no one had questions. I toyed mentally with the idea of asking about hazing - I heard something once about the Asian frat nearly water-logging its pledges to death, is that true? - but decided against it.
2008 Woodie Awards
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 40
KP
posted 7/10/08 @ 4:51 PM CST
I literally went on over 20 college tours when applying to college. The university obviously wants to put its best face forward; it's pr. If you want honesty, go have your mom or dad approach some random NU student while you hang back mortified, hissing "mom, stop it. (Continued…)
DS
posted 7/10/08 @ 10:32 PM CST
KP, I keep seeing your comments. Who are you?
jean
posted 7/10/08 @ 10:51 PM CST
Very detailed introduction. :)
JH
posted 7/11/08 @ 12:09 PM CST
I don't really understand the point of this article? I think that a tour guide's job is to promote the University in a positive way. What do you expect them to say, "I'm sorry, but I hate my life here and I'm miserable and you will be too!" It just seems like this was not a very objective piece, and essentially just ridiculing someone for doing their job. (Continued…)
JHar
Jhar
posted 7/11/08 @ 12:11 PM CST
I don't really understand the point of this article? I think that a tour guide's job is to promote the University in a positive way. What do you expect them to say, "I'm sorry, but I hate my life here and I'm miserable and you will be too!" It just seems like this was not a very objective piece, and essentially just ridiculing someone for doing their job. (Continued…)
AK
posted 7/11/08 @ 1:25 PM CST
Wow, yeah I totally agree with JH. This is one of the least objective and harshest stories I have read in the Daily. It's one thing to bash the university, it's another to personally attack a student who is doing her job. (Continued…)
KP
posted 7/11/08 @ 2:05 PM CST
Amen to what JH and AK said. The "people magazine" style of the op-ed detracted from it. I thought I'd accidentally gone to PerezHilton.com when I read this. (Continued…)
René Fabricio Jovel
posted 7/15/08 @ 9:29 AM CST
I'm sorry, but I think it's a little tacky when you say "i was going to ask about hazing" and then question was going to be from your article...was that really necessary?
J. Patrick Daly
posted 7/15/08 @ 4:20 PM CST
You are all such mad haters!
Did you ever stop to consider that maybe, just maybe, Peter Jackson's lifelong dream is to be on Faux News, and he's trying out what they consider journalism? Well, DUH! I'll just bet you didn't. (Continued…)
jc
posted 7/17/08 @ 11:34 AM CST
I'd much rather go on a tour with Lily Becker than a well-rehearsed, smiley, over-caffeinated theater major, which is what most universities put out there. (Continued…)
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