Guided tours are often the first experience that a prospective student has with any given college, but it’s often not just students who are present. These tours are an important experience for parents as well. It is a virtual guarantee that you will run into at least one of the following kinds of parents on any college tour:
1. The Alumnus
Attending Georgetown can often become a family tradition, so you are bound to run into alumni of various attitudes. Maybe they will want to reminisce about the “good ol’ days” that the tour guide has obviously not experienced, or maybe they are out to prove that they know more about their alma mater than their guide does. Regardless of their motives, don’t be surprised when you hear all about a die-hard Hoya’s Tombs Night while you are really trying to learn about Lau.
2. The “Social” Parent
Arguably, this parent could be considered polite or friendly, but they can be annoying nonetheless. This is the parent who attempts to make friends with all of the other parents on the tour, and attempts to make their child friends with everyone, too. If you come across one of these parents, you might just see a future classmate’s baby picture.
3. The Party Parent
This parent, whether they are a “helicopter parent” or a former frat star, will ask incessant questions specifically about the social life on campus. The tour guide will be obviously uncomfortable and unable to answer most of these questions, but that won’t stop the Party Parent from asking, “So what do Hoyas really do on the weekend?” with a not-so-subtle wink.
4. The Parent With All the Questions
In the same vein as the Party Parent, the Questioner will bombard the tour guide with a never-ending interrogation. The questions will be about everything, ranging from the dining hall to CHARMS to class sizes to your favorite movie watched during the first three weeks of the second semester of your junior year. If you really want to learn about a school, having this kind of parent on your tour might actually be helpful. Or painful.
5. The Photographer
In the age of the smartphone, taking pictures on the go is easier than ever before. This makes college tours seemingly perfect for photo-ops. However, this parent goes a little too far, trying to get a picture of everything, often falling behind. Pictures can be great, but you don’t want to end up watching a tour through your iPhone camera. One thing’s for certain, though: This parent will definitely get the quintessential Healy shot from Lau steps. #InstagraMondays, anyone?
Maybe your parent falls into one of these categories, or maybe you’ve just witnessed these kinds of parents in action. Either way, it wouldn’t be a college tour without the lovely adults tagging along.
