Most college tour guides are students hired to give visitors a scripted presentation about the school. I’ve never met a high school student who cared how many volumes were housed inside a college library or what year the oldest building on a campus was built, but still, good guide or bad guide, those are the kinds of factoids you get on the tour.
You might have better luck getting a little honest feedback from your guide with these two questions.
1. What’s surprised you about this school?
This is code for, “What’s something you’re not telling us, something we can’t learn from the website or the college guidebook?” Don’t let the tour guide get away with an answer like, “I was surprised how easy it was to get involved.” Really? You just told us there were 180 clubs and organizations. You were surprised it was easy to join one? You’re looking for the guide to get a little personal and hopefully share something that’s not obvious, like, “I’m an engineering major and I was surprised I don’t have to study as much as I thought I would.”
2. What’s something students here complain about but find a way to deal with?
No college is perfect. There’s always something that’s a common source of student complaints, and it’s almost always something people deal with and find a way to love their college anyway. That’s why the “…but find a way to deal with” is important—it lets the guides off the hook. They can be honest about the common complaint, but also acknowledge that this imperfection isn’t a deal breaker. They can tell you, “A lot of students go home on the weekends, but those of us who stay are never bored here.”
Your results may vary, but it might be worth a try.