Do Tour Guides Tell the Truth?

by Travis Rocha

When you visit our campus, the tour guides (officially called student ambassadors) say a lot of great stuff, as does every tour guide for every college around the world. With so many colleges to choose from, when I was a prospective student, I wondered who was telling the truth. Which university truly had the best community and resources? Where would I fit in the best?

What drew me to Christopher Newport was the promise of a close, friendly student body and faculty that would hold me accountable and lead me to success. I didn’t want to be lost in a crowd. I wanted to truly immerse myself in the college experience through meaningful relationships and experiences. During my tour, that was promised to me by my student ambassadors and they did not lead me astray. Even the minute details mentioned in passing, such as the door holding, avoiding the “unlucky” spot outside of Santoro Hall, and much more are all very real traditions that we cherish everyday (even if the unlucky spot is a bit silly). 

One major point that my student ambassadors made to me was that, due to small classes sizes and caring professors, your professor will notice if you’re not in class. I am happy to report that this is 100 percent accurate and my economics professor is a perfect example. If I ever miss class and don’t have to time to send an email, I can rest assured that during our next meeting he’ll ask me if everything is OK. He’s extremely conversational and charismatic so we always have a laugh about whatever had come up that led me to miss class. He isn’t overbearing at all; he simply cares about his students.

Everything my student ambassadors told me on my tour was completely true, and I’m so glad it was. Those students are chosen to represent our school because of their passion and love for it. After almost two years, I can definitely feel the same passion and love for Christopher Newport.