I know that I have to actually get into the college first to join the Blue and Grays, but I want to be extra prepared just in case.
What exactly is the Blue and Gray tour guide society looking for in an applicant? I know it’s a super competitive process, so I want to show them I mean business. I hear that the application process requires a resume, are there any activities I should do before graduation to have a better shot at becoming a tour guide? It’s something I’m extremely passionate about, and I don’t want the competitiveness of becoming one to be a big roadblock in my life. Thanks.
If you’re gearing your resume towards a club in a school you haven’t been accepted to yet, you may want to reevaluate your priorities lol. In all seriousness, a lot of it depends on how well you can answer the application questions and the interview questions. The resume kind of just acts as a gatekeeper to make sure people who are applying are serious. To be able to give answers to difficult questions like sexual assault on campus or how exclusive clubs are requires someone who knows Georgetown well, and that’s not something you can really get unless you’re actually a student. If you’re really that desperate to get in, stay during the summer and take summer classes or something and apply then, since it’s much less competitive.
Yeah, my priorities are pretty skewed. I always adk about being a tour guide whenever I go on a tour, but GTown I hear is infamous in terms of how competitive it is. That’s why I’m coming on here and asking about it.
I am an incoming freshman to the class of 2022, but I have a few friends who are current Georgetown students so I know a bit about the Blue&Gray Tour Guide society. Yes, it is competitive - as are many clubs at Georgetown - but that’s because they only want people who are truly passionate about the school serving as the ambassadors. Think about it - if you went on a tour with someone who was boring, or uninteresting, or hated their school, what impression of that university would you walk away with?
I’m not sure that there are any secret tricks or activities that guarantee you a spot, but general advice I have heard is be truly passionate about Georgetown, be a good public speaker (maybe activities that involved that would be a plus?), and also apply after fall of freshman year so you know the campus and school better.
Sorry to hijack this thread a bit, but I see that @masquerade98 and @yonceonhismouth mention exclusivity of clubs. My son will be at Georgetown in the fall and this worries me. How much of a problem is this: what clubs are hard to join and does this affect the ability to make friends? I’ve heard people say that there are plenty of clubs that are not hard to join, but are those the ones that no one wants to join?
@ChiliMom I will also be a freshman this fall, so I cannot speak to firsthand knowledge of the club culture but I know from my friends who attend Georgetown that exclusivity certainly exists in the most popular clubs - the Corp, the tour guides, the finance club - but in my opinion, they have to be exclusive. They can’t accept everyone who is interested because then, for example, they would have way too many tour guides or in the case of the Corp there wouldn’t be enough money to pay all those people (since being in the corp is a type of campus job). There are numerous interest clubs like the politics-related ones, or academic groups, that are not as exclusive. The view I have heard the most is that the club culture is competitive at times if you are going for the five or so extremely popular ones, but when you look beyond that most students have no problem finding groups to be a part of. I would suggest your son look on HoyaLink and browse through the many student organizations that are available.
@yonceonhismouth Thank you. This is helpful. I guess I’m still worried because it’s hard to know exactly what he is going to want until he arrives on campus, and then he might find out that he’s shut out of things he might be interested in. It just creates anxiety where there shouldn’t be any. Wishing you a happy and successful time at Georgetown!
@ChiliMom I’m a current freshman, and what I’ve experienced lines up with @yonceonhismouth. Many of the competitive clubs that require two-round interviews are pre-professional ones, such as the consulting agencies or the non-profit development-related clubs. Those are exclusive by nature because they need to make sure their staff is competent and able to do the work. Blue and Gray is the one exception–it’s really competitive because it’s insanely popular, but most of the others are competitive because they require competency. Many of the other clubs are more interest-based. I’m heavily involved in the International Relations Club, and that one is very interest-based. As long as you continue to show an interest in the club and come to the events and such, you’ll have no problems with pursuing leadership or board positions in the future.
During the beginning of the year, there’s CAB fair, where every club on campus has a table and they advertise. I suggest that your son get on the mailing lists of all the ones he find interesting, and then decide which ones he actually wants to pursue based on the interest meeting and the first couple events they host. It’s always better to sign up for a bunch of things and later decide to not do some of them than to find that you’ve missed the chance on a club that you find interesting.