Kite and Key society

Although, I’m not a current student at Penn, I’m really interested in the university, especially the Kite and Key society. I’ve wanted to be a college tour guide or student host for a long time and find it super cool how Penn has a whole organization dedicated to this.

I know that there’s requirements, an application and a couple rounds of interviews, but at some colleges it’s harder to get to work as a tour guide than it is to get in to the school itself. Is the Kite and Key society competitive like this too, or can you just bring your best self when you apply and hope for the best without feeling like there’s a fight to get in?

Penn’s been under a lot of scrutiny recently for the intense club application procedure, with some clubs bragging about having a lower acceptance rate than the university itself. Nearly every student organization is going to have some competition, either to get into the group itself (as would be the case with Kite and Key) or a position within an organization.

That being said, Kite and Key isn’t the same as other organizations. Usually clubs choose either based on skill (e.g. most performing arts groups) or by relevant experience (e.g. IAA). The latter I have some issues with, as it often benefits kids in smaller private schools – it’s harder to be on the board of 6 clubs in a 2,000 person school than a 200-person one.

It’s unexpected, however, that an incoming student will have tour guide experience, so it’s more an evaluation of character: are you responsible enough for the time commitment, are you enthusiastic enough to inspire families on tours to apply to Penn, etc.

Dang, that first paragraph is really disheartening, but that might be because I’m 100% used to competition. Anyway, the fact that Kite and Key evaluates your character rather than skill or past experience makes it even more interesting. Thanks for the input!

If I got into Penn, I think I could live with getting hosed later by Kite and Key.