On most tours I’ve been on, the student guide usually shares his/her major, and is usually very open and eager about sharing their views and experiences, while maintaining appropriate boundaries, e.g., most guides aren’t going to share which Greek house they belong to, or use your question as an opp to air their gripes about the school. And, they are representing the school, the experience, and the outcomes…part of the job. It is unfortunate, though, that the job also serves in educating the guide about how to manage inappropriate questions and comments, esp. things financial. Re alums, well, they probably have more experience than the student regarding the school, albeit past experience, and there’s usually a reason that alums donate $ and bring their kids to their alma mater…an alum’s question/comment could be a guide’s cue to give some really great insight about some aspect of the school. Likewise, “Why should my kid go here?” is a completely reasonable question…a director of admissions for an elite university stated in an admissions presentation that he told a parent to go out on campus and ask a few students that very question-the parent didn’t get why the school was such a big deal, and why his kid wanted to go there; the director’s response-go to source and you’ll find the answer. Thank you tour guides. 