| Good thoughts from everyone, including DHRBC07's rules for those on the tour! A few additional:
1. Don't denigrate particular subjects taught in the university. Vandy (delivered with a sorority sneer): "that's the math building, I don't know anything about it." WUSTL: "That building is where the engineering people go for 'their' classes." Or, if you really feel the need to do that, make sure that members of your tour group aren't primarily interested in those fields.
2. I second the point about not focusing on typical customs/pranks--but also agree that this rule is inapplicable to things that are either unique to the school or an integral part of its life (MIT, Mudd, Caltech all spring to mind).
3. Be honest about frat life and interactions with the non-pledged if it is a big deal at your school. Some kids will really want that and those that don't should be aware of it for both their sake and the school's.
4. If you are at a school with good funding and a lot of new facilities, don't pepper your talk with continuing references to how much each building cost. The attitude that they inferred from those type of comments was one of the reasons that neither of my sons even applied to Duke. (Then again, that might have been an effective filtering device!) |