Ask about the library. Find out what Career Services offers. Inquire about internships. Campus tour guides have been asked all of these questions so many times they've memorized their answers. Which is great! You need those answers. But asking a question your tour guide doesn't expect can net you a really interesting, authentic response. So we thought about what some surprising questions might be, and here's what we came up with.
Why should I not come to this school?
This is a riff on the common job-interview question, "Why should we not hire you?," and compels your guide to think a little differently about what they're telling you. Their response could potentially make or break their college's appearance on your Top Ten list. (At Siena, we might say you shouldn't come if intimate classroom experiences and a focus on hard work and service isn't your thing. Hey, it might not be! There are all kinds of experiences to be had at college.)
If you were given $500 to use at school for the rest of the year, what would you use it on? (And you can't say tuition!)
With this question, you're basically finding out what students find themselves wanting a little extra money for—and hopefully, it's for more of what they already love (and not something like: "Bathroom renovations in X hall.") At Siena, our students like to dine out a lot. Plus, there's a Starbucks on campus if you're craving a PSL. What does your tour guide like to do when he's got some extra coin? Does he like to see indie movies, go to shows, visit the museum?
If you could’ve done one thing differently when you first came here, what would it have been?
You're going to make mistakes. You might as well prepare for that now. But you don't have to make all the mistakes. Maybe your tour guide wishes he'd gotten to know his professors a little better his freshman year, but he was too shy back then. Or maybe he wishes he hadn't rushed into a major and spent time as an undeclared student. (At Siena, we call it Exploring.). You might be surprised to hear what missteps other students have taken, and evaluate for yourself if you can or want to avoid the same ones. But remember: stumbles and falls are all part of the college experience, too!
Got a burning question for us right now? Get in touch.
