Interview Transcript
Interviewer: James M. DeVita, PHD Student in Higher Education Administration
Interview Subject: “Brittany” – an undergraduate tour guide (known as an ambassador scholar)
Conducted on Tuesday, February 26th at 10:30 AM
Location: Interview’s office in A318 Bailey Education Complex
[Rationale for interview data selected for transcription: after both reviewing the observation data, as represented in the thick description, and listening multiple times to the interview conducted with “Brittany,” the content of the interview selected for transcription was those questions which yielded the most useful information for coding data and data analysis. In other words, the selected passages represent data that was most consistent across the two data collection techniques.]
[:20] So, just in your own words, tell me about your experience as a tour guide.
A tour guide…it has been very beneficial. Um…I got involved just so I could know all the little aspects of the campus. ‘Cuz there’s so much you don’t know as an incoming freshman, but as an ambassador you’re introduced to all aspects of campus from you know organizations to you know all the little advising tricks and the classrooms…um. My experience has definitely given me lots of opportunity to meet others on campus…um…alum…and just kinda work on my [short pause] characteristics in my personality that have been very beneficial as far as interviewing for other jobs. They’ve been very impressed with my ability to give tours to large amounts of people [small giggle] so…and have that personality and people skills.
Okay. So, tell me a bit about how you were introduced to some of the unique aspects of campus.
Just through um ambassador training we spend a week long in May, we have the different colleges come out they talk in depth about, um, their program, scholarship opportunities, so you learn little things that you normally would have to go and delve and pry out of the colleges. So, you’re exposed automatically to stuff and plus we’re the first to know about the incoming classes…um, [long pause] so we know…we’re kind of on the top knowledge pyramid, so.
Now during the tour you sort of pointed er-- you told a lot of different stories about different aspects of campus and different things. Is that part of training, too?
It is. We have a big notebook, big binder uh that’s got the traditions of the University of Tennessee, so anywhere from Smokey to how we got our colors, Orange and White, to [short pause] uh…you know when the first residence halls were built, um when we were established as Blount College in 1794…to you know anything from how many people live in the residence halls to…you know the faculty-student ratio…so we--it covers every aspect of campus.
And so, now the tour that I went on with you was for you know primarily graduate students…
Um-hum.
…How does that tour sort-of compare to the typical tour with undergraduates and parents.
It’s a little easier to give to graduate students because they--they’ve been through college life, they know the experience and they’re more--I like to give tours to more the older crowd, the graduate students, who know and you don’t have to deal with the rudeness, cellphones going off, umm…so it’s a lot and they actually care. You know, some students are on campus tours because of their parents, or you know you’re going to go visit my alum, and so you kinda get that…and then you get some very confident students, which to have you know the higher act gpa’s, which more congratulations to them, but they’re kinda…oh well you know I may or may not come here ‘cuz you knowI have the opportunity to get in somewhere else…
Hmmmm…
…So, it’s definitely—and sometimes parents are kinda…you know...but you—kinda hard to deal with and persuade, which of course that’s our ultimate goal is to try to get students to come here, but then you do get a lot of parents who are very engaged in the tour, ask questions…so those I do love, when they’re engaged. [4:07]
[Skipped question: when I was reviewing information from both the thick description and interview, the question skipped did not appear as relevant and valuable for my analysis as other aspects of the interview.]
[5:07] So, you said ultimately the goal was to sort of sell them on, you know, UT. How do you accomplish that during a regular tour?
We like to, knowing the facts and telling them you know how great the University of Tennessee is, is pretty…you know, I mean, you could say that each university has their own characteristics that are pretty impressive. We try to rely on personal experience. You know, I tell about going to football games, camping out for basketball games, you know, actually my English classes have been really, you know, my professors have tried to connect with students, for example you know there’s a Harry Potter English class, which you know…
Yup.
…definitely appeals to a large audience. So, and how they’ve made my learning experience interesting and not just sitting there taking notes, and I’ve been really lucky to have great professors so that’s what I rely on is personal experience.
Good. [6:07]
[Skipped questions: again, after reviewing data collected from both the observation and the interview, the questions skipped did not appear to be as relevant or valuable for analysis.]
[9:04] So, how did you first become interested in being a tour guide?
Well, my, one of my close friends was at the University of Tennessee and got involved with the ambassador program and he was like you know Courtney you need to do this, this would be great for you. So, I joined and it was a difficult interview process, ‘cuz I’d never actually gone through an interview process, I’ve been lucky enough to have jobs because I know people—‘cuz I worked in local businesses. So, I went through the interview process, three round interviews, one was a group interview, uh…they chose about 30 of us I think out of over probably 150 applications…so and you know they asked us some really funny questions, you know if you could--which tree would you live in a eucalyptus tree, a palm tree or a pine tree and why. So they just you know were looking for creativity and personalities, so.
Uh…so tell me a little bit more about, um…ambassador, this term ambassador. Where does that come from and what does it sort of relate to?
We pride ourselves being ambassadors as you know representatives of the campus, so like you know the UN ambassadors…
Um hum.
…So that’s what where it comes from. We um do receive a scholarship, so that’s where the scholars come into play…if we work an x amount of hours. So, similar to a work study program…
Okay.
…Umm…so, which is great ‘cuz most of us use that you know for books, or uh something. So I think that’s where we, you know they try to pick the best of the best to represent campus because we are the, besides the admissions counselors, you know we’re their first impressions of the University of Tennessee. [10:57]
[Skipped questions: once again, questions were skipped in order to transcribe other data that would yield more valuable information for coding and data analysis.]
[13:00] Tell me a little bit more about Spring Flin—Spring Fling.
It is an open house we invite about 1000 high school students are here with their parents. It takes--normally there’s a morning session and an afternoon sess--session. So, they come in—we had to do it in AlumniMemorialBuilding ‘cuz Thompson Boling was under renovation…
Um hum.
…So, um, you have—we left from Alumni Memorial Building, had a morning session, we did… um, some of the tour guides spoke about different aspects on campus, like some of the bigger topics, like pub—like safety…
Um hum.
…um…and scholarships…um…then we had—my boss spoke. Um…[short pause] then we had the tours, we go through and then they have each college and like the Army and Air Force ROTC programs, different programs are set-up so they can kinda go through a browse session and look at what’s goin’ on. But they do see you know a residence hall, they do go through T-Recs, so it’s nothing different…
Um hum.
…so, it’s just a lot of people, so. And we do try to do crowd pumping, we teach ‘em some cheers, and throw t-shirts and we saw a girl get like knocked out, not really, but she got shoved to the ground over t-shirts, we were like these are like extra-large t-shirts…so…
[Laughing].
…but anyway, so we always have fun, it’s a long day, but…so.
Sounds great. And so, the ambassadors are responsible for planning that whole experience?
We, um, my boss is and then, of course, our like team captains, we have captains that are in charge of our social activities…like that’s an actual one that’s more head of us, kind of, and then a couple other positions. So, they help with that, and we help set-up, help clean, help get things organized, put signs up, direct the mass crowd, and…so, and then we also tag team with the Orientation Leaders…
Oh, okay.
…who, you know who do orientation during the summer…and some of the Orange Pride ladies, so…but it’s a long day and a big event…so.
Sounds great.
Um hum. [15:22]
[Remainder of interview omitted from transcription. Some data may be valuable, but recording cuts off due to memory available prior to the conclusion of the interview.]