Tours, CTOPS a positive experience

With summer quickly approaching, new and prospective students are appearing around campus. Whether following along on a tour or visiting during CTOPS, they are trying to find a place at UNC.

Campus tours, led by Admissions Ambassadors, typically begin in the early spring. The guides share personal stories and advice to ease fears.

Current students apply in the fall to become ambassadors, serving as an extension of the UNC admissions office and helping to recruit potential students.

Andrew Parrish, assistant director at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, said that campus tours have been offered to students for more than 30 years and associated pamphlets have been around since 1975.

“We know more than half of our prospective students say Carolina was their best visit because the students they saw on campus seemed friendlier and happier,” Parrish said in an email.

“This means the average student walking across campus is actually making a lot more of a difference than they realize,” he said.

According to visitor surveys, approximately 65 percent of students leave campus more enthusiastic about UNC.

“A campus tour helps students see and understand what actually happens in Caudill Labs or in the pit or in Murphey 116,” Parrish said.

“Campus tours make Carolina come alive.”

The casual feel of tours and the personal connections established can influence a potential student’s choice to become a UNC freshman.

“The tours showcase our beautiful, residential campus and highlight the stories of the smart and friendly students who attend here,” Parrish said.

While campus tours are optional, incoming first-year students are required to enroll in CTOPS. The program is a two-day orientation designed to aid students in adjusting to college life.

Orientation Leaders, students selected by the New Student and Carolina Parent program, lead CTOPS groups during the summer and participate in Week of Welcome activities.

Former Orientation Leader and junior Donald Cooley said that he was inspired by his own orientation leader at CTOPS.

“I saw how much of a positive impact that the OLs had on so many people,” Cooley said.

Cooley described the job as an opportunity to give back to the UNC community and serve as a role model and emblem of the university.

“It has been the most rewarding experience of my collegiate career and, if I could, I would do it every summer.”

Orientation leaders form close friendships with their peers during their tenure. Prospective students in CTOPS groups often follow suit.

Sophomore Justin Brandenburg met two of his best friends at CTOPS.

“CTOPS is definitely important in helping students acclimate to college life,” Brandenburg said.

“It’s one of those situations where you’re spending a lot of time with new people, doing the same things,” he said.

Campus tours and the CTOPS experience work together to create a feeling of belonging for many new students. Both experiences produce an accurate and personalized picture of UNC life.

Sophomore Suzanne Le, an attendee of CTOPS 2009, said she took a campus tour prior to CTOPS to get a better feel for the campus.

“It was definitely a memorable part of my time at Carolina,” Le said.

“I got to experience Carolina twice before I moved here — it looked good and it still looks good.”

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.