The summer semester is an amazing time for upcoming freshman and transfer students to tour potential colleges to see if they’ll be a good fit. Middle Tennessee State University has a dedicated team of Blue Elite student tour guides who show off our campus to students and their families every day.

Blue Elite Brittany Evers, a Junior music business student at MTSU, works as a tour guide on campus throughout the week and says it’s a great way to get to know new people and share her love for the university with others. Evers even says she knew she wanted to be a tour guide when she first saw MTSU’s campus for herself.

“The atmosphere and community of campus was something I knew I wanted to represent, and I wanted to be able to share my story on why I chose MTSU,” Evers explained.

The application to become a Blue Elite is promoted on both on campus and on MTSU’s social media pages, so Evers was able to fill out an application her first semester. According to her, starting down the path to become a Blue Elite tour guide is centered around building communication skills and collaborating with others. Solving problems like figuring out the best route to take and preparing to answer any questions someone might have on tour are a quintessential part of the interview process. After the first interview, Evers was invited to a follow up where she was asked questions on how she’d represent the school as a member of the MTSU tour group and from there was hired as a member of the Blue Elites.

While the route may remain the same, the groups of students and parents change day-to-day. Tours can happen at any time of the day, so schedules are flexible depending on the guide’s availability. Evers says she does group tours in the mornings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on campus and has time to grab coffee before heading to the Admissions Office. Preparation for tour includes setting out t-shirts and MTSU information bags, grabbing a radio and a nametag, and greeting families as they arrive. After everyone is assembled, Evers and the other guides will greet their groups, get to know everyone and start out on the tour, which usually last between 60 to 90 minutes.

“The groups that are engaging are my favorite and they make the tours super fun,” Evers says. “When we get back from the tour, we typically stay to answer questions and help with additional information about departments, then we go on with our day!”

Blue Elites get to know a lot of information about the university, but even the guides have their favorite spot on campus. MTSU has a lot of buildings that the guides highlight on tours including the Kirksey Old Main building, MTSU’s first building whose steps promise lifelong partnership if two people kiss there, and MTSU’s new Concrete and Construction building that is set to open in the Fall. Evers says that the tour is also a great opportunity to let potential students learn about the resources offered by the library and the Student Union’s movie theatre, game room, and other features.

“They should learn and take advantage of a lot of great benefits our library has to offer our students such as free tutoring, printing services, online databases, and the maker space. I also think that students should take advantage of the Student Union. There are always clubs and organizations tabling in there and it helps incoming students to meet people and get involved,” Evers says.

Being a member of the Blue Elite is not just a job on campus with flexible hours and good pay, but an opportunity to inspire potential students to see in MTSU what drew you here as well. One of the most rewarding parts of the job, according to Evers, is meeting transfer students like herself. If you’re looking for a job where you can be active, meet new people with similar passions, and show people the places on campus you love, then consider being one of the Blue Elite! For anyone interested in becoming a tour guide for MTSU’s campus, Evers says students need to get out of their comfort zone and experience campus on a personal level because “students and parents want a tour with a student who has real experience on campus and has a personality to shine through in the tour.”

Evers encourages anyone considering becoming a tour guide to take a chance, saying, “Becoming a tour guide on campus has been the most rewarding thing that I have done here at MTSU. It has allowed me to grow, be my authentic self, and represent the place that I love.”

Be sure to say hi to Brittany or any other guides you see on tour!

Author Kylie Wellington is a junior at MTSU majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Theatre and Mass Communication. The views and opinions expressed above are her own.