I went undercover on a Florida State admissions tour

It doesn’t take much wandering around campus to find a gaggle of high-schoolers on an FSU tour. An important part of the college decision process, campus tours often help give prospective students the final push to become part of the Nole Nation.

Of course, these tours are heavily sugar-coated to be extra enticing. I decided to tag along with a tour group to re-live the experience and try to see what our tour guides are telling admitted students.

Doak Campbell Stadium

At the first tour stop, our group leader talked up FSU’s film school and the college of communications—both located in Doak Campbell Stadium—while brushing over the actual stadium itself, as well as the noisy construction happening nearby.

A brief history of the school was provided. Along the way to our next stop, the tour guide pointed out Wildwood Hall as one of the resident halls, but Ragans Hall, which is right next to Wildwood, was apparently not worth a mention. Sorry for the slight, Ragans.

Health and Wellness Center

Not surprisingly, the Denny’s 24/7 service was briefly mentioned, not so much as a landmark but as a nudge that pancakes are available at 3 am, the awesomeness of which cannot be argued. The health center was overhyped a bit, with its services being described as “super helpful” and an “easy process,” despite what the survivors of the last outbreak of the flu would tell you.

Integration Statue

Another short FSU history lesson was followed by a lengthy description of all that the Ogelsby Union has to offer, from bowling to the Club Down Under to clubs. There was also a mention of some notable alumni, including the CEO of Starbucks, but it felt like a way to slip in the fact there are seven java bars on campus.

The tour guide made a joke about the hide-and-seek club existing but being hard to find, but no one laughed, so I think he might need to seek some better puns.

Residence Hall

As someone who has lived in a resident hall for three semesters, in was no surprise Deviney Hall was the resident hall that we toured—brand-spanking new and far nicer than any of the three dorms I’ve lived in so far.

The model room was far bigger than any double I’ve seen; it was almost as big as the triple I enjoyed at Reynolds. Although introducing future Noles to a dorm like Smith may not create a good impression, Deviney and Dorman set the standards for dorms far too high, as the chances of incoming students actually living there are pretty slim. #Yesalldorms

Landis Green

Landis Green was the next stop, and the fountain a main talking point, as our guide claimed students are free to swim in it. Landis Green was hyped up but for a good reason, because it is a main hub for students. I was surprised the tour guide didn’t even mention the dog-friendly atmosphere at Landis, because I know many students who venture to Landis Green solely to pet the throng of dogs.

Strozier Library was mentioned too, along with it being a round-the-clock operation, something I didn’t truly appreciate until my first wave of finals.

Tully Gymnasium

Our next stop was Tully Gymnasium, where the guide spoke glowingly about the gym and the leach center. The tour guide also praised the nearby bio and psych facilities. I was expecting him to mention the other resident halls—Sally, Smith, Rodgers, and McCollum—or remember to point out Ragans, but all were left out, which began to seem a little suspicious.

Suwannee Dining Hall

We walked around just long enough to admire Suwannee’s aesthetics and smell freshly baked cookies, but not quite long enough to actually see or taste the food. You can’t know about Suwannee until it’s too late.

Chemistry Building

The entire chemistry department got a stop just for itself, and at this point I realized that a heavy focus was being placed on science-related majors, with three out of the five disciplines mentioned so far being in the field of science.

I’m not a chemistry major myself, nor have I ever taken a chem lab. I’ve heard horror stories about them. The tour guide was pretty casual about it.

I suppose warning people to stay away from a major while on tour might be bad for business.

Westcott Fountain

The last leg of the campus tour brought us to Westcott Fountain, where the schools of music and language were mentioned, along with the tradition of being dunked into the fountain. I remember thinking it seemed a little silly when I first went on the tour, but it’s definitely something every FSU student should do before they graduate.

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There certainly were some aspects glossed over, like what your standard dorm experience will most likely be, and the actual quality of the food at Suwanee. Because each group will affect how the tour goes, I tried to pay attention to what the kids and parents were saying.

Those who directly talked to the tour guide had a candid talk, with the sugar-coating dialed down a bit. However, this group was particularly quiet—there were a few questions from “that mom,” but otherwise, the group was remarkably silent. It amazed me how young all the kids looked, too. I knew they would be roughly two years younger than me, but they all looked way younger than that. It caught me off guard.

As they say, hindsight is 20/20, and revisiting the tour as a veteran Nole gave me some perspective on the truths and omissions behind the campus tour for future Noles.