Tour guide Lauren Marriott excitedly introduced herself to each anxious family in the Schmitz Hall third-floor lobby, attempting to ease some of the awkward tension while they waited for the clock to tick to half past 10. As parents pressed their soon-to-be college students to answer Marriott’s questions, each small group began to relax, recognizing the similarities they held in their search for a new place to call home.

“Tours are pretty much the make or break when it comes to finding a school for many students,” said Marriott, a UW sophomore who is new to the Campus Visit Program.

During Marriott’s first tour of the quarter, the elusive Seattle sun showered the campus, and the 18 “tourists” — seven of whom were prospective students — were eager to begin.

Wide-eyed and hungry to learn, large groups of prospective students and their family members or friends tour the campus twice a day almost every day of the year in preparation for their big decision: whether or not to become Huskies. Leading these UW hopefuls are trained and enthusiastic tour guides, all of whom are UW students who become the faces that represent the school.

A sweeping 90-minute tour shows off the university, starting at the George Washington statue, curving all the way around to McMahon Hall and concluding at Denny Hall, making a special stop through Red Square at the gem of the UW: Suzzallo Library. That’s all it takes for many high-school juniors and seniors to see that this is where they belong.

Out of the seven students on Marriott’s tour that morning, only one was a resident of Washington, and the rest hailed from other states, including Colorado, Hawaii, California and Nevada.

“A tour group of this size and demographic is average, and many of these students have concerns we hear about all the time,” Marriott said as she prepped for the tour.

Lucas Riley of Silanas, Calif., was a senior in high school, ready to graduate from his 50-person class. His only concern: adjusting to seeing new faces once in a while. His mother, a frequent Seattle visitor, said she wasn’t worried he’d fit in but was more concerned about the growing out-of-state costs and campus safety.

Similarly, high-school senior Taylor Frantom of Las Vegas, Nev., said she was excited for something new but a little nervous to be so far from home.

“I’m interested in UW’s psychology program and track and field, and they seem good enough to be worth the distance,” she said. “The only other schools I’m considering are USC and U of O.”

Surprisingly, Frantom was the only student in the tour group who directly cited academics as a reason for considering the UW. Many of the other students and their family members were more attracted to the city that houses the university, which Marriott also said was common.

“I take my job really seriously,” Marriott said as she took note of each student’s interests and backgrounds. “I know how important it is to accurately and positively represent the UW, which is easy because I love this school so much.”

Making her job look easy as she spouted random facts about various buildings and hot spots throughout the university, Marriott continually referenced specific programs and activities that keep her love of the university thriving, not really mentioning any serious or negative aspects, such as safety.

As seamless as Marriott made the job seem, taking on this task is no simple feat. Grant Blume, senior counselor and director of the Campus Visit Program, has each tour guide complete a thorough training process involving history lessons, public-speaking workshops, and story-telling practice.

“Our ultimate goal is to help visiting students picture themselves here; I really want to give these students a picture of the real UW,” Blume said. “For instance, we never apologize for being a big school, and I encourage my tour guides to answer all questions about student concerns honestly.”

Blume explained that in the process of picking tour guides, there is no definite age or class requirement; he mostly looks for enthusiastic, well-spoken students from different backgrounds to represent the diversity of the campus. To show the importance of campus tours and the impression they leave on students, Blume quoted a study done by StudentPoll which states that “65 percent [of students] indicated campus tours were very influential [in their decision].”

To make the tours as effective as possible, guides are asked to make seven stops throughout campus, each focusing on a different aspect of the university. For example, Marriott used the Red Square stop to discuss class sizes and academic resources for students.

In reference to the tougher questions, like safety and college partying, Blume said that he encourages the students to answer honestly while providing resources for help; however, he also asks them to leave the statistics for the admissions counselors and to focus on educating the group on student life.

Tour guide and UW junior Evan Carlos said that he has no problem being honest about the university, but that he “only brings up those tough questions when they’re asked.” Also an out-of-state student from El Dorado Hills, Calif., Carlos said that answering questions regarding moving far from home is really easy.

“I just say it’s all about eating right, making sure you’re active, and eventually, you’ll get used to the weather,” he said.

Armed with positive things to say for any concern a prospective student could pose, Marriott and Carlos say they’re happy to represent the university and will continue to do so until they graduate. To keep them motivated and knowledgeable, Blume will continue to remind his employees of the necessity of their job and the real effects it has on people visiting the UW.

“I honestly love my job,” Blume said. “You’ll hear so many people say, ‘I went to this school because I had a great tour.’”

Reach Copy Chief Parisa Sadrzadeh at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.