By Hannah Harris

Nina Pickus, a freshman English and government and politics major, shuffled a small group to the middle of McKeldin Mall on a windy April morning. The prospective students and parents huddled in a circle as Pickus stood on the Omicron Delta Kappa fountain. 

“Let’s bring it in again. I don’t bite. I swear,” Pickus said, motioning the group closer.

Pickus’ bright red Terp Guide jacket matched the freshly planted tulips outside the library. Some members of the group watched their tour guide intently while others gazed at the colorful flowers and freshly mowed grass across the mall. 

Pickus was certified as a Terp Guide at the end of last semester. She had experience as a tour guide at her Chicago high school, but her college tour experiences drove her to apply to be a Terp Guide. She wanted to showcase a college campus better than it was presented to her when she was touring colleges. 

“I was super excited, because I felt like I could give a good ‘why Maryland’ spiel and do a good job representing Maryland,” Pickus said. 

Pickus continued her tour as she did every other, sharing fun facts about campus and pausing for questions from the audience. She explained a classic University of Maryland tradition, jumping in the fountain before graduation.

“I only put my toes in,” Pickus said.

The crowd chuckled. 

Aryan Shah, Terp Guide coordinator and a former tour guide, manages approximately 60 tour guides and ensures daily tours run smoothly. Around 24 campus tours are hosted weekly, according to the junior bioengineering major. With UMD’s Admitted Students Open House on Friday, Shah said the main priority will be controlling crowds.

“UMD has a huge campus, but volume-wise, it’s really difficult to control thousands of people. So we do a shortened tour route. Instead of our regular 90-minute tour route, we do a short 45-minute version,” Shah said.

Over 97,000 people applied to the University of Maryland in 2025, according to university data. Shah explained how crucial his touring experience was to committing to the university. He felt connected to campus as an out-of-state, prospective student.

“My tour guide was also an out-of-state student, and so listening to his experiences about the community he found, about the clubs he was involved in, about how being a tour guide gave him a new group of friends, really appealed to me,” Shah said.

Rishi Kumar, a junior biological sciences, physiology and neurobiology major and Terp Guide, shared a similar connection with his tour guide. They had similar interests and academic goals.

“I asked him about classes, about different activities, and I learned quite a lot from him there and really getting to see this campus for myself at more than just a surface level … really made me just absorb it like a sponge,” Kumar said.

Pickus led her group from the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center to the Testudo statue in front of the McKeldin Library. The tree cover lining the sidewalk speckled light onto the group’s faces and blocked the chilly, early-spring breeze. Prospective students watched Terps interact with campus as they tried to picture themselves in College Park.

“Does anyone have a guess as to how many floors this building has?” Pickus asked the group as they arrived at the largest library on campus.

The crowd gave their guesses and Pickus responded with a go-to joke of hers, lightening the mood for tense potential students.

“McKeldin has seven floors but thousands of stories,” Pickus said. The crowd laughed and seemed to relax.

Pickus explained how being a tour guide fits well into her class schedule and keeps her busy. The impact Pickus can make on a student’s experience is what makes her happy to be a Terp Guide.

“I’m not saying Maryland is the right school for everybody, but if they can get a full-on campus experience, and feel like I was fully honest with them, I definitely want that,” Pickus said.

She directed the attention of the group to the Testudo statue outside of McKeldin, a gift from the Class of 1933. Pickus encouraged the group to pause and take photos with Testudo or rub her nose, another university tradition. 

Parents nudged their hesitant children forward and urged them to participate. The group paused for a moment and commemorated their tour with pictures thanks to Pickus’ encouragement. 

The prospective students took turns posing while Pickus offered to take the photos. She smiled encouragingly at each person while she snapped their pictures. Joy emanated from Pickus’ face.“Maybe I don’t remember any of my college tour guides, but maybe they’ll remember me, or maybe they’ll remember something I said,” Pickus said.

Featured Image: View of McKeldin Library beyond tulips on McKeldin Mall on April 9, 2026. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.