So before you roll your eyes at the 200 students who clamor to be Guides each semester, think about the competitive filters you've been sifted through just to get here. Each year the new herd of driven, over-achieving erstwhile high school seniors comes to U.Va. It's also the only way to give tours of the University. Desire and sincerity of motive aside, it is interesting to observe just how competitive some extra-curricular activities at the University are. Part of the reason for such a high degree of selectivity has to do purely with size.
Competitiveness is attractive in and of itself.
At a school so soaked in tradition and the rhythmic repetitions of tryouts, selections and applications, it becomes hard to distinguish between cause and effect. I doubt the people themselves always know. And maybe people don't need to know why they do things, and maybe motive doesn't really matter. After all, a contribution to the University community is a contribution, no matter why the student decided to contribute in a certain way. The fact is that some incredible impetus keeps the student life of this school going, chugging through each semester with an energy that none of us could summon on our own.