Getting Started

Despite the casual nature of the gathering, I found myself feeling nervous as I climbed out of my car on Saturday morning and made my way to one of De Anza High School's computer labs for an Ivy League Connection tutorial. I knew that Don would be teaching us about all of the basics that went along with being a part of the ILC, and a part of me was excited to finally get started. But another part of me was worried. This was the first event that I was attending as an official member of the ILC, and the gravity of the information scared me.   

The view as I pulled up to the site of the tutorial

Of course, within five minutes of the beginning of the tutorial, I began to see that my fears were totally baseless. Being in the ILC is a big responsibility, but it was clear that Don was there to help us navigate through the experience as smoothly as possible. He told us everything we needed to know, from what to pack to what to expect in the airport and in our dorms. Surprisingly, all of this information actually made me more calm, since, as is true in most situations, I realized that it was not as intimidating as I had expected.

During the tutorial, we also learned the logistics about how to create successful blogs, which Don assured us would be spending a lot of time on leading up to and during the summer. Personally, I like the idea of sharing what I'm going through during my time in the ILC. As someone who finds it easiest to articulate themselves on paper (or in this case, on a screen), it is comforting to have the ability to express my perspective on this process. However, I'm still somewhat wary of my photography skills.

The tutorial took place on a beautiful May day, which was hopefully a good omen

Ultimately, I'm very glad that Don hosted this tutorial. I think it benefited me in a lot of ways in addition to learning essential information about the Ivy League Connection process. Now, without the disconnection of email communication and online applications, everything seems much more real to me. After all, we leave for UPenn in only six weeks! After Saturday, I feel completely prepared for my time on the East Coast and all of the ILC gatherings in the near future.