Falling in Love

Today started like the past couple of days, early and feeling tired. The only exception to this was the fact that our adventures would take us to Washington, DC and Maryland and we would have the amazing chance to tour Georgetown University. 

The bus ride to the Capitol took three hours instead of two. I was hoping that after getting some sleep that I would feel replenished and my body strong. After about halfway to DC, I began drifting to sleep until I finally crashed. By the time I awakened, we were already there. 

Union Station

In order for us to get to where we needed to be, we had to go through Union Station. The station was massive and amazing. When I first walked through the doors my eyes had lit up in awe. It was drop dead gorgeous. I could not help myself from staring at the architecture and fine details of the statues; I was glued. Sadly, we had to depart and move on to our main destination. Once we went outside we were hit with such patriotism. The outside of the station was covered with American Flags, there were multiple flags everywhere we turned with historic statues of remembrance to our past.  The weather was warm and the sky was high and clear blue. The surrounding environment was peaceful with admirable buildings and streets. 

We walked and walked for a few blocks until we were at the correct bus station where we could ride the circulator to take us to our appointment tour time at Georgetown. The circulator is a red bus that transports people to different stops around DC but its path or route turns into a large circle. It costs $1 for riding however long and far you want. It took about ten to twenty minutes for the Circulator to arrive. The five of us were standing patiently in the shade behind the stop to stay hydrated and out of the sun. We boarded the vehicle one by one, depositing our $1 and taking a seat. The ride was pleasant. The route the bus took allowed for us to see a lot of the life happening in DC. 

It was soon time for us to hop off and begin our walking toward Georgetown. Still tired and sore from the previous days, I was struggling as always to catch up with the rest. I'm not sure if I'm just a slow walker or if they walk extremely fast. Sometimes I have to jog a little to keep up. None of us had really eaten and were struggling to keep our energy up. John took it upon himself to suggest that we get a cup of coffee from this small coffee shop along the way. Since I don't drink coffee because of the bitter taste and strong caffeine, I stuck with my water and asked for a lemon poppy seed muffin instead; it was one of my favorites. After everyone received their orders we continued to the university. 

Front of Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a sight that you could easily fall in love with at first glance. The buildings were old but looked like castles. It was as if we were touring a royal school or something. John led the way down a long brick path into the Intercultural Center where our information session was taking place. We carefully took our places in the auditorium seats and watched the presentation delivered by one of the admissions officers.

Listening to her present what Georgetown had to offer intrigued me. Georgetown has four undergraduate schools and five graduate schools. The schools that really compelled me were the undergrad school, Walsh School of Foreign Service and the graduate school, McCourt School of Public Policy. Hearing her dig into detail about the Walsh School of Foreign Service, I knew instantly it was a unique school. Out of all the schools we visited, none of them had offered something like this. In my future, I know that whatever I do, I want to be able to make a social change and support the people who need it as well as give a voice to them. Programs related closely to my dream without becoming too invested in the law such as what a lawyer or public defender would do.

Georgetown has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1 along with many resources to help students if needed. They draw many opportunities such as their study abroad programs that range from Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and even Africa. As well as many internships to apply for with companies in the area or with the government itself. The graduation rate is 98% and have many majors to choose from. Many famous alumni come back to make speeches or lecture a class including Bill Clinton and Bradley Cooper. The school buildings and campus itself holds so much history, good and bad.

The session soon ended with the usual introduction of the student tour guides to take us along to introduce us to their school. Our tour guide’s name is Christian and is a rising junior. He studies the Fine Arts of History and Political Science. He decided on his major because he loved both and didn’t want to choose between the two. We set forth our journey with a Latin chant representing their school spirit. “Hoya, Saxa” is the what students would chant back and forth showing their pride. It translates to “what rocks” and with a bulldog to be their mascot. He presented us the different buildings where we would take classes depending on the school applying to along with some history behind them. The building where most of the Public Policy graduate students’ classes were held, on the top step is where 14 US presidents have made speeches including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Barack Obama. There was never a dull or tiring moment with our tour, especially with Christian’s awkwardly funny yet cheesy sense of humor. Thanks to him, it was the best tour I have ever witnessed.  

Sad to see the phenomenal tour end as well as depart from the school I soon fell in love with, we were meeting a very important person for lunch. The guest the cohort was all anxious to meet was the ASB President and rising senior at Georgetown University, Chris. He has such a lovely personality attached with his incredible advice. Our lunch spot was a barbecue joint named “Old Glory.” The food took forever for it to come out to us. We weren’t complaining because all of the cohort has been worn out from walking the distance and length of the past couple days.

Group PIcture with Chris

In the meanwhile, all of us were enjoying the company of Chris. He answered all of our questions and relating to college and Georgetown. Chris had told us about how much power the students have and the environment of the community and its diversity. The people there come from different backgrounds all over the world. From rich to poor, US citizen or not, all were welcomed equally. They have financial aid to cover students in need of it the most due to low family income. The mentalities of the students are to build one another up rather than to always try to outdo someone else. They would rather prosper together as a class whole, and if we need help, it would be our responsibility to reach for it while it’s there.

When it comes down to it, we refer back to the motto of my favorite basketball team, the Golden State Warriors, “Strength in Numbers.” This is what the students take advantage of at Georgetown. Because of them preaching and projecting their needed cries to be heard they were able to put a serious change within their school. Back in the day where segregation still existed, Georgetown was on the brink of closing down due to lack of funding. In order to ensure their school not to close down, they ended up selling slaves from down in Louisiana. A lot of times the US tries to cover up or neglect such harsh histories as slavery instead of accepting the wrong that has went on. These students took it upon themselves to fix this and change the name of one of their school’s buildings to “Freedom Remembrance” as a way paying respect to the lives of the slaves sold. Situations like these are motivational to hear and show a great amount of integrity; an environment I definitely would love to be a part of one day.

The outstanding people we have met that day really opened up my eyes to a school that could possibly be for me as well as deep roots and issues within our nation. I am truly grateful to have met these people and is a definite highlight of the day.

Korean War Memorial

The remainder left of the day, John had given us a “fun” history lesson and tour of all the government buildings within DC including the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Building, WWII Memorial, WWI Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Congress with the two branches of the Senate and House of Representatives. These buildings held such similar styles to them but were still wonderful and stunning to lock your eyes on. When we saw the Korean War Memorial and the statues of the soldiers running through, reminded me of the agony war can cause forming a twisted feeling in my stomach. It was sad but historic.

By the time it was finally time to go home I was ready for it. My body needed a serious break, all of us did. As soon as we stepped foot on the bus and into our seats we knocked out quick. It took ten minutes at the most before I had drifted into my relaxing slumber. The past days may have been more than exhausting to the point where the balance in your legs were shaking questionably, but thanks to the ILC and John I was able to experience something with such detail, history, and experience. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I know I would, despite my complaining; I loved it. 

A New Setting

Today we got to sleep in until 9 AM, which felt so nice. Don told us that we could finish our blogs about Washington, DC the next morning, which means that I got a full 8 hours of sleep for the first time in a while. Once I did wake up, I relaxed with Diana and Kamillah in our room for awhile as we worked on our blogs. We also went to the lounge on our floor, where we grabbed some free breakfast provided by the hotel.

After I finished my blog, I started getting ready for the day and packing up my bags. Thankfully, even with the things I've bought in the last few days, everything fit! We went down to the lobby at noon to check out, and then we hauled our suitcases across UPenn's campus to the Quadrangle, where we will all be staying during the program. There, we checked in and were given our room keys and our Penn ID cards. They warned us not to lose track of them, because there would be a fee. With this in mind, I tucked mine away where I knew I would find them. Then, I found the area that my room is in, Povost Smith. My room is on the second floor, and some staff helped me carry my bags up.

Once inside my room, I found that my roommate and her family were already there. Her name is Shai, and although originally from New York City, she and her parents now live in Israel. Its pretty interesting that I get a cross between an international roommate and someone who lives in the United States. Our room is a double, so it's just the two of us. Shai and her family were really sweet, but I had to leave my room again about five minutes after I arrived to meet back up with the ILCers. I was hoping to have more time to get to know my roommate, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for that!

Mr. Hillyer took all of us into the main office building to look at the schedule for the next three weeks, which was full of interesting things to do. Then, we walked down to the barbecue place where the UPenn cohort traditionally has lunch on the first day of the program. Apparently, they always end up at the same table, as well! Our next stop was the UPenn bookstore. Most of us had already chosen what UPenn gear we wanted when we last came, so we were in and out pretty quickly. Outside on the sidewalk, we said goodbye-for-now to Mr. Hillyer. He'll still be available at the hotel where we were staying to meet up if we need him, but we won't be spending every day together anymore. It was kind of scary and kind of sad to be given more independence, but I was excited for the program itself to actually begin.

We made it back to the Quadrangle without being lost, which was a good sign. The ILCers checked out each other's rooms, and when Chris and Diana decided to start unpacking, Kamillah and I went to find the laundry room and the bathrooms near us. 5:00 came quickly, and it was time for us four to separate. We all went to meet up with our RCs, the staff who will be living in the dorms with us and making sure we have everything we need. I got a little confused and it took me awhile to find my RC, Lauren, but she eventually texted me and I found my way to my group.

My RC group consists of about ten girls all living on the floor in my building and a couple of the neighboring ones. We're not all right next to each other, but pretty close. As we walked to get dinner, we chatted about where we were from and what classes we would be taking. It was then that I started to talk to my roommate a little bit more too, and found out that we get along great, which was a relief. That was something I had been worried about.

After dinner we came back to the quad as a group to play some icebreakers with another RC group. We played "Move Your Butt", which is a game where someone stands in the middle of the circle and says something they have done, and in the people in the circle who have also done that have to find a new spot. The last one without a spot ends up in the middle for the next round. We also played a rather confusing name-game which I don't think I can explain well, but which involved a lot of screaming.

The staff tried to get the group as a whole to play "Move Your Butt", but it didn't work out very well. Eventually they just had to give up and we separated back into our RC groups to have a meeting where we discussed the logistics of the program. Then, we had free time for the rest of the night! My RC group and I ordered cookies from Insomnia Cookies, who deliver. My new east coast friends told me that I had to try them, and they were right. They were really good. Most of our group went down to the quad in the middle of the Quadrangle to mingle with other groups. I got to meet a lot of new people, and everyone was very friendly! I was surprised by how quickly we ended up talking, exchanging contact information, and joking around with each other. I'm not sure that I will be able to remember everyone's name in the morning, but I'm glad that I'm here with a group of people that I feel comfortable with.

I went back to my room around 10, where I was able to get more of my stuff set up and take a shower. I'm pretty impressed with the accommodations. Our beds are comfortable, our room is clean, and the shower wasn't bad either. I was expecting a lot worse, but I was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully, this is a trend that continues throughout the program, which begins full swing. Tomorrow, we will celebrate Fourth of July in this patriots city, and I will probably get to bond more with my RC group. Looking forward to it!

Hoya, SAXA!

After a very long day in New York the day before, I was hoping for Washington D.C to be smaller and less fast paced for the sake of my sore feet. I was pleasantly surprised with the pace of the city and the amity of the people. Once again we had taken the Megabus in the morning but unlike the trip to NY, the bus ride was three hours. This game me the chance to once again nap and work on my blog.

Train Station in D.C.

When we got to D.C. it immediately struck me as a mixture of Berkeley and San Francisco but it was not nearly as busy as New York even with 4th of July coming up. We took the circulator to Georgetown and walked the rest of the way to Georgetown University. Our walk went by in no time since the weather was so lovely. On the way we stopped by a coffee shop to get a quick snack to hold us over until the info session and campus tour was over.

GU

When we stepped in the campus I was shocked at how pretty and green it was. Something that I always look for in any higher education institution is greenery because it makes it feel more cozy and fresh. To sign in for the info session, we walked into a very imposing red brick building that is the Intercultural center. The admissions officer began speaking about the usual requirements and what they look for as an institution. She also talked about the colleges within the bigger umbrella institution. They have many undergraduate colleges and schools. One that grabbed my attention because it was the first of its kind to be opened in the U.S is the Walsh School Of Foreign Services. This school provides both graduate and undergraduate programs. After the info session we broke off into tour groups.

Christian talking about traditions in GU

We decided to go with Christian who is from LA and is studying the Fine Arts of History and Politics. He gave us the best tour ever. He talked about many of the traditions they have at GU like when you get accepted you have to climb on the lap of the statue in the front of the school, take a selfie with it and post it on social media as a welcome to the school. He also told us that GU was one of the only places that was allowed to hold Congress if there is an emergency in the capitol. The students that go to GU are required to live on campus for 3 years and on their 4th they can opt out or enter a raffle to be in a town house which is like a 3 million dollar house. Christian also talked about the remaining of a building to Freedom and Remembrance due to the ties the school had to the slave trade back when that was still legal to own slaves. I think  it’s really cool that the students are making a push to repair the damage that was done in the time of slavery instead of just trying to ignore such a huge part of the history that in one way or another involves all of us.

After the tour we met up with Chris, a rising senior who is VP of the students body. From the beginning he was very nice and talked to all of us about his experience and his background. He is from Florida and comes from a large public school setting like us. He talked about how the social life in GU centered around the clubs you were in and that Greek life was there but it didn’t have much emphasis like in other schools. The campus culture he described is very friendly and no one pressures you to party or drink because everyone is focused on doing well in school and getting the most out of it. We were all starving so we went to eat. The restaurant were pretty packed but luckily Chris took us to Old Glory a southern style restaurant. We got a ton of food and talked about some of the issues in the world like racism and gender norms. After our meal we said our goodbyes and we headed to D.C to the monuments.

After eating lunch with Chris

We first saw the White House. I was hoping we could get a glimpse of Obama but that didn’t happen. He probably wasn’t even there but a girl can dream. We saw a guy protesting nuclear bombs  that has been there for a very long time. After we went to see the Washington Monument.  It was so majestic and beautiful. John told us how it has two different colors in the base and at the top because they started building it but during the Civil War they had to stop and when they kept building after the war, they had to use a different rock quarry. After we saw we saw the WWII memorial which is massive and you can tell that the U.S is really proud of their involvement unlike WWI. That monument is so small and plain giving further proof of how the U.S wasn’t proud of their participation on it. We kept walking and saw the Korean War memorial which is very different because it has statues of soldiers leading up to a center. One of my favorites was the Lincoln Memorial.  It is very huge and you can see where MLK stood when he gave his I Have a Dream speech. After the monument we went to see some of the buildings like Congress and the Supreme Court. They all look pretty similar since the architecture is so similar and the colors are the same of maybe a shade off white. They are still very pretty and impressive.

After visiting the monuments and buildings it was time to head back to Philly to get some rest. I really like D.C because it gives that city feel without all the rush. It also is very pretty, anywhere you go you can see that the area is maintained Georgetown is also one of my top choices now because of all the opportunities that come along with the campus. If i go there maybe I can even meet the Obamas since when this term is over they will be moving to D.C.

The Nation's Capital

The alarms went off at 5;00 AM instead of 4:00 AM this morning, which was a bit of an improvement. We rushed to get ready, a process made more confusing by the fast clock in our room, and met Mr. Hillyer and Chris down in the lobby at 6:00. On our way to the bus station, we stopped by 7/11 to  grab something to tide us over on the ride to DC. We would be taking the Megabus there, which was a three hour ride.

The outside of Union Station

Unfortunately, the cream cheese that I chose to go with my bagel had mold inside, so I didn't eat much on our way to the capital. I did, however, take the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I woke up right before we arrived at Union Station, the grandiose train station in Washington DC. From there, we walked down the street to another bus, the Circulator, which took us to Georgetown.

Georgetown University is surrounded by the larger Georgetown area, which is full of shops, restaurants, and beautiful townhouses. Mr. Hillyer took us to Saxby's, a coffee shop that I've seen a few times since coming to the east coast, in an attempt to perk us up. We were all running a little slow before this, but it helped me to get some caffeine in my system. Now, I was wide awake and able to take in the somewhat gothic architecture and plentiful greenery that we saw when we stepped into Georgetown's Red Square.

The Georgetown Coat of Arms features an eagle, a cross, and a globe

Our visit to Georgetown started in much the same way as the other college visits, with an information session. There, I was very impressed by what I heard. I am interested in political science and languages, so Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service caught my attention. We had not seen anything like it before, and that globally ranked program coupled with Georgetown's location makes it an almost ideal place for what I want to do. I also liked that, as a religious institution, Georgetown really stresses the importance of service towards others. Georgetown also has a pre-law track that exempts students who want to go to law school (which I do) from taking the LSATs. I know that that would save me a lot of stress in the years to come!

After the information session, the tour guides came up to introduce themselves, and we were told that we could choose which one we wanted to go with. We chose Christian, who was studying politics and art history. This was definitely the right decision! From the beginning Christian was so humorous and friendly, and I could tell how passionate he was about where he goes to school. In addition to taking us around and giving us all of the facts about Georgetown, which he did well, Christian taught us the school chant of "Hoya, Saxa!" This literally translates to "What, Rocks!" We even had a competition with another tour group to see who could do the chant the loudest and with the most spirit, which we definitely won. There was also a funny moment in which we sang happy birthday to Christian after another tour guide told us that it was his birthday. However, this turned out to be just a way that the tour guides use to mess with each other, and Christian informed us that it wasn't actually his birthday at all.

This is Christian, our tour guide, standing on the steps of Heeley Hall.

It really made a difference compared to yesterday having a tour guide who I connected with and who made Georgetown seem like it would be an easy place to call home. By the time the tour was over, I could definitely picture myself as a Georgetown student. After the tour, we went back to Red Square where the tour had started to meet ASB Vice President, Chris, for lunch. He told us about his background as a first generation college student from a large public high school, and was very interested to hear about our stories and what we were doing now.  As we walked down M Street trying to find a place to eat, he ran into a lot of friends and introduced us to all of them. Chris was very warm and kind, and it was easy to talk to him about all of the questions and concerns we had about Georgetown. Lunch ran long, because our food took forever, but this was actually a good thing because it gave us plenty of time to get to know Chris and talk to him about Georgetown, as well as some of the social justice issues that we will be no-doubt also be addressing in our program.

We said our goodbyes and hopped back on the Circulator, this time riding it all the way down to the National Mall. We proceeded to tour all of DC's famous monuments, beginning with the White House and ending with the Supreme Court building. For me, it was pretty surreal to get to see all of these places in person that I had heard so much about. Mr. Hillyer is also a history teacher, so we got to hear a lot of interesting stories about the backgrounds of some of the monuments. For instance, the wild party that Andrew Jackson threw at the White House after his inauguration. It was like having a tour guide with us without having to pay! It was also pretty cool to see the memorials from World War I and II, as well as the Korean War. Looking at them, you could definitely tell which one our country wants us to remember the most!

The view from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

My favorite monument was probably the Lincoln Memorial, just because I found its size and construction to be the most impressive. I also liked looking out at the reflection pool and seeing the Washington Monument on the other side. We were in our nation's capital on Fourth of July weekend, of course, so all of the tourist spots were crowded. I was also sore from how much walking we had done in the past few days (16 miles in New York and DC combined!) As a tour guide once told Mr. Hillyer when he was in DC with another group, this wasn't    vacation. This was work.

   Before we left, we stopped to observe a demonstration supporting the abolition of the death penalty. Earlier, we had also seen a man sitting outside the White House who, for years, had been protesting against nuclear proliferation. The Georgetown admissions officer who had conducted the information session had said that the spirit of protest at Georgetown and in DC at large was alive and well, which we came to see was true.

Once back at Union Station, we loaded up on provisions for the ride back to Philadelphia. Once again, I fell asleep on the bus, which I think all of us did. It had been a long few days. Luckily, we had a full night of sleep ahead of us. And I don't regret doing so much. Although it did wear me out, I'm glad we got to know the cities as opposed to just the universities, so we could understand what it would be like to actually live there. It's always good to experience new places and new things, and I had been wanting to go the New York and DC specifically for years now. It was amazing to finally get a chance to.

The Nine Miles of New York

I was rushing myself trying to get out the hotel room and down to the hotel lobby by 5:30 AM. I was still exhausted and aching from the previous day which slowed me a bit down this morning. Allonna and Diana left to get water while I stayed double checking I didn't forget anything. I gently closed the door behind me and rushed my way to the elevators where Allonna and Diana were waiting for me. As soon as the elevator touched down to the lobby, John and Chris quickly stood up from the couches, we all hurried to start our next adventure. 

Although it was 5:30 in the morning, the weather was seventy-three degrees out with a gorgeous sunrise about to emerge; it was perfect. The walk was around fifteen minutes long. The whole cohort was enthusiastic about the future day with the exception of Chris; he's not much of a city guy. We had waited at the bus stop where we found our MegaBus already there parked to the side idly waiting to take off to New York. John had already bought our tickets ahead of time, allowing us to boats more efficiently. Carefully making our steps onto the bus we decided to seat ourselves on the top level. Being on a double-decker bus is not something I can truthfully say I that I have experienced prior to the ILC. The view we had along the whole way showed is everything. From over buildings, to over the freeway dividers, or even the towns and cities in the distance, we were able to see it all. 

New York 

During the ride, Allonna and I were discussing the enthusiasm we had for New York and Columbia University itself. Allonna had told me it was her dream school and she's always wanted to go there. She has such a genuine dream and her face would light up just bringing up the name. It was nice seeing someone so passionate about a school so much and already knowing what or where they want to be; it was admirable.

Inside Columbia Administration Building

I learned about Columbia because of my friend Lisa. She recently graduated Pinole Valley in early June and is soon to be attending The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was the time when Don had come to Pinole to introduce all of the newbies and returning ILCers about the program itself and the schools in which they offer. Don had required a couple of presentations from previous participators of the ILC and give us their story or experience of being part of the ILC community; one of the best sources is from someone who was the student themselves.  Both of the people who were presenting I knew very well, Lisa Romero who studied Constitutional Law at Columbia and Katherine Phan who attended Vanderbilt University. From Lisa's presentation of Columbia, I knew that it was genuine and changed her for the better. She fell in love with the University. Based off of her speech, I already knew that I had to keep that school into great consideration when it was time to apply for college; if I didn't I would be a complete fool. 

I was drifting on and off into my sleep on the rest of the way to New York when we finished talking about what else we wanted to do or looked forward to in the Big Apple. When I said I was exhausted, it wasn't an understatement. The whites in my eyes looked red since the night before and my contacts did not help the irritability. My feet and legs still aches a it from the walking around Philly and when I stubbed my toe coming out the bathroom like the clumsy person I am. It felt as if my mind was still awake but my body was asleep as the weight of my heavy eyes became too strong to lift or flutter open any more. I could hear everything around me as if it were a part of my dream. I eventually fully awakened about twenty minutes before entering the Big Apple. I felt a little more charged than I had when we left. 

Entering the city felt like a dream that finally made it to reality. All the media attention and portrayal of New York was the closest thing for me going to see the colossal city. Seeing it in real life confirmed that my second hand source was right even though I already knew it was; it's an experience  that should be first hand in order to fully understand and grasp the actual feel of the city life. There were so many building that seemed to reach higher than the sky and interesting signs commanding pedestrians that they were not allowed to stand in a specific area on a side walk; it's similar to a No Parking sign except with standing. 

Stepping out of the huge bus and onto the city streets seemed unimaginable. The fact that we were all here together for our first times in New York made the experience even more special. We all looked around and observed our surrounding scoping out every detail of the streets, buildings, and people. It was as if we were studying a picture in a museum. Before taking off to our first stop, John had given us some common sense and crucial advice about New York. We need to be careful of pick pocketing and paying attention to where we're going so we don't get lost.

Our first stop was breakfast. After a long two hour ride all of us were practically starving. John had guided us down into the New York subway where it would take us to the restaurant near our site visit at Columbia University. He explained to us about how the NY subway system worked and how to use  the Metro Card which was basically New York's system of a BART ticket except you have to place money onto it and there's a set price of $2.75 everytime you enter the Metro station. The ride there on the train took around twenty minutes to get to our designated station, then another five to ten minute walk. Being on the Metro was pretty uneasy. The train cars shook in all sorts of direction instead of what we're use to of only sides to from BART. In addition to that there's not too much space and the seats are much smaller. 

The restaurant we ended up eating at was called "Kitchenette." The style of the restaurant is a small, cute, and a home feeling to it. Everything you see in there is like what you could imagine your own mother's kitchen to look like as well as how they prepare your food and the way they treat you; it's very kind, personal, and motherly. It took us about an hour to finish up our food and head out the door where we would be taking a campus site visit of Columbia.

Columbia University Library

When you first make your way into Columbia, it's small and the buildings are close together. There's no long walks from different parts of town and resides in one area making it much easier for students to attend their classes punctually. The first thing that may mislead you is one of the campus buildings. The building named "The Library of Columbia University" is actually the Administration building. It was originally intended to be the library but was too small to fit the size of all the increasing book number sizes. We walked into that building and checked in for our info session as well as campus tour. The architecture was beautiful. The walls were a soft for a stone hard building and were filled with plaques of benefactors of the university as well as art pieces placed onto podiums with a glass cover surrounding it. Before we could go exploring some of the paintings, we were called to finally start what we came for.

The information session was located in Alfred Learner Hall building in the Roone Alredge Cinema. Once everyone was seated, two of the students who were attending the school were talking to us about their experience being a student at this university as well as answering a few questions as we waited for the admissions officer to come by. From their speeches, what stood out the most to me is

when they stated and explained what they love and not so much about Columbia and what they had said in response was even more interesting. 

The first speaker said that everyone was really opinionated which was what she grew a love hate relationship with. During class discussions, your opinion is always going to be challenged by someone else, and they will explain to you why they disagree. Learning in class environments such as this, allows more of their students to adapt to real life and opens up their minds. In real life, no one is going to agree with everything you do from what you believe in, what you wear, or even about who you are. This gives you the ability to learn how to back your claims up with support. The downside is that it becomes frustrating after awhile of debating back and forth. 

The admission officer, James Ramseu, finally arrived to begin the session. The financial aide that is given from Colombia is only for need base families. They do not give merit scholarships whether it's for athletics, music, etc. There are only two branches of Columbia: the Universoty of Columbia and Columbia Engineering. The students there are required to take Core classes along with the classes designed for their major. Core classes allow for students to be able to strengthen their reading, writing, critical thinking, and public speaking skills as well as understand or view the different fields that they have to offer. Some of those reqirents include four semesters of a foreign language, PE, but are different from the engineering core classes where those classes will base mainly of engineering related classes such as computer science and instead of learning a foreign language, you learn a programming language. Students do not declare their major until sophomore year giving them more time to be for sure about what they want to do.

Alexander Hamilton Building 

When tour time came around, we were the first group to break out. Our tour guide was a student named Heather. She has a strong voice and enthusiastic personality but talks extremely fast that it's hard understanding what she was saying exactly or absorb the information that we did hear from her. The school is so invested in their students and are always trying to help with their needs and dreams coming true. For those dedicated to music, they are able to receive a Columbia education while attending Juliard as well. They also have raffles to where it allows students to participate in events at the community that are expensive but reduces the price so it's more affordable to go. The people there are diverse as she describes as "physically and mentally." There are large amounts of students races, interests, opinions, areas, and just a way of thinking as well that opens up your eyes and changes or broadens your mindset. Even though it was hard understanding Heather, I have a better understanding of what the lifestyle and work load would be like at the university. There is so much this school has to offer and leading opportunities in later life.

Freedom Tower 

After we went over time with the tour, thanks to Allonna, we were able to meet the admissions officer who was giving the information session. We asked some questions that related to our interest or to get a better understanding of what Columbia is really about. He talked to us about the majors, financial aide, the engineering school, the transition from the West to East Coasts, tutoring and resources, and why he decided to go to Columbia. The life at Columbia is what you make of it and is based off of your mindset . A lot of it depends on you. If you need tutoring or advice you need to be the one to reach out and ask for it or do some investigating to find resources. Time management skills is one of the main keys to success as well as the effort and dedication. If we already know what we want to do but the school doesn't offer the specific majors, it's good to be able to know the specifics of what you want to focus on to find a similar major where it can help you advance into that field. He said that he originally went into Columbia Engineering but fell in love with psychology and decided to switch his major.its alright to change your majors as long as you have enough time to complete them before you graduate. Speaking with James made it easier for me to absorb all them formation and understand the way the school works as well as college in general.

From the rest of the day, we went sight seeing of some of the well-known areas in New York. We visited Central Park, the largest bookstore called Strand, Times Square, Broadway, the tallest building which is the Freedom Tower, World Trade Center, and the Memorial of the Twin Towers and those lost during September 11. I never thought I would get the experience I did that day. When we were looking at where the fountain of where one of the Twin Towers stood, I felt this depressed and sad feeling overcome me. I thought I was going to cry. Reading the names of all lost reminded me of how real this tragedy was; nothing will ever be the same.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave for Philadelphia again. Going through the humidity of the metro station platforms,  random rainfall and thunder storms, as well as walking nine to twelve miles for twelve hours had me about to give out; I was ready to head back where I can take a nice long shower and lay comfortably in a bed. Staying goodbye to Mew York for another time was sad to let go. After all, everything comes to end eventually; nothing lasts forever.

A Tiny Fish In a Huge Pond

sunrise on the way to the bus stop

A day filled marvelous and new sights and sound was right in front of me. I woke up bright and early around 4:30 AM knowing today would be the day that I go to a place I had always dreamed about and imagined, New York City. I got ready as quickly as i could and down to meet with my cohort. We walked down to the Megabus stop where John showed the driver our tickets. We sat on the second floor of the bus. I decided to take a nap since the bus ride was two hours long. As if it were almost time travel, I woke up in the second greatest state (after California) of New York overlooking NYC.

The bus left us in the middle of Manhattan and we were on our own in this gigantic and daunting city. John was the most well-versed with what was happening and where to go so he led the way for most of the traveling today. The tour of Columbia wasn't going to start until 10 AM so we made our way to the most adorable little restaurant called Kitchenette. I got a biscuit with some cheese, egg whites, and avocado topped with some peach jam. It was really good. I practically inhaled it.

Main library

After breakfast, we walked a few blocks to Columbia University. When we got there, we all marveled at how beautiful it was. It has amazing architecture and just screamed prestige. When we signed up for the tour we had to go to a building called Alfred Lerner Hall which serves as a resource center. It looked like it was made of nothing but glass. Soon after the admission officer came and gave us his presentation. I’ve been to a lot of presentations and they are all generally the same. The basic what we look for, what we can give you, and what do you need to apply to this school but Columbia has something called the Core. The core is a set of core classes that every students has to take. This has been happening since a long time ago so all the alumni have that in common. I thought that made them very unique.

After the presentation, we split up into groups for a campus tour. Our tour guide was very intense and spoke very fast. That took away from having a more informational tour. Our tour guide, Heather, first talked about how they ran out of space in a building they intended for a library so they had to build another one across it to house all their books. They currently have 22 libraries that all their student can access even after they graduate. From there we went to the dorms. They have dorms that are either singles or doubles. The good thing with Columbia is that if you get accepted , housing is guaranteed for the four years you are there. I thought that was really cool because it would be really hard to find housing in NY that is both close to campus and affordable. Something else that I thought was cool is that people from across their two colleges (Columbia college and Engineering college) are involved in activities that don’t necessarily relate to their major yet excel in both.

Central park

After the tour we went to ask the admissions officer some more questions since Allonna’s mother knew him. I asked about early admissions and how financial aid could potentially turn into a full ride. He said that early admissions can be denied if there's a really big reason as to why the student can’t accept it. He also said that their financial aid was need-based depending heavily on if the student’s family’s income. When we were all satisfied with the questions we asked, we headed to the bookstore where I bought a shirt. Soon after, we walked down to Central park and took a look at one of their man made lakes where I realized how much effort it must have taken to make the whole park.  

We wanted to go to as many tourist spots as possible in our limited time in NYC so we headed to the Strand, a very unique bookstore. The Strand is a huge bookstore with enough books that when put side by side like on a shelf, the books would span more than 18 miles. The store is spread out on four floors of shelves and stands This place is basically the closest thing to heaven for me. I was such an fascinating experience for me because I have never been around so many books at once. I love books so much that I never wanted to leave but of course I couldn’t do that. So after a few short moments in there, we left and went to a small restaurant not to far away, Hummus and Pita Co.

Freedom Tower

Just a few street crossing and we were already at Hummus and Pita Co. The food they served here was mostly new to me so I was ordering blindly. So I got a little curious and ordered the gyro pita. It had lamb and beef which were seasoned with various spices, various vegetables, and of course hummus. To be honest, I was a bit intimidated by what I had ordered but as soon as I took the first bite, I was almost taken to a new world with these amazing flavors sailing me through it. This was my first time trying a gyro and I certainly intend to have them more often. And just like that it was finished as I was pulled from my enchantment so that my cohort could move onto our next destination.  

Still riding on the euphoria of the gyro, my cohort and I boarded a subway train headed to our next destination. I wasn’t too sure where we were headed but soon enough it was towering over us. One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower, in all its magnificence was hanging its enormous glass walls right above our heads. The building seemed to only get bigger as we got closer til we finally moved passed it to get to the 9/11 memorial. There were two fountains, which were lined with the names of victims of the terrible attack, where both towers used to stand. I took some time to look at each name and respect those who died that day. There were many people who were relatives and friends of those who lost their lives and there were also people who didn’t know these victims but wanted to see and remember the tragedy that took place fifteen almost years ago. After paying my dues, it was time to head to our last destination: Times Square.

In Honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11

Times Square

New York City is an enormous and culture rich city. But it is also a tourist magnet, so why not embrace my inner tourist and visit one of the most well known places in the world. Times square was quite a ways from the World Trade Center, so as a group we took the subway again towards the home of one of the biggest parties in the world held each New Year. I have only ever seen it in movies or on TV so I have a very artificial image of what it is. So with superficial envision I moved forward. Once we finally got there I was greeted by the huge and bright electronic billboard and tons of people. Despite it being fairly bright out the screens were very bright and shiny; so many different colors to catch my attention. And with the sound of so many humans and cars rushing by, I was afraid I was going to have a sensory overload. We stopped by a small souvenir shop, where I got a few gifts for friends and family back home. Also nearby was Broadway where the award-winning Hamilton was shown. Outside were a group girls of girls who put on a little show by singing some of the songs from the musical. With that concluding our trip to New York City. 

The award winning musical Hamilton

We Scurried along to the bus stop where we boarded a bus back to our little makeshift home in Philadelphia. After spending around 13 hours in New York we were exhausted yet happy to have gotten the experience of being in such a large urban environment. I am really thankful to John for not only taking us to cool places but also for teaching us how to navigate this foreign environment.

A Bite of the Big Apple

The day started bright and early again today. We had to be down in the lobby by 5:30 in order to make our bus, which was a tall order from five people who are already fatigued. I went to sleep dreading this morning, but it was actually pretty easy to make myself get up. We were all down in the lobby on time, and walked several blocks down to the bus stop. We were taking Megabus, which is a service that provides transportation to several major east coast cities for cheap. The Megabus was a big, blue, double decker vehicle. We found four seats on the top of the bus (Mr. Hillyer had to sit apart from us), and settled in for the two hour drive.

We spent the bus ride chatting and, some of us, sleeping. The ride basically consisted of driving through New Jersey, and there wasn't much to look at until the New York City skyline emerged in the distance. The view was spectacular, and it woke us up. None of us besides our chaperone had been to New York City before, so it was a big deal for all of us as we got closer and closer. Finally, we made it through the Lincoln Tunnel, and we had arrived.

The bus dropped us off on a downtown city block, at around 8 AM. Our tour of Columbia University didn't start until 10 AM, but we decided to take the subway uptown in order to get some breakfast. Mr. Hillyer talked to us about how Manhattan was organized. Basically, there are 12 avenues that run parallel to the Hudson River, and 220 streets that cut across the avenues like rungs on a ladder. I never realized before how huge New York City is, and that's only one of five burrows!

I had heard some not-so-great things about New York City's subway system in the past, which made me a little bit wary as we went underground. The stations were a little run down, but they were nowhere near as bad as I've heard. I like the fact that the subway stops so frequently, making it very easy to get around.

We ate breakfast at Kitchenette Uptown, a charming restaurant near Columbia's campus. After we had finished, we walked down to 116th street for our tour. As we passed through the gates that marked the entrance to Columbia University, I was struck by how beautiful the campus was. It is very compact, but the architecture and the greenery took my breath away. You could hardly tell that you were in Manhattan.

Lowe Library was also the first building built on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus

Butler library is one of 22 libraries on Columbia's campus

Check in took place at Lowe Library, which actually isn't a library at all. It was originally intended to be, but it turned out to be too small, so they built Butler Library across the way. Now, Lowe Library serves administrative purposes. We got our name tags and took in the decor on the inside, which was just as beautiful as the outside, while we waited for the information session to begin.

The information session took place in Lerner Hall, which was more modern than some of the surrounding buildings. While we waited for the admissions officer to arrive, two Columbia students welcomed us and spent some time speaking to us about their favorite and least favorite parts about going to school there. One said that she enjoyed that she had been forced to challenge and reshape what she believed while at Columbia, which she also admitted could be a bit frustrating at times. Her counterpart said that the diversity and the affordability of Columbia were what he enjoyed the most.

When the admissions officer of the day entered the room, he began the hour long information session. Throughout the session, he talked about the history of Columbia, the Core Curriculum that they have, the type of learning that they facilitate, their location in New York City, and admissions and financial aid. Some things that really stood out to me was the fact that Columbia strives to create well rounded students through the Core Curriculum, which is unique to their school, and that most of their majors are not based on what profession one may want to pursue, but on building knowledge and skills that are important for a given subject area and the workforce in general. I like this approach, because it does not limit the student. Columbia also seems to really encourage students to incorporate New York City into their learning experience by taking advantage of the resources that are available there, such as internships and the arts.

Next we went on our tour, which was less of a positive experience than the information session. Our tour guide was very fast paced and aggressive, and while she was saying great things about the school, she wasn't giving off a good vibe. However, after the tour, we went to the admissions office to introduce ourselves to the officer of the day, James Ramseur, who eased some of my worries. Talking to him and having him answer some more of my questions gave me a better feel for the type of institution that Columbia is. I was looking into applying early decision before, but now I'm almost certain that that is what I want to do.

One of  Central Park's several lakes was home to a lot of  wildlife

The next stop was Columbia's bookstore, where I picked up a shirt and a souvenir for my mom. Then, we cut across Central Park. I think that it was a very smart idea to insert some greenery into the middle of such an urban environment, because it was really refreshing to see all of the trees and lakes and grass. Central Park was beautiful, and I'm sure that it's a great place for New Yorkers to come if they ever feel like they need to experience some nature.

The path through Central Park spit us out on the Upper East side, but we ended up taking the subway back downtown to the Greenwich Village area. There, we took a look at Strand, a massive bookstore with 18 miles of shelves inside. We all explored on our own inside the store, and I ended up taking a look at a book called Humans of New York, which features portraits of New Yorkers from all walks of life and excerpts of their conversation with the author. I found this fascinating, as it was funny, touching, sad, scary, and weird all at the same time. When I met up with Chris, we went up to the rare books section of the store, where they have first editions of some of the most important pieces of literature in the world for sale. The most expensive book we saw was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, coming in at $8,500.

Across the street from Strand, we noticed a Hummus and Company, which Mr. Hillyer encouraged us to try. I had never had a pita before, and I was a bit confused about how to order, but I eventually figured it out and got a gyro hummus. This was very delicious, and I'll definitely be wanting to try it again in the future!

Once we were all through with our lunch, we strolled through the NYU campus nearby. While I do like the city, I found it disconcerting that NYU blended in so much. There was no sense of connection between the different buildings, and I think it would be difficult to build a sense of community there. For me, a campus like Columbia's is a much better option. However, NYU's campus is home to the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which I learned about in APUSH this past year. It was cool to make that connection, and Mr. Hillyer, as a history teacher himself, was very knowledgable about the subject.

We walked through Washington Square Park to yet another subway station, which we rode to the

The Freedom Tower is currently the tallest
building in New York C

World Trade Center. We saw the Freedom Tower, which was very impressive, and the 9/11 memorial. Although I don't remember 9/11, I recognize what a huge tragedy it was, and I was glad that I got to pay my respects to the victims. I didn't realize that the area around where the Twin Towers once stood was still being rebuilt. This surprised me a little bit, but it makes sense considering that most of the attention was devoted to completing the Freedom Tower as quickly as possible.

It was around this time that it started to rain. It wasn't so bad, however, as the rain was on and off and it was only really coming down about once for five minutes. We got on the subway for the last time, headed for Times Square. I was excited to see this iconic area of New York City, and I was not disappointed. Although it was crowded, the lights from the different billboards were stunning, especially against the backdrop of the cloudy sky. We turned onto Broadway, which was also very beautiful, and then stopped inside of a store that sold New York City merchandise. Here, I purchased another souvenir for a different family member.

Time was still remaining before we had to be back to catch our bus, so we walked two blocks down to see the place where Hamilton is performed. Outside, there were fans singing some of the songs from the show, some of them dressed thematically. Although I'll doubt I'll ever see Hamilton (I could never justify spending thousands of dollars for a musical), I'm a big fan of the soundtrack, so it was cool to catch a glimpse of the marquee.

It was around time to head back, and we had a bit of a trek to where the Megabus would be picking us up. At this point, we were all aching and tired, but we made it. Unfortunately, the buses were running late, so we had to wait until around 7:30 before we could get on what was supposed to be the 7:05. Although we packed a lot into these past 24 hours, I'm glad we did it, because we made the most of our time. From what I saw, I really love New York City, and it's a place that I could potentially see myself living for four years in college. If it wasn't for the Ivy League Connection, I probably would have never known this, because I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see the city before I started applying to schools. Needless to say, today made me very grateful for having been selected!